Chapter 65: Donquixote

Chapter 65: Donquixote

Luffy, leading the way, excitedly ran towards the ship's bow. Pressing his straw hat down, he leaped lightly onto his sheep's head 'throne' and gazed ahead.

"Woohoo~~ Looks really lively!"

"Ara, this is one of the resort paradises of the first half of the Grand Line."

Robin emerged from the second-floor cabin, smiling. "It's also one of the most prosperous nations."

Correct. There was a nation on this island, the Holled Kingdom, though it couldn't compare to a superpower like Alabasta.

The entire country only had a permanent population of just over a hundred thousand, but its transient population was exceptionally large.

Gold Island was one of the rare Autumn Islands in the Grand Line, enjoying cool weather year-round. The western peninsula boasted several quite famous specialty attractions.

The eastern side was plains terrain, abundant in agricultural products. Frequent maritime trade brought significant economic development here.

Their current location was the port on the west side of the island. As the Going Merry gradually approached, the scene at the harbor became clearer.

Dozens of ships of varying sizes were docked in rows. Numerous sailors were busily transporting cargo up and down the docks.

Towels draped around their necks, white shirts soaked with sweat – even the cool weather couldn't wipe away the evidence of their hard work.

"Robin, are you familiar with this place?" Reiner asked, jumping down from the crow's nest and lighting a cigarette.

"Mm, I've been here a few times before. It's not far, after all."

"Vacation! Vacation!" Luffy couldn't help but get excited upon hearing this. Although not as thrilling as adventuring, 'vacation' implied good food.

Usopp, though also looking forward to it, still voiced concern, "We are pirates, after all. We still shouldn't draw too much attention, right?"

"It's fine. I've already checked," Reiner chuckled lightly. "This is one of the rare countries that allows pirates to enter the city."

"Eh?"

"Seriously?"

Most pirates engaged in killing and arson, but they didn't only kill and set fires. Pirates also needed to eat, drink, and be merry.

Furthermore, pirates had extremely strong spending power, so there were still countries willing to accept them.

"Mm, because the country is prosperous and strong, its military power isn't weak either, and it's rumored to have a powerful protector overseeing it. So they have the strength to accept pirates entering the city to spend money."

"Of course, you can't cause trouble here, or you'll still be hunted down by the army. It's worth noting that for pirate ships, the docking fee is ten million Beri per day."

"Ten million!!!"

Nami instantly jumped up, yelling through gritted teeth, "Isn't that just robbery!? No wonder they accept pirates! It's clearly a rip-off!"

Usopp chimed in resentfully, "Exactly! Can't we just dock somewhere else?"

"No good. That would be considered illegal entry, and they would still send the army after us," Robin explained.

The Baroque Works organization she was previously part of wasn't technically considered pirates, so they didn't have to pay this outrageously high fee.

Robin paused, then added, "Many pirates also choose to lower their Jolly Roger beforehand, disguise themselves, wait for their Log Pose to set, and then leave."

"Are you kidding me!? If we lower the pirate flag, can we still call ourselves pirates!?"

Luffy immediately yelled discontentedly upon hearing this. Lowering the pirate flag was something he would absolutely never agree to.

The Log Pose needed just over a day to set here. If they didn't want to waste ten million Beri, besides disguising themselves as non-pirates, there was another method:

Don't dock at all. Just drift nearby, wait a day, and the Log Pose would set.

But this meant no resupply. Traveling directly from Alabasta all the way to Jaya would require staying at sea for half a month.

Most food supplies wouldn't last that long. So choosing this method meant enduring hardship for a while.

Clearly...

Reiner wasn't about to endure that hardship. And he had money!

"Let's go. We'll stay one night and leave tomorrow. It's a rare resort destination; everyone should relax a bit."

Reiner waved his hand grandly, directly ordering his undead to pilot the Going Merry into the harbor.

Meanwhile, in the harbor's lookout tower, a guard spotted the approaching Going Merry and immediately lowered his telescope.

"Go check the bounty posters. See which pirate crew this is."

"Yes, sir!"

After instructing his companion, the guard hurried down the tower stairs.

"Captain!"

The guard ran into a spacious room on the ground floor of the tower, reporting to the tall figure before him:

"There's a pirate ship preparing to dock."

"Oh? Which crew?"

"Don't know yet, sir. They're checking now."

"New faces?" Hearing this, the tall man became interested. A corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk, and he immediately stood up. "Take a squad and follow me!"

The man had long brown hair draped over his shoulders, a face full of coarse features, wore gray standard-issue armor, and had a greatsword strapped to his waist.

Leading a squad of soldiers, he arrived at the port, just in time to see a fast caravel with a sheep figurehead.

The Straw Hat Pirates? The tall man paused momentarily upon seeing the Jolly Roger on the ship, then immediately shifted his gaze towards the group surrounded by his men.

Scanning them, sure enough, he spotted a blond man wearing glasses. The Guard Captain suppressed his inner surprise and pushed through the soldiers to step forward.

"You are pirates, correct?"

"Ah, that's right!" Luffy replied decisively.

"Hahaha! Welcome, welcome!"

The man grinned widely. "According to the laws of our Holled Kingdom, any pirate ship docking here will be charged a fee of thirteen million Beri per day."

"Please follow me to pay the fee and complete the procedures. You'll be able to enter the city shortly after."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Nami immediately rushed forward angrily. "Isn't it ten million Beri!? Why the extra three million!?"

However, the Guard Captain simply laughed dismissively at Nami's question.

"Aiya! Ten million is just the docking fee itself! Don't we also have to assign soldiers to guard your ship?"

"And, handling the various procedures also takes time, you know." At this point, the Guard Captain revealed a cunning smile.

"If you get delayed and have to stay an extra day, wouldn't that cost another ten million? Spend a little extra cash, and we can expedite the process for you..."

The Guard Captain continued talking nonsense, his smug expression infuriating the crew.

Reiner could tell immediately that the captain's cunning expression was likely put on deliberately for their benefit.

His words, both explicit and implicit, clearly indicated he wanted an extra cut.

He had calculated the amount well too; an extra three million would definitely sting the average person, but thinking they had already spent ten million, they'd likely grit their teeth and pay it.

Seeing Nami about to argue further, Reiner placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

Three million Beri... just pocket change. No need to cause trouble over it.

Knowing Luffy's talent for escalating situations, if a real fight broke out, it would definitely drag in all sorts of complications.

Reiner wouldn't even be surprised if it ended up evolving into a war with this country. Luffy... typical.

Worst case, I'll just see if there's any 'profit' to recoup before leaving.

Reiner stepped forward, feigning indignation: "Fine! We'll pay, alright!?"

"Reiner!"

"It's okay, Nami! Our savings can handle it if we grit our teeth!"

Wasn't this the target I was looking for? The Guard Captain felt slightly disappointed inwardly seeing them give in so easily, but outwardly he just laughed heartily. "That's more like it! Follow me."

Soon, Reiner and the others paid the money, received a paper permit, and entered the city.

Coincidentally, the port guards soon underwent a shift change.

Two guards who had just finished their shift, one older, one younger, both wearing satisfied smiles, strolled along the coast towards the military barracks.

"The Captain is really great!" The young guard tossed the wad of Beri in his hand and laughed.

"One hundred thousand Beri! Coming to the first half of the Grand Line with Master Sandi was definitely the right choice."

"Idiot!" the older guard suddenly snapped in a low voice.

"Didn't I tell you to call him 'Captain' here? If the other soldiers hear you, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

"Uh... yes! Sorry, senior!" The sudden reprimand clearly startled the young guard.

Although they wore the uniforms of guard soldiers, this was merely their public identity.

He quickly glanced around, stuffed the wad of Beri into his coat, and only relaxed after confirming no one was nearby.

"Phew, that was close. Speaking of which, Captain Sandi is so strong, he could easily thrive in the New World. Why did he come to the first half?"

"Well... that's a long story," the older guard glanced at the young man, teasing slightly.

"It's not exactly a secret though. How about you treat me to drinks tonight, and I'll tell you all about it?"

The young man's interest was immediately piqued. He puffed out his money-stuffed chest:

"Sure, sure! You tell me! Tonight, I'll treat you for a tour of Peach Wine Street!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Youthful energy really is boundless."

The older guard lowered his voice and continued, "It all started with that auction incident the Family held..."

Several years ago, the Donquixote Family held an auction. Among the items up for bid was an extremely precious Devil Fruit.

However, it was merely bait to attract customers; they never intended to actually sell it. Such manipulations weren't difficult.

Yet, an accident truly occurred. Someone crashed the auction, caused a huge commotion, and amidst the chaos, that precious Devil Fruit was snatched away.

Only later, when the culprit who stole the fruit gained notoriety, did the Family learn his identity.

The Gold Emperor—Gild Tesoro!

But by that time, his strength was already formidable. Even the Donquixote Family suffered a major loss against him.

Not only did their revenge fail, but he instead uprooted one of their bases in the first half of the Grand Line.

Coupled with his business acumen and extremely powerful money-gathering abilities, the Donquixote Family eventually ceased their retaliation, choosing instead to turn foe into friend and cooperate with him.

Joker, known for fiercely protecting his own and always avenging wrongs, actually choosing to cooperate with an enemy – this shocked quite a few underground forces at the time.

The two walked slowly, whispering about past events...

"And that's how it is. The Family needed someone to come to the first half and re-establish this base. The Captain volunteered for the assignment."

"I see. But..."

The young man still looked puzzled. "The Captain was once known as the Young Master's strategist! His status in the Family wasn't lower than several of the top executives! Why did he insist on coming to the first half?"

"Giving up glory and wealth, and having to disguise himself as a guard soldier here every day... I've only been here a few months, and I already find it unbearable."

"That... I don't know," the old guard waved his hand dismissively, then muttered quietly:

"There are rumors though... that the Captain seems to be addicted to something on this island."

"Ah... seriously?"

"Don't know. That's just what I heard."

Meanwhile, inside a brightly lit, luxurious room on the ground floor of the port lookout tower...

Tap! Tap!

Tap! An index finger rhythmically tapped on the desktop.

Behind an exquisitely crafted office desk, a tall man leaned back in his chair. One arm stretched out resting on the desk, the other hand holding a photograph, comparing it with documents laid out on the table.

Brown hair draped over his shoulders. The man frowned, his expression strange, murmuring to himself through the cigarette dangling from his lips,

"He's the prime suspect... but it doesn't look like him at all."

Sandi studied the photo – a blond man with glasses, wearing a blue shirt.

He glanced again at the documents on the table, which displayed a photo of a burnt-out, collapsed building.

If Reiner were present, he would recognize the location in the picture – it was the small Joker outpost in the East Blue, Loguetown, that he had raided and cleaned out.

"Could it not have been them? Maybe it was the captured Buggy the Clown's crew?"

(End of this chapter)

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