Whether the so-called "desert hospitality" was really a thing, Shanu had no idea.
Anyway, his style of hospitality had never changed, simple, honest, and very… Shanu-like.
[You sacrificed Igaram's curling iron — gained 80 points]
[You sacrificed Vivi's bracelet — gained 320 points]
Only four hundred?
Shanu's gaze shifted and landed on the curious-looking Super Spot-Billed Duck beside him.
Hmm? This was Vivi's duck, right?
The one who gets lost every single day and runs in the wrong direction, Karoo, that was the name.
Speaking of which…
Could this guy count as Vivi's pet?
Could he sacrifice the whole duck?
"Quack!? Quack-quack!!"
Karoo suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His feathers puffed up, and he buried his whole head in the sand, with his butt sticking straight into the air.
Are you an ostrich or a duck!?
Shanu smacked the chubby duck butt, annoyed. The hand feel was… surprisingly good.
Too cautious, you little coward. He wasn't actually going to do anything to such a cute animal.
[You sacrificed Karoo's sunglasses — gained 100 points]
Hmm. That finally made it up to five hundred. Barely acceptable.
Shanu checked his system panel. Tomorrow the shop would refresh, and his remaining points had now reached 52,200.
Hanafuda contributed to a portion of that too.
Though honestly, even after Shanu chopped off his right arm for sacrifice, the guy only provided a thousand points.
Probably because his entire existence came from an SBS corner and he never actually appeared in the manga, his value paled compared to a legit Shichibukai like Crocodile.
Oh yeah, speaking of disasters…
There was still that stupid Calamity, Jack.
Shanu called Kuina over and asked how the subordinates of the Hanafuda Pirates were handled.
The report he got:
The high-bounty officers at the top were all finished off by Smoker. The rest of the ordinary pirates were frozen into ice sculptures by Nojiko and handed to Alabasta's royal guards.
As for Jack, who smashed through the ice the moment he appeared and sank straight to the bottom of the river…
No one knew where he'd floated off to.
Shanu used Observation Haki to sweep the entire port area. Still didn't find him. He could only give up.
By now, under the organization of the royal guard, the banks of the Santora River were peaceful again. Merchant ships resumed traffic.
And Igaram, on behalf of the ailing King Cobra, delivered an official invitation:
A grand banquet at the royal palace.
That was perfect for Shanu, he'd been thinking about the Poneglyph stored in the capital for a long time.
Meeting Cobra was also a good chance to clear his reputation and expose Crocodile's true face.
But this wasn't a place he planned to stay in for long. Once he got the Poneglyph, he would leave this desert kingdom immediately.
After all, yesterday's battle at the river mouth had too many witnesses, and the fall of the Hanafuda Pirates was a huge piece of news.
It would definitely reach Marine Headquarters soon. Stay too long and he might attract a certain rabid dog who held a personal grudge against him.
Next Morning
The Curtainfall unfurled its sails to full, racing along the Santora River toward the inland capital.
Igaram had taken Vivi back yesterday to prepare the banquet. So now, the deck of the Curtainfall had only the crew, but was still extremely noisy.
More accurately…
It was Nami alone who was loud enough to give everyone a headache.
"Ahhhhhhh! Where's the News Coo!? Why isn't it here yet!?"
Nami leaned over the railing, stretching her neck to look at the sky. The mochi ball decorating her orange hair wobbled as she shook her leg impatiently.
"It's already eleven! How can the World Economic Newspaper be so slow!?"
"From midnight until now, you've complained every ten minutes. This is the fifteenth time."
Kuina leaned against the mast, polishing Wado Ichimonji and the blade Robin gave her, no change in her tone at all.
"Can't you rest for a bit? Even Morgans' employees need time for the report to be sent back first."
"But it's my rare chance to shine!!"
Nami puffed up her cheeks.
"Big Bro took down a Shichibukai in a one-on-one!
But me? Nojiko? Smoker? We finished faster than him!"
"It took us just thirty minutes to wipe out the entire Hanafuda Pirate Crew! Isn't that front-page material!?"
"Even if the news comes out, bounty increases still depend on a meeting at HQ."
Robin walked over with two cups of black coffee, smiling.
"So even if you get the early edition, your bounty won't change. It's still 80,000 Berries."
"I don't care!!"
Nami suddenly lunged at Gin, grabbing its fluffy ears.
"It's all your fault! Stupid Gin! Last time you stole all the spotlight! Because of you, the Marines thought my fire attacks were your ability, so I only got 80,000 Berries!"
"…"
Gin didn't even bother to respond. It yawned and kept sunbathing lazily while Nami twisted its ears.
"Eighty thousand?"
Half-asleep under a sun umbrella, Shanu lifted his sunglasses, brow raised.
"I thought it was 80 million?"
"…You!!"
Nami's face turned red. But seeing Shanu genuinely confused, not teasing, she could only stomp her foot in frustration.
Idiot big bro. Idiot idiot idiot! If it were really 80 million, higher than Nojiko, would she even care about the paper!?
"It's definitely 80,000," Robin smiled, placing coffee beside Shanu.
"You were half-asleep when you read the newspaper, Captain. You must have misread it."
"Thanks."
Shanu sipped the coffee, then couldn't help laughing.
He glanced at Nami's inflated cheeks.
"Alright, my fault. Don't be upset. Relax, your bounty will go up this time."
After all, Gin didn't even leave the ship this time.
And Nami put on a full show, using flashy large-scale techniques the whole time. The civilians on shore had screamed in awe.
Unless Marine Intelligence consisted entirely of bureaucrats who only knew how to run PowerPoints…
There was no way they'd mess this up again.
"Hope so…"
Nami slumped on the railing.
Shanu shrugged, stopped comforting her, and opened the system shop.
The marketplace had refreshed. Time for his second favorite hobby, shopping. He hadn't browsed since Little Garden. Last time his luck was terrible, out of ten items, only two were worth buying.
But this time…
The first refreshed item instantly caught his attention.
[Steal Card Set]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 2000 points]
[Description: Grants five "Sheep Swipe" cards.]
[Each use allows you to steal one random item from anyone in your line of sight, no distance limit. Comes with one free test use.]
[Seller's Note: "STEAL!"]
The note was weird, but the item was insanely good.
Steal anything from anyone in sight?
That was basically made for him.
There would definitely be situations where he couldn't get close to top-tier enemies,
these cards would be perfect.
Five uses for 2000 points, just 400 each. A bargain.
Bought. Next.
[Knock Spell Staff]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Price: 3000 points]
[Description: A magical staff. Just keep it in your inventory to learn the Knock Spell. Instantly unlocks anything: doors, treasure chests, cuffs, mechanisms, one gentle tap, nothing stays locked.]
[Seller's Note: "I'm stuck in the bottom of the Baldur's Gate bank vault and forgot to bring Knock, kill me."]
Unlocks anything?
Super practical. Shanu instantly added it to the cart.
Though…
He couldn't help feeling like he was sprinting further and further away from the path of "King of the Pirates."
With items like these, his stealing techniques were becoming… legendary.
Laugh Tale felt like it was right around the corner.
[Wish Spell Scroll]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 15000 points]
[Description: Can be activated by anyone. Requires one hour of uninterrupted chanting. Upon completion, fully heals all injuries, illnesses, and negative effects. A group spell affecting up to five people. Each use also consumes 5000 points.]
[Seller's Note: "As long as I live, no crewmate will ever be harmed again!"]
Another god-tier item!
Shanu sat up so fast he nearly spilled his coffee. Expensive, yes. But the effect was insane. For 5000 points, he could fully heal five people. With this, he almost didn't need a doctor anymore.
…No. Wrong mindset.
A doctor was still essential. You couldn't waste five thousand points every time someone caught a fever. Still, into the cart it goes.
Next!
[Ultraman Statue from the Pyramid]
[Type: Wonder]
[Price: 12000 points]
[Description: An ancient statue beside the Tiga statue. Broken in the original timeline. Cannot be activated by those not chosen by light.]
[Seller's Note: "Like sunlight cutting through the night…"]
Ah yes, wonders. He just said they were useless, and here one was. Who was buying this stuff?!
Skip.
[Yasuo's Swordsmanship Notes]
[Type: Training Manual]
[Price: 2000 points]
[Description: The compiled life's work of the swordmaster Yasuo. Profound and deep; how much you learn depends entirely on your talent.]
[Seller's Note: "Death is like the wind, always by my side."]
"…Really?"
The seller was holding back exactly zero malice.
What's with that ending line!?
Swordsmanship idiot can't grow, is that it!?
He was terrible with swords, and yet he still became a dual-blade great swordsman!
He bought it anyway.
He couldn't use it, he'd probably fall asleep after two pages, but someone else could.
Kuina.
His vice-captain, and the girl destined to be his strongest left hand on the road to the top. As captain, he'd help her take one more step toward the world's strongest swordsman.
Next!
[Cart Titan Transformation Card]
[Type: Consumable]
[Price: 3000 points]
[Description: Transform into the Cart Titan for up to one month.]
[Seller's Note: "Why am I in this world!? I want to go to the One Piece world! Rumbling is starting, oh no…"]
Poor guy. Shanu hoped he survived the Rumbling. If Shanu were there, the Rumbling would get injured stepping on him.
Transforming into the Cart Titan?
No thanks. Skip.
[Prism Tower]
[Type: Defense Structure]
[Price: 1500 points]
[Description: Alliance base defense tower from Red Alert. Becomes invisible after deployment. Automatically stuns any hostile stranger who enters the fifty-meter radius.]
[Seller's Note: "Stealing one more today, turn neck to the right, charge!"]
"Oh?"
Shanu raised a brow. A defensive building? This was new. And useful. He wondered if it could be installed on the ship.
The Curtainfall was sixty meters long. If he placed it dead center, it could provide total coverage of the entire vessel.
No more leaving someone behind to guard the ship. No more worrying about strange Devil Fruit users sneaking aboard outside his Observation Haki range.