c1 : The Rear of the Crane
The year 1517 of the Haiyan Calendar.
Grand Line, Whiskey Peak.
"Big Bird wandering around the tavern?"
The girl with sky-blue long hair gently wiped the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead with her fingers, and then checked the letter of introduction again.
Nefertari Vivi, the young princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, is now an undercover agent in the criminal organization Baroque Works.
In front of her, on the signboard of the tavern, a fat penguin doll wearing a red scarf was spinning round and round.
It really is "Big Bird Turning Around"...
Vivi recalled Igaram's instructions: "Your Highness, I have specially secured for you the gold-medal instructor among the millions of Baroque Works agents. He is a Devil Fruit user rare among the lower-ranking members. Although he possesses only the Crane-Tail Penguin Zoan Fruit, which ranks among the weaker types, his record is impeccable.every trainee under him has passed their mission safely, without a single casualty in the past five years..."
A guaranteed pass?
What a headache...
Vivi was not happy with this arrangement.
Perhaps in Igaram's view, a cautious instructor who ensures that every intern completes their assignment unharmed is excellent, but...
Vivi sighed, thinking in her heart, I hope that Instructor Ma Qiao, the one who ate the Crane-Tail Penguin Fruit, truly deserves his reputation as a gold-medal lecturer and not just some fool who leads rookies astray...
I must find a way to become a full agent as soon as possible, and then infiltrate the upper ranks of Baroque Works to uncover the identity of the mysterious mastermind known as Mr. 0.
Thinking this way, Vivi told her pet duck Karoo to stay alert, and then gently pushed open the tavern's wooden door with her slender, pale fingers.
A burst of raucous noise hit her like a Den-Den Mushi amplifier turned to maximum, shaking her eardrums painfully.
The soundproofing of this tavern was remarkable the inside and outside felt like two different worlds.
Along with the noise came the thick smell of alcohol and tobacco smoke.
"Cough, cough..."
Vivi couldn't help coughing.
The heavy makeup she had used to disguise her noble features started to flake away, revealing a glimpse of skin as fair as carved alabaster.
"Welcome!"
A burly man doing one-armed handstand push-ups noticed the newcomer.
He waved with his free hand and shouted to the crowd, "Look! I'm lifting the world up!"
As he spoke, he flexed his arms again, as if he truly bore the weight of the world.
"Hahaha, Galen, you've told that joke hundreds of times already, it's lost its punch!"
"You've got time to joke, why not wipe the floor again before Boss Ma Qiao docks your pay for slacking off?"
"Aren't you supposed to be the tavern's security guard? How are you not fired for pulling stunts like this all day long?"
The regulars burst out laughing.
Though they mocked him, these drunks were clearly entertained by Galen's antics.
At the counter, a few disheveled men waved their Berries and shouted: "Old man Ryze! Another pack of Life-Reducing Cigarettes and two bottles of Short-Life Whiskey!"
"Yes, gentlemen!"
A bald man with purple-tinted skin nodded, pulled the items from the shelf, and passed them to a tall, fair-skinned girl.
The girl carried the tray to their table, collected the Berries, and left without saying a word.
"Miss Ashe is still as cold as ice..."
"Waz, you thinking of trying your luck?"
"No way! Anyone who lays a hand on the tavern staff ends up meeting Galen's fists. Remember dealer Jack? Tried to start trouble once Galen flattened his head with a single punch..."
"Hahaha, yeah, that was a scene to remember. What a terrifying guy..."
"Cheers! Cheers! Let's drink to this fine night! Women can wait good whiskey can't! Digging hahaha!"
Once again, the group of drunks staggered together and drank freely.
After a while, they were singing "Binks' Sake," the most beloved sailor's song passed down since the age of the great pirates, at the top of their lungs.
The tavern guests all laughed and joined in, though their singing was off-key and rough like waves crashing against the shore.
Even the big guy named Galen stopped his push-ups, walked over to an old upright piano in the corner, and began to play for everyone.
His graceful hand movements, steady tempo, and precise rhythm made Vivi feel momentarily dazed—as if the man before the piano was not a brawny tavern guard in a sweat-stained shirt, but a noble musician from the high courts of Mariejois...
The singing gradually died down, and Vivi was still standing at the tavern door, lost in thought.
The atmosphere of this place was not too different from the kind of bar pirates would visit across the Grand Line.
If one ignored the incongruous image of the muscle-bound guard playing piano like a refined noble, everything here felt strangely harmonious.
A strong but kind-hearted security guard, a courteous and welcoming barkeep, a quiet and beautiful waitress, and a hall full of laughing drinkers.
These were the classic fixtures of a pirate tavern.
But...
The products sold here had rather peculiar names.
Shoushou Brand Cigarettes?
Short-Lived Ghost Whiskey?
Why would the owner name his goods something so ominous?
At that moment, an old bounty hunter at the next table seemed to notice Vivi's puzzled look and chuckled.
"Hey, little miss, you look new around here. First time at Big Bird Tavern? Heh, thinking the cigarette and booze names are unlucky, huh?"
Vivi nodded lightly. "Yes... shouldn't the names be a little more cheerful?"
"Hahaha, that's where you're wrong, girl. This is the stuff made for pirates and bounty hunters! The kind of men who live with a bounty over their heads!"
The old hunter threw back a gulp of amber liquor and slammed the glass down. "For folks like us who lick blood off the edge of a blade what's a few years off our lives for a good drink, eh? Gahahaha!"
He waved the bottle with a grin. "This is the best cheap whiskey on the island, kid! Wanna try a sip?"
Vivi looked at the bottle in his hand but had no intention of drinking.
Although she was the princess of the Alabasta Kingdom, Vivi was no sheltered flower.
For the sake of her country and its people, she had infiltrated Baroque Works under the codename Miss Wednesday. To protect her identity, she disguised herself with heavy makeup and traveled in secret with her loyal companion Karoo.
Even so, she remained cautious, keeping her guard up in this den of bounty hunters and mercenaries.
Still, Whiskey Peak was relatively safe for now.
After all, the one overseeing this island was Baroque Works agent Mr. 8, whose real identity was none other than Captain Igaram of the Alabasta Royal Guard Vivi's trusted ally.
At this time, Vivi noticed that the bottle of Short-Lived Ghost Whiskey bore a large red skull symbol on its label, along with the warning: "Excessive drinking shortens one's voyage."
Below that, in smaller print, there was something like a contract clause.
It roughly read: "By consuming this product, the customer acknowledges that any side effects including temporary loss of life force or sanity are self-inflicted. The final right of interpretation belongs to Big Bird Tavern."
"What a strange and funny man," Vivi murmured with a smile.
Such a mild warning would never stop pirates or bounty hunters from drinking until dawn.
Vivi had already seen plenty of drunkards during her journey.
But at least, she thought, the owner who brewed these drinks must be a man of conscience someone who, despite living among outlaws, still cared enough to warn his customers.
And so, in her mind, Vivi subconsciously labeled her future mentor as a kind-hearted person.
However...
If Princess Nefertari Vivi could see through the eyes of the man behind all this the true mastermind known as Boss Ma Qiao she might not think so.
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