"Nice to see you again, Igaram… or should I say Mr. 8?"
Mr. 9's voice cut through the night, smug and sharp, as he stood before the man who had welcomed the Straw Hats with open arms only hours earlier.
Igarampoi—no, Igaram—didn't even flinch.
"I see you two failed another mission," he replied coolly, eyes flicking from Mr. 9 to Miss Wednesday.
Before either of them could snap back, the door of the bar creaked open.
A woman stepped out, dressed in the robes of a nun, her expression calm, almost bored.
"No one had high expectations of them completing the mission anyway," she said flatly.
As she spoke, she began undoing the buttons of her habit, peeling the disguise away piece by piece until the nun was gone—replaced by a tall, muscular woman with sharp eyes and a dangerous presence.
"Why don't you try killing the whale then?" Mr. 9 snapped.
"That's right," Miss Wednesday added irritably. "Those pirates are getting in the way anyway. Where are they?"
"They're unconscious inside," the woman replied. "I added something to their drinks. Otherwise, they'd still be drinking by now."
"Thoughtful, Ms. Monday," Igaram said with a nod.
Then his expression hardened.
"But honestly… why all this effort?" he continued, hands on his hips. "We're burning through supplies. We could've ambushed them at the harbor."
"Relax," Igaram said, interrupting himself as he reached into his coat.
He pulled out a wanted poster and held it up.
A familiar face stared back.
Lightning in the background. Ashes underfoot. Cold, merciless eyes.
MONKEY D. LUFFY — 100,000,000 BERRIES
From the shadows above, Luffy watched… and smirked.
So that's it. Bounty hunters.
"100 million!?" Mr. 9 shouted.
"For that kid!?" Ms. Monday added, eyes bulging.
"Appearances are deceiving," Igaram said grimly, tucking the poster away. "So what now?" Ms. Monday asked. "Do we kill them?"
"No."
The word landed heavily.
"If we kill them, the bounty drops by thirty percent," Igaram continued. "The World Government prefers public executions."
"I understand," Miss Wednesday said quietly.
"Good," Igaram replied. "I want them alive."
Before anyone could move—
"Hey. Sorry to interrupt."
The voice came from above.
Every head snapped upward.
Standing on the roof of the bar, moonlight glinting off steel, was Roronoa Zoro—Kitetsu already drawn, its cursed blade humming softly.
Beside him stood Johnny and Yosaku, bisentos resting on their shoulders, expressions calm… almost bored.
"Do you mind letting my friends sleep a bit longer?" Zoro said casually.
"It's been a long trip," Johnny added.
"So try to hold back your screams," Yosaku finished flatly. "We don't want to wake them."
From another rooftop, hidden in shadow, Luffy's lips curled upward.
Looks like I underestimated them.
The bar doors burst open again.
"Mr. 8! Ms. Monday!" two agents shouted. "Four pirates escaped while we weren't looking!"
"Four!?" all three agents shouted in unison.
"But there are only three here," Miss Wednesday said sharply. "Where's the fourth?"
Zoro didn't look at them.
Instead, he tilted his head toward the adjacent building.
"Captain," he said calmly. "Don't you think it's time you came out?"
Silence.
Then—
A figure stepped from the shadows, boots landing softly on stone.
Lightning flickered faintly around him.
Monkey D. Luffy laughed as he hopped down, landing beside them.
"Nice work, Zoro," he said easily. "Training's paying off."
"Brother Luffy—you're awake too!?" Johnny blurted out.
Luffy didn't answer. He simply turned his gaze to the crowd below.
"You really are thorough," Mr. 8 growled. "You should still be asleep!"
"A swordsman doesn't lower his guard," Zoro replied coolly. "And judging by those disguises… you're bounty hunters."
"Drunken pirates, friendly towns, sudden betrayals," Luffy added, voice flat. "Classic setup."
"I counted about a hundred of you," Johnny said, adjusting his glasses. "Give or take."
"We'll fight all of you," Zoro said, blades gleaming.
"You heard him," Zoro continued, voice rising. "Baroque Works."
The reaction was instant.
Shock.
Panic.
"How do you know that name!?" Mr. 8 shouted.
Zoro smiled.
"I used to be in the same line of work. Your organization tried recruiting me once."
That earned a few nervous murmurs.
"Cheap codenames. Hidden bosses. Obedient lackeys," Zoro went on. "A hive of snakes pretending to be sheep."
Luffy chuckled, summoning his cloud throne and sitting comfortably atop it.
"You can try killing them," he said lazily. "But I'll sit this one out. Let's keep it fair."
The agents bristled.
"You're underestimating us!"
Yosaku laughed. "No. He's pitying you."
"Enough!" Mr. 8 roared. "Kill them!"
The streets erupted.
Blades flashed.
Gunfire cracked.
Zoro dropped from the roof like a falling blade, steel singing as bodies flew. Johnny and Yosaku followed, bisentos sweeping wide arcs that shattered formations and sent men crashing into walls.
Above it all, Luffy watched.
Calm.
Unbothered.
He poured himself another drink as the sounds of battle echoed through Whiskey Peak.
Baroque Works had made a fatal mistake.
They thought they were hunting pirates.
They had invited a storm instead.