Chapter 96: What "Shane" Nonsense?
"Prey?"
The Billion was overjoyed. He turned to his subordinates and spread his arms, laughing heartily.
"Boys! Put on a good show for our guests! Let these sea rats see what a professional 'port welcoming ceremony' looks like!"
"OHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
With a thunderous roar, the hunters scattered like a receding tide.
Some changed into civilian clothes and went to greet the newcomers at the port. Others took up ambush positions along the shore.
This was their specialty. Their standard operating procedure was to first pretend that this was a town that welcomed pirates.
Then, when the rookies from the Four Blues, believing them, let down their guard and docked their ship, laughing and joking as they came ashore, they would suddenly attack from both sides, cannons blazing, catching the pirates completely off guard.
Because of the limited information exchange between the Grand Line and the Four Blues, this tactic rarely failed. It was tried and true.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it seems we've arrived at just the right time. We get to watch a good show," Mr. 5 said leisurely. "In that case, Valentine, how about we find a good spot here, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the show in peace?"
"Who wants to drink coffee? It's bitter and gross!" Miss Valentine huffed. "Get me a lemon soda. No lemon, no soda!"
"We have everything, everything! Please, follow me," the Billion said, quickly seating the two of them on the balcony of a second-floor restaurant. The view was excellent, offering a perfect panorama of the port.
Then, he turned and shouted to the lookout in the high tower, "Hey! The prey should be entering the outer harbor by now! Can you see their flag clearly?"
"I can… but…" the lookout's voice was hesitant and uncertain. "Their flag is a little strange. It's white, and the design looks a bit like the Marines'… wait, I remember now!"
His eyes widened, and he shrieked, "It's the Curtain Call Pirates! It's the Curtain Call Pirates who caused the Loguetown disaster!!!"
A dead silence suddenly fell over the entire port.
The bounty hunters who had been raising their flintlocks to take aim all froze in place.
A few veterans who were loading the cannons fumbled, and the lead balls rolled into the sea with a plop.
The Curtain Call… Pirates?
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine looked at each other, both of them bewildered.
They had been busy with their Baroque Works orientation recently and hadn't been paying much attention to the news…
What's the deal? Is this crew famous or something?
"P-Plan change! Mr. Officer Agent!" the Billion's voice was now on the verge of tears, sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall. "These monsters… we can't afford to mess with them! We have to retreat, now—"
Slap!
Before he could finish, Mr. 5 reached out, grabbed a handful of his hair, and lifted him up like a piece of trash.
"Hey, you idiot," he said, his face close to the man's, which was twisted in fear. The eyes behind his sunglasses were ice-cold. "A pirate crew that has just entered the Grand Line has you this scared? Have you forgotten… what the title 'Officer Agent' means?"
"Of course I know!!!" the Billion screamed. "But do you?! Do you know what kind of people the Curtain Call Pirates are?!"
"The captain of the Curtain Call Pirates is a madman who dared to attack a Marine Headquarters warship! He's the 'Tachi Swordsman' Shane, with a bounty of one hundred and eighty million Berries!!!"
"And that's not all!"
"His top officers are all incredible too! Bounties of seventy or eighty million are common among them!"
"All together, the crew's total bounty is over five hundred million Berries!"
"How could we possibly be a match for a group of monsters like that, even if we all fought to the death?!!!"
…
He shrieked hysterically.
As if his words had snapped them out of their stupor, the bounty hunters who had been frozen in place suddenly broke and began to flee in a panic.
Some scrambled into the cellars of the taverns, others screamed and ran for the giant cactus mountains behind them.
The Billion, still in Mr. 5's grasp, began to struggle desperately to break free.
"You bunch of cowards!"
Mr. 5 kicked the trembling Billion away. He snorted, two plumes of black smoke puffing from his nostrils, and cracked his neck.
"In the end, they're just a rookie pirate crew that's just entered the Grand Line! If you can't help, then get lost!"
"Hey, Valentine, let's put on a show for them today! Let's show these cowards what real power a Devil Fruit user possesses!"
"Err…"
Miss Valentine wiped the cold sweat from her brow and said with a forced smile, "Actually, I think maybe we should avoid a guy with a one hundred and eighty million Berry bounty. I mean, isn't the Warlord Crocodile, who's active in this area, only worth 81 million?"
"What do you know?" Mr. 5 sneered, his hands behind his back. "That guy Crocodile was invited to become a Warlord not long after he first became famous twenty years ago! That's why his bounty has been frozen at that number!"
"What 'Swordsman Shane' nonsense? Do you really think a rookie's strength can compare to an old-timer like that?!"
"Oh, I see…"
Miss Valentine's eyes lit up. Seeing her partner's confidence, she was suddenly filled with fighting spirit and laughed. "Hahahaha~, in that case, I'll stick with you! You're right! For us, who have just joined the organization, this is a rare opportunity to make a name for ourselves!"
…
On The Curtain Call.
Watching the crowd of people gathered at the port, waving at them, Nami said, "Whoa!" and turned to shout excitedly, "Big Bro! Look! There are so many people welcoming us!"
"It seems the truth about what happened in Loguetown has spread here too, not just in the East Blue!" she said happily. "Everyone knows we're not bad pirates!"
"You idiot, Nami."
Kuina's exasperated voice came from above. She was meditating in the open-air dojo, a look of profound mastery on her face. She shook her head slightly. "It seems you didn't listen to a single word the captain said this morning. Whiskey Peak is a den of pirate hunters. Their specialty is deception, luring you in and then striking when your guard is down."
"Huh???"
Nami's face fell. "No way…"
"Just be careful," Kuina said calmly. "We're just docking here to let the Log Pose set. Of course, if they really want to hunt us like pirates, we won't hesitate to fight back."
It's not just to let the Log Pose set.
There's a lot of wool to be sheared on Whiskey Peak. Shane got up from his deck chair and looked at the approaching island, his eyes narrowing slightly.
If he remembered correctly, Baroque Works' "Operation Utopia" hadn't fully started yet. The Alabasta Kingdom was still a long way from civil war.
And Vivi and the Royal Guard Captain, Igaram, wouldn't find out about Baroque Works for at least another two years, after the rebellion had escalated, and infiltrate the organization to uncover the truth.
So, he couldn't expect to see Vivi here. She was still living the good life as a princess in the Alabasta capital.
But he should be able to see some of the other named agents. He just wondered how many he would run into… Hmm?
Shane suddenly frowned. Why were the people who had been gathered at the docks suddenly scattering and running away as The Curtain Call approached, as if they had seen a ghost?
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