The so-called "dark forces" didn't get much screen time in the anime, so Zhang Daye only remembered a few faces that showed up during Big Mom's tea party.
The most memorable one, of course, was Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District. And it wasn't because she was beautiful—it was because she was secretly an agent of CP0.
As for the others, their roles were so minor that he'd already filed them away as background extras. He couldn't even remember their names, let alone whether they had anything to do with the lawless district on Sabaody.
Herse sipped happily at the drink Zhang Daye poured for him. The pleasure of drinking for free was addictive.
As for sharing "secrets"? To him, that was just bragging about things he'd heard. If it could be exchanged for free booze, that was a jackpot.
"Speaking of dark forces, you can bet the Pleasure District has a foothold here."
"The Pleasure District? In Sabaody?"
"Not exactly," Herse explained, savoring his words. "Their business is usually casinos and other less-than-legal entertainment venues. Their headquarters isn't here, but there's no way they don't have a branch."
He deliberately stressed the words "other entertainment," hinting at layers of shady dealings.
"Ah, that makes sense." Zhang Daye remembered how Rayleigh would often gamble himself into debt—and casinos usually had far more going on beneath the surface.
"Casinos, for example, always have the fingerprints of the loan shark king, Du Feld. Anyone who can't pay their debt? Their whole family might be sold off."
Zhang Daye frowned. On this island, debt almost certainly meant slavery. The gamblers themselves weren't worth pity, but their families… those were the truly innocent ones.
"When it comes to the slave trade," Herse continued, "there's also the 'Great Undertaker' Umit. Rumor has it that aside from contract killings and slave trafficking, he's even involved in organ sales…"
At this point, Herse gagged. "Ugh, forget him. Just talking about him makes the drink taste sour. Aside from that, there's the 'Warehouse King' Gibson."
"Warehouse industry counts as a dark force?" Zhang Daye asked casually. Then he thought about it. "Ah—probably not ordinary storage, right?"
"Exactly. His business is smuggling and contraband. They call him the Concealer because nobody knows where he hides things before the deal goes down."
"So the lawless district isn't just pirates, bounty hunters, and gangs. There's a whole web of shadow powers behind it…"
"Of course. That's one of the reasons the Navy hasn't flattened the district outright."
"Learned something new today. Thanks." Zhang Daye thought back to the slave shop he'd blown up earlier—was that one of these bosses' properties too?
Herse waved it off, grinning. "Please. None of this is really secret. Anyone could dig it up. If I can trade it for free booze, I'm the one making a profit."
"Oh? In that case, I take back what I said earlier about treating you." Zhang Daye mimicked Garp and pretended to "rewind" his words.
"Pffft—!" Herse spit his drink out mid-sip, coughing. "Hey, come on, that's not fair!"
Unfortunately, Tom, who'd been quietly reading nearby, took the splash full on. Now he was dripping with booze for no reason at all.
"Mr. Tom!" Rui Mengmeng quickly grabbed a towel to help dry him off. She couldn't help but feel that Tom's luck had been unusually bad today. First he'd been pinched by a crab, then nearly eaten by a sea beast, then bonked by Camie—and now, freshly bathed, he'd been doused in liquor.
Tom stood up, gently pushed Rui Mengmeng aside, and walked straight to Herse. Before the man could apologize, Tom grabbed the bottle, downed the rest of the drink in one gulp, and sprayed it all back into Herse's face.
Herse froze, unsure whether to keep apologizing or not.
Zhang Daye sighed. He knew Herse hadn't meant it, and didn't want things to escalate. He handed the man a towel. "Sorry, Tom didn't mean to… uh…"
He stopped mid-sentence. No—that was definitely on purpose.
"Haha, it's fine! We're even now," Herse said, wiping his face with the towel. "But spraying booze on the famous Cat Pianist? Not sure I'll make it home alive." He turned to Tom. "I was about to apologize earlier. Mr. Tom, you're not mad at me, right?"
Tom had already returned to his laid-back lounging pose. At Herse's question, he nodded briskly.
He was a generous cat. If you splash him, that's fine—so long as he gets to splash you back. No grudges held.
And just like that, the matter was settled. Zhang Daye casually popped open another bottle and handed it over, and Herse happily wandered off to find new people to brag to.
After all, it wasn't every day that the stingy little bar owner bought you a drink—that was worth telling.
…
When the tavern finally closed, Zhang Daye set out tea, snacks, and fruit on the bar counter, gathering his crew for a quick meeting.
For Artoria, it made no difference—just another seat to sit in while eating.
After cleaning the last table, Rui Mengmeng washed her hands and joined them.
Tom didn't bother with a chair; he stretched out on the counter instead, one paw propping up his head, the other holding an apple he crunched into noisily. Somehow, Tom always made food look especially delicious, no matter what it was.
Zhang Daye had deliberately chosen the bar instead of the round table. He didn't want to risk triggering Artoria's unhappy memories.
"Today's topic is whether we should keep going with our campaign against the slavers," Zhang Daye began. "From what Herse said earlier, you all probably noticed—the lawless district is more complicated than we thought."
He glanced around the group. First, at Tom.
Tom finished his apple, flicked the core behind him, and it bounced perfectly into the trash bin. Without missing a beat, he peeled a banana into four neat strips and started munching.
Catching Zhang Daye's gaze, Tom paused his chewing and casually extended the banana toward him, as if asking, "Want a bite?"
Zhang Daye: "…"
Yeah, not much help there. Moving on. Next was Rui Mengmeng.
"Eh? Me?" Rui Mengmeng waved her hands nervously. "Boss, you can decide. It's not like we're doing anything bad, right? I'm just staff—whatever you tell me to do, I'll follow."
Zhang Daye wasn't sure whether to be touched or annoyed. "Look, I agree it's the right thing to do. But it's dangerous. If we get caught, we could all be killed. That's why I want everyone's opinion. Think about it carefully."
Rui Mengmeng frowned for a moment, then answered earnestly, "It's fine. If we want to rescue people from bad guys, there's no way to do it without some risk, right? Besides, aren't you the weakest one here? If even you're willing to go, then I definitely won't be afraid. You can count on me!"
Zhang Daye: "…"
…Damn it, that's way too convincing. But I really want to punch someone right now!