"Come on, drink up! Today was a blast. Those two idiots still make me laugh whenever I think about them."
At Franky House near Scrap Island, the mood was jubilant. The Franky Family had gathered to celebrate the billion Beli they had just acquired.
"Hey, Zanbai, that's a billion Beli! Boss Franky will be thrilled when he finds out, hahaha!"
Tamago bounced around with a glass in his hand, drinking and laughing without pause.
Zanbai was the Franky Family's captain. Burly and rugged, he wore a ridiculous pair of fishnet stockings and a halter-style belly wrap. His muscular build and booming voice gave him a somewhat guileless air.
Zanbai nodded. "Of course he will. Boss has always had a dream. He never talks about it, but I know he wants to build the finest pirate ship with his own hands. For a ship like that, he needs Treasure Tree Adam. There's no other material like it for a keel. They say one tree can cost hundreds of millions of Beli in the Underworld. But now we don't have to worry."
"Zanbai, you really came through."
The Square Sisters beamed as they praised him in unison.
"Heh-heh..."
Zanbai scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "It's what we're supposed to do for our boss."
"Is that so? With underlings like you, I'm sure your boss will be delighted!"
A cold laugh drifted in from outside. The revelry stopped dead. Zanbai hurried to his feet and called out, forcing some courage into his voice. "Wh-who's there?"
"Shadowless Kick!"
A shout rang out from outside, followed by a sharp crack. Someone had kicked through the door of Franky House. First a hole appeared, then cracks spread across it like a Spider Web, and the whole door shattered into pieces.
A gust of wind swept