Shakky's Rip-Off Bar couldn't really be considered her business; it was more of a retirement spot for her and Rayleigh after they retired.
Logically, this place should hold many memories for them, and continuing to live in the bar would actually be a torment for Shakky.
But after realizing that something was amiss with Rayleigh, she chose to remain there.
This bar was not only a home full of memories but also an important intelligence hub in the underworld, and Shakky also worked as an information broker.
This was also the easiest way for her to gather information now.
Two suspicious characters had almost completely hidden themselves with cloaks; such attire made it very difficult not to think they had problems.
Shakky stood at the bar, wiping glasses, and asked:
"What can I get for you two?"
Her tone was still harsh, sounding no different from how it had been all these years.
"Storm's End!"
"Blaze Whiskey."
Without even looking up, the two casually ordered two drinks and went straight to a corner.
While mixing drinks, Shakky enveloped them with her Observation Haki, eavesdropping on their conversation.
One of them cautiously scanned the surroundings, then lowered his voice and said:
"You called me here for that Devil Fruit, didn't you?"
In contrast, the other person appeared more composed:
"That's right! That treasure, worth six billion Berries, has appeared, and it's fallen into the hands of an unknown pirate crew."
"If we can get our hands on it before other factions do, we'll be set for life!"
"Your drinks, gentlemen."
Although Shakky wanted to hear more, she didn't act rashly; instead, she brought the drinks over as if completely oblivious.
From their conversation just now, she already knew what 'treasure' they were referring to.
A Devil Fruit, worth six billion — what else could it be but the Ope-Ope no Mi, which had once caused such a stir across the seas?
As Shakky approached, the two paused their conversation at an opportune moment.
Placing the glasses on the table, Shakky pretended to go back to the kitchen to tidy up some things, making a clinking sound.
If it were any other treasure, it wouldn't have prompted her to act this way, but the Ope-Ope no Mi was different; with the 공개 of the Immortality Operation, it had become a world-class treasure.
In the first half of the Grand Line, very few people possessed Observation Haki, so people usually wouldn't be on guard against it.
Hearing the sounds from the kitchen, the first man picked up his glass:
"Do you have definite information?"
"Of course!"
The other person sounded somewhat smug, unconsciously raising his voice a bit, then quickly lowering it again:
"The treasure is in North Blue, and the person guarding it is much looser than you'd imagine—definitely someone we can handle!"
"How can that be?"
His accomplice said in disbelief:
"Then how did they get the treasure?"
The man shrugged indifferently:
"That, I don't know."
"Neither of us has a bounty on our heads, so we can disguise ourselves as merchants and use the port at Mary Geoise; getting to North Blue from here will be much faster than for others."
"As long as we can find that former Marine hyena, the treasure will be ours!"
"What do you say? Want to pull off a job together?"
"Let's do it!"
Two glasses clinked together, and they drank their fill.
The two then casually chatted about other things, mostly related to their recent experiences, and soon paid their bill and left.
Perhaps because they were about to acquire a substantial fortune, the two raised no objections to the bar's drinks, which were far above market price, and promptly paid and left.
Watching their disappearing figures, a glint flickered in Shakky's eyes.
The Ope-Ope no Mi is in the hands of a certain Marine traitor in North Blue—that was the useful information she extracted from their conversation.
Speaking of Marine traitors, there have indeed been quite a few recently.
With Sakazuki's NEO Marines established, even top Vice Admirals like Onigumo and Doberman chose to defect from the Marines.
But these people's targets were usually the New World.
Currently, only those former Marines who truly became pirates remained in North Blue.
Shakky returned to the bar and began to organize the intelligence.
As messages were compiled and analyzed, the name Dies Barerus naturally appeared before her eyes.
Shakky's eyes narrowed—it was him!
Reviewing recent intelligence, she found that the last time this group appeared was in Northford, after which they completely disappeared.
This also aligned with the logical behavior of someone who had acquired a great treasure.
Shakky had believed about eighty percent of the information leaked by the two; next, she began to search for other intelligence to confirm their identities through their final conversation.
Soon, she found information about the two—a pair of bounty hunters who frequently collaborated.
She closed the file, let out a long breath, locked the bar door, and sat down on a chair, the light in her eyes flickering erratically.
Time quickly reached deep into the night; on the sanctuary, the day's clamor had completely dispersed, and the entire ship was enveloped in silence.
Blake finished his exertions with Ginny and Betty, put on his coat, left the room, walked through several corridors, and arrived at Stella's door, pushing it open.
Stella had not yet rested; she was sitting at her desk, waiting for Blake's arrival.
Blake wasted no words and immediately asked:
"Are you ready?"
Stella nodded forcefully, her expression showing a rare determination:
"I'm ready, Your Highness."
"Then let's go!"
Blake commanded, and Stella immediately opened a door in the wall; the two quickly stepped inside.
Within the bizarrely colored Other Space, Blake and Stella headed directly towards the current location of the Barrels Pirates.
The reason the sanctuary had been cruising around North Blue for so long was to be able to perform a sleight of hand the moment the Ope-Ope no Mi appeared.
According to the intelligence provided by the insider, the two easily reached the Barrels Pirates' ship through the Other Space.
They didn't emerge directly but searched for traces of the Ope-Ope no Mi from within the Other Space.
To be honest, it wasn't hard to find at all.
Barrels treasured the Ope-Ope no Mi so much that he even hugged the box while sleeping.
A doorway silently appeared in the Captain's cabin; the dark red Conqueror's Haki created no disturbance, precisely enveloping Barrels's head.
He, who had been sound asleep, immediately fell into a deep slumber.
Blake, with Stella, emerged from the space, pulled out the box Barrels was hugging, opened it, and indeed, it was the Ope-Ope no Mi.
Stella placed the fruit into the Other Space, then took out an identical fake from it and put it in the box, then closed the lid and tucked it back into Barrels's embrace.
Having done all this, the two once again vanished into the Other Space.
Coming without a trace, leaving without a shadow.
Waving their sleeves, they took away only one Devil Fruit.
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