Inside the bar.
Shakky looked at the two kids who had wandered in without permission, a trace of surprise in her eyes.
"You two boys. What'll you have?"
"Uh…" Roy hesitated. "Two juices, please."
"Sure thing, kid."
Shakky set two glasses of juice on the counter. Then she folded her arms, leaned back against the bar, and calmly stared at Roy and Tesoro like she was weighing them.
Beside Roy, Tesoro was still shaken from what he had just witnessed. He had seen with his own eyes how Shakky had casually tossed a vicious looking pirate out of the bar like a sack of trash. Now he held his juice with trembling hands, his face pale and tight with nerves.
Even Roy felt awkward.
Damn you, Oda.
Who would have thought that the treasure the Rocks Pirates lost, the treasure that triggered a chaotic war between four top tier forces, the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates, the Marines, and the World Government…
The treasure that led to the death of Rocks D. Xebec himself in the God Valley Incident…
Was not some terrifying Devil Fruit hidden on God Valley.
It was the woman right in front of him.
What kind of twisted joke was that supposed to be?
"What's wrong, kid?" Shakky asked, noticing Roy staring off into space.
Then she tilted her head slightly, voice casual but sharp.
"By the way, how do you even know about Rocks?"
"The God Valley Incident only happened a few years ago, but the World Government already sealed the whole thing tight."
"At your age, you shouldn't know any of that."
"Hahaha…"
Roy laughed it off.
"None of that matters."
Shakky watched him for a moment.
Since Roy clearly didn't want to answer, she didn't press. She simply shifted the conversation as if it meant nothing.
"Then what are you here for?"
"Don't tell me you came in just to drink juice."
"Of course not." Roy leaned forward slightly. "We're here to buy information."
"Haki training methods, the Marines' Rokushiki training methods, basic swordsmanship training, and Log Poses to the Never Ending War Country and Kuraigana Island."
Shakky's brows lifted.
"Log Poses, Haki methods, and sword manuals are no problem."
"But Rokushiki… that's something only the Marines and high ranking World Government personnel get to train. Getting that is troublesome."
Roy smiled.
"With your network, Miss Shakky, I'm sure it's not that hard."
"Oh?" Shakky's smile deepened. "So you really do know quite a lot."
The blond kid in front of her was becoming more and more interesting.
He knew Rocks.
He knew about an incident the World Government had locked away.
He even knew her past.
A thought flickered through Shakky's mind.
This kid… could he be related to someone from the Rocks Pirates?
Golden long hair. That arrogant attitude.
Shakky narrowed her eyes.
"Kid. What's your relationship with Shiki the Golden Lion?"
Golden Lion?
What the hell?
How would Roy have anything to do with Shiki?
Just because he knew a lot and had the same hair color, she was really going to pin that on him?
Roy's face twitched.
"How could I be related to Shiki?" he snapped. "Look at my face. Look at this stylish haircut. Does that old man look even remotely as handsome as me?!"
Shakky couldn't help herself.
She laughed softly.
"Alright, alright. I believe you."
Then she tilted her chin, smiling like a shark.
"But information isn't cheap. One hundred million Beli."
"Kid, are you paying now?"
Tesoro nearly choked on his juice.
One hundred million.
That was money he had never even imagined.
Roy, on the other hand, stayed calm.
Money?
He didn't have any.
So he'd just take it.
"When will the items be ready?" Roy asked.
"About three days."
"Three days. Fine." Roy stood up. "We'll come back in three days to trade."
He turned and walked out.
Tesoro hurriedly gulped down the last of his juice and followed after him.
Shakky watched his back disappear through the door and sighed.
"What an interesting kid."
Outside the bar, Tesoro couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Boss… one hundred million Beli. Do you really have that much money?"
"Nope," Roy replied casually. "I don't have any money."
Tesoro froze.
Roy slung an arm around his shoulder and spoke seriously.
"But don't worry, Tesoro."
"In this world, only the strong control everything. If you have strength, you can get whatever you want."
"The weak only get stepped on."
"Is that so…" Tesoro muttered.
His past flashed through his mind.
Was it because he was weak that he had always been bullied?
That thought lit a fire inside him.
A thirst.
A hunger to become strong.
"Boss," Tesoro said, voice shaking with determination. "Teach me how to get stronger. I don't want to live a life where I can't even control my own fate."
Roy threw his head back and laughed, delighted.
"Hahaha…!"
"Of course. But getting stronger is painful."
"If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind."
Then he clapped Tesoro on the shoulder.
"For now, we find an inn and rest."
Later that night, Roy lay on the bed and began forming a rough plan for how to get money.
No money?
Then he'd rob it.
When you had strength, money was just something you took.
He turned his head toward Tesoro.
"Those thugs earlier. They mentioned Wild Wolf Dokuri. Who is he?"
Tesoro's expression darkened.
"Dokuri is a gang boss on Sabaody. They run casinos and slave auctions in the lawless zone. They gather rare treasures for the World Nobles."
"I heard he has hundreds of men. And it seems like he even has Marines backing him."
As Tesoro spoke, his voice grew quieter. His fists clenched until his knuckles went white, as if remembering something that hurt too much.
"Boss… can you help me save Stella?" he whispered. "She's also in…"
"She's the only person I truly cherish."
Stella.
The girl who would be bought by a Celestial Dragon.
The girl whose death three years later would turn Tesoro completely dark.
Roy felt a wave of sympathy.
This world was full of tragedies.
Too many.
But Tesoro was Roy's man now.
If someone dared touch what belonged to him, Roy would smash them for it.
He told Tesoro to gather information first.
In the first half of the Grand Line, a small gang should not have anyone truly terrifying, but the mention of Marine connections made Roy cautious.
He had no intention of entering the Marines' field of vision too early.
At the same time, deep inside the Wild Wolf Gang's base, in a luxurious office.
A fat man with a vicious face sat studying the financial reports from the last few months. From the sharp glint in his eyes, it was clear he was not as simple as he looked.
Bang.
A door slammed open without warning, startling him.
"Boss Dokuri!"
"Tesoro was rescued by a brat!"
"Trash!" Dokuri roared. "You couldn't even handle something that small, and you still came back?!"
Just as Dokuri was about to explode, the office door opened again.
A man walked in, Dokuri's right hand, the one in charge of the slave auction house.
Torre Gem.
"Torre," Dokuri growled, forcing himself to calm down. "What is it?"
"Boss. The news about the new batch of treasures arriving a few days ago has already been spread. The auction is about to begin."
"I heard even a Celestial Dragon is coming to attend."
"At that point, you'll make a killing again."
Dokuri's anger instantly eased.
He grinned, satisfied.
And just like that, he completely forgot about Tesoro.