By the time Takumi and Rayleigh noticed, it was already too late…
Enel's finger was just about to touch Shakky, but she swiftly tilted her head, dodging his attack with ease. Then, in a flash, she vaulted over the circular bar with incredible speed and delivered a solid punch to Enel's head.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
A loud bang echoed as Enel's head smashed into the wooden bar, shattering it.
"You're far too impatient," Shakky said, calmly withdrawing her fist.
After all, this was the 13th area of the Red Tree District, the lawless zone of Sabaody Archipelago, where dangerous criminals roamed. Most importantly, Shakky ran this bar by herself. If she wasn't capable, how could Rayleigh leave her alone for months without worry?
Kaku stood there in shock.
Takumi remained silent, having nothing to say.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, stroked his beard and laughed. "Hahaha, Shakky, don't you think you went a little overboard?"
Shakky took a drag of her cigarette, then said nonchalantly, "Remember to pay for the damage to the table later—500,000 Berries."
"Damn it!" Enel, enraged, slammed his hand on the table, his body crackling with electricity as he tried to stand up. But Takumi placed a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to sit back down.
Whether Enel could beat Shakky or not, Takumi didn't care. However, if they really fought, and Shakky ended up in any danger, Rayleigh would definitely step in.
Enel was nowhere near Rayleigh's level right now.
If they fought, it would be over in seconds.
Enel looked at Takumi in disbelief. "We're on the same crew! Not only are you not helping me, but you're stopping me?"
Takumi sighed. "You promised not to cause trouble, and what are you doing now?"
Enel: "..."
Kaku chuckled awkwardly. "Haha, it's all just a misunderstanding. Let's not get carried away... And, um, 500,000 Berries for the table? Isn't that a bit expensive? I'm the ship's carpenter, and I can handle simple repairs. If you trust me, I can fix the table."
Shakky remained unfazed. "Those two bottles of rum cost 200,000 Berries. Including the drinks and the table, that'll be 1,000,000 Berries. Not a Berry less."
Kaku was left speechless.
Enel sat there, his face sour, frustration building inside him.
"Hahaha," Rayleigh laughed. "Shakky, Takumi is a friend of mine. Couldn't you cut them a deal, for my sake?"
"Nope," Shakky replied without missing a beat. "1,000,000 Berries is 1,000,000 Berries. Not a Berry less. If you don't have the money, you can work here until you pay it off."
Rayleigh turned to Takumi and shrugged. "Sorry, nothing I can do."
Takumi wasn't bothered. He had come here to repay Rayleigh with a drink anyway, so spending a little extra didn't matter.
"Well, consider your debt repaid," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few pieces of gold, placing them on the bar.
He had cleaned out Perona's treasure stash on Ghost Island earlier. After selling off some of it, there was still plenty left in his system's storage.
"Gold, huh?" Shakky examined the gold briefly. "Not bad quality. These should fetch around 400,000 to 500,000 Berries. I'll give you 500,000 for them. That leaves you with 500,000 to pay. How will you settle the rest?"
Takumi: "..."
What a rip-off...
These pieces of gold were worth far more than 500,000 Berries...
Takumi didn't feel like arguing, so he pulled out a few more pieces of gold from his pocket.
Rayleigh, smirking, commented, "Your clothes look small, but you sure can pull out a lot of gold. Just how many secrets are you hiding, kid?"
Takumi took a sip of his drink. "I've got more secrets than you'll ever know."
Shakky casually pocketed the additional gold. "Alright, we're all settled."
With that, she moved back behind the circular bar. "Need anything else? I can give you a 30% discount."
"Hehe, no thanks," Kaku chuckled awkwardly.
Rayleigh asked, "You just arrived in Sabaody today, right? Do you have a place to stay? If not, you can crash here at the bar."
"I'll give you a discount too. 100,000 Berries per person, per night," Shakky added, resting her chin in her hand with a smile.
Takumi finished off the last of his drink and stood up. "No need, we've got a place to stay. Enel, Kaku, let's go."
With that, he turned and headed for the door.
Enel and Kaku immediately followed him out.
Watching the three of them leave, Rayleigh grinned. "If you run into any trouble on the island, come find me at the bar."
"Got it, we're off," Takumi replied casually, raising his hand in a wave as he left Shakky's bar without another word.
After they left, Shakky poured Rayleigh a cup of tea. "Those three are quite the interesting bunch."
"They sure are," Rayleigh glanced at the steaming tea in front of him and muttered, "You know I don't like tea…"
As soon as they left Shakky's bar, Enel couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. "Damn it, what's with that woman? She can use Armament Haki! It's only because I was careless—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to hit me!"
"Enough already. You've been punched. Talking about it now won't change anything," Kaku said, grinning.
"Damn you, long-nose! Are you looking to die?" Enel snapped.
"Consider yourself lucky. In the New World, there are people who can use Armament Haki everywhere. You should keep a low profile and stop causing trouble. If Takumi hadn't stepped in today, you'd be done for," Kaku said, glancing at Takumi. "Anyone Takumi is willing to let off the hook definitely isn't an ordinary person. I think I've heard that old man's name somewhere before…"
Takumi spoke casually. "Silvers Rayleigh."
"Wait, Silvers Rayleigh?" Kaku's eyes widened. "You mean the first mate of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?"
Takumi nodded lightly.
Kaku chuckled nervously. "No wonder... It's a good thing you stopped this fool in time. If Rayleigh had stepped in, Enel would be in big trouble…"
"Hey! What are you guys talking about? First mate of the Pirate King? Silvers Rayleigh? That old man is that strong?" Enel asked, looking confused.
Kaku looked at him helplessly. "Of course. Anyone who was the first mate of the Pirate King isn't someone to mess with. If I had to guess, that guy could probably take on ten of you."
Enel: "..."
"But still, you're impressive, Captain Takumi," Kaku said, looking at Takumi with newfound respect. "Not only do you know Garp, the hero of the Marines, but you also know Silvers Rayleigh, the legendary first mate of the Pirate King. Even though you look younger than me, you sure know some powerful people."
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