The Research Commission's First Job

Xie Wen and the two cats worked quickly, stripping the gangsters of everything they had in moments.

But...

What a bunch of broke bastards!

They were probably so used to throwing their weight around town that they barely carried any money. After looting the whole lot, Xie Wen had only a little over seventy thousand Beli...

That wasn't even enough to buy a decent sword! Even the two lousy swords Zoro bought in Loguetown had cost a hundred thousand Beli!

Well, Xie Wen already had Fresh Knife: White Calm, and it was pretty handy, but...

Fighting people with a salted fish was still a little... well, wasn't it?

So he still wanted to get himself a more normal sword, but these damn gangsters had really let him down!

Grumbling to himself, Xie Wen picked out two reasonably decent pirate cutlasses from the gangsters and tucked them into his belt... Weapons in the West Blue seemed to lean more toward European styles. If he couldn't find a suitable Nodachi, he could always wield two swords and play bathhouse scrubber.

But the most pressing issue now was... with these gangsters so broke, how was he supposed to pay for the damage to the town?

Xie Wen surveyed the black-suited men strewn across the ground.

Maybe... I could make their gangs pay a ransom?

But Xie Wen had very little faith in the loyalty or integrity of criminal organizations.

"Big Brother Xie Wen, did Klee cause trouble again, meow?" the little ragdoll asked, tilting her tiny face up pitifully.

"Of course not!" Unlike Acting Grand Master Jean, Xie Wen was quite indulgent with Klee Meow. "These were all bad guys who wanted to do all kinds of terrible things. You were getting rid of a menace for everyone! Well... your methods were just a little excessive. Next time something like this happens, don't use so many bombs."

For the sake of his wallet, Xie Wen still added a little reminder at the end.

"Actually... Klee knew that too. I just got too excited and accidentally threw too many, meow... eheh..."

Klee Meow rubbed the back of her head and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

What could Xie Wen say to that? He could only pat Klee Meow's head. "I-it's fine... just be more careful next time."

That little brat Sanji Meow even chimed in from the side: "You're amazing, little Klee, meow! If Xie Wen had handled it, he'd have had to slash away for ages with this many people. You finished them all off in one go. A little slipup is perfectly understandable, meow."

"Ahem... it seems Mr. Cody and I both underestimated you."

Having recovered from his shock, Bax picked up his fallen Rapier and came over to Xie Wen, repeatedly casting astonished and wary glances at Klee Meow and the little backpack on her back.

"I still appreciate the thought, both from you and Mr. Cody." Xie Wen thanked him first, then pointed at the gangsters and asked, "Do these guys have bounties? Where's the nearest Marine Base?"

Right now, all Xie Wen wanted was to make some money.

Bax shook his head, however, and replied, "They're all small fry. No bounties. Besides, the Marines mostly stay out of gang business."

"But you don't need to worry. The residents here won't ask you to compensate them." Bax had clearly guessed what was troubling Xie Wen and continued explaining.

The gangs in the West Blue were actually much like the powerful pirates who claimed territories in the New World. Although they exploited the civilians in their territory, they also provided protection, even fighting off pirates who came to plunder.

When civilians got caught up in gang clashes like this, the gang responsible for that territory would also provide some assistance... Of course, it was only barely enough to keep the victims alive. Together with help from the town's other residents, though, it meant there wouldn't be much of a problem even if Xie Wen couldn't pay compensation.

That was also why the Marines in the West Blue rarely interfered with the gangs. Compared with pirates, who were more likely to cause chaos, the gangs' presence actually helped them maintain stability to some extent.

What a warped society...

Xie Wen sighed helplessly.

But considering that even Earth had countries where gangs were legal, and that this pirate world was far more chaotic than Earth, such a social structure wasn't all that surprising. In fact, people in places without gangs might be even worse off without armed protection.

For a moment, Xie Wen even felt an urge to join the Revolutionary Army... then quickly suppressed it.

That wasn't something he could decide on a passing impulse. Besides, his circumstances weren't suited to getting deeply involved in the Revolutionary Army's activities.

Still, Xie Wen intended to offer some compensation to the civilians caught in the crossfire.

Before, he had only been doing it out of consideration for Klee Meow's feelings and upbringing, and because his basic morals wouldn't let him simply run off. Now, though, he genuinely wanted to compensate them for their losses...

As for how much he could pay... well... seventy thousand Beli and some help rebuilding were pretty much the limit of what Xie Wen could afford.

He was no saint. Offering what compensation he could was already enough to live up to the education he'd received before being transported to this world.

In the end, however, Xie Wen didn't get to carry out his plan...

After Mr. Cody arrived and learned what he intended to do, he waved a hand and took responsibility for the compensation himself.

Naturally, Xie Wen wasn't going to turn down such a good deal, and Cody also made a request in return-protect his fleet on its way to a trade fair.

After thinking it over for a moment, Xie Wen agreed.

Of course, he understood that Mr. Cody was "hiring" him mostly to help him cover the compensation. After all, Klee Meow had only thrown some bombs. Nobody would hire a bomb-crazy maniac as a bodyguard.

But Xie Wen knew he had the strength for the job. Cody was a kindhearted man who had treated him quite well, so whether he really needed Xie Wen's help or not, spending some time escorting him was no big deal.

Besides, Xie Wen had wanted to gather as much information as possible anyway, and a trade fair sounded like a great place for that... He might even be able to buy a good sword there and unlock the weapons page in the notes along the way.

After making a simple arrangement with Cody about the escort job, Xie Wen pocketed his "fortune" of seventy thousand Beli and continued wandering around town with the two cats.

Although it wasn't enough for a weapon, it should still cover a few little things for the cats, a nautical chart of the West Blue, and a few old newspapers.

Neither palico asked for much. Klee Meow wanted a few snacks and some of Paper Lantern Town's specialty toys, while Sanji Meow restocked some seasonings.

My cats are so considerate!

Touched by that thought, Xie Wen saw that he hadn't spent much of his money and took the two cats to the town's clothing shop, where he bought two new outfits for each of them and himself...

Although the clothes the palicoes came with were exceptionally sturdy, and Sanji Meow's chef outfit still didn't have so much as a tear, Xie Wen decided to buy the cats a few more clothes to change into.

If Cody's ship hadn't been leaving the next day, Xie Wen would have had clothes custom-made for them. After all, human children's clothes didn't quite fit palicoes in some places.

After spending most of the seventy thousand Beli he had only just "earned," Xie Wen and his companions finally arrived at Paper Lantern Town's tavern, where he used the remaining money to buy a map of the West Blue and several old newspapers from the owner...

Xie Wen didn't understand why the tavern owner was selling those things either. Bax had simply directed him there.

Thinking about it, although Xie Wen wasn't sure about maps, he seemed to remember taverns selling newspapers in the manga.

Maybe it was because the pirate world didn't have newsstands.

With that guess in mind, Xie Wen first unfolded the map of the West Blue and took out the Hunter's Notes as well, intending to see whether an ordinary map could increase the exploration progress on the dynamic map.

The moment he opened the map, he was dumbfounded...

They called this damn thing a map?!