"Da Ye," Artoria didn't look as cheerful as he had expected.
"Hm?"
Artoria asked, "If they had no bounties, would you really have sold them?"
Zhang Da Ye thought for a moment. "Probably not. I just wanted to scare them. Actually selling them would make me a human trafficker."
Earning a reward was one thing, but some lines should never be crossed. As the saying goes, *I don't traffic people, no one should traffic me.*
Claiming a bounty could be seen as punishing evil and upholding justice, perhaps deserving some reward. But nakedly selling humans—even villains, scoundrels, or murderers—was unacceptable.
Today a pirate, tomorrow a bandit—once he tasted the easy profits, could he stop? And if not, would he eventually prey on ordinary people?
Zhang Da Ye did not want to test whether his reason could overcome greed. He had the choice now and refused to become the kind of person he once despised.
Killing outright? He had only been here a little over a month. From an ordinary student to a decisive, ruthless leader? Impossible. That kind of change demanded immense suffering.
Since arriving, Zhang Da Ye had always had Tom's companionship.
"Having your own principles is good," Artoria said, gazing into the distance, her eyes deep in thought.
"What's up?" Zhang Da Ye asked after a pause.
Pointing at a shop in the distance, Artoria said seriously, "That giant bun looks delicious."
"…Oh." The transition was abrupt. Zhang Da Ye paused for a moment. "Buy it!"
Tom immediately jumped onto the cart's handle, gesturing wildly at nearby shops. He didn't care about his owner's ideals or ambitions. For Tom, as long as someone was his master and cared for him, that was enough.
"Got it, got it!" Zhang Da Ye laughed, pinching Tom's scruff and putting him in Artoria's arms. "Great rice cake? Buy! Great chocolate? Buy! Cotton candy too!"
The three foodies wandered the street, highlighting their wealth and indulgence.
Back at the tavern, they returned with many bags and a lot less Berries, each still holding a cotton candy.
Zhang Da Ye ate generously, without elegance or style.
Artoria savored her food delicately, small bites enjoying each taste.
Tom, absurdly, bit his cotton candy neatly like an apple, chewing with delight.
After settling in, Zhang Da Ye changed clothes to impersonate Peterman.
First came the mask. Tom's woodworking was excellent, quickly crafting a mask resembling Peterman.
He also fixed the damaged bow, nonfunctional but presentable, and prepared a pair of stilts. Peterman was at least a head taller, so Zhang Da Ye would use stilts with a robe and mask to conceal his height.
Tom's disguise skills, though simple, were effective—he had previously maneuvered through dog packs wearing a dog head costume.
Artoria donned a black suit, sunglasses, and a hat, posing as a subordinate following Zhang Da Ye.
Tom was placed in a cloth bag, head exposed, hanging from the wooden bow on Zhang Da Ye's back (similar to how Chopper is carried on Luffy's sword).
The trio set off towards the designated location.
50GR East Coast, lacking a port or notable scenery, usually saw few visitors. Zhang Da Ye waited quietly, curious who sought to harm him.
They waited until sunset.
"What the heck? Why hasn't anyone come?" Zhang Da Ye was puzzled.
"Were we discovered?" Artoria asked. "But we felt no one approach. From afar, my disguise should be invisible."
Meanwhile, Biznis' assistant, after hanging up, looked at his boss puzzled. "Why wait two hours? We could have arrived in half an hour."
Biznis twirled his mustache. "Discard the Den-Den Mushi. Prepare to set sail."
"Eh? Why?" the assistant asked.
"If you obtained a unique item and contacted the buyer, what would you do?" Biznis countered.
"Of course, exaggerate how hard it was to obtain, praise its quality, raise the price, and hint many are interested…" the assistant said, catching on.
Biznis nodded. "Exactly. But he only asks the location, not the price. He either plans to scam us or sell us before being eliminated. The latter is more likely."
The assistant agreed, "Indeed, we can't expect traffickers to be trustworthy."
Biznis continued, "The original goods are ready. That cat just stumbled upon them. If this attempt fails, there's always next time. Since Peterman can't handle it, we'll try a more professional crew."
"Do you mean… B·W?" the assistant asked uncertainly.
"Yes. The recently rising Baroque Works."
The assistant was startled. Evaluating his boss had become difficult.
First, he used small thugs to test a tavern. Then hired a fat man to create a scene. Later, he even cooperated with traffickers and constantly inquired about prices, cautious not to reveal himself.
If cautious, he was. But daring to work with a ruthless crime syndicate like Baroque Works—who publicly operated as bounty hunters but secretly took on kidnappings and assassinations—was audacious.
"Boss, isn't that too risky? Wouldn't it be easier to…"
"Just go straight to the tavern?" Biznis shook his head, anticipating the suggestion. "Baroque Works is expanding. It's their most disciplined period. It looks dangerous, but they just follow orders. Misbehaving would hurt profits, so currently, there's little risk.
"And that seemingly weak tavern—we sent people to stir trouble, yet not a single plate was broken. That's what worries me."
Risk isn't always visible on the surface. Biznis had survived carefully and expanded his business.
Gazing at the distant coastline, he imagined a flustered Zhang Da Ye: "Little brother Da Ye, protect my cat until my people arrive…"
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Baroque Works, abbreviated B·W.
This setup has some inconsistencies—besides Robin, no one knows the boss's identity. Timeline-wise, the author takes liberties.