On the bustling streets, a crowd had gathered in a wide-open space, watching a "street performance."
The members of this troupe were quite unique in their own ways.
A massive giraffe stood at the center, allowing children to climb on its back. This giraffe seemed to possess an almost human-like intelligence, remaining unfazed even as the mischievous kids tugged at its horns. Its face even displayed an exaggerated, cartoonish grin.
Beside the giraffe, a gray wolf was also drawing attention, nimbly leaping through rings of fire, eliciting rounds of cheers from the audience.
In addition to these two beasts, there was a rotund giant with a zipper for a mouth. Like the giraffe, he allowed children to climb on him, using his peculiar body to entertain them.
Then there was a man with long pink hair and ghostly pale skin, bare-chested and waving a staff as he let out a series of bizarre cries, startling and amusing the surrounding children.
The final member appeared the most normal compared to the others—his only distinctive feature was his hairstyle, which resembled a pair of black horns.
His role was to act as the announcer, drawing in more spectators and encouraging them to "donate" during the performances.
However, no one in the crowd would have imagined that this group was actually composed of former CP5 intelligence operatives.
Under the scorching sun, the five of them performed tirelessly until lunchtime, at which point the crowd slowly began to disperse.
The horn-haired man, Burūno, was still bowing and scraping, collecting the final wave of tips.
As the gray wolf executed a flawless leap through six consecutive flaming hoops, the show reached its climax. The excited audience eagerly tossed their Belly into Burūno's hands.
Beaming with delight, Burūno collected the money, repeatedly thanking the crowd.
Once the spectators had fully cleared out, he placed the Belly on the ground and carefully sorted them by denomination.
The others, including Fukurou, gathered behind him, craning their necks to look at the earnings.
Kaku and Jabra took this moment—now that no one was watching—to deactivate their Devil Fruit abilities, returning to their human forms.
The moment he transformed back, Jabra smirked and jeered at Kaku.
"Oi! Did you slack off again today? I swear, it's like you being here makes no difference at all! All you do is entertain kids! If you're that useless, you might as well go to the port and do some heavy lifting. You'd probably make more money!"
Hearing this, Kaku's expression darkened, and he snapped, "What did you just say!? Did all those kids' parents get eaten by this dumb wolf over here!?"
"Nani!? Square-head, who are you calling dumb!?"
"Who else could it be but you!?"
The two of them bickered after every show, and the rest of the group had long grown used to it. Meanwhile, Burūno, still kneeling on the ground, finished counting the Belly and broke into a grin.
"Nice! We made a lot today! With this, Lucci's injuries should heal up in no time!"
Fukurou and Kumadori cheered, while Kaku and Jabra, hearing this, immediately stopped arguing. They wiped the sweat from their brows, their expressions turning relieved.
Carefully, Burūno divided the money and stuffed it into his pockets before announcing,
"Alright, it's time for lunch. Let's pick up Kalifa first, then buy some good food. Lucci must be starving…"
Just as he spoke, a pair of black boots suddenly appeared in front of him.
Burūno blinked in surprise and looked up to see a tall, slender man clad in a black high-collared coat. His hands were in his pockets, and his golden eyes gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
The sight of this man immediately put Jabra and the others on alert. After all, they were fugitives now. Given their background as former intelligence operatives, they couldn't rule out the possibility that this man was sent by the World Government to capture or eliminate them.
Fukurou, the most sensitive to aura, carefully assessed the man's presence. After confirming that there was no immediate threat, he gave a subtle nod, signaling that it was safe.
Only then did Jabra and the others relax slightly.
Burūno composed himself and put on a smile. "Good afternoon, sir. Is there something you need?"
The man chuckled softly. "I heard people around here say your performances are quite impressive, so I wanted to see for myself."
His voice was youthful, which made Jabra and the others feel a little more at ease. And since he claimed to be a spectator, they instinctively adopted a more welcoming attitude.
Jabra straightened up, clasping his hands in front of his waist and bowing slightly.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we've already finished performing for today."
The man tilted his head slightly. "Oh? That's a shame… Would paying extra make a difference?"
Burūno shook his head. "Sir, that's not—huh!?"
His eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the man's hand, which had slowly emerged from his pocket, holding three thick bundles of cash!
Each bill bore the highest denomination—10,000 Belly!
Judging by the color and thickness, those three stacks had to total at least 3 million Belly!
Behind him, Jabra and the others wore identical expressions of shock, their eyes glued to the stacks of money.
It couldn't be helped—right now, they were completely broke. None of them even registered the bizarre way the man had pulled such a thick wad of cash from his seemingly tight pockets.
Burūno swallowed hard. "Sir, are you saying you'd pay that much to watch us perform?"
The man flicked his wrist, skillfully fanning out the money. Despite the sheer amount, his grip was steady, without a single bill slipping.
He smirked. "That's right. But it's already a bit late, and you guys must be hungry. I suppose we'll just call it off."
Saying this, he began to tuck the money back into his pocket. At that moment, Jabra's eyes flashed green as he let out a desperate wolfish howl.
"NOOOO!!!"
The man's hand paused mid-motion, and Jabra swiftly kicked Burūno, snapping him out of his daze. Burūno immediately shouted,
"We'll perform! Of course, we'll perform! Sir, don't worry! We'll give you the best show you've ever seen!"
Without waiting for a response—afraid the man might change his mind—Jabra and the others instantly rushed into position, ready to begin.
The man chuckled at their enthusiasm and casually tossed the three stacks of Belly into Burūno's arms.
Burūno stood there, dumbfounded, as the man said, "This is the deposit."
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