Beckman's lips twitched, and he said dryly, "Hey, Shanks, using Observation Haki in a place like this isn't exactly proper behavior."
Shanks clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "I didn't use Haki. Can't you hear it yourself? The voice sounds familiar... who is it?"
Beckman raised an eyebrow and pricked up his ears.
Immediately, the two grown men pressed themselves against the wall of the private room, eavesdropping on the conversation next door.
"Fine, if you don't want to, forget it. Go ahead and spread it—no one will believe it anyway. This is just a misunderstanding, Queen. Don't ruin your crew's reputation!"
Crocodile's voice was flustered with anger.
"Oh ho, Crocodile, you're no pauper. A big shot like you, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, must have some hidden assets, right? Did you think I wouldn't know about the three or four islands you've seized in the New World these past two years? Cut the act—ten billion is my final offer!"
Beckman looked utterly confused and whispered to Shanks, "They're just negotiating a deal, Shanks. Nothing worth listening to."
Shanks scratched his head, then suddenly narrowed his eyes as if struck by a thought.
A strange smile crept onto his lips as he gave Beckman a peculiar look.
Beckman frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shanks grinned and pointed at the wall. "Beckman, hehe, the deal they're discussing over there seems to involve you."
"Involve me? What do you mean?" Beckman was completely lost, not understanding what Shanks was getting at.
Seeing Beckman's cluelessness, Shanks suppressed a laugh and quietly filled him in on what had happened the night before.
By the time Shanks finished, Beckman was dumbfounded.
He stammered, "Holy—that... that bastard Caesar! How could he be so shameless? Is this how he treats his guests? Who'd dare drink with him after this? That damn bastard!"
"So, in the next room, that idiot Queen is actually trying to extort money from Crocodile? Caesar must've been joking, but Queen actually took it seriously? I can't believe this moron."
Shanks patted Beckman's shoulder with a pitying look.
"Beckman, if Crocodile and Queen don't reach an agreement, tomorrow, those 'intimate' photos of you two will be known by every pirate in the world. And when that happens, the Red Hair Pirates might attract a whole bunch of... admirers of yours, if you catch my drift."
"Get lost!"
Beckman was furious.
As he listened to Crocodile's low growls next door, he heard the sound of someone standing up, as if about to leave.
Panicking, Beckman immediately pulled open the door and stepped out.
Shanks was startled and followed Beckman out of their booth, asking in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to give them a taste of their own medicine!"
Fuming, Beckman barged straight into the neighboring booth, nearly colliding with someone in the doorway.
Both parties halted abruptly, locking eyes.
Beckman realized it was Crocodile.
Crocodile recognized Beckman too, and his face instantly stiffened.
The two men stared at each other, the atmosphere thick with awkwardness.
"Ahem, don't block the door. Let's go in and have a nice... chat with Queen," Shanks coughed, giving them a meaningful glance.
Crocodile caught on immediately, a slow smirk spreading across his face as he stepped aside.
Shanks and Beckman exchanged a nod before squeezing their way in.
Outside the booth, the bar owner Deba watched in astonishment as Shanks and Beckman slipped into Queen's private room.
Curious, he crept closer to the door and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.
Inside the private room, sudden muffled grunts from Queen, Crocodile's sinister chuckles, and Beckman's hearty snickers erupted.
After a while, Shanks spoke in a low voice: "Quit standing around. Hurry up and strip his clothes to find the switches on his body. This guy's a cyborg—all his treasures are hidden inside him."
Deba's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his mouth hanging open.
"Queen's treasures are hidden inside his body? What the hell..."
Soon, the sounds of tearing fabric and rustling movements filled the room.
A short while later, Deba, still outside, heard Shanks ask, "Which one of you two will do it?"
"Don't look at me. I won't do something like this," Crocodile muttered darkly.
Beckman sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. The only way to counter his own tricks is to take embarrassing photos of him. We'll threaten him not to leak those pictures—otherwise, we all go down together in shame."
Deba was listening intently, scratching his head in excitement, dying to see what was happening inside.
Suddenly, footsteps from behind snapped him out of it.
Deba turned to see a burly, dim-witted waiter carrying a steaming platter of food, heading straight for the private room's door.
Deba waved at him frantically, signaling him to stop.
But the big oaf ignored him completely, barging through the door with his shoulder and striding inside.
"Hey! You dumbass, didn't I tell you to stop? You—Holy shit!"
The door swung open with a bang, catching everyone inside off guard.
They froze in place.
Deba gaped, stunned by the shocking scene before him.
Shanks had one arm wrapped around Queen's thick neck, while Beckman was pressed close to Queen, striking a cringe-worthy pose.
Meanwhile, the ever-stoic Crocodile had a cigar in his mouth, one foot propped on the sofa's armrest, holding up a camera he'd apparently taken from Queen.
As for Queen himself, his upper body was bare with one of his suspenders dangling at his waist.
Gulp.
Deba swallowed hard as the clueless waiter set down the food, turned, and left, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, boss! It's not what you think!" Beckman jolted upright, leaping toward the stunned Deba at the door.
"Ahem, you guys have fun. I won't disturb you. I'm outta here!"
Seeing Beckman charge at him, Deba trembled in terror, a chill shooting up his spine.
He bolted down the hallway to call a trusted adult.
At the doorway, Beckman wore a pained expression, arm outstretched helplessly as he tried in vain to stop the bar owner from fleeing.
"Come back! It's not what you saw! There's a misunderstanding—let me explain!"
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