The voyage went surprisingly smoothly. Both the wind and the currents seemed to favor them. What had originally been expected to be a midday arrival the day after tomorrow turned into an early morning sighting of Barrel Island, its silhouette emerging through the thin mist of dawn.
After the lookout gave the signal, the crew skillfully lowered their skull-and-crossbones pirate flag and replaced it with an ordinary merchant banner—standard procedure when docking at ports not controlled by pirate forces.
As the ship pulled alongside the dock, Sami stepped onto the rail, his body swaying slightly with the ship's motion. His gaze swept across the eager faces on deck, and he laughed.
"Look at you lot. Your souls have already flown into the taverns, haven't they?"
The crew burst into knowing laughter.
"Listen up!"
Sami's smile faded. His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly quieted the crowd.
"Same as always. The first squad of the navigation crew stays behind today. Keep your eyes open.
The rest of you—combat team, sailors, logistics—disembark in batches.
Our top priority is supplies! Fresh water, food, medicine, rope, sailcloth…
Your team leaders have the lists. Everything must be loaded before noon.
Only after that do you get your free time. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!" ×N
Soon the dock area filled with the busy, noisy activity of Sami's crew.
They haggled with local merchants with practiced ease, carrying crates of supplies back onto the ship.
Sami stayed aboard for a while to supervise, making sure the purchasing process went smoothly.
"Captain! Don't just stay on the ship all day—come into town with us!"
"Yeah, Captain! We finally made landfall—come have a drink!"
Several close officers gathered around him, inviting him enthusiastically.
Seeing the hopeful looks on their faces, Sami smiled and stopped refusing.
"Alright. Let's go take a look."
They walked along the rough wooden pier toward the town known as Barrel Town.
At the same time, in the largest tavern in town—
The Sea Monster's Throat.
The tavern was packed with all sorts of people: sailors, bounty hunters, gang members, and a few smugglers who looked like they were negotiating business.
"…So I'm telling you, don't ever provoke ships from the Kano Country around the Stoneclaw Peninsula! Those idiots from the Bloodblade Gang thought they were tough—one branch wiped out just like that."
Beside him, a scar-faced brute downed a large gulp of liquor and slammed his mug onto the ground.
"Hmph. The Happo Navy… they're only strong because there are so many of them!"
At that moment, the tavern owner—a burly man with a thick beard—efficiently tore down several old wanted posters.
"Hey, boss, what's this? The Rumbar Pirates are off the board already?" a sharp-eyed customer called out.
Without turning around, the owner replied,
"Off the board? They've made it big. The whole crew crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line, huh…"
Someone sighed with a hint of longing and awe.
"The Rumbar Pirates are pretty strong. Hope they make a name for themselves out there."
While the crowd continued chatting, the owner pulled out a stack of new wanted posters and nailed them to the board.
"Hey… wait a second…"
A sailor wearing a battered tricorn hat squinted and leaned closer to one of the freshly posted notices.
"What the hell is this pink thing?"
His companion glanced at it—and nearly spat out his rum.
"HAHAHA! A… a jellyfish head?!"
He slapped his thigh while laughing.
"Everyone come take a look! This guy—HAHA—Jellyfish Head Riberra Sami! Jellyfish Head! What kind of ridiculous thing is that? And he's worth seven million Beli?!"
In an instant, the entire tavern's attention shifted.
All eyes focused on the wanted poster.
The photo showed a young man.
But his head looked extremely strange—almost like a translucent pink jellyfish resting on top of it, distorting his facial features beneath the gelatinous shape.
Among the wanted posters filled with scarred faces, vicious grins, and murderous glares, this one—with the bluntly ridiculous nickname "Jellyfish Head"—stood out in the most absurd way.
Then the laughter exploded even louder, nearly lifting the tavern's roof.
"PFFT—That's it? Jellyfish Head?!"
"He's worth seven million Beli? Did the Marines make a mistake?"
"Boss," one man who looked like a bounty hunter said after calming down a bit, curiosity creeping into his voice, "what did this Jellyfish Head do to earn that kind of price?"
"Yeah!" another bounty hunter with a scarred face complained sourly. "I've been risking my life at sea for five years and my head's only worth four million!"
In the West Blue of this era, seven million Beli was considered quite a respectable bounty—enough to mark someone as a fairly notable pirate in the region.
The tavern owner wiped a glass and glanced at the poster.
"I heard this guy specializes in robbing mafia ships. Fast strikes, ruthless methods. He's been seriously messing with the sea trade of some big bosses. The Marines probably don't mind seeing that happen, but they still have to keep up appearances.
And rumor says he's a Devil Fruit user—a bit… strange."
"Jack the Ripper—six million Beli."
A voice suddenly cut in.
It came from the bartender who had been quietly polishing glasses the entire time.
The noise in the tavern dropped slightly.
Still wiping his glass, the bartender continued,
"Jack's finished. He fell to this man. Captured alive—ship and all—and sold to an auction house in the Grand Line."
"What?!"
"He captured Jack the Ripper alive? And sold him in the Grand Line? This guy's that strong?"
"Bullshit!"
A burly man with a scarred face slammed the table violently. A dagger identical to Jack the Ripper's hung from his belt.
"There's no way Boss Jack lost to some clown like this!"
The tavern owner shot him a cold look.
"Black Snake. The information came from Raven. If you don't believe it, go ask him yourself."
At the mention of Raven's name, the man called Black Snake's momentum faltered.
He sat back down awkwardly, muttering,
"Anyway… I don't believe it."
Ironically, his outburst only made Sami's reputation seem more credible to everyone else.
"Riberra Sami…"
An old sailor who looked well-informed stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I think I've heard that name before… Isn't he the pirate captain who's especially generous with his crew? The one who splits the loot very fairly?"
As soon as he said it, someone nearby suddenly slapped his thigh.
"That's right! Riberra Sami! I remember now! That's them! I heard whenever they divide the spoils, it's incredibly generous—way better than those stingy captains! No wonder his men are willing to risk their lives for him!"
"Ohhh, that guy! No wonder he's so generous. He specializes in robbing mafia ships! Mafia ships carry a lot of profit—so he gets more and distributes more! Damn, those guys must be rich!"
At that moment another voice spoke up, puzzled.
"Wait a second. Haven't these guys been active for quite a while already? Why did the Marines only issue a bounty now? Both the Marines and the mafia reacted pretty slowly."
The tavern owner snorted.
"Hmph. I heard this Sami has quite a few rules. Recently a few of his crew messed up. Instead of killing them, he gave them some money and kicked them off the ship."
He jerked his chin toward the poster.
"If you ask me, those guys probably held a grudge and sold him out. Otherwise, how would the Marines get his photo and set a bounty so quickly?"
"So that's it! A traitor from inside!"
"Tsk tsk…"
The crowd continued discussing.
Their impression of Jellyfish Head Sami gradually shifted—from pure ridicule to a mixture of curiosity and caution.
Just then—
BANG!
The tavern's not-so-sturdy wooden door was shoved open roughly, the panel slamming against the wall with a dull thud.
A young voice, slightly impatient, sounded from the entrance.
"Boss! Got anything to eat? I'm starving!"