The Bar That Appeared Out of Nowhere

A strange new bar had suddenly appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago.

The place had originally been a clothing store, but three days earlier, its owner had suddenly sold it to an outsider. The outsider had renovated the little shop and turned it into a bar.

The bar had a peculiar sign. The writing on it seemed to be in an unfamiliar script. Passersby couldn't recognize a single word, yet its meaning miraculously appeared in their minds all on its own-Wish-Granting Bar.

That was right. This bar was called the Wish-Granting Bar, a very strange name indeed.

The little establishment wasn't large. It contained nothing more than a liquor cabinet, a bar counter, and four or five small tables, and the owner was the only person working there.

At the moment, the owner stood behind the counter, polishing a wineglass out of sheer boredom. He was none other than Su Yu, who had left the floating restaurant.

After leaving Baratie that day, Su Yu had opened a Space Gate and come straight to the Sabaody Archipelago. Then he had used an illusion technique to control the clothing store's former owner and buy the shop. Of course, he had compensated the man generously. At the very least, the man would never have to work hard again for the rest of his life.

Today was Su Yu's first day in business, but he hadn't made a single sale yet. The main reason was his rather outrageous pricing: a single glass of liquor cost a hundred thousand Beli!

Many people had wandered in out of curiosity, only to clutch their wallets and practically flee the moment they saw that staggering price. Su Yu was left speechless. He was running a business, not robbing people.

Had those fleeing customers been able to hear Su Yu's thoughts, they would surely have said that charging a hundred thousand Beli for one glass certainly wasn't robbery-he was making money far faster than any robber!

Of course, the bar served more than one kind of liquor, including some cheaper varieties. The customers had simply been scared off the instant they saw the hundred-thousand-Beli price.

Eventually, though, Su Yu welcomed his first customer, and he even recognized the man.

The newcomer had long, slightly wavy hair and a beard, both white. He wore round glasses and had a vertical scar over his right eye.

Strangely, his beard formed a pattern of separated stripes stretching from beneath his mouth to the edges of his chin. Su Yu had never seen anyone else with a beard like that.

The man was casually dressed, with a cloak draped over his shoulders. He looked like an ordinary, frail old man, but Su Yu knew that this seemingly harmless elder was one of the world's strongest fighters: Silvers Rayleigh, former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates, known as the "Pirate King's right-hand man"!

Rayleigh was also a lover of alcohol. He had heard that a new bar had opened, charging a hundred thousand Beli per glass, and was curious about what liquor that expensive tasted like. Clearly, however, that wasn't his only reason for coming.

Rayleigh stood at the entrance, apparently taking a casual look at the bar's furnishings, while secretly using Observation Haki to examine its owner, Su Yu.

Yet no matter how he examined him, Su Yu seemed like an ordinary person to Rayleigh's senses, without anything extraordinary about him. His body wasn't particularly strong, and he gave off no trace of a Devil Fruit. Rayleigh found that strange, though he showed none of it on his face.

Why did Rayleigh suspect that the owner wasn't an ordinary person? Because a noticeboard hung in a conspicuous spot inside the bar, bearing several lines of writing. Rayleigh couldn't recognize the script, but when he studied it, he naturally understood its meaning. In essence, it claimed that this bar could grant any wish, provided the customer could pay the price!

Rayleigh figured that anyone who could make such an arrogant claim was either not right in the head, tired of living, or genuinely confident that he had the power to do it!

He didn't believe a man capable of writing those miraculous words belonged to either of the first two categories. The man must have something to back up his claim.

But he swept his Observation Haki left and right, and no matter how often he scanned him, Su Yu still seemed like an ordinary person!

Could the real owner be someone behind the scenes, with this man merely acting as a mouthpiece? Or... was he already strong enough to block my probing? At the very least, his Observation Haki would have to be stronger than mine!

At that thought, Rayleigh quietly raised his guard, though he maintained his casual, easygoing appearance as he strolled over and sat at the counter.

Su Yu had actually noticed the instant Rayleigh released his Observation Haki, but he hadn't said anything. He had simply kept his head lowered and continued polishing the wineglass. Only when Rayleigh sat at the counter did he finally stop and lift his head to greet his customer.

"What would you like to drink?"

"I'll start with a glass of your hundred-thousand-Beli liquor."

"Certainly. Just a moment, please."

Su Yu turned, picked up a glass, poured the liquor, and handed it to Rayleigh.

Rayleigh lifted the glass and swirled it. The amber liquor rippled beautifully inside, but there was far too little of it-barely a mouthful or two for him...

This place seems even more of a rip-off than Shakky's bar, Rayleigh thought.

Still, he didn't care about the price. After all, his money was always "given" to him by slave owners or slave-trading organizations. Whenever he ran out, he simply sold himself and had money again, so spending it never pained him in the slightest.

He raised the glass and drained it in one go. As the liquor entered his mouth, a sharp sensation spread to his throat, then traveled down his esophagus into his stomach, as though he had just swallowed a ball of blazing fire.

Rayleigh involuntarily parted his lips and breathed out. This liquor really packed a punch. He had never tasted anything so strong, and for an instant, he had even thought the owner had poisoned him...

Seeing Rayleigh's stunned expression, Su Yu smiled slightly. "Well? Is it to your taste?"

Having weathered plenty of storms, Rayleigh was taken aback for less than a second. At Su Yu's words, he gave a genial smile. "Very unusual liquor, but it feels pretty good!"

"I'm glad you like it!"

Feigning casual interest, Rayleigh asked, "Young man, is what you've written on that board true? Can you really grant any wish?"

Su Yu's smile widened. "It is! Do you have a wish? As long as you can pay the price, I can grant it-even if you want to bring Roger back to life!"

At those words, Rayleigh was shaken to his core. A powerful aura erupted from him, only to vanish a second later. He scrutinized Su Yu's expression but could glean nothing from it.

Looks like he's recognized me...

"Young man, it seems you know who I am."

"Heh. Of course I know the renowned Dark King Rayleigh!"

"Phew... It's been a long time since I heard that name."

Rayleigh felt a little nostalgic. When Su Yu said he could resurrect Roger, he had been tempted for a moment, but after thinking it over, he let the idea go. Even if the owner could truly deliver on his claim, there would be little point in bringing Roger back. He had already accomplished what he wanted to do...

Still, Rayleigh remained skeptical that Su Yu could bring someone back to life.

Seeing Rayleigh lost in his memories, Su Yu didn't disturb him. He picked up the wineglass and resumed polishing it.

For a while, the bar fell quiet again, with only a young man polishing a glass and an old man recalling the past.

But that peace was soon broken.

The bar's door was suddenly shoved open with a loud creak, and several men entered. Every one of them was a fierce-looking brute. They seemed to be pirates.

The bar immediately grew crowded.

The man in the lead carried a huge cleaver, his eyes brimming with brutality and madness.

He looked around, then bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Owner! Get us some booze!"

Su Yu didn't mind. There was little point in expecting manners from pirates. He turned, poured another glass, and set it on the counter, then gestured for the man to help himself.

The lead pirate looked at the glass, which held barely a mouthful, and a trace of displeasure and viciousness crossed his face. He said nothing, however, simply snatching it up and draining the strong liquor in one gulp.

Its intense flavor clearly stunned him too, but a second later, he opened his mouth wide and laughed. "Hahahaha! This is damn good booze! Bring us a few barrels!"

His laughter was grating, and the crooked yellow teeth exposed in his mouth were nauseating.

Su Yu remained behind the counter, unruffled. "Of course. But this liquor costs a hundred thousand Beli per glass. Did you bring enough money?"

At Su Yu's words, the pirates threw back their heads and roared with laughter, as though they had heard some hilarious joke.

Still laughing, their leader said, "You bastard, I'm a pirate! Since when do we need money to get booze?!"

One of the lackeys behind him chimed in, "Our captain is Abeli the Giant Blade, with a bounty of a hundred and twenty million Beli! Have you lost your mind, asking our boss for money?!"

"That's right! If you know what's good for you, bring out the booze while we're still in a good mood. Otherwise...!"

"Get the booze out here, you bastard!"

"Do you have a death wish, you bastard?!"