After drifting at sea for more than ten days, eating the ship cook's same few "classic" dishes every day, Sami felt like his taste buds were about to stage a collective strike.
The moment they landed, Sami led his officers straight toward the marketplace.
It was time to properly worship their stomachs.
He stopped at a fruit stall piled high with strange-looking fruits—many of which he had never seen in the West Blue.
"Boss, give me a few of these… those… and that one that looks like a butt."
"Yeah, that one."
"That's enough."
Sami casually pointed at several fruits that looked decent enough, not bothering to ask their names or flavors. After paying, he grabbed one for himself and tossed the rest to the men behind him.
Crunch.
The moment he bit into it, juice burst across his tongue.
A flavor mixed with tropical sunlight and some unfamiliar spice exploded in his mouth.
"Huh?"
"This texture… interesting."
Sami chewed thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow.
The others quickly devoured their fruits as well, tossing the pits casually into a nearby bush.
"Oh ho ho…"
Watching the pits disappear into the greenery, Sami grinned.
"I'm such a terrible person."
Soon their rumbling stomachs led them into a tavern that looked fairly lively.
Inside, the atmosphere was no different from the taverns back in the West Blue.
The lighting was moderate, and the air smelled of alcohol and sweat.
Rough wooden tables and chairs were scattered around the room, while some corners were crudely built from stacked stones.
Most of the patrons looked like dangerous types.
Scars covered their exposed skin, and their weapons were placed openly within arm's reach.
When Sami and his men entered, quite a few unfriendly eyes turned toward them.
But Sami's group acted like they had just returned home.
They swaggered up to the bar and knocked on the counter.
"Boss."
"Bring us anything you've got that can fill a stomach."
"And a few cups of rum."
"Right away," the bartender replied.
Just as they were waiting for their food—
Buru buru buru… buru buru buru…
A distinctive ringing sound came from Sami's coat.
Without hurry, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and answered.
Click.
The snail's face instantly changed, mimicking a wide grin and a slick pompadour hairstyle.
"Hello, hello, hello! My dear business partner, Captain Sami!"
A voice full of exaggerated enthusiasm came from the Den Den Mushi.
"I'm heading to the West Blue again soon! Got any good merchandise for me this time?"
Half the tavern fell silent instantly.
Several people subtly pricked up their ears.
"Oh, it's Boss Gillian," Sami replied casually.
"Forgot to tell you—I'm not in the West Blue anymore."
"I'm in the Grand Line now."
"Oh?! Really?!"
The voice on the other end first sounded surprised.
Then burst into loud laughter.
"Ahahahaha! Just as I thought!"
"With your bounty, staying in the West Blue was a waste of talent!"
"Coming to the Grand Line is perfect!"
"Sure, it's a shame we'll miss those special 'products' from West Blue mafia groups—but that's fine!"
"From now on, if you capture pirates with bounties over 50 million Berries, you can trade them with me!"
"I'll pay you far more than what the Marines would give you for their heads!"
"Alright then. Deal."
"When I catch a big fish, I'll contact you."
"Ahahahaha! I love doing business with people who are strong and straightforward!"
"If you ever come to the Sabaody Archipelago, I'll definitely treat you properly!"
Click.
The Den Den Mushi hung up and returned to its sleepy expression as Sami tucked it back into his coat.
But inside the tavern—
The once noisy atmosphere had dropped several degrees.
Especially when the phrases
"With your bounty staying in the West Blue was a waste…"
"Pirates over 50 million…"
"I'll pay more than the Marine bounty…"
were mentioned.
Several men who had been drinking and chatting suddenly froze.
Their eyes flickered.
Slowly—
Hands reached into pockets and pulled out crumpled bounty posters.
A faint rustling sound spread across the tavern as they flipped through them, comparing faces.
Then suddenly—
"Six… six… sixty-nine million!!!"
A shrill scream exploded from a corner of the room.
Sami looked over.
A chubby man had jumped to his feet like someone had stepped on his tail, clutching a bounty poster in his hand.
His companion reacted instantly—lunging forward and clamping a hand over his mouth.
"Haha! Nothing! Nothing!"
"He's drunk! Talking nonsense!"
Their faces were pale as ghosts.
Forcing smiles uglier than crying, they dragged the struggling chubby man out of the tavern as quickly as possible.
"…."
The number 69 million seemed to carry magical power.
The tavern's atmosphere froze.
All the loud bragging and drunken shouting vanished.
A few quiet conversations remained, but voices were kept extremely low.
It was as if everyone feared disturbing something.
A heavy, invisible pressure filled the room.
The earlier hostile gazes had turned into fear and caution.
Many people deliberately avoided making eye contact with Sami.
Aldo tensed slightly and leaned closer to Sami.
"Boss… something feels wrong."
Sami, however, simply laughed and took a long gulp of rum.
"Ha!"
"What are you afraid of, Aldo?"
"With our strength, what problem could there possibly be in a place like this?"
He wasn't bragging.
It was simply the truth.
With the strength of Sami and his officers—even if everyone in the tavern attacked them together with guns—
They could easily wipe them out.
And probably not even suffer a scratch.
Reality proved Sami correct.
Until they finished eating their meal without a care—
The tough-looking men in the tavern simply drank silently.
At most, they stole glances at Sami from the corners of their eyes.
Not a single person dared make a move.
Finally, Sami and his men pushed their chairs back and stood.
Under countless tense stares, they calmly walked out of the tavern.
Only after their figures disappeared through the door did the frozen air begin to move again.
"Phew—"
Someone let out a long breath.
Thump! Thump!
Several people sitting near Sami collapsed weakly to the floor.
"Thank god… they're finally gone…"
"Th-that scared the hell out of me…"
"Seriously… why did a 69 million monster just come out of the West Blue?"
"That's insane…"
"It's my first time seeing someone with a bounty over 40 million…"
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