Chapter 116: Got Beaten Up by Rayleigh (Requesting First Subscription)
"Ten thousand Berries!?" Ian stared at Shakky and said, "Isn't this just ordinary tea?"
"My shop, my prices!" Shakky rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Ian. "Did you see that pirate who got thrown out just now? He had it worse than you—he ordered coffee! Worth three cups of tea!"
"What if I don't pay?" Ian asked cautiously.
Shakky kept that same smile and said, "Better not get that idea. You might be strong, but you might not be able to beat me!"
Tch! Damn, this treatment is completely different from Luffy's! Ian felt a bit frustrated, realizing how much worse his situation was.
"Don't worry, I gave you a chance, didn't I?" Shakky said. "Maybe if your answer puts me in a good mood, I might even waive the bill!"
Hearing this, Ian finally understood why she had asked him that question. If he remembered correctly, Shakky used to be a pirate herself, and his practice of capturing pirates for bounties might have affected her. The 16th Grove and the 13th Grove weren't far apart, and they might cross paths again in the future, so she probably wanted to confirm what kind of person he really was.
Fine, he'd answer. It wasn't a difficult topic anyway.
However, Ian didn't cater to her just because she had been a pirate. Instead, he spoke his true thoughts.
"I've never thought of myself as righteous!" Ian said. "In my view, anyone who talks about justice without considering their position is just being a scoundrel! I catch pirates because I need the money!"
Shakky chuckled at that and said, "What an interesting way to put it, but it does make sense!"
After laughing for a while, she finally stopped and said with interest, "Alright, you pass. This tea is on me! But I have another question: what do you think of the Marines?"
Ian glanced at her, finding it strange that she would discuss such topics with someone she had just met.
"Do I have to answer?" Ian asked.
"Not really," Shakky shook her head. "I'm just asking. You can answer if you want, or not. But you know, running a little shop in this lawless zone, the guests I get are all boring types. They only talk about money and women, nothing else. It's rare to meet an interesting young man like you, so I naturally want to chat a bit more."
Ian felt a bit helpless. From the sound of it, she still wanted him to answer, didn't she?
But honestly, Ian had been in this world for a few years now and did have his own opinions about it. Since Shakky wanted to hear them, he didn't mind sharing.
He took a sip of tea, tapped his fingers on the table, thought for a moment, and then said, "Well, in my view, the Marines are just a violent arm of the World Government. What they uphold isn't justice, but the World Government's rule! Even though they hang the banner of justice, they aren't justice itself!"
Shakky looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected Ian to say something like that.
She found his summary very insightful.
It was hard to believe such words came from an 18-year-old.
"Haha, I like you, Ian!" Shakky smiled again and extended her hand. "My main business here is intelligence trading. If you ever need anything, feel free to come to me."
"Alright!" Ian shook her hand.
This was his first meeting with Shakky, and overall, the impression was good.
"Do you run this place alone?" Ian asked tentatively.
"Oh, there's an old man who lives with me," Shakky said. "But he's a coating craftsman."
"Where is he?" Ian asked.
He knew she was talking about Rayleigh. In fact, the reason Ian had come in and talked so much with Shakky was to find out where Rayleigh was.
Ian knew his strength wasn't enough yet. His Nen ability was essentially the same as Haki, but since it came from the system, he might be able to use Nen to understand Haki's application early on. However, if he didn't develop his own Haki, he would still be lacking.
For now, though, Ian had no clue how to develop his own Haki. What he needed most was a good guide.
And when it came to teachers, the best one on Sabaody Archipelago was none other than the Pirate King's First Mate, Silvers Rayleigh!
If he could get on good terms with him and ask for guidance in developing Haki, that would be ideal.
This showed how important connections were. Luffy and his crew easily got along with Shakky because of Hachi, but Ian had to probe bit by bit to bring up Rayleigh.
Shakky didn't think much of it and said, "Him? I haven't seen him in a long time. About half a year, I think."
Ian was speechless. Well, that was a waste of effort.
After finishing his tea, Ian got up to leave. Shakky saw him to the door and watched him go before smiling to herself. "Interesting young man. Rayleigh might like him too..."
Leaving the 13th Grove, Ian continued on. His destination was the 40th to 49th Grove areas, which were the sightseeing and specialty zones. There was a bank there where he could withdraw money. But to get there, he had to cross the nearby 30th to 39th Grove areas, which was Sabaody's famous amusement park district.
On the surface, the amusement park area looked like paradise. Laughter filled the air, and both adults and children could find their own fun there.
However, if you looked closely, you'd notice that in the corners of the streets, there were always eyes watching the passersby.
Ian knew these people were either thieves, robbers, or even worse, slave traders looking for targets.
Their movements were subtle, and people attracted by the bustling amusement parks wouldn't notice them—or wouldn't bother to. Only when someone was alone, or a child got separated from their parents, would they feel the dark side of this place.
Here, non-humans had to be especially careful about their safety, because for slave traders, kidnapping non-humans could fetch much higher prices than kidnapping humans.
Ian originally planned to ignore them and just pass through to the shopping district to cash in his bounties.
But as he walked down a street with fewer people, he noticed a mother and daughter ahead of him. The mother held her child's hand, while the little girl happily licked a cotton candy.
It looked like a peaceful scene, but as they passed a small alley, it was shattered in an instant.
Two hands shot out from the alley. One covered the mother's mouth, and the other covered the child's. In the blink of an eye, the mother and daughter disappeared into the alley without a sound.
If Ian hadn't seen it happen, no one would have known.
This was the first time Ian had witnessed slave traders in action. Anger flared up, and he immediately chased after them into the alley.
When he reached the alley entrance, he saw the slave traders already running. Two big men carried burlap sacks on their shoulders, and the sacks were still struggling.
There were quite a few of them. Seeing Ian chasing them, they left a few behind to stop him.
But Ian didn't want to be delayed. As he passed them, he swung his sword rapidly, cutting down those who blocked him without a second glance, and continued the chase.
These people weren't as fast as Ian, but they knew the terrain well. They didn't run in straight lines, leaving a few more to slow him down. The two men carrying the sacks weaved through the alleys, nearly making Ian lose them.
Reluctantly, Ian activated his Psychic Field and expanded his perception range, ignoring the energy cost, to track them again.
Just as he was about to catch up, the two men suddenly turned into a corner on the right. Ian quickly followed, but then he heard two thuds.
Looking closely, Ian was stunned. The two men were lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, with the sacks dropped beside them. Standing in front of them was a drunk-looking old man.
The old man had messy white hair, round glasses, a long scar over his right eye, a coat draped over his shoulders, flip-flops on his feet, and a bottle of alcohol in his hand.
It was none other than Rayleigh!
Ian hadn't expected to miss Rayleigh at Shakky's bar but run into him while chasing slave traders. What a bizarre coincidence!
It seemed Rayleigh had knocked out the two slave traders.
Well, Ian was confident he could have caught them too, but since Rayleigh had blocked them, it saved him the trouble. He walked over to check on the mother and daughter in the sacks, but then Rayleigh's eyes suddenly sharpened, and a massive shockwave hit Ian!
This shockwave targeted Ian's mind. He had experienced it before with Ace and knew it was Conqueror's Haki!
But Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki was far stronger than Ace's. While Ian could withstand Ace's Haki, Rayleigh's hit him like a sledgehammer, causing a violent dizziness!
He staggered for a moment before finally collapsing to his knees.
Damn it, Rayleigh must have mistaken him for one of the slave traders. After all, he had appeared right behind those two men...