Chapter 210She looked old, but she must have been a great beauty in her youth."Welcome,"The woman said it subconsciously, then paused when she saw Hachi, a hint of pleasant surprise flashing in her eyes. She casually tossed the two pieces of trash in her hand into the corner and greeted him with a smile: "Oh, is that Hachi? It's been a long time!""Long time no see, Shakky!"Hachi greeted her with a simple, honest smile.Shakky enthusiastically patted Hachi's shoulder, seemingly with considerable strength, making Hachi wince. "It's been ten years, hasn't it? You look good.""I haven't been a pirate lately; I'm making takoyaki.""That's great. Settling down peacefully is much better than being a pirate."Shakky's gaze swept over the diverse group of people behind Hachi, pausing especially on Luffyand his Straw Hat.Next were the beautiful ladies, Nami and Robin.Hachi quickly introduced both parties.The interior decor was minimalist; apart from a few round stools in front of the bar, there were only sofas placed against the walls on both sides.Shakky stood behind the bar, skillfully mixing a few drinks and pushing them over. Leaning slightly forward with her hands on the counter, she eyed Luffy with interest:"Little Brother Monkey, your surname is the same as that Navy Hero Garp.""He's my grandpa." Luffy took a big gulp of his drink and asked, "You know my grandpa?"Shakky blew out a smoke ring and smiled, her eyes distant. "Yes, back when I was a pirate, your grandpa chased me all over the world more than once."Shanks had been here before, and Shakky had overheard his conversation with Rayleigh.The entrusted person?Her gaze fell on Luffy's Straw Hat again, as if seeing an old friend from many years ago through it. This Straw Hat truly carried the memories and hopes of many people.Chopper watched Luffy unceremoniously begin to eat the snacks Shakky had brought out, and couldn't help but whisper a reminder:"Luffy! Be careful! Their shop is called 'Rip-Off Bar'! It'll be very expensive!"Shakky was amused by the cute little reindeer. She took a pink cotton candy from under the counter and handed it to Chopper: "Don't worry, little reindeer, I'm very friendly to Hachi's friends. This is for you."Chopper's eyes instantly turned into stars, and he happily accepted it: "Really? Thank you! You're such a good person!"Chopper carefully licked the cotton candy, so happy he almost melted.Shakky smiled and added: "This cotton candy costs 100,000 Berries.""Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"The cotton candy in Chopper's mouth instantly lost its sweetness. He looked at Shakky with teary eyes, his voice choked, "I-I don't have that much money."Seeing Chopper on the verge of tears, Shakkycouldn't help but burst out laughing, quickly waving her hand to comfort him: "Sorry, sorry, just kidding, it's a gift, no charge."Nami asked curiously: "Miss Shakky, you seem to know a lot about us?"Hachi had only briefly introduced their names.Shakky flicked the ash into the ashtray and smiled: "You're all hot topics in the newspapers now. Don't let the small size of my shop fool you; my information network is very well-connected."Her gaze shifted to Bonney, who was diligently devouring snacks. "I'm just a little surprised that the 'Big Eater' Bonney, with a bounty over 100 million, one of this year's Supernovas, is also with you.""It was an accident,"Bonney mumbled, stuffing food into her mouth, "Anyway, if it weren't for Luffy, I'd probably still be chased by that old geezer Zephyr.""Zephyr?"Shakky's cigarette-holding fingers paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then her smile deepened. "It seems your journey after leaving Enies Lobby has been quite eventful. You even encountered the 'Non-Killing Admiral'? Could you tell me about it? I'm very interested."When you take people's things, your hands are short; when you eat people's food, your mouth is soft.Luffy felt good about Shakky providing so many snacks and food to entertain them, so he readily recounted the highlights of encountering Golden Lion Shiki, Gekko Moriah, Bartholomew Kuma, and Zephyr after their separation.Hearing these names, once or still prominent, from Luffy's mouth, especially Golden Lion and Zephyr, Shakky slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, a reminiscent look in her eyes:"Golden Lion, Zephyr, truly nostalgic names. This adventure story makes me recall things from forty years ago."And the legends of that era, is it finally time for their curtain call?"Forty years ago?"Luffy felt as if the old auntie in front of him was full of stories. "Auntie Shakky, were you a pirate before? How old are you now?""Cough, cough,"Robin next to him couldn't help but gently pinch Luffy's waist.Asking a lady's age is very impolite.Especially for ladies who are sensitive about their age.Indeed, Shakky seemed to have completely ignored the question, filtering it out without changing her expression, and directly steered the conversation back on track:"Since Hachi brought you here, you must be here to get your ship coated and then head to Fish-Man Island, right?""Not entirely."Luffy shook his head, his expression becoming serious: "I came to find Rayleigh for another reason.""Oh?" Shakky raised an eyebrow.Luffy said solemnly: "My brother, Portgas D. Ace, has been imprisoned in Impel Down. Kuma told me to find Rayleigh, saying he might have a way."Chapter 299: The plan: Kidnap a Celestial Dragon!The cigarette in Shakky's hand trembled slightly, and a long piece of ash fell onto the bar counter.She extinguished the remaining cigarette butt in the ashtray, leaned slightly forward, and stared sharply at Luffy: "Brother? What's your relationship with Ace?"Luffy answered without hesitation: "We're brothers!"Shakky's face instantly flashed with great astonishment and confusion.Wait, let me get this straight, isn't this relationship a bit messy?Garp's grandson and that man's son became brothers?That's a lot of information.Before Shakky could sort things out, Luffy added: "We're sworn brothers who drank the sake cup!"Shakky finally let out a long sigh of relief, patted her chest, and smiled helplessly: "So that's it, you scared me. I almost got my brain clogged with some old news."She didn't know if Luffy was aware of Ace's true identity, but seeing his expression, he seemed oblivious, so she didn't expose it.As for the news of Ace's capture, being well-informed, she naturally already knew.She sighed and said: "That guy Rayleigh hasn't been back here for more than half a year.Moreover, he's always been under the Marine's secret surveillance. It won't be easy to do anything."Honestly, almost no pirate imprisoned in Impel Down has ever successfully escaped in history, and the possibility of rescuing someone from the outside is extremely slim.Even Rayleigh, a legendary pirate, couldn't.To Shakky's surprise, Luffy didn't eagerly inquire about Rayleigh's whereabouts, nor was he disheartened by the slim hope of saving Ace.He just calmly took a sip of water, then looked up, his eyes burning as he stared at Shakky: "Since you're so well-informed, I have a plan, and I want to ask you if it has any chance of success."Shakky was drawn by the light in his eyes and gestured for him to speak.Her intuition told her this would be a very interesting topic.Luffy leaned forward and said: "I heard from Hachi that the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, have a very high status here. If you attack them, it immediately draws out a Marine Admiral. Does that mean that in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, their own safety is more important than an Admiral's deployment, or even many other things?""That's right. In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, their dignity and safety are paramount. Offending them is seen as a challenge to the very foundation of the World Government's rule."Shakky seemed to recall some extremely unpleasant memories, her face darkening a few shades, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes. She seemed to realize something. "You mean..."Luffy nodded and continued: "So, if we kidnap a Celestial Dragon and use them to bargain with the World Government, demanding they release Ace, could this plan work?""Pfft—cough, cough, cough!""W-what?!"As his words fell, the entire small bar fell into a dead silence.Except for Nami and Robin, who had somewhat anticipated it, everyone else, including Chopperwho was eating snacks, Camie who was drinking, and the nervous Papyg, instantly froze.Bonney spat out the drink she had just swallowed, choking until her face was red, looking at Luffy as if he were insane.And Nami and Robin, although they had a premonition, still felt their scalps tingle when they heard Luffy say it so bluntly, mixed with a sense of 'of course' resignation.Should they say, he truly lives up to being their Captain?Shakky was even more utterly shocked. Her cigarette-holding fingers stopped mid-air, motionless for a long time.She looked at Luffy's young face, filled with seriousness and fearlessness, and it was as if she saw through him the lawless figures from many years ago who also dared to challenge the authority of the World Government.One of them, it seemed, was exactly the grandfather of this young man before her.Could such audacious genes also be inherited?As for hatred for the Celestial Dragons, Shakky's ran deeper than anyone else's.She still clearly remembered how she was displayed like an object at God Valley back then, a humiliation and anger so deeply ingrained that she would never forget it.Seeing Luffy's expression, which was not joking but genuinely discussing the feasibility, Shakkyforced herself to calm down and seriously ponder this earth-shattering plan.After a while, she slowly spoke, her voice a little hoarse:"Theoretically, if you can truly gain control of a Celestial Dragon and ensure safety during the negotiation process, the World Government might be willing to negotiate to maintain the absolute safety and dignity of the Celestial Dragons."She then changed her tone, her gaze piercing as she stared at Luffy: "However, all of this is predicated on you possessing the strength to confront an Admiral, or at least to contend with an Admiral for a short time and successfully escape!The basis of a negotiation is that both sides possess equal, or at least intimidating, power. Otherwise, you will simply be crushed by the Admirals who rush to the scene, without even the right to negotiate!"Moreover, there's a hidden prerequisite: the World Government currently doesn't know Ace's true identity.If they knew Ace was that man's son, then in the eyes of the World Government, the value of an ordinary Celestial Dragon might not be as important as completely eradicating the evil bloodline.Hearing this, Luffy smiled with satisfaction."Strength to fight an Admiral? That's a given."Bonney finally recovered from her extreme shock. She looked at Luffy, then at the other Straw Hat Crew members who didn't seem to strongly object, and her voice trembled uncontrollably:"Luffy! Do you know what you're saying? Those are Celestial Dragons!Touching them means declaring war on the entire World Government! There's no turning back! Have you thought this through?!"She looked at Nami, Robin, and the others: "Aren't you going to try and talk him out of it?"This is too crazy.Or do none of these people on this ship understand the seriousness of the situation?Nami, Robin, and Vivi exchanged glances, smiling helplessly.But their eyes were all incredibly firm."Whatever our Captain decides, we, as his crew, just follow."Robin picked up her teacup and took a small sip: "Anyway, we officially declared war on that flag back at Enies Lobby."Vivi also nodded, smiling: "The person Luffy wants to save, we'll help him save.""Crazy, you're all crazy!"Bonney looked at this group of people and could only come to this conclusion.She felt as if she had boarded a pirate ship—no, a ship of madmen about to rush into a sea of hellfire!Shakky looked at the young people before her, at the unspoken trust and bond between them, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.History seemed to be repeating itself.The pirates of this great sea are always young.Chapter 300: There is Only One King in the Worst GenerationThe bar fell into a brief silence, with only the wisps of blue smoke from Shakky's cigarette slowly drifting.Luffy's plan to kidnap a Celestial Dragon was simply too earth-shattering and required time to process."This matter is too significant. If you really want to do this, I suggest you find Rayleigh first and discuss it with him. He knows the World Government much better than I do," Shakkyadvised.
