Chapter 79: Sabaody Archipelago – Shakky's Rip-off Bar
The next day, the group arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"The world's largest mangrove—Yarukiman Mangrove, what a magnificent sight."
"Whoa, how did this tree grow so big? I really want to study it."
"Who knows? Anyway, all 79 mangrove trees are like small islands. Each tree has its own towns and facilities. Together, they make up the Sabaody Archipelago," Eric explained.
"The hidden master you mentioned, Eric , is on this island?" Esdeath looked at the massive red trees. As eye-opening as they were, fighting strong opponents was more important to her.
"He generally never leaves the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Each Yarukiman Mangrove is numbered.
Numbers 1 to 29: Mainly slave trading houses, human auctions, and the lawless zone.
Numbers 30 to 39: Mainly the Bubble Park.
Numbers 40 to 49: Tourist zones and specialty shops.
Numbers 50 to 59: Shipyards and coating mechanics.
Numbers 60 to 69: Navy stations and government entrances.
Numbers 70 to 79: Hotel districts."
After giving the rundown, Eric added, "You can go wherever you want according to the numbering. First, come get your communication earpieces made by Da Vinci. They don't work for long-distance calls between islands, but they'll let you communicate freely across the entire Sabaody Archipelago."
"Those areas from 1 to 29 are crawling with bounty hunters, slave traders, and pirates. Everyone, be extra careful not to get kidnapped. Also—" Eric 's face twisted in disgust and contempt, "the Celestial Dragons might show up on this island."
"Celestial Dragons?" Esdeath perked up at the name. People with celestial dragon blood? That must mean they're strong, right?
Eric immediately replied, "I know why you're interested, but you're completely off. It's just a title. They're the descendants of the twenty kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago. They call themselves the 'Descendants of the Gods' and consider themselves so noble that they wear bubble helmets because they refuse to breathe the same air as commoners. They treat other races as slaves."
Da Vinci exclaimed, "They won't even breathe the same air? What kind of pathological nonsense is that? Even more ridiculous than those medieval European kings and nobles."
"There's a lot more nonsense," Eric went on. "They demand civilians kneel before them and call the people 'scum.' They don't view anyone as human. There was one somewhat normal couple (Doflamingo's parents), but they're dead. There's another who reformed, but the rest are all braindead idiots—probably the result of centuries of inbreeding."
Esdeath casually remarked, "Why not just kill them then?"
At that, Scáthach gave a meaningful glance at both Esdeath and Eric .
"Yeah, if only it were that simple. If they're harmed in any way, the Navy Headquarters will send an Admiral to deal with it."
Esdeath's eyes sparkled. "An Admiral? The Navy's strongest forces?"
"Hey hey hey!" Eric got anxious. He probably shouldn't have mentioned that attacking the Celestial Dragons would summon an Admiral. "Calm down. I already told you there's a hidden master here you'll definitely be satisfied with. Please don't summon an Admiral here."
Esdeath puffed out her cheeks and acted cute. "Hmph, Eric is so stingy."
"I'm not being stingy—I'm thinking about everyone's safety!" Eric retorted. "If I had the strength, I'd love to livestream the public execution of the Celestial Dragons. But without enough power, that's just suicide. We… don't have any backing."
The group docked at area 13, making it easier to find Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
"This place looks like a total dump. Do people even live here?"
"I said it's a lawless zone. There are tons of thugs, bounty hunters, and slave traders fighting around here. It's supposed to be rundown."
"Anyone who survives in a place like this has to be tough."
This time, they didn't leave anyone behind to guard the ship. Instead, Esdeath summoned ten ice knights to protect it. Since everyone was on the same tree, and fairly close together, they could rush back if anything happened.
"There it is—that's the bar." Eric pointed to a steep stairway with a small building at the top. The sign above read "Shakky's Rip-off Bar."
"Huh? Who names a bar that? And people actually go there?" The comment echoed what everyone else was thinking—especially after seeing a few men get thrown out of the bar and roll all the way down the Yarukiman Mangrove root.
Eric explained, "You might not realize it, but because everyone on our team is so smart, we often assume others are also intelligent. But never underestimate the number of idiots in this world! There are plenty."
Everyone: "…"
At the door, the sign read "OPEN."
They pushed the door open, and the bell above gave a soft ring—"Ding-a-ling."
"Welcome, what can I get you?" The short-haired, cigarette-smoking proprietress greeted them.
"Ah," Eric made a small sound, unsure how to start. 'Can't exactly say we came to challenge Rayleigh, right?'
"Hehe, what a cute little pirate." Shakky smiled. Having once been a pirate herself, she'd seen all kinds. But this introverted personality was a first. Though she no longer sailed, she was always happy to cheer on the next generation. "Have a seat, this round's on me."
"Thank you, that's really kind." The group casually found seats.
"Didn't expect the 'Ice Queen' Esdeath, who just defeated Warlord Gecko Moria, to be part of your crew, Little Eric . That former three-person pirate crew sure has grown," Shakky said in surprise. News of Moria's death had made waves around the world.
Hearing Moria's name, Perona quietly lowered her head and used her little Kumashi plush to hide her face. Kurumi noticed and gently patted Perona's head. Just like that, Kurumi seemed to have gained another little sister.
"It was just luck. We gave it everything we had," Eric quickly played it humble. "Eh? Miss Shakky, you know my name? Am I that famous?"
"Of course. A three-person pirate crew that attacked a Navy base, killed the commanding officer, assaulted Drum Kingdom's King Wapol, and escaped from Vice Admiral Onigumo. Though those incidents weren't widely reported, they made a deep impression on me. You're quite the up-and-coming pirate." As an information broker, Shakky made a habit of gathering intel on pirate crews—and she could rattle off the events by memory.
"Haha, we started off as bounty hunters. But the navy base commander tried to withhold our bounty on purpose, and… well, things happened. You can't trust the news too much—it's mostly fake."
"I understand. There's never been any report of you attacking merchant ships, raiding towns, or slaughtering civilians. I knew the reports must have been wrong." Shakky paused. "Judging by the way you came straight here, I take it you're looking for something?"
Eric wasn't sure if mentioning Rayleigh's name would make her think they were here to cause trouble, but he still spoke up. "We're here to buy some intel. And we wanted to ask where Uncle Rayleigh is."
"Oh?" Shakky blinked. "Doesn't seem like you're here to settle a score. Why are you looking for Rayleigh?"
Eric replied helplessly, "It's Esdeath. She loves to fight. But if she keeps looking for strong opponents, she might end up getting killed. So I was hoping Uncle Rayleigh could go easy on her."
Scáthach, who had been quiet until now, suddenly added, "I want to spar too. It's frustrating not being able to cross blades with such a master."
"What energetic girls," Shakky smiled, clearly impressed by the two warriors. Then her tone changed, "About half a year ago, Rayleigh went on a trip. Though he came back cheerful, he's out wandering again. Not home at the moment." She sighed. "Disappearing for long periods... just one of those old pirate habits, I guess."
Esdeath looked disappointed. "So I came all excited for a challenge, and the guy's not even around?"
Eric thought to himself, 'Half a year ago… that was probably when he went with Crocus to find Brook. They must've already brought him to Laboon by now.' Then he asked aloud, "But he's still somewhere on the Sabaody Archipelago, right?"
"Yeah," Shakky confirmed. "He's probably around GR 1 to 29. If not, he's likely at Sabaody Park."
"That's fine." Eric had a compass and Observation Haki. If they were close, he could definitely find him. "Oh, right. Miss Shakky, do you have any intel for sale?"
"Of course. I'm an information broker, after all. And just call me Shakky."
"Alright, Shakky. Then I want all the names, locations, headcounts, and leader photos of every pirate crew on this island that's been slaughtering civilians or kidnapping people for the slave trade."
"You're not seriously planning to..." Shakky paused, then smiled. "A pirate with a sense of 'justice'? That's rare. Wait a bit—I'll need to organize the intel. There's a lot, and it won't be cheap."
"How much? I'll pay upfront."
"Reasonable price—100 million Berries."
"…" Eric silently pulled out the money and paid, his heart aching.
(END CHAPTER)
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