152 One Piece Crew Members

"Extra, extra! The World Government has issued a new announcement, the Warlords of the Sea..."
"Extra, extra! The World Government has issued..."

Barely a day later, the seas were in an uproar once again. The World Government had dropped another bombshell, keeping the waters churning before the fallout from the Sabaody Archipelago incident had even begun to cool.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea—the World Government acknowledges their illicit activities..."
"The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk..."
"The Heavenly Demon, Donquixote Doflamingo..."
"The Tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma..."
"The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock..."
"The Desert King, Crocodile..."

At this moment, the oceans were boiling. Countless factions calculated their respective losses, all of them drawing sharp breaths of shock.

"Have the Marines lost their minds?"
"They're actually condoning the unlawful deeds of pirates!"
"These seven are all major pirates, and there's even a Logia devil fruit user among them."
"Terrifying. The World's Greatest Swordsman..."
"Wow! The most beautiful woman in the world, I must have her!"

On this day, a storm whipped up a tsunami.

In the Sabaody Archipelago, owing to yesterday's battle, Districts 1 through 29 were still in ruins. It would likely take several years to repair them. Such were the methods of the powerhouses—with a casual wave, they could devastate a region and alter the topography.

Dressed in black clothes and black trousers, his long hair cascading down to his waist tied back with an ordinary ribbon, his eyes sharp and bright, a scar marred what would otherwise have been a strikingly handsome face.

Walking slowly through the lingering smoke and dust of the aftermath, his eyes met only devastation. Numerous construction workers were currently busy repairing the area.

Expressionless, Xuanye frowned. He had no idea where the coating workshops were located. To reach Fish-Man Island, their ship had to be coated with a special bubble substance that allowed it to breathe underwater.

One had to remember that Fish-Man Island was located ten thousand meters beneath the sea. At such a depth, aside from deep-sea creatures, it was completely impossible for humans to reach it by their own power; they had to rely on external means.

Even now, Xuanye was no longer afraid of seawater, and sometimes even trained inside the sea, but he still could not go beyond one thousand meters. Otherwise, what awaited him was death.

Therefore, Xuanye had come today to get his vessel coated, and then head to Fish-Man Island to pursue Weevil.

However, he had no clue where the coating area was. The Sabaody Archipelago was massive, after all. The only reason he came here was because he was relatively familiar with it, having fought here twice already.

Having no other choice, Xuanye could only wander around.

Suddenly, after taking a few steps, a trace of surprise appeared in Xuanye's eyes, for not far away, there was actually a tavern.

Stepping forward and standing before the establishment, Xuanye felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Shakky's Rip-off Bar."

What a peculiar name for a tavern. Wasn't this practically advertising that she was ripping people off?

Most importantly, this place was not very far from the epicenter of the battle. According to normal logic, this tavern ought to have been destroyed during his clash with Kizaru. Even sitting on the fringe, it should not have been left in such pristine condition.

Pushing open the door, a deep sense of amusement surfaced in Xuanye's eyes, for his mind had finally recalled that two terrifying figures resided right here.

A core member of the former Pirate King's crew, the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, and someone named Shakky.

In his past life, Xuanye had only watched up to the Marineford arc, the episode where Akainu ran his fist through Ace's chest. Moreover, the episodes prior to that were too blurry in his memory, so he only recalled a few fragments. Coupled with the passage of so much time, it was inevitable that he would occasionally forget things.

Pushing the door open, Xuanye's eyes brightened. What greeted him was a modest-sized hall, no different from any other tavern. The only distinction was perhaps the woman behind the counter.

Short black hair, wearing clothes patterned with spiders, holding a cigarette and exhaling clouds of smoke, she looked like a mature, utterly alluring woman in her forties or fifties.

Yet Xuanye vaguely remembered that this person should be well past her forties, very likely over sixty. In this world, things could never be judged by conventional standards.

"Oh my, what an extraordinary fellow has wandered in." Exhaling a smoke ring, Shakky wore a solemn expression. Standing behind the bar, her entire body tensed up, maintaining a fierce and wary guard.

"It seems you know who I am?" Looking around, Xuanye found a seat, sat down, and looked calmly at the cautious Shakky. "There's no need to be so tense. I'm no longer a Marine. Even if I were still a Marine, I wouldn't dare make a move against you. The Dark King's wrath is not something I can face head-on right now."

"Hah..." Almost imperceptibly, Shakky let out a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't here to cause trouble, it was fine. To be honest, with the old man away, facing him all by herself really made her feel a bit lacking in confidence.

"Marines... no... you should now be called the Heavenly God Bird, Don Xuanye. I wonder what business someone like you has coming to my place?"

"Although I don't have any money, would you mind treating me to a bottle of liquor?" Xuanye raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Truly unpredictable." Helplessly, Shakky stepped out from behind the counter, placed a bottle of liquor in front of Xuanye, and said, "It's very expensive. Ten thousand Berries."

"Is that so? I've never tasted liquor this expensive before." Opening the cap, Xuanye took a sip and spoke, "Actually, I'm just here to ask for directions. I want to go to Fish-Man Island and need to get my ship coated, so..."

"Then you should hurry along. The coating area is in Districts 50 through 59. I certainly don't want a fellow with a bounty of one billion running amok here. I'm afraid some reckless fools might come wreck my shop, and repairing these things costs money, after all."

Showing no mercy, Shakky directly chased him out. Judging by the intelligence reports she had received, this guy had an extremely psychotic personality, and with someone like that, nobody knew what he might do the very next moment.

"How heartless. Is the Dark King not around? I was hoping he could give me some pointers!"

Her eyes narrowing slightly, Shakky twisted her face into a frown and retorted unpleasantly, "The old man isn't in. We've washed our hands of that life many years ago, and I don't want our current lifestyle disrupted."

"There's no rush. Waiting a little while isn't bad either. After all, I have plenty of time right now. Fighting the powerhouses of this world—I believe it will be of great help to me."

"You..." With a cold snort, Shakky pulled a long face, turned back into the bar, and completely ignored Xuanye.

Pondering for a moment, Xuanye broke the atmosphere and asked, "Did you just say I have a bounty of one billion?"

"Nonsense, look for yourself..." Without even glancing at Xuanye, Shakky directly tossed a wanted poster onto the bar, alongside another paper detailing the news about the Warlords.

Casually glancing at his own bounty information, which claimed he had been defeated by Kizaru, Xuanye merely smiled, then shifted his gaze to the news regarding the Warlords.

"The World's Greatest Swordsman."
"The Pirate Empress."
"Do... Doflamingo..." His eyes turned icy, and he slammed the paper heavily onto the table, giving Shakky a start.

With an ugly expression, Xuanye's eyes radiated a dangerous, predatory glint.

"I heard you sell information here?" Turning his head, his countenance dark as a storm, Xuanye stared at Shakky.

"What is it you want?" She didn't refuse, because Shakky's intuition told her that this psychotic fellow was currently in a rather unstable mental state.

"Doflamingo's whereabouts. Also, regarding the murder of Marine Admiral Zephyr's family a few years ago, I want to know exactly how many people were involved. Not a single one can be missed."

"That's quite a troublesome request... Leaving aside the first one, the second request involves matters from years ago, which will consume a considerable amount of resources, manpower, and wealth..." Since there was business to be done, Shakky wouldn't turn it away at the door.

"Name your price!" Xuanye stood up and said.

"One billion!"

"I don't have it right now. When you have the information, I will naturally deliver it. However, regarding the second piece of intelligence, I hope you won't conceal anyone involved, even if there is only the slightest possibility."

Walking up to the door, Xuanye stood with his back to Shakky, speaking every word with deliberate slowness. The bone-chilling killing intent caused the hairs all over Shakky's body to stand on end.

"Thud..." An object flew through the air, and Xuanye caught it in his hand without even turning around.

"This is a Den Den Mushi. The moment I have news, I'll contact you."

"Thanks." Closing the door, Xuanye's figure vanished.

"A terrifying guy." Gazing at the empty doorway, Shakky wore an expression of deep apprehension.