After two days at sea, the merchant ship arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago. The voyage had been smooth, and they had encountered no pirate raids or anything of the sort.
Looking at the islands before him, formed by 79 Yarukiman Mangroves, Roy once again marveled at the wonders of the pirate world.
Once the cargo had been handed over, he politely declined the captain's offer to let him stay.
Watching the sailors board the ship and depart, Roy waved to them and shouted:
"Goodbye, everyone!"
With that, he turned and headed into the island.
Island 36.
Using the Beli the captain had given him, he bought a handsome suit at a clothing store, then found a stylist named "Tony" to give him a fashionable haircut.
Looking at his face in the mirror, as handsome as those of the esteemed readers, Roy smiled happily.
Eating takoyaki, Roy walked down the bustling street with an utterly arrogant air, making passersby hurry out of his way.
After all, in Sabaody, so close to Marine Headquarters, anyone who dared act so arrogantly had to be a Celestial Dragon, a noble, or a pirate.
However they looked at him, the handsome boy before them didn't seem like a pirate.
As Roy walked down the street, his gaze sharpened slightly, and an intrigued expression appeared on his arrogant face.
He tipped the rest of the takoyaki into his mouth, turned, and headed into an alley.
In the alley, three thugs had kicked a green-haired boy to the ground.
They rained blows on him with their clubs, fists, and feet, rummaging through his pockets as they beat him.
"Tesoro, hand over the money you've got."
As the blows rained down on him, Tesoro curled up and clutched the money tightly to his chest.
"Yo!!"
"Hello, there!!!"
The thugs hurriedly stopped what they were doing when they saw Roy, who had appeared at some unknown point.
When they turned and found that he was a kid, they waved their wooden clubs even more arrogantly.
"Get lost, brat. This is none of your business. Don't go looking for trouble."
"No, no, no."
Roy held up a finger and wagged it, an arrogant expression on his youthful face.
"Bullying people is my favorite thing to do."
The three thugs froze at his words, then flew into a rage.
"You dare mess with me, brat? You looking down on me?"
With that, they all charged at Roy.
Whoosh~
Roy shifted to one side, dodging the swinging club, and swept out with his right fist. Then he raised a leg and sent a thug flying with a side kick.
The remaining thug saw Roy take down two of his companions in no time and hurriedly stopped his charge.
Not far away, one of his companions lay unconscious with his face deformed, while the other clutched his stomach and coughed up blood.
The remaining thug pointed his club at Roy, his legs trembling and cold sweat pouring down his face.
"B-b-brat, we work for Wild Wolf Dokuri. You've crossed us, and Boss Dokuri won't let you get away with it."
"Oh?"
"Dokuri? Never heard of him."
Roy stepped forward with a gentle smile on his face.
He slowly lowered his head and leaned close to the ear of the thug, who was trembling all over with nerves. In a quiet voice, he whispered, "But if I finish you off here, how will your boss know it was me?"
Hearing that, the thug dropped his club and fled the alley as fast as he could, scrambling on his hands and knees without even a thought for his companions.
"Hahaha... hahahaha..."
Watching the thug flee, Roy clutched his stomach and laughed happily.
When he was done laughing, he turned to Tesoro, who was still lying on the ground and staring at him in shock. He squatted down and teased him with a playful look:
"Yo~~"
"Aren't you the future Gold... Ahem! Are you all right?"
Tesoro had been born into a very poor family. His father was a gambler and his mother a drunkard. Because his family was poor, he had been shunned and bullied from childhood.
After his father died of illness, Tesoro ran away from home to escape his mother, who hated him.
His days wandering outside taught him the importance of money, and from then on, he developed a strong desire for it. When he lost all his money, everyone he had thought of as a friend ran away.
Then, at a slave market, he met the girl who would change his life.
To save her, Tesoro began working desperately to earn money.
Then, today, the slave market's owner sent thugs to steal the money he had.
Roy's appearance gave Tesoro new hope.
Seeing Tesoro staring blankly at him, Roy grew bored and stood up to leave, but then he heard Tesoro murmur behind him.
"Why did you help me?"
"What?" Roy turned around, puzzled.
"I said, why did you help me?" Having just been saved from despair, Tesoro hated how weak he was, unable to protect even the person he wanted most to protect.
"Hahaha, there's no reason. This is all just the guidance of fate."
Tesoro looked at the laughing boy before him, an impulse stirring in his heart. "Fate? Did fate bring us together?"
"Take me with you!"
Roy looked at Tesoro, who had suddenly turned serious.
"Oh?"
The future Gild Tesoro? He was able to develop a Devil Fruit to Awakening and had the business talent to control 20% of the world's wealth. Not a bad guy!
At that thought, Roy gave the young Tesoro a playful look, then put his hands in his pockets and strolled away.
"Have you thought it through? Once you board my ship, getting off won't be so easy."
His voice sounded light and airy, but Tesoro, still on the ground, was overjoyed. He scrambled to his feet and ran after Roy.
On the street,
Tesoro walked beside Roy.
"Boss, you said something about boarding your ship. Are you a pirate?"
"No, at least not yet."
"Then, Boss, where are we going now?"
"Let's check out Area 13 first. There might be something we need there," Roy said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
"Then, Boss, to..."
Seeing the dangerous look Roy was giving him, Tesoro wisely swallowed the rest of his words.
Roy hadn't expected that the future Gild Tesoro, who spoke so gravely, had been such a chatterbox as a kid.
Glancing at Tesoro, who looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, Roy waved for him to finish.
"Well, Boss, I wanted to say, if we're going to Area 13, we're heading the wrong way."
Roy's expression stiffened, and he snapped in exasperation, "Then why aren't you leading the way?"
Area 13, the Lawless Zone!!
Shakky's Rip-off Bar!!
Shakky, the proprietress, had a cigarette between her lips, short hair that reached her ears, and a voluptuous figure, with all the allure of a mature woman. She was knocking a pirate who couldn't pay his bar tab to the ground.
After taking the pirate's money, she grabbed him by the collar, opened the door, and threw him out of the bar.
The wretched pirate landed at the feet of the two who had just found the place, giving them a fright.
As expected of someone who had made a name for herself in the Rocks Pirates-none of them were ordinary!
Shakky stood on the steps with a cigarette between her lips, looking at the two of them.
Roy smiled at Shakky, raised a hand, and greeted her:
"Yo~~"
"Hello there, Miss Shakky, treasure of the Rocks Pirates and former empress of Amazon Lily."