Chapter 68: The Player's Reunion with Shanks
"I've never taken care of anyone before. Did I force you to lie here and let me take care of you? Wasn't it your own choice?"
"I have my own things to do too. Not everyone is as free as you."
"I just made a cake, would you like to try it? What are you thinking? Of course, it wasn't made just for you. Do you want some or not? If not, I'll take it away."
...
With her arrogant attitude, unpredictable distance, and exceptional caregiving abilities, in just four or five days, Violet managed to bring about a visible change in the mental state of Musgard, who was bedridden due to injury and could only receive care from her and Otohime in exchange for assistance.
He would roll around on the bed in frustration when Vera told him at the last minute that she wouldn't be coming today, and he would also eat one of the portions of food that Vera handed him without any hesitation.
Occasionally, when the Celestial Dragons of Musgard would show their worst side and scold their maids, a single glance from Violet would make them obediently shut up.
Vera: "Hmm, this seems a little different from what we said before?"
The original plan was to use her as a contrasting example, highlighting Princess Otohime's gentleness and attentiveness by using her disdainful attitude towards the Celestial Dragons and her clumsy and terrible way of taking care of them.
But why does it feel like...? When Violet recalled Musgarud's arrogant demand for a maid to help him bathe earlier that day, which resulted in her scolding him instead, what was that guy's expression at the time? Was it an expression of relief?
Has Musgarud now become a masochist who can't stand not being disciplined for a day?
Violet hugged herself and shivered with disgust.
Hearing Violet mutter to herself, Sabo humbly asked, "Island Master, what is a masochist?"
Luo almost sprayed the asparagus soup all over the table.
Luo: "This is not something a child should know."
Sabo looked betrayed: "What?! Law and the island lord are both kids, but you all knew that! Damn it, now I'm the only one who didn't know?"
“M…” Vera repeated, “M is short for McDonald’s, the famous fried chicken and fries junk food store.”
"The M attribute is exploding, which means that someone really wants to eat fried chicken right now."
Sabo suddenly realized: "I see."
Luo stared speechlessly at the two men in front of him, one daring to speak and the other daring to believe.
He tapped the table with his fingers.
The table was piled high with various corals, seashells, and pearls.
The plan for showcasing Fishman Island to the outside world, which the children discussed at the Mermaid Cafe, received strong support from Queen Otohime and Prince Neptune.
On the table are products they have selected that are characteristic of Fishman Island. These products, along with some fishmen who are friendly to humans, will be brought ashore under the protection of the Sun Pirates.
Retired old man Tiger walked around with his hands behind his back, occasionally touching the object with an itchy hand: "Looks good, how are you planning to price it?"
Xiao Ba was helping with packing and organizing, all eight of his hands busy: "Sell it cheaper? We're not really making money off this anyway..."
Tiger squinted at Hachi for a while, then turned around and slowly walked away with his hands behind his back.
Little Eight tidied up the boxes that Tiger had messed up: "So, what exactly is Big Brother Tiger here for...?"
“Retirement life is so boring,” Violet sighed. “Mr. Tiger lives in the sea and doesn’t even have the chance to be an air force fisherman.”
The fish are also very good swimmers. If they want to eat fish, they don't need a fishing rod at all. They can just follow behind the fish and open their mouths to bite.
The sour smell permeated the air among the busy group, while Tiger, who had been wandering around somewhere, returned, followed by Jinbe, who looked much more mature and composed.
Tiger dropped a bombshell as soon as he entered: "In order to better train the residents of Fishman Island in their ability to survive on land through our external display window, I think it is necessary to teach you how to support yourselves in human society and work hard to earn money to support yourselves."
"King Neptune and Queen Otohime have agreed to my suggestion." Tiger continued, looking at Hachi and Violet, who were shocked to the point of losing their color. "Fishman Island will provide you with 800,000 Berries in initial funding, as well as some specialty products such as coral and pearls."
“There will be fishmen who specialize in selling these products, while the others,” Tiger smiled, “will have to seriously consider what kind of work they can do on land to support themselves.”
Xiao Ba: "What?!"
“Eight hundred thousand Berries.” Violet was now quite sensitive to money. “Where should we place the first external window?”
In a remote town, 800,000 Berries would be enough to rent a decent shop in the front and a house in the back for a whole year.
Jinbe's tone carried a hint of sympathy: "The Sabaody Archipelago."
As a famous tourist destination, the Sabaody Archipelago is a prosperous, inclusive, and economically developed area, making it the most suitable choice with Shohei and the Sun Pirates ensuring safety.
However, the Sabaody Archipelago also has a significant drawback – high prices.
Vera did the math: "After deducting the costs of rent and renovations, the remaining Baileys would be approximately..."
Luo: "Barely surviving for another month."
Xiao Ba: "Huh?!"
Violet: "What a big reaction! So you were on the first list too, Hachi? Aren't you a member of the Sun Pirates?"
Hachi scratched his head: "Yeah, I quit before Jinbe took over as a Shichibukai."
Hachi wasn't particularly interested in becoming a pirate. The reason he initially joined the Sun Pirates was more out of admiration for Tiger and a desire to follow him.
Now that Tiger has stepped down as captain, and Hachi also knows that his fighting strength is not very high, he simply told Jinbe about his idea of leaving after the Sun Pirates changed captains and everything returned to normal.
Xiao Ba casually mentioned, "Besides me, A Long also quit."
Luo keenly sensed the change in Jinbe's emotions. If Jinbe's decision to leave Hachi was based on his understanding of Hachi's character, then Jinbe's decision to leave Arlong was accompanied by a hidden worry and vigilance.
Luo frowned in thought, and when he looked up, he met Sabo's gaze, which was also deep in thought.
Luo: "..."
Sabo gave him a smile.
Xiao Ba: "Ah, no, is now the time to laugh?"
Hachi's extensive experience living outside Fishman Island earned him a place on the first batch of recruits, which significantly boosted his chances. However, that was mostly on the ship, and with Tiger around, Hachi didn't need to worry about making money at all.
He knows absolutely nothing about doing business!
Hachi looked at Violet and the others with pleading eyes. This "window to the outside world" proposal, which King Neptune and Queen Otohime praised highly, was their idea. So doing business should be no problem, right?
Vera: "Emmm... Xiao Ba, what are you better at?"
Swimming, holding your breath, spraying ink?
Sabo rested his chin on his hands: "These things can't possibly make any money."
Sabo: "Why don't you go perform juggling? With eight arms, isn't throwing balls and bottles a natural advantage?"
Xiao Ba: "No, no, I've never learned this before."
Luo: "...Then, sell ink?"
Sabo: "Can unprocessed octopus ink be sold directly?"
Won't it get infested with bugs and smell bad?
"I understand." Vera grasped Hachi's hand. "Cooking!"
"Xiao Ba could open a small restaurant serving fish man island specialties."
Her small, trumpet-like mouth opened and closed: "But all I can make are takoyaki."
Sabo followed Violet's train of thought: "Actually, it doesn't need to be a complicated dish. Just use your fishman skills and make sashimi."
"Freshly caught and eaten on the spot, the freshest and most delicious sashimi."
Luo: "If you want to earn more money, it would be best to cooperate with the tavern."
"So..." Standing behind the bar, the mature and beautiful owner, Xia Qi, swirled the strong liquor in her hand, "This is why you came to see me?"
Luo and Sabo each had a cocktail and looked around the bar with curiosity. Sabo winked at Luo, gesturing for him to look at the price list posted on the wall.
When he saw that a regular cocktail cost 100,000 Berries, Luo almost dropped his glass.
"Watch out, kid," Shakky said with a sly smile, "This wine glass is worth a million Berries."
Sabo: "...Isn't that the set of glasses that costs 7,000 Berries and is displayed in the shop window next door?"
Xia Qi, who had been exposed, was not at all guilty. She took a sip of wine unhurriedly and said, "You are very observant, little friend. You actually found out."
Sabo: "..."
He now understood why this bar was called the "Taking Advantage Bar".
Xiao Ba: "So, Xia Qi, what do you think of my suggestion?"
Xia Qi summarized Xiao Ba's suggestion: "Pay me a certain venue usage fee, and I'll let you sell takoyaki and sashimi in the bar?"
"That doesn't sound like it would do me any good." She didn't really expect to make a lot of money from the tavern; it was more of a place to gather and exchange intelligence.
“Xia Qi…”
"Fine, what can we do? We're friends." Xia Qi straightened up and gestured towards the kitchen. "Go and tidy up a place yourself. Can you prepare the menu by tomorrow?"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Hachi opened his eight arms to hug Shakky, exclaiming, "Waaaaah, Shakky!"
"Wow, Shaki!" a cheerful and enthusiastic voice rang out. "It's so lively!"
The first thing you see is a blazing red, as eye-catching as a leaping flame.
A black cloak swayed behind him as a man with a rapier hanging at his waist pushed open the door, bringing with him the salty smell of the sea breeze.
"Redhead?" Shakky's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she naturally adjusted her posture, shifting from a relaxed, conversational stance to one ready to attack or defend at any moment. "You actually came to my tavern?"
"Hahaha, we've been sailing for a long time, and all the drinks on board are gone. It's been over a week since we had a banquet!" He laughed and casually ruffled his hair. The way he did this to his handsome face and beautiful hair made Xia Qi a little uncomfortable.
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you all. This is the boss Xia Qi I was talking about."
“Shaki, these are my crew members.”
Shakky was fairly satisfied with Shanks calling her "boss," so she politely nodded as a greeting.
"Look at the menu on the wall for what you'd like to drink. No discounts." Xia Qi finished speaking and glanced at Wei Er. "By the way, don't make too much noise. There are other customers."
"This is too expensive, Shakky! Can you give me a discount? Give me a discount!" Shanks' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the prices of the drinks on the wall. At these prices, he couldn't possibly buy more than a few drinks!
"Give me some face, Boss Xia Qi!"
"puff!"
Uncontrollable laughter erupted, and the previously noisy pirate crew immediately fell silent, all turning to look at Hachi sitting in the corner.
Xiao Ba was so frightened that its suction cups tightened, and it covered its mouth tightly with both hands, shaking its head frantically to indicate that it wasn't it that had just spoken.
Sabo gripped the water pipe on his back, while Law prepared to activate his Devil Fruit power at any moment.
The silence was broken by Violet's voice.
"Ah, Shanks, it's been a long time."
Violet looked at Shanks' missing arm beneath his black cloak and exclaimed, "Wow, you've changed your look?"
Does this game even have limb dismemberment mods? Could she get a blindness mod to try and look like a legendary martial arts master?
The familiar voice made Shanks turn around in disbelief, and when he saw Violet, he exclaimed in surprise, "Vile, Violet?!"
Shanks was deeply impressed by this child who had stolen one of their treasure chests and was shrouded in mystery.
The Red Division officers behind Shanks also recognized Violet: "Vilet?!"
Beckman exhaled a smoke ring: "Long time no see, Violet."
Yasopp: "What are you doing here in Sabaody Archipelago all of a sudden? Wait, this is a bar. What's in your glass? How old are you to start drinking?"
Hongo rubbed his forehead: "No matter what, you can't just describe the boss's missing arm as a change of appearance."
Although Shanks himself has accepted the loss of his arm well—no, it should be said that he has accepted it too well.
Shanks, without any hesitation, sat down in the chair next to Vale: "Children shouldn't drink alcohol."
As he spoke, he unceremoniously snatched Violet's cup and downed it in one gulp: "Phew—I'm alive again!"
The long black trench coat hem fell directly to the ground, highlighting the guy's unpretentious nature.
Shanks turned his head and stared at Sabo and Law's cocktails: "These two kids too, didn't you hear Yasopp say that children can't drink? So let me reluctantly help you out..."
Bang!
Beckman punched Shanks on the head, stopping the disgraceful captain from stealing a child's drink.
"Just give him a glass of water, boss."
Amid Shanks yelling, "How could you do this to your captain Beckman?", Beckman taps on the bottom of the list on the wall: a Sabaody Archipelago specialty non-alcoholic beverage.
"Have a taste, Violet. Consider it my compensation on behalf of the captain..."
Before he could finish speaking, an ominous rustling sound made Beckman lower his head again.
Then, it was discovered that Val and Shanks' heads had somehow come together. Val lifted her hair and turned her face to the side so that Shanks could touch her fin-shaped ears.
Shanks, without any hesitation, reached out and touched her, tracing his way from her ear to the scales on her cheek, seemingly still wanting to pry open her collar for a closer look.
Yasopp suddenly stood up and shouted, "What are you doing, boss? Let go!"
Luo, whose speed was no less than his opponent's, said: "Island Master, how many times have I told you not to let just anyone touch this kind of place!"
The Red Team members and islanders rushed forward in alarm to separate the two.
Beckman let go of the captain, who had just been given a new large bag on his head, looked up at where Violet was, and then exchanged a glance with Law, who also seemed to sense something.
The same numbness and weariness were reflected in their eyes.
Why!
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Author's Note: Sigh, since everyone's speculating that Shanks' arm loss was intentional, then... let's respect his decision. [crying emoji]
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