Inside the bar...
Shakky was slightly surprised as she looked at the two kids who had shown up uninvited.
"What would you two young men like to drink?"
"Uh... just two glasses of juice!"
"Coming right up."
Shakky set down two glasses of juice, then crossed her arms and leaned against the bar, staring at Roy and Tesoro.
Beside him, Tesoro, who had just seen clearly how Shakky had thrown a fearsome-looking pirate out of the bar, held his juice in trembling hands, his face tense.
Roy was a little embarrassed too.
Damn that old bastard Oda!!!
Who could have imagined that the treasure the Rocks Pirates lost, which caused a massive battle between four top-tier powers-the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates, the Navy, and the World Government-
The God Valley Incident, in which even Rocks, the ruler of the world, fell!!
Who could have imagined that this "treasure" wasn't one of the powerful Devil Fruits on God Valley, but the woman standing right in front of me?
What a damn twisted sense of humor!!
"What's wrong, young man?"
Seeing Roy staring blankly at her, Shakky asked curiously.
"By the way, young man, how do you know about Rocks? It's only been a few years since the God Valley Incident, but the World Government already completely suppressed the news."
"At your age, you shouldn't know about any of that, should you?"
"Hahaha..."
"None of that matters."
Roy laughed it off.
Seeing that Roy was unwilling to answer, Shakky didn't press him further. Instead, she asked:
"Then what did you come here for?"
"Surely you didn't come in just for a glass of juice."
"Of course not! We're here to buy information: how to train in Haki, the Six Powers, and basic swordsmanship, as well as Log Poses for Endless War Country and Kuraigana Island."
"The Log Poses and the Haki and swordsmanship training manuals are no problem, but the Six Powers are techniques only high-ranking members of the Navy and World Government are allowed to learn. Getting those will be quite a hassle."
"As an information broker with your capabilities, Miss Shakky, I imagine it won't be too difficult for you!!"
"Oh? It seems you know quite a bit, young man."
Shakky grew even more interested in the blond kid in front of her. He knew about Rocks, the incident the World Government had suppressed, and her past. Could this kid be a descendant of a member of the Rocks Pirates?
Long blond hair and an arrogant look on his face.
"Kid, what's your relationship with Golden Lion Shiki?"
What the hell does Golden Lion have to do with this?
How could I possibly have anything to do with Golden Lion? I'm a transmigrator, damn it, and a handsome one at that. Just look at Golden Lion's face-is there anything about it that can compare to mine?!
You can't think I'm connected to Golden Lion just because I know a lot and have the same hair color as him.
"How could I have anything to do with Shiki? Look at my face, then look at my stylish hair. Is he as handsome as me?!!!"
Seeing how exasperated Roy was, Shakky couldn't help smiling.
"Now, now... I believe you're not related to Shiki, but the information will cost you a hundred million Beli. Will you be paying now, young man?"
Tesoro was stunned when he heard the price was a hundred million. He had never seen that much money in his life.
Roy, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. Money? He didn't have any, so he'd just go steal some!
"When will the things I need be ready?"
"In about three days."
"Three days? All right. We'll come back to make the deal then."
With that, Roy stood up and headed outside. Seeing his boss leave, Tesoro quickly finished his juice and hurried after him.
"He's quite an interesting young man!!"
Shakky sighed as she watched Roy leave.
Once they were outside, Tesoro asked curiously, "Boss, a hundred million Beli! Do you really have that much money?"
"No, I don't have any money."
Noticing Tesoro's surprise, Roy put an arm around his shoulders and said seriously:
"But don't worry, Tesoro."
"You have to understand, in this world, only the strong can control everything. As long as you have strength, you can get whatever you want. The weak can only be bullied."
"Is that so?"
Tesoro thought about his old life. Had he been bullied because he was weak? At that thought, a desire to grow stronger ignited in his heart.
"Boss, please teach me how to get stronger. I don't want to be unable to control even my own fate."
Seeing desire ignite in Tesoro's eyes, Roy laughed happily.
"Hahaha..."
"Of course. But getting stronger is hard work. If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind."
"Now then, let's find an inn and get some rest first."
Lying on the bed, Roy had a preliminary plan for getting money.
If he had no money, he'd just steal some. With his strength, why worry about not having money? He turned to Tesoro and asked, "Who is this Wild Wolf Dokuri the thugs who bullied you were talking about today?"
"Dokuri is a gang boss in the Sabaody Archipelago. They run casinos, slave auction houses, and other businesses in the Lawless Zone, and they gather rare treasures for the Celestial Dragons."
"They say he has several hundred men under him, and it seems he has the Navy backing him too."
As he spoke, Tesoro's expression gradually fell. He clenched his fists, seemingly remembering something, and said quietly, "Boss, can you help me save Stella? He's also..."
"She's the only person I cherish."
Stella? The girl who was bought by a Celestial Dragon and died three years later, causing Tesoro to turn completely dark?
Roy sympathized with the girl and her tragic fate. There were too many miserable people in this world.
But Tesoro was his underling now, after all!! Roy was going to help him settle this.
He told Tesoro to go gather information.
After all, what formidable figures could a small gang have in the first half of the Grand Line? They only had a high-ranking Navy officer backing them. Still, it was better to be careful, since he didn't intend to attract the Navy's attention too early.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious office at the Wild Wolf Gang's headquarters,
a fierce-looking fat man was studying the financial statements from the past few months. The sharp glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes showed that he was not as simple as he looked.
Bang! Bang!
The sudden sound of the door opening startled the fat man, who had been hard at work.
"Boss Dokuri!"
"Some kid rescued Tesoro."
"Useless trash! You couldn't even handle something that simple, so what did you come back for?!!"
Just as Dokuri was about to fly into a rage, the door was pushed open again. The man who entered was Dokuri's second-in-command, Tore Gem, who oversaw the slave auction house.
"Tore, is something important?"
"Boss, word has gone out that the batch of treasures that arrived a few days ago is about to be auctioned. I hear some Celestial Dragons are coming to the auction too. You'll be able to make another fortune!"
Hearing the good news, Dokuri couldn't help brightening up, and he promptly put Tesoro out of his mind.