chapter 100

"I don't know what kind of pirates you people are," Artur Bacca said while standing in front of the black pearl, his subordinate right behind him.

"But stay out of my way, don't get any ideas about my treasure, and I won't kill you," he concluded, causing the pirates behind him to erupt in a mixture of cheers and provocative jeers.

"Rehahahaha," I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing on the spot.

My companions all showed different reactions to his statement as well.

Wilson merely snorted in disdain. Laffite and Doc Q joined me in chuckling while the rest looked at the pirate captain like he was mentally ill.

"What the hell is so funny, you bastards?" the pirate captain asked with a vein bulging on his forehead, the pirates behind him brandishing their weapons and threateningly pointing them at us.

"It's just that a loser who couldn't even reach the grand line, threatening us like is so funny I couldn't hold myself," I replied in an amused tone while looking at the pirate captain.

"I had intended to let things be and not interfere, but now that you've come and threatened me...," I said, trailing off at the end of my sentence. "I can't so easily let go. My crew would look down on me otherwise," I concluded, unleashing my conquerors, Haki.

A silver, transparent wave shot out of my body, engulfing the surrounding area, causing everyone in range to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Artur Bacca, and his second in command, volcano, were the exception, but they too fell on their asses with sweat rolling through their foreheads.

"You stay out of our way and avoid becoming an eyesore, and I just might not kill you," I stated in an amused tone, shooting his words back at him.

"Doesn't that sound like a good deal?" I asked while looking the pirate captain straight in the eye, and he nodded, absentmindedly standing up and leaving.

"What an idiot," I remark while shaking my head as I watch Artur Bacca leave first, leaving his subordinates behind.

-0-

Third person's point of view:

A couple of hours later.

"Are we really going to let this go, captain?" Volcano asked with a scowling expression. "This is the first time someone disrespected so much in north blue!" he added, hitting a table in front of him and smashing it in the process.

"Of course we're letting it go," Artur Bacca replied with a scowl. "If you want to die, then go ahead and kill yourself, but don't drag me with you!" he added, moving in front of the sumo wrestler and holding the collar of his Sumo outfit.

"He already said that he's not interested in the treasure, and people like that man don't tend to linger in the north blue, always going into the grand line," he exclaimed. "We only have to endure until that demon leaves for the grand line, then we can get back to doing whatever we want in this sea," he concluded, panting for breath.

"Bu-But he could be lying about not wanting the treasure," the Sumo wrestler said, still unconvinced. "What reason would he have to lie to us when he can kill us all whenever he wants?" Artur Bacca asked.

"And even if he was lying, is the treasure more important than your life?" he asked again, causing the Somu wrestler to shake his head in resignation.

"At any rate," the pirate captain remarked after taking a second to calm himself, straightening his disheveled clothes. "It's already been two hours since we beat up the town's people, so it's time we go back there and begin our plan," he concluded after taking a deep breath, turning around, and walking towards Pleasure town.

-0-

Johnny's point of view:

"There seems to be something happening in pleasure town, captain," Kozue said as I was relaxing on black pearl's deck, causing me to remove my hat from my face, getting up with a sigh.

"I'll make my way there and see what's going on," I remarked while stretching lazily. "You guys can come or stay here," I concluded, launching myself into the air with Geppo and making my war towards the town.

I landed on a rooftop in the middle of the town, not bothering to hide as I made myself comfortable, sitting on the edge of the roof with my feet dangling in the air as I took out my whisky bottle.

"Gather up all the town's people and bring them here," Artur Bacca instructed in a loud tone, and his subordinates obliged, combing through every inch of the island and bringing everyone they found to him.

"That last time I came here, and you people refused to share the location of the treasure with me, I only destroyed the town," The pirate captain said, taking a quick look at me from the corner of his eyes and resolutely pretending he didn't see me.

"But I'm not feeling so merciful this time around," he added in a severe tone, shooting lasers from his eyes that hit all the townspeople, causing them to scream.

"I just used my devil fruit ability on everyone here, and you people don't get the treasure and give it to me in twenty-four hours, then you will all turn to liquid and die," Artur Bacca explained. "Just like this rock," he concluded, using his devil fruit on a rock, which promptly turned to liquid.

"The clock is already ticking, and your bodies are already beginning to liquefy," he stated with a grin. "So hurry up and bring the treasure to me, or your lives will be forfeit," he concluded, turning around and leaving.

'How boring,' I sigh while looking at this scene. 'I thought this guy's devil fruit ability would be dangerous when I heard about it from Laffite, but it's a joke,'

'It could be helpful in some scenarios, but the fact that it's applied through eye lasers that are roughly the same speed as a bullet makes it useless against anyone worth their salt,' I concluded, shaking my head again.

'At any rate, this development is beneficial to me as the town's people will have to come to me out of their own initiative when they run out of options,' I smiled as I got up, turning around and making my way back to the black pearl.

It doesn't take me long to reach my ship, and I instruct Laffite and Kozue to keep an eye on the town since Wolf or even Law himself might show up after such a commotion.

I then get back to lazing around and relaxing on the black pearl's deck since any training I do now will most likely be interrupted again.

"You sure are going the extra mile to recruit this Law person, captain," Elly said as she made her way towards me, leaning on the railing next to me.

"That's how useful Law can be to us if we manage to recruit him," I replied with a smile. "Besides, he has some connections even he doesn't know about which are just as useful as his abilities," I added.

"What kind of connections could he possibly have that would make you so interested in them, captain?" Elly asked in genuine curiosity. "This isn't like you," she added, smiling in a playful manner as she took my hat and put it on her head.

"He's connected to the marine's fleet admiral himself, and yet he doesn't even know it," I explained with a sigh, not bothering to take back my hat because she'll pout and keep taking it repeatedly.

'I'll take it back later and make a run for it when it's time to help the towns folk or law and wolf show up.'

"How can he be related to the marine fleet admiral while not even knowing about it?" Elly asked again, both curious and confused.

"Well, Law doesn't have a direct connection to the fleet admiral, and even the fleet admiral himself doesn't know about it," I explained with a smirk. "Then how do you know about it, captain, and how are they connected?" Elly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How I know about it is a secret," I replied, shaking my head. "But The fleet admiral raised a particular orphan as his own son, and that very orphan sacrificed his life to save law, making him the fleet admiral's grandson in all but name."