It Can't Really Taste as Bad as Poop, Can It?

"In all my years, I've never actually met a pirate with a bounty as high as yours!"

The old man's humorous remark broke the tension in the tavern.

Kuta swiveled his chair and swept his gaze over the Marines around him before finally resting it on Bearded Man.

"Am I really that frightening, Marines?"

His gentle voice did nothing to ease the Marines'

nerves.

Bearded Man stared fixedly at Kuta, suppressed his fear, and declared loudly, "Pirate, don't get too cocky! We Marines stand for justice, and we aren't afraid of pirates!"

His voice grew louder as he spoke, and by the end, he was standing ramrod straight.

He stared at Kuta and roared.

"Justice will prevail!"

"Justice will prevail!"

The surrounding Marines instinctively straightened their backs and joined in the roar.

Kuta looked at Bearded Man, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes. "Relax. As long as you don't bother us, we'll leave once we've finished shopping."

He rather admired Bearded Man. This was what a good Marine should be like.

Even though they were afraid, they still stood fearlessly on the front lines to protect the people.

Kuta paid Bearded Man little further attention. He turned around and smiled at the old man. "Sir, we're good, law-abiding citizens. We never take so much as a needle or a thread from the villagers. Just tell me! How much is it?"

By now, the old man had regained his easygoing composure.

He smoked his pipe, a glint flashing through his eyes, then slowly raised his right hand and spread all five fingers in front of Kuta.

"What? Only fifty thousand? I thought it would be expensive!"

He stared at the old man's hand.

Kuta breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to reach into his clothes for the money, the old man suddenly spoke.

"Kid, it's five hundred thousand, not fifty thousand!"

"What?"

Kuta stared wide-eyed at the old man in shock.

"Old man, tell me that price again!"

He deliberately put on a vicious expression.

The sudden change in his expression gave the nearby Marines a fright.

Breaking into cold sweats, the Marines all stared at the old man, screaming inwardly.

Please don't get yourself killed, sir! That's a notorious pirate you're facing!

The old man remained as unhurried as ever. He slowly took his pipe from his mouth and tapped it against the edge of the counter.

Tap! Tap, tap!

Those crisp taps seemed to strike the Marines right in their hearts. They all stood rigid, watching the old man nervously.

The old man paid no attention to their anxiety.

He looked at Kuta and said firmly, "Five hundred thousand. Not a penny less."

"Uh!"

The Marines watched the old man, their hearts trembling. They could already picture Kuta flying into a rage.

But they waited a while, and Kuta's fury never came.

Instead, they heard Kuta and the old man

haggling like housewives at a market.

"Old man, I've put up with you long enough. Don't push your luck!"

"So what if I do?"

"Go on, hit me!"

"Anyway, I've named my price. Five hundred thousand, not a penny less."

"Oh! You think I can't handle you, huh?"

Kuta rolled up his sleeves and traded verbal blows with the old man until he finally got the price down to three hundred thousand.

In the end, Kuta paid with a dejected expression.

The old man, by contrast, counted the money with a smug look on his face.

It was clear that Kuta had lost this battle over the price.

Experience really did win out.

Only after Kuta and the others left the little tavern did the Marines let out a collective sigh of relief.

It wasn't that they were cowards! His Wanted Poster was just too terrifying!

Smoking his pipe, the old man gave Bearded Man an indifferent glance.

Then he took the pipe out of his mouth and knocked it against Bearded Man's head.

"They're gone already. What are you still staring at? Get going! Or do you want to stay here and have me feed you?"

The knock brought Bearded Man back to his senses.

He looked at the old man, his face brimming with excitement.

"Father, are you some kind of master? You were chatting and laughing with that notorious pirate without even batting an eye. You looked so impressive!"

"And he actually paid for the liquor without a fuss!"

As he spoke, he earnestly analyzed the situation. "No wonder so many people used to come to you to buy liquor. You've been a peerless master in hiding all along!"

Once he finished his analysis, he even nodded, looking at the old man with an expression that said he had figured everything out.

The more Bearded Man spoke, the uglier the old man's expression became, until he finally froze on the spot.

After standing stunned for a moment, he shook his head, raised his pipe, and swung it at Bearded Man.

"Are you an idiot? Couldn't you see I was nervous at first too?"

"A master, huh? This master is going to crack open that thick skull of yours!"

Seeing the old man's movements, Bearded Man hurriedly backed away a few steps and rushed out of the tavern. The other Marines hastened after him.

The old man lowered his pipe and gazed through the blue smoke at the empty tavern, lost in thought for a while.

Then he lay back in his reclining chair, narrowed his eyes, and resumed puffing on his pipe.

The tavern returned to its original state: dim and silent.

Then, from behind the counter came the same sigh the old man had let out when he first met Kuta.

"Young people these days really are something!"

It Couldn't Really Taste as Bad as Poop, Could It?

Prothius Island.

On a street in the island's town.

Kuta and Kuina had met up with Ahua, who was carrying bags of all sizes, and were heading toward the harbor.

Behind them, Bearded Man led a squad of Marines, following at a distance.

They only kept watch and did not approach to bother them.

It seemed they really had taken Kuta's words in the tavern to heart.

Kuta carried a large bag of fruit in his left hand and held his Wanted Poster in his right, studying it as he walked.

The careless nicknames on the Wanted Poster left him rather speechless.

What is this nonsense?

Silver Hair, Blue Hair. Could they put any less effort into it?

Did the Marines think he wasn't important enough, or that he wasn't strong enough for them to spend more effort coming up with a better nickname?

So they had simply picked one at random.

He rubbed his chin and thought it over.

Or is this a Marine conspiracy?

The Marines want us to compete with Red-Hair for the title of Strongest Hair Pirates.

"Hmm!"

Kuta nodded. He seemed to have figured out the Marines' scheme.

"How devious of you, Sengoku-san!"

This was obviously one of Sengoku's schemes.

Had Sengoku heard that, he would have coughed up several mouthfuls of blood in sheer anger.

A reputation could really ruin a man!

He, Sengoku, was the most upright man in the Marines!

This time, they really, really, really had simply been careless. There was no plot or scheme involved!

"Hm!"

Kuta suddenly looked up into the sky and stopped.

His smiling face instantly darkened.

When the Marines behind them saw Kuta and the others stop, they fell into a panic.

"What happened? What happened?"

"No idea."

"The Silver Hair Crew suddenly stopped."

"They haven't changed their minds and decided to rob our town, have they?"

"Quiet, everyone!"

Bearded Man roared, his eyes fixed on Kuta all the while. He could sense the grim aura coming from him.

He just didn't know why Kuta's aura had changed so suddenly.

Nervously, he followed Kuta's gaze up into the sky.

Noticing something was wrong with Kuta, Kuina and Ahua also looked up.

Anything that could change Kuta's expression so drastically had to mean something extraordinary was about to happen.

Sure enough, before long, a huge fireball trailing a fiery-red tail emerged from the clouds within their field of vision.

Judging by its trajectory, it was undoubtedly headed for the island beneath their feet.

"Hey! You've got to be kidding!"

At that moment, the Marines behind Bearded Man also looked up and spotted the fireball.

"It's broad daylight. Am I dreaming?"

Some Marines even rubbed their eyes hard, their faces full of disbelief.

But when they looked up again and saw the fireball drawing closer, they collapsed to the ground in terror.

Their eyes were wide as they kept muttering.

"Impossible, impossible, impossible."