Whiskey Peak—Inside a tavern.
"I'm telling you! I really saw one of the Four Emperors! You know who I'm talking about, right? Shanks!"
At the center of the room, a muscular woman, Miss Monday, slammed her hand against the table, her booming voice shaking the rafters. Her eyes, round as bronze bells, glared at the doubting faces of her colleagues.
"Oi, oi, do you even know what it means to see a Yonko? If you really saw one, how are you still alive?"
Beside her, Mr. 9 let out a mocking laugh and patted the town's mayor, Igarapoi. "We actually saw a Marine Admiral, you know! With just a wave of his hand, he froze half a river solid. Everyone on that pirate ship turned into ice sculptures! The Marines handed those pirates over to us afterward—turns out they were worth over a hundred million in total!"
"Oh sure, like we got even a single Beli from that hundred million," Miss Monday rolled her eyes and turned to the timid Miss Wednesday beside her. "Miss Wednesday, back me up! Tell them—we really saw one of the Four Emperors!"
"Uh… I… um…"
"Ha? Don't you dare intimidate Miss Wednesday! She was sick for days after she came back—who knows what you dragged her into at sea!"
"You little brat, what's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means Miss Wednesday should be my partner! A prince and a princess—it's a perfect match, isn't it?"
"Enough already, don't fight…"
Vivi looked utterly flustered, unable to understand how things had spiraled this far.
Ever since joining Baroque Works, and meeting that sly secretary Miss All Sunday, she'd felt like her luck had taken a nosedive. First, she'd been inexplicably reassigned to Whiskey Peak, then dragged into a tug-of-war between two senior agents who both wanted her as their partner.
She had been ready to agree to the man with the "9" mustache—it made sense, after all, that a prince and princess pairing would seem fitting.
But then Miss Monday barged in, declaring she needed to "change her image" by partnering with Vivi instead.
Dragged off on some so-called "observation mission," they failed the task—but stumbled upon one of the Four Emperors!
Heavens above—A Yonko! A pirate emperor even more powerful than a Warlord of the Sea!
Vivi had been so shocked she could barely move. After fleeing in panic with Miss Monday, they ran straight into a massive storm. By the time they returned, she'd fallen ill and spent several days bedridden.
If it hadn't been for Igaram—no, "Igarapoi," her loyal captain disguised as the mayor—taking care of her, she probably would've been expelled from Baroque Works already.
Now that she'd finally recovered, she found herself right back in the middle of the same ridiculous squabble.
Were they really fighting over her of all people? And over who saw a Yonko or an Admiral first?
Vivi wanted to slam her fist on the table and yell "What are you even arguing about!?"—but she didn't dare.
Weak, helpless, pitiful—that was her role here.
Bang!
Just as Miss Monday and Mr. 9 were about to start throwing punches, the tavern doors burst open and a panting Baroque Works grunt rushed in.
"Get ready! Pirates have arrived outside—it's the Bonney Pirates, with a total bounty of over thirty million! And there's another three-masted ship with no pirate flag—it's probably their loot! This is a big job! If we pull this off, we'll have enough funds for headquarters this quarter!"
"Prepare for combat!"
The disguised Igaram barked out orders swiftly. Baroque Works had established their base at the entrance of the Grand Line—Whiskey Peak—precisely to prey on rookie pirates.
This island was one of the seven magnet route starting points. New pirates constantly flowed in, bringing fresh bounties and easy profit.
And their method was simple: Borrow the pirates' heads!
At Igaram's command, the town below came alive.
Townsfolk streamed toward the wide river cutting through the island, bringing ribbons, food, and wine—not for an ambush, but for a welcome celebration.
Yes—this was the secret of Whiskey Peak's unbroken success.
They didn't strike first with brute force; they lulled the pirates into lowering their guard.
The town posed as a harmless place full of music, drink, and friendly faces that "loved pirates."
As mayor, Igaram would personally greet newcomers, laying out food and wine in the open.
Feasts, music competitions—any excuse for a party worked.
Once the pirates were drunk, Baroque Works agents would quietly take their treasures, ships, and heads.
Even the cautious ones couldn't escape; the food and drink were often drugged.
After all—Every single resident of Whiskey Peak was Baroque Works!
Fourteen senior agents led hundreds of bounty hunters. Anyone who realized too late what was happening had no chance of escape.
Igaram adjusted his white suit, neatly coiling his hair into six perfect curls—three on each side. Inside those curls, he carefully checked the hidden firearm mechanisms.
Then, picking up his distinctive wind instrument, he strode to the riverbank.
By then, all the "townsfolk" were gathered on both sides of the river. As the two pirate ships sailed into view, cheers and confetti exploded into the sky.
"Welcome! Welcome!"
"Such an honor!"
"Pirates have arrived!"
"Wonderful! We'll hear tales of adventure again today!"
"Wow, look! The green-haired guy on that ship is so handsome!"
"The black-haired one isn't bad either!"
"I still prefer the green-haired one."
"I like the black-haired one—no, wait, yeah, the green-haired one's cooler."
Amid the chaotic chatter and cheering, Ren turned his expressionless face toward Zoro.
"Zoro, looks like a lot of ladies down there are into you."
"Hah? Aren't those enemies?"
Zoro blinked, utterly confused, his hand resting casually on the hilts at his waist. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd—until it paused on a dark-skinned woman wearing a monk's robe.
He could feel her life's breath—far stronger than the others.
'Most of them are small fry. Only that one's worth my time,' he thought.
The chattering women on shore had no idea that the "handsome green-haired guy" had already labeled them all as small fry—his eyes gleaming with the instinct of a predator.
"What, you don't like being admired? Or are you planning to flirt with the enemy now?"
Nami, taking the helm, stomped lightly on Ren's foot as she passed.
Now that their relationship had grown closer, that fiery side of hers was starting to come out more and more.
Ren sighed and pulled his foot back, glancing toward the child in Nojiko's arms.
Bonney looked miserable, enduring the teasing of her "big sister." Not that she wanted to be treated this way—but with the Sea-Prism Stone cuffs around her wrists, she couldn't maintain her adult form without exhausting herself.
Worse, Ren kept assigning her chores—mopping, washing dishes, you name it.
Whenever she complained, he'd bring up her "debt."
So Bonney chose the lesser evil—turning back into her child form to eat less and work less.
Sensing Ren's gaze, she immediately seized the chance for help.
"Whatever you want to say, just say it! Anything! Just make this woman let me go!"
"Bonney! You didn't say that last night when we slept together," Nojiko teased.
"I just didn't want to sleep on the floor!"
"Alright, back to your ship," Ren said helplessly. "Tell your crew what I told you last night. I don't want any of you ruining my plan."
He gestured for Nojiko to release her.
"Yes, Captain."
Once freed, Bonney exhaled deeply, rubbing her sore wrists before raising them toward Ren.
"These cuffs—take them off. I'll be fighting for you, remember? I can't do that if I'm half-paralyzed."
Ren thought for a moment, then unlocked the cuffs and tossed the key into his Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum space.
"Tch. You should try feeling what that's like sometime," Bonney muttered, rubbing the red marks before leaping back to her ship.
Soon, the two ships—one large, one small—docked at the crude port of Whiskey Peak.
Igaram straightened his smile, preparing to greet the supposed "pirate captain."
One second… three seconds… fifteen seconds…
Nothing. Not a single movement from the larger ship. The cheers began to wane.
'What's going on?'
He looked up in confusion. The smaller ship's crew had already disembarked, led by a striking woman dressed boldly—Bonney.
But no one came down from the larger three-masted ship.
A black-haired man in a black-and-white outfit stood on the gangway, staring down at him with a faint, knowing smile.
A chill ran down Igaram's spine.
'They've seen through us? Impossible! Everything's perfect—the food, the wine, the smiles! This act has worked hundreds of times—we've never failed at the start!'
He was still lost in panic when Mr. 9 nudged him in the back.
"Mayor, forget the big ship—they're probably nobodies. The main target is that glutton Bonney!"
"Ah, right, right…"
Igaram forced a laugh and quickly walked forward, bowing politely to Bonney. "Welcome to Whiskey Peak, pirates! I'm Igarapoi, the mayor of this humble town."
He paused, expecting a response.
But only silence answered.
Bonney folded her arms, looking down at him with cold indifference before turning her gaze toward the three-masted ship.
Huh?
So she's not the captain… he is?
Judging by her attitude, that seemed to be the case. A subordinate couldn't speak for the boss.
But… according to the wanted posters, wasn't Bonney the one with the highest bounty?
The name "Ren" hadn't yet spread far enough for someone like Igaram to recognize it.
A blind spot in knowledge!
(End of Chapter)