[V3] - Chapter 57. That Infectious Smile
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Dadan looked helplessly at Luffy in front of her. Ever since the Yuto Group quietly established itself in the Goa Kingdom, this brat kept showing up to do delivery runs.
But every time he went out for a delivery… this guy would run for a while, then start yelling about how hungry he was—and end up eating the delivery himself.
As a result, their Goa Kingdom branch now had the highest negative review rate in all of East Blue, and most of that was because of this brat. Even that [Delivery Killer] who shocked East Blue a while back couldn't compare to him.
At the very least…
The Delivery Killer had been delivering for about half a year and still hadn't racked up more than five complaints!
Thinking of this, she threw another punch, angrily saying, "Next time, don't eat the customers' food! That's what we're supposed to deliver to them."
"Got it! Got it!"
"You say that every time! And every time, you still eat it!"
"Hee hee, I was hungry~ Don't worry, I'll pay for it!"
"It's not about the money, you idiot!" She slammed another punch down. But looking at Luffy grinning so cheekily, she could only shake her head helplessly. No matter what, this brat was one she'd raised herself.
What else could she do?
Manager Dadan sighed, looking at Luffy, who had grown quite a bit taller, as if recalling something. "In another two years, you'll be heading out to sea, right?"
"Eh? In two years?"
"You mean to tell me you don't even know yourself? Didn't you say before that it was a promise you made with Ace and… Sabo?"
"Hahahaha! Once the time comes, I'll know!" Luffy laughed carelessly, scratching his head. Then the corners of his lips lifted slightly, his eyes shining with a clear light. "I wonder how Ace is doing?"
"He's probably become an incredible pirate by now!" At the mention of Ace, even Dadan's lips curved into a smile. But after a moment, she furrowed her brows in worry. "But lately, we haven't heard any news about Ace. I wonder if something might've happened to him?!"
Some time ago, there were still reports in the newspapers about the Spade Pirates. But it seemed like from half a year ago, news about Ace had become scarce.
"Don't worry! Ace is super strong!" Luffy heard Dadan's words and still wore a bright smile, raising his fist high. "Right now… he's definitely out there on the seas, enjoying his journey. It's just that we haven't gotten any news about him here yet!" Speaking as he grinned widely, his gleaming white teeth flashed in full view. "He promised me! But becoming Pirate King… I definitely won't let him have that! I'm the one who's going to become Pirate King!"
Saying this—
He extended his right hand, pulled his hat lower over his eyes, and flashed that confident, infectious smile that made even Dadan, watching from beside him, break into a helpless grin.
These two brothers…
They were destined to become incredible pirates in the future!
However.
As she thought and thought…
A trace of sadness suddenly flickered through Dadan's eyes. [If only… Sabo were still here!]
She wiped at the corner of her eye, then forced a smile. "Alright, enough of that talk!" She threw another punch down on Luffy's head, growling fiercely, "If you eat the customers' deliveries one more time, I'll cancel your delivery qualification!"
No sooner had she finished speaking—
Just as Luffy let out a loud "Ow!" and clutched his head—
Suddenly.
The door behind them swung open.
A group of people wearing the Yuto Group's green work uniforms came walking out.
This…
Headquarters had sent people over?!
She'd heard that the door behind them was tied to the secret ability of the boss, Uchiha Yuto. It could connect all the shops across the seas and allow people to travel between stores.
It was pretty miraculous!
Except…
This thing apparently couldn't be used without proper authority. Only those folks from headquarters had access to it.
So basically…
Whenever someone came through that door, it almost always meant headquarters was there to issue tasks!
Dadan ignored Luffy for now and quickly stepped forward, looking at the person from headquarters. "May I ask—is there something you need us to do?"
"You're the Branch Manager of the Goa Kingdom Branch—Manager Dadan, correct?" The headquarters officer looked at Dadan in front of him and smiled warmly. "Don't be nervous! It's just that the higher-ups have issued a few tasks that needs to be arranged."
With that—
He waved his hand.
The door flashed again, and several people immediately carried out several packages, all tightly wrapped.
"In accordance with orders from above, all stores in East Blue need to place these items in front of their shop entrances!" the officer said with a polite smile. "You just have to put them out front—that's all. The details you can check for yourselves a bit later! Also…" He pulled out a small booklet. "If you're unsure about anything, you can look at this first! Or call headquarters for help! That's all for now—I still have to notify the other stores, so I'll be heading out!"
Before Dadan could even ask a single question—
The officer had rattled off everything in one breath, and then, as if in a huge hurry, turned around and headed back through the door.
In an instant, he disappeared—leaving behind a bewildered Dadan and a curious Luffy staring after him.
Not long after.
"What are you grabbing for?! That thing's for me!" Dadan quickly snatched away the little booklet when she saw Luffy reaching for it, snapping at him impatiently. "Behave yourself!"
"I just wanted to take a look!" Luffy pouted. "Dadan, you stingy guy!"
After saying that—
He leaned over anyway, blinking curiously. "Dadan, what's that? Is it something tasty again?!"
"I don't know! Let me check first! Sit still!" Dadan scolded, then carefully opened the little booklet. The moment she saw the cover featuring a flashy silver ship, she froze in surprise. "Yuto Voyager?"
She recalled… The Yuto Group did indeed have its own shipyard. The small boats currently used by the overseas delivery couriers were all produced by the Yuto Group, and the quality was actually pretty good!
"So cool~" Luffy, beside her, was staring wide-eyed, practically glowing with excitement as he fixated on the cover. "What kind of ship is that?!"
"The Yuto Voyager! It looks like it's Yuto's new ship!" Dadan flipped a few pages and nodded. "As expected… a new product from the Yuto Group. Luxurious interior? Elegant curves? Trendy design? It claims to give you the 'domineering aura to rule the seas!'" She glanced at the nearby advertising stand. "It looks like they specifically came here to promote it! But this kind of thing… so flashy! Sure, it looks nice—but it doesn't say a word about performance! It's way too eye-catching! And five… ten… hundred… thousand… million… hundred million… just this one ship costs 500 million Berries! That's insane! What kind of idiot would buy something like th—"
Before she could finish—
"I've decided!" Luffy declared firmly, snatching the brochure away, his eyes sparkling as he stared at it. "Let's make this the ship of the Straw Hat Pirates~"
"…"
She'd been wrong just now.
There really are idiots who'd buy it!
Dadan stared at Luffy, speechless. Then she punched him again. "Don't joke around! Custom-ordering a pretty decent ship only costs tens of millions of Berries at most. A ship worth over a hundred million is rare even out on the seas! No one would pay 500 million for this thing!"
"But it's so cool!"
"…What good is cool supposed to do?" Dadan stared at him, a dark vein pulsing on her forehead. "And besides—you don't have any money!"
"Dadan, lend me the money! Look—it says right here! If you place an order now, you not only get a 10% discount, but also a free deluxe new-ship gift package. It's such a bargain!"
"…"
You idiot!
You actually believe the nonsense in an advertisement?!
And besides…
"I don't have that kind of money, damn it!" Dadan completely ignored him, grabbing one of the tightly wrapped packages beside her. As she started to open it, she said, "Stop bothering me right now…"
Before she could finish speaking—
She suddenly froze.
Looking at the thing she'd just unwrapped—
She blinked rapidly, staring intently at it…
A cowboy hat, freckles on both cheeks, bare upper body, and a tattoo on his left arm reading "ASCE."
Dadan's eyes went wide, and she couldn't help raising her voice. "Isn't this Ace?!"
"Ace?!" Hearing Dadan's shout, Luffy quickly crowded closer. When he saw the photo on the standee, he froze as well. "Hey, it really is Ace! But… why does Ace's face look so swollen?"