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"Pirates! This is a hold-up, bring out whatever tasty food you've got, quick!"
Yosaku and Johnny walked into the restaurant side by side.
Despite their attempt to look fierce and brutal, their listless tone revealed the fact that they had been hungry for a long time.
At this point in time, they were just teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen, with somewhat immature faces.
The distinctive curved machetes hanging on their waists were quite recognizable.
"Ha ha, it's been a while since we've had this feeling, never thought you guys would show up at a time like this!"
Seeing pirates voluntarily come to her, Aqua stood up with a mischievous smile, starting to flex her palm joints.
Since King joined, there had been far fewer troublemakers at the restaurant. With her divine power somewhat restored and after being praised by Zyhark, she naturally wanted to show off her strength a bit.
Of course, more importantly, she had to take these two down before Zyhark did, so she could claim the bounty for herself!
"Eh? You know us?" Yosaku was a bit surprised.
"To think our reputation has spread across the sea just after setting out, this is a super good start, Yosaku!" Johnny's mouth couldn't help but curl up, looking quite excited.
He seemed to have a rather high opinion of himself.
"Of course! Aren't you guys just pirates that can be traded in for money?"
Aqua, thinking only of using the bounty money to buy liquor, didn't hesitate. Her fair palm clenched tightly, she quickly charged towards Yosaku and Johnny at the door.
Colorful lights flickered, and the scorching flames of divine fire danced on her fists.
"She said she wants to trade us for money, Johnny."
"Good eye, she actually noticed that we'll become big-time, bounty-carrying pirates in the future!"
Their conversation wasn't very loud, but it was still caught by Aqua, whose sense of perception was keen.
Pirates that will be wanted in the future?
Doesn't that mean they can't actually be traded for money right now!
Her sprinting steps instantly halted, and the flames on her fists dissipated as well.
The Goddess of Water looked disdainfully at Yosaku and Johnny, found a nearby stool to sit down, and made a dismissing gesture as if shooing away beggars.
Yosaku and Johnny's expressions changed, and, slow to react due to hunger, they belatedly remembered that the super cute blue-haired girl had conjured flames with her bare hands!
Upon calming down and observing more closely, the two sitting behind seemed no easy targets either.
Especially the blond man with three terrifying scars on his left face; just making eye contact was enough to send shivers down their spine!
Is this really a sea restaurant?!
The duo, newly ventured out to sea, immediately thought better of it and turned to flee from this dangerous place.
"Hold on, if you're here, you're guests. Let's have a meal first. Whether pirate or merchant, I won't allow anyone to leave hungry."
Zyhark slowly stood up, calling out to Yosaku and Johnny to stop.
He was puzzled; weren't these two supposed to be bounty hunters who saw Zoro as their big brother? How come they're pirates at this point?
Thinking this, he glanced outside the restaurant.
A small wooden boat, only a few meters long, was moored next to the Endless Dream, with two oars crisscrossed in disarray.
It was a mystery how they managed to catch up with the Endless Dream in such a boat, which could be overturned by the waves at any moment...
"Really? We're truly grateful!"
Yosaku and Johnny were overjoyed, bowing deeply and respectfully to Zyhark, "We will never forget this kindness!"
Compared to their joy, Aqua, who knew exactly what Zyhark was like, furrowed her brows, puzzled by the suddenly generous act of the profit-driven man.
Soon, three heaping plates of fried rice were served by Zyhark, placed in front of Yosaku and Johnny.
Another plate was for the food-loving goddess, who claimed she needed to fill up before the big fight.
Actually, she was just tempted by the aroma; they had just eaten lunch not long ago.
After Yosaku and Johnny had nearly devoured their food, Zyhark, sitting opposite, finally spoke up: "You don't seem like cruel and brutal people, why would you want to be pirates?"
"It's for the money, of course."
Yosaku took a big gulp of ice-cold cola, stating matter-of-factly, "Being a pirate means freedom and not having to hand over the hard-earned money. Isn't that great?"
Johnny nodded in agreement: "Back in our hometown, all the money we worked so hard for was taken to contribute to the Celestial Dragons' Heaven's Gold. If it wasn't enough, we had to mortgage our belongings, leaving us no way to survive!"
Ordinary kingdoms seeking protection from the World Government, ruled by the Celestial Dragons, must pay a certain amount of protection money, euphemistically called Heaven's Gold.
This was one of the key factors that spurred the Great Age of Pirates!
"Since it's all about surviving on the edge, why not become bounty hunters who specifically hunt pirates instead of being pirates at risk of capture at any time?" Zyhark rested his chin in his hand and slowly asked.
Hearing this, Yosaku and Johnny, who had been at sea for only a few days, were taken aback.
"Bounty hunters? There's such a profession at sea?"
"Wait, those pirates' bounties are worth tens to hundreds of millions. If we could take down one or two, wouldn't we be able to eat and drink to our fill every day?!"
Realizing the benefits, the two slapped their thighs, their expressions lighting up with realization.
"...Did you guys really think this through before heading out to sea?"
Zyhark couldn't help but wonder: were the duo, jokingly referred to as the "Sword Saint" and "Sword God" of the East Blue in the original story, really this dumb?
Their combined intellect almost matched Aqua's!
"Ha, haha, we really did just rush out to sea on a whim."
"Big Brother Zyhark, if we may call you that, thank you for showing us a proper way to make a living!"
After exchanging glances, Yosaku and Johnny stood up, bowing deeply to Zyhark once more to show their respect and gratitude.
"No need to be so formal. Now that you're fed, head back to your own boat. We've got important business to attend to here."
Zyhark waved them off, effectively showing them out.
Yosaku and Johnny at this young age were utterly lacking in combat ability, bringing them along to take on the Black Cat Pirates would only be a burden, offering no effective support in battle.
In fact, even ten years later, their strength was questionable, easily subdued by Luffy with just his left and right hands.
"Big Brother Zyhark, thank you very much. We'll definitely repay this kindness!"
After expressing their gratitude once more, Yosaku and Johnny got up to leave.
"Wait." Zyhark suddenly called out to them, halting their departure.
...
Back on their modest little wooden boat, Yosaku and Johnny stared blankly at the wooden paddles in their hands. After a few seconds of silence, tears, unrestrainable and genuine, began to roll down their cheeks.
It was the kind of tears that come from deep within because...
The two valuable swords they had spent all their money on forging, left as payment for the meal, were now forever left behind in that accursed sea restaurant.
(End of Chapter)