Hi, guys! I'm back with the next chapter!
Thanks to SunnyCIXD for the Fav and Follow!
Chapter 104 (or 9 in SA) - The Rip-Off Bar
Maria's POV
Luffy brought a fist back. "Gum Gum...Pistol!"
WHAM!
I let out a laugh as Luffy took out one of the oncoming morons. "Nice shot! Here comes mine!" I held my hands a short distance apart from each other, and a roaring maelstrom of flames appeared between them. "Fire Sphere!"
The attack shot forward and set a bounty hunter's clothes on fire, causing him to fall to the ground screaming.
"Split up!" one of the bounty hunters ordered. "We need to take these guys out!"
"Fine by me!" I barked. "Then we can take you down faster!"
"Yohohohoho! I couldn't agree more!" Brook called. He led a small group away from us while Luffy went jumping away.
"A moving skeleton? What is this?" one of the men demanded, running after him. "I'll exorcise you!"
"He's as fast as a monkey!" someone else yelled, pointing at Luffy as he bounced off. "Be careful!"
Chopper let out a roar as he suddenly grew to his more human form, scaring a number of the bounty hunters as he started going after them with his fists.
"You're the Straw Hat's magician!" A man pointed a sword at me accusingly. "Be careful, everyone! She throws fire like that Vice Admiral Garp throws cannonballs!"
"Well, then let's just get in close and finish her off!" A man with a mace ran right at me, but I had already covered my arms in fire.
"Fire Spin!" I jumped up and spun in the air, summoning my staff so that I could get the fire tornado to reach further than just arm's length. The men that were attacking me were caught on fire and sent flying by the blast the attack made when it had been created.
I landed on the ground in the center of a fiery circle, the flames dying as the men I had hit were lying on the ground, crying out in pain over their many burns and the resin that was sticking to them. "Never underestimate a girl, you dummkopfs!"
"Aaaah!"
I turned my head sharply when I heard Camie scream. There was a large man coming for her and Pappagg, and he was carrying a large sword. I started running for them.
"Camie! Pappagg!" Hachi saw what was going on at the same time and pushed a number of men with swords away from himself before running in the same direction.
"Gum Gum..."
Luffy suddenly dashed past Hachi and me, his arms stretched out behind him. In a flash, his hands were in front of him and were slamming into the large man. "Bazooka!"
I whistled as the man was sent flying. "Nice one!"
Luffy laughed, then turned and looked back at Hachi and Camie. "Are you guys all right?"
Hachi helped Camie up from where she had fallen, looking a little sheepish. "Nyuu! Sorry for the trouble, Straw Hat!"
"Thank you, Luffy-chin!" Camie exclaimed.
"It's fine! So you knocked out some of those guys too, huh?" Luffy looked around at the knocked out bounty hunters, grinning.
"Yes!" Brook sheathed his sword, then turned away from the collapsed bodies of the men. "Now we can continue without any chance of pursuers."
"Yeah." I swung my arms around a little. "Whoo! That felt pretty good. I feel much better now."
"Shishishi!" Luffy grinned widely. "Yeah! Hachi, how far away is the coating mechanic?"
"Not too far." Hachi gently picked up Camie and placed her back on his Bubble Bike as the rest of us climbed onto either his, or our own, as was Luffy's and my cases. Then we started pedaling again and set off over the tree roots.
"Nyuu. You know, you people are really amazing," Hachi commented, looking at Luffy and me as we moved up on either side of his large Bubble Bike.
"No matter how many of them show up, I wouldn't lose to someone like that," Luffy replied, glancing back.
"But, what was that?" Brook asked. "So many bounty hunters just suddenly showed up..."
"That was the third group to attack us," Chopper complained. "Why do they keep going after us?"
"Well, so long as I can get rid of some of this pent-up energy, all this fighting has been all right," I commented. "But yeah, it is getting to be kind of worrysome how much trouble we've been attracting. You'd think that they'd be willing to look elsewhere for fools to catch after we've clobbered all of them."
"I don't see any more food-sampling - ah, I mean, souvenir shops," Brook commented, looking around.
I looked up and flinched when I saw a skeleton wearing a Marine uniform stuck to a sign with spears. "This place looks like it could have been left abandoned years ago."
"There are fewer people around, and the shops and cities feel rather suspicious," Chopper said nervously. "It doesn't seem like the kind of place we would find a coating mechanic."
"Nyuu. This archipelago is huge, so there are places where the government's eyes can't reach. The marines won't go anywhere near this place." Hachi opened the long-sleeved coat he was wearing and pulled out a piece of worn paper, which he handed to Brook. "Have a look at this."
Luffy and I pulled in a little closer as Brook looked the thing over.
"Oh? A map, is it?" Brook asked.
"It classifies the groves in groups of ten, based on their specific traits," Hachi explained, turning around to drive again. "Nothing is set in stone, but for the most part, it's accurate. For example, of the places we've been so far, the groves in the 40's, where we docked your ship, has souvenir shops and things like that. And if you continue to the 30's, you'll reach the amusement area, where the Sabaody amusement park is located."
"And according to this, the 60's has both the Navy base and the main entrance," I noted, pointing at the bottom section of the map in Brook's hands.
"Does that still hold true?" Brook asked, looking up.
"Yeah," Hachi confirmed. "The 60's are the one part of this place where you shouldn't go."
"Then, what about the area we're in now?" Chopper asked from Luffy's Bubble Bike.
"This?" Hachi looked up at the mangrove tree we were passing under. "This is...Grove 16, and Groves 1 through 29 are considered to be more or less a lawless zone. That's why there are so many bounty hunters around."
Chopper let out a squeal of alarm.
"A lawless zone?" I repeated in surprise. "With the Marines' HQ so close? Are they really willing to risk that?"
"The World Nobles never really travel into this area, and the Marines tend to get kinda spread thin as it is." Hachi shrugged.
"Couldn't you have said something about this sooner?!" Chopper demanded. "If you had, you could have taken Sanji or Zoro with you instead of me! And we left them guarding the ship instead."
"It's going to be fine, now," Hachi called back. "Our destination, Grove 13, is next. We won't have to worry about bounty hunters too much longer."
"Chopper-chin, Skeleton-chin, Maria-chin, you guys are really strong and cool!" Camie burst out.
I laughed. "Well, sure. You have to be strong to be on Luffy's crew!"
"Th-that doesn't make me happy at all, you jerk~!" Chopper exclaimed, wriggling around with that pleased expression on his face.
Brook laughed. "I am quite embarrassed, so much that my entire face is red! Though, being a skeleton, I have no face. Yohohohohoho!"
Time Break
"Well then, we're here!" Hachi motioned up to the tree labeled with a big "13" above our heads.
"We finally made it here!" Chopper let out a sigh of relief.
"Now to find that coating mechanic, right?" I looked over at Hachi. "Where is he?"
"His store's right over there, on top of that root." Hachi's pointing finger moved down the tree and stopped on a small building sitting on top of one of the roots. A long staircase went from the top of the root down to the base of it, where we had stopped our Bubble Bikes.
"I wonder if it's still open," Hachi mused. "It's been ten years since I was last here, after all." He tilted his bike up and started climbing, Luffy and I following after him.
"Ten years?" I repeated. "That's a long time to be gone, Hachi. Do you think he's still there?"
"Probably. I doubt he's gonna be going anywhere other than here, really."
"Hey, is the coating mechanic a fishman, too?" Luffy piped up, looking over at Camie curiously.
"Oh, Pappagg and I haven't met Hachi's coating mechanic friend," Camie replied. "We've heard that he's quite amazing, though."
"Oh, really? Well, I guess we'll know once we meet him." Luffy looked up at the building we were coming up to.
It didn't take us too long to reach the top of the root and the building that was there. As I was pulling my bike off to the side and jumping off, the sign that was positioned on the front of the building caught my attention.
"Shakki's Rip-Off Bar?" I asked, frowning. "What kind of name of a place is that?"
"Hachi...this place seems like a total rip-off," Pappagg warned, staring at the sign with wide eyes.
Chopper switched to Heavy Point and picked up Camie, putting her on one shoulder. "The mechanic isn't some sort of monster, is he?"
"It's fine! They're nice people - I've known them since I was a kid," Hachi reassured us.
"Hey, it says 'Bar'!" Luffy pointed out quickly. "Is it really okay?!"
"Yeah, with a name like that, I can't help but doubt you a little," I commented.
Hachi shrugged, then faced the door. "Seems they're still open." He took in a breath, then opened the door, calling, "Rayleigh, Shakki!"
As the fishman opened the door, I peered under one of his arms with Luffy in order to see what was inside.
A dark-haired woman was standing there with three blood-covered men, and was holding one by the collar. She turned her head and looked at us. "Welcome. What can I do for you?"
Hachi actually smiled and raised a hand in greeting. The woman's eyes widened.
"Oh, my. Could it be...Hacchan?" She smiled brightly. "Long time, no see!"
"Nyuu!" Hachi stepped inside, the rest of us cautiously following after him. "Sorry it's been so long, Shakki."
"That's right. It's been at least ten years, hasn't it?" the woman - Shakki - asked thoughtfully. She looked at the rest of us. "Just sit down and wait. I've gotta finish extorting the money out of these boys here."
"Nyuu. Take your time." Hachi started walking over to a booth in one corner of the bar. Luffy and I followed after him, me feeling surprised that Hachi wasn't batting an eye at the woman's antics.
"I'll finish it quickly," the woman said as we sat down. I turned my gaze away from her and looked out the window at the floating bubbles when I saw her bring back a fist for a punch.
In seconds, Chopper, Brook, Camie, and Pappagg were scurrying over to us before Shakki shut the door, wiping off her hands with a towel that had been sitting on the counter. And there was no sign of any of the three men who had been in here before.
"So, how are things with you, Hachi?" Shakki asked as she came over to the corner booth. "You have been gone for ten years, after all." She sat down next to the octopus fishman, making me a little glad that I'd decided to sit next to Camie. "And who are these people?"
"Nyuu. These guys are my friends - Camie, Pappagg, Luffy, Chopper, Brook, and Maria." Hachi motioned to each of us as he mentioned our names, then he grinned. "As for me, things are all right. I run a takoyaki stand now."
"Is that so? You quit being a pirate, Hacchan?"
Hachi gained a more serious expression. "Plenty of things happened..."
"Well, good for you." Shakki smiled. "Honesty is the best way to go, after all. By the way, it's not often that you see a mermaid above the sea." She looked at Camie. "Camie-chan, are you Hacchan's girlfriend?"
I jumped as Camie screamed in alarm at the idea. "N-n-no way! I...I couldn't become Hacchin's b-b-b-bride!"
I rubbed one ear. "Definitely not."
"You're overreacting," Pappagg noted.
"She works with me at the takoyaki stand," Hachi explained.
"Oh, so that's it." Shakki took a drag on the cigarette in her mouth, then turned to look over at Brook and Luffy, who had been siting at the bar. "Oh, that's right...would any of you like something to drink...?"
I let out a sigh when I saw that the two of them had started eating from the open refrigerator.
"Shakki-san, these beans are quite tasty," Brook commented, turning in his seat to look over at us. Meanwhile, Luffy kept grabbing and stuffing from the open fridge.
"He's already raided the fridge?!" Pappagg exclaimed.
I scrunched up my face. "Sheesh, you guys, can't you have any restraint?"
"Luffy! Brook!" Chopper yelped. "She's gonna rip you off!"
Shakki let out a laugh. "It's okay. I don't mind." She got up from her seat. "Well, then, I'll give you something good." She grabbed something from a nearby cupboard - something fuzzy and bright pink...
"Cotton candy?!" Chopper exclaimed. He quickly grabbed it and started munching on the sugary treat. "It's great!"
Shakki smiled. "Right. That'll cost you 100,000 Beri."
I stared at the woman. "Okay, that is a rip-off."
Chopper gained a tear-eyed expression. "I...I...don't have that much..."
Shakki leaned over and patted Chopped on top of his head. "Sorry! It was meant as a joke! I won't ask for payment from Hacchan's friends."
"Really?" Chopper let out a sigh of relief and started eating the cotton candy.
"Hey, lady, how'd you know what Chopper's favorite food was?" Luffy asked.
My ears twitched a little bit at that. "Yeah, that is kind of odd..."
"You're Monkey-chan's crew, aren't you?" Shakki looked between me and Luffy.
"You know about me?" Luffy asked in surprise.
"Of course. You're the crew everyone talks about." Shakki walked behind the counter. "I'm pretty well-informed."
"Really?" Camie looked surprised. "Luffy-chin, you're famous?"
"The entire crew is," I confirmed. "It's kind of hard not to be, after we invaded Enies Lobby to rescue Robin."
"Wow!"
"Though, I didn't know you had a skeleton on your crew," Shakki commented, leaning over the counter in front of Brook. "Or that a living skeleton existed, for that matter."
"Oh, I should have introduced myself sooner." Brook put down his chopsticks. "I am 'Dead Bones' Brook. It is a pleasure to meet you."
I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. That skeleton was going to pop the question at her - Brook asked it of every woman - and just the thought of him ending up like the other fellows Shakki had just kicked out made me want to bring my staff out.
"The pleasure's all mine," Shakki replied lightly. "Oh? You've got some food stuck there..." She reached over and picked a bean off Brook's skeletal face before popping it into her own mouth.
"Oh!" I saw a shudder pass down Brook's spine as his skeletal face turned red - which I didn't think was normally possible. "Shakki-san!" The musician spun around in his chair. "What a nice person! Yohohohoho!" He stopped spinning. "What color are your panties?"
I facepalmed. There it was.
"Why are you asking her that?!" Pappagg demanded.
Shakki looked down. "Well, I'm sure today's are..."
My eyes widened in horror. "You're actually answering him?!"
"AH!" Camie yelled. "YOU CAN'T TELL HIM!"
"Too late," I muttered when I saw Brook's jaw drop. The hole in his skull where his nose should have been then started leaking blood, and I let out a groan.
"YOHOOO! This is incredible! I can't stop my nosebleed!" Brook paused, his fingers covering his nose. "...though I have no nose!"
"Ah! Brook!" Chopper abandoned his cotton candy in order to attend to the skeleton, then quickly went back to his candy when the nosebleed was stopped.
"Now, do you want anything to drink?" Shakki asked, coolly turning away from Brook.
The woman quickly took our requests from us and started working behind the bar, using what hadn't been eaten by Luffy and anything that she had hiding in the cupboards. Somehow, she managed to have enough of a variety of fruits that she could put together a couple things of juice - one of which I accepted readily.
"Here you go," Shakki said, placing a cup of tea in front of Luffy.
"Thank you." Luffy picked it up and held the cup up, blowing off the steam coming from the top.
"I read an article about you guys," Shakki commented. "About the Enies Lobby incident... How much of it is true? Is it true that you picked a fight with the government?"
"Whatever, it's too much trouble to tell you," Luffy replied.
"Besides, a lot of things kinda happened," I added. "And we had a lot of help from people from Water 7, too."
Shakki laughed. "Not gonna brag? What big shots." She paused. "Come to think of it, your name is the same as that Marine, Garp, right?"
Luffy took a sip of the tea, then looked up at the question. "Yeah, he's my grandpa."
"Your scary grandpa," I muttered.
"How scary is he?" Camie asked, curious.
"He's strong enough to throw cannonballs as big as the Sunny at people," I responded. "And the regular-sized ones are pretty much baseballs to him."
Camie gained a terrified expression. "Seriously?!"
"Ah, so you've run into him?" Shakki appeared amused. "I had thought so. I used to be chased around by him all the time."
Luffy blinked. "Why?"
"Shakki used to be a pirate," Hachi explained.
"Really?" I looked at Shakki in surprise. "Wow, cool."
"I gave up about forty years ago, though," Shakki remarked lightly.
"But then..." Luffy frowned. "How old are you, granny?"
I stiffened at the question. "Luffy, are you sure that it's wise to ask a woman her age?"
Shakki sent me a knowing look, then looked back at Luffy. "These days, I think it's fun supporting rookies like yourselves."
I let out a sigh of relief. At least Shakki, while she liked her money, wasn't like Nami.
Hachi leaned forward. "By the way, Shakki-"
"No need to say it." Shakki held up a hand. "I know, all of it. The reason why you and Camie-chan came here was to help Monkey-chan and his crew get their ship coated, right?"
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yeah, you're right."
"That was a good guess!" Chopper sat up on one of the bar stools.
"Here." Shakki handed Chopper the other fruit drink she had managed to put together. As Chopper started sipping, she continued, "In other words, you've got a job for Rayleigh, right?"
"Nyuu." Hachi nodded. "That's right."
"But, I'm afraid he isn't here." Shakki let out a sigh.
I frowned.
"Huh? The mechanic isn't around?" Luffy asked. "We wanna go to Fishman Island!"
"Well, there's no way he'd leave this archipelago, so...how about looking for him in the bars and gambling houses?"
"Bars and gambling houses?" I repeated in alarm. My voice took on a snarky tone. "Well, aren't those safe places."
"Then we'll just wait until he comes back," Luffy amended.
Shakki nodded. "He will come back eventually." She looked up at the ceiling. "He's been gone for half a year, though."
"HALF A YEAR?!" we all exclaimed in surprise.
"I'm sure he's found girlfriends, and thus found places to sleep," Shakki continued, as though we hadn't yelled. "So I am not exactly worried about his health."
I shuddered at the implications of her words. I was getting less and less sure that I wanted to be around when this "Rayleigh" character came back.
"I suppose it's just how ex-pirates are," Shakki commented. "Once they leave, they won't return for a long time."
Wait...does that mean-
"The old mechanic guy was a pirate, too?" Luffy asked in surprise.
"And you two know each other," I added. "Does that mean you served on the same ship?"
"Oh, no." Shakki shook her head. "We both may be pirates, but I wasn't lucky enough to be on the same ship as he during the time that he was a pirate."
"What does that mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"But this is quite a problem," Brook noted. "If he isn't here, I suppose we have no choice but to look for him." He looked back at Shakki. "Do you have any idea where we should start?"
"You did mention bars and gambling houses already," I muttered.
"Well, let's see..." Shakki thought for a moment. "He's probably somewhere between Grove 1 and Grove 29."
"Between Groves 1 and 29?" I repeated.
"That means..." Chopper gained a horrified expression. "The lawless zone?!"
"He's quite notorious, so he can't lower his guard when there are Marines around," Shakki explained. "But...if he's not there...he also likes going to the Sabaody Park."
"The amusement park?!" Luffy gained a delighted expression. "All right! We'll look there!"
Brook and Chopper let out cheers of approval, with Camie joining in and Pappagg yelling at her for it. I don't think she heard him, though, because they all started chanting.
"Amusement park! Amusement park!"
"Anyway, wherever you go to look for him, be careful," Shakki spoke up again causing the cheering to stop.
"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning. "We already know about the Marines and those stupid Celestial Dragons."
"My warning has nothing to do with either of them," Shakki replied, "even though both are certainly enough of a danger to warrant one. According to my information, now that you've arrived, there should be 11 people on the Sabaody Archipelago with bounties exceeding 100 million Beri."
Any movement in the bar stilled instantly as we stared at Shakki in surprise.
"Eleven people with more than 100 million Beri?" Chopper repeated, wide-eyed.
"Yes. Not counting Monkey-chan and Roronoa-chan, there are nine others." Shakki paused for a moment to let that sink in. "When you entered the Grand Line, there were seven paths you could take. You chose one of them, and have been following the Log on that path ever since, right?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah."
"Of course, there were other people who chose one of the other six routes and made it through all sorts of trouble to get here, just like yourselves. No matter what route you take, each of them eventually leads to the Red Line, and to get past that wall, everyone comes to this archipelago. Do you understand? Although, it is pretty amazing that all of the world's rookies managed to show their faces here at the same time. In particular, there's Kid, Luffy, Hawkins, Drake, and Law. These names have been decorating the newspapers for some time now."
"I don't read the news," Luffy said.
"I haven't really been reading it, either," I remarked. I rubbed the back of my head. "I guess the book that I found in Water 7 was more interesting...Nami kept up with it though, I think."
"At least one of your crewmembers was wise enough to do so," Shakki noted. "Knowledge is power. You should at least learn the names of your rivals."
"Uh, Kid...Hawkins...and Drake, was it?" Chopper asked.
"I think there was another one...Law?" I frowned. "I wonder what kind of person goes around with a name like that."
Shakki shrugged. "If we're going by bounty value, Monkey-chan is number two among them."
I blinked once. Twice. Chopper beat me to what I was about to say.
"There's someone on this island with a higher bounty than Luffy?!"
"How?" I asked. "Nami probably would have said something if someone else had attacked a government facility or something like that!"
"Not all bounties are given because pirate crews directly opposed the government like you did, Maria-chan," Shakki commented, glancing over at me. "I can tell you the bounties and aliases of each of the other nine who are here, if you like."
"Yeah, sure." Luffy nodded. "Go ahead. I wanna see who's got a higher bounty than me."
Shakki smiled lightly as she snuffed the cigarette she was holding. "Very well then. Let's see...if we're going in order of bounty values, out of the eleven of you, 'Mad Monk' Urouge has the smallest at 108 million Beri. He captains the crew known as the Depraved Pirates, and claims to hail from a Sky Island."
"A sky island?" Chopper repeated in surprise. "And he's all the way down here? Why?"
"Who can say?" Shakki shrugged. "Next up would be Roronoa-chan's 120 million bounty, but we already know about him, so I'll go to the next one, which would be Capone 'Gang' Bege from the South Blue. He is the captain of the Firetank Pirates and boasts a bounty of 138 million."
"Capone..." I frowned at the name. "Okay, that sounds weirdly familiar for some reason." I scratched my head, trying to think up answers. "I think I heard from someone once that there was a guy who led a gang in a city a long time ago or something like that. I'm not sure of the details, though."
"Perhaps Bege took some inspiration from the man he's seemingly been named after," Shakki commented lightly. "The next highest would be 'The Glutton' Jewelry Bonney from the South Blue. She is captain of the Bonney Pirates and has a bounty of 140 million."
"Glutton?" Luffy frowned.
"Next is 'The Soldier of Slaughter' Killer from the South Blue. He isn't a captain of his own pirate crew, but his captain is one of the others on this list. As a member of the Kid Pirates, Killer's bounty is 162 million Beri. Above him is 'Roaring Tide' Scratchmen Apoo from the Grand Line. He is the captain of the On-Air Pirates, and he has a bounty of 198 million Beri."
"On-Air?" I blinked. "Doesn't that mean, like, radio waves or something?"
"Perhaps? I don't tend to look into the names of the pirates too much." Shakki reached into a pocket of her pants as she continued, "The next-biggest bounty is 200 million Beri, and that goes to 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law from the North Blue. He is the captain of the Heart Pirates. Above him is 'Red Flag' X-Drake from the North Blue. He captains the Drake Pirates and is a former Marine, and has a bounty of 222 million Beri."
"A former Marine?!" My eyes widened in surprise. "What could have happened that turned him into a pirate?"
"Who can say? It would certainly be interesting information if I could get my hands on it." Shakki seemed amused as she pulled out a cigarette. "The bounty above Drake's also goes to a man from the North Blue - 'The Mage' Basil Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates, with a bounty of 249 million Beri. And then there's you, Monkey-chan, with your bounty of 300 million." She nodded to Luffy.
Luffy grinned proudly, then gained a serious expression. "So, who's the guy who's got a higher bounty than I do?"
"That goes to Eustass 'Captain' Kid from the South Blue. He is the captain of the Kid Pirates - the crew Killer is a part of - and his bounty is 315 million Beri." Shakki lit the end of her cigarette with a lighter, then took a drag of it.
"315 million..." I looked over at Luffy. "That's not much higher than where yours is."
Luffy shook his head.
"All of the pirate crews that entered the Grand Line have been reduced to an easily countable number," Shakki said. "The Grand Line is like a huge survival tournament. Regardless of which path they traveled, the ones that survived this far are truly the elite. Among them, there might be one who will become a huge leading figure for the next generation of pirates. Regardless, even the New World won't remain unfazed if so many big shot rookies enter at once."
Shakki paused, then added, "Also, the reason why Captain Kid has a higher bounty than you is because his crew has badly injured civilians. Not too cute, right?"
"Not cute at all," I remarked, frowning. "Although, I have to say that I'm glad we haven't done anything to civilians. That would have made what had happened in Water 7 with Iceberg a whole lot worse than it already was, right?"
Chopper nodded in agreement.
"Because of that, I'm whole-heartedly cheering for your crew, Monkey-chan," Shakki said with a proud air.
"Well, for now, I think I'll just enjoy myself," Luffy said, smiling. He laughed for a moment before the smile faded. "Oh, but if there are so many in town, I'm kinda worried about that old mechanic guy."
Shakki laughed. "You don't have to worry about him. He's a hundred times stronger than you guys, after all."
My eyes widened at that. "A hundred times? Whoa..."
Hachi laughed. "Yeah! Rayleigh is strong! But we're going to have to find him soon if you're going to have your ship coated. Thanks for the suggestions on where to find him, Shakki."
"No problem. And when you find him, make sure to give him a piece of my mind, all right?"
"Sure." Hachi got up from the table and started out the door, the rest of us following after him.
We were climbing onto our Bubble Bikes when Shakki came out of the bar.
"You're on, right?" Luffy looked up at Chopper, who nodded cheerily.
"Well, be careful, then," Shakki warned us as she stood in front of the bar's entrance. "I should tell you, of course, the Navy already knows that there are so many high-level rookies gathered on this archipelago."
Brook shuddered. "This is bad. Then, they could come at us at any time?"
I frowned. "Depending on how many they send after us-"
"Oh, that shouldn't be a problem," Shakki said. "I wonder if this will speed up the meeting among the rookies? Right now, the Navy HQ is so busy with something else, that they don't have the time to worry about you. Or, at least, I assume so."
"Something else?" I parroted.
Shakki waved my question off. "As long as no huge problems pop up on the archipelago, the Navy shouldn't send any major force here to deal with you. So, in short, just take care not to start any kind of uproar, all right?"
I gained a deadpan expression and jabbed a thumb at Luffy. "With him? You may as well ask a bomb not to go off."
"We got it!" Luffy said cheerily. "Thanks! We're off to look for the old mechanic guy!" He gave Shakki a wave as Hachi started down the stairs on his Bubble Bike, Luffy and I following after him on ours.
"So, where are we starting?" I asked as we went down the stairs. "We've got the choice between the Lawless Zone and that park Shakki mentioned."
"We're going to the amusement park!" Luffy declared, raising his fists in the air.
"Yeah!" Chopper agreed.
"Nyuu...while I agree that we should check it out in order to find Rayleigh, it probably would be easier to find him by looking in the other places Shakki mentioned," Hachi remarked. "There isn't anything wrong with checking out the park first, though."
"Yahoo!" Luffy thrust a fist into the air. "Sabaody Park, here we come!"
You guys all know what happens next, right? Well...I may have a rather nasty twist thrown in there...
You'll have to wait until next week, though! I'll see you then!
