For the sake of a Devil Fruit, various figures from the West Blue gathered together.
This place was supposed to be a carnival feast for pirates and those from the underground world.
However, a few bounty hunters, driven by greed, disguised themselves and sneaked in, along with some Navy spies who risked their lives to gather information.
Aside from these, there were even a few special guests.
With a gentle sea breeze, an unremarkable small pirate ship slowly sailed into the inner bay of Mad Hatter Town.
At this moment, the sea near the dock was already filled with ships, leaving no extra space.
But this small pirate ship, taking advantage of its size, squeezed through the larger ships, finding a spot to dock amidst the crowded vessels.
This showed the helmsman’s extraordinary skill.
On the deck, a boy with wavy blonde hair and a scar over his left eye threw the anchor into the sea.
Splash—
The anchor splashed into the water, sinking to the bottom.
After throwing the anchor, the boy clapped his hands and, without looking back, praised, “Hak, your steering skills are as great as ever.”
“You forgot again?”
The tall man at the helm didn’t respond to the praise but reminded him mysteriously.
“What?”
The boy asked in confusion.
Smack—
Before he could react, he received a chop on the back of his head.
The one who did it was a girl in a short dress, wearing black thigh-high stockings, with a shapely figure.
The force of her chop was so strong that the red hat with goggles she was wearing fell off onto the deck, revealing her orange-yellow hair.
With a slightly angry face, the girl ignored picking up the hat.
She glared at the puzzled boy and said, “How many times do I have to remind you? Use the alias! Do you even understand what an alias is?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry, I forgot.”
The boy realized, laughed it off, bent down to pick up the hat, and helped the girl put it back on.
With puffed cheeks, the girl looked as if she couldn’t stand him.
“So, Pipe, I want you to confirm it again. What should you call me? And what should you call Hak?”
“Clara and Stripe.”
“Good. If you get it wrong again, you’ll bear the consequences!”
The girl, now known as Clara, clenched her fists and waved them a few times before heading towards the cabin.
The boy, called Pipe, gently rubbed the back of his head and muttered, “Even if it’s an alias, don’t give me a name that sounds so ridiculous.”
“What are you dawdling for? Get ready, we need to disembark.”
Clara’s urging voice came from the cabin.
“Coming, coming.”
Pipe quickly walked towards the cabin.
Moments later, the two had slightly altered their appearances, each now wearing dark sunglasses.
Pipe donned a black top hat while Clara removed her previous hat and tied her hair up.
Interestingly, Pipe had a water pipe strapped to his back.
“Ah… Stripe, we’ll leave the ship to you.”
Pipe almost called Hak by his real name again but was promptly reminded by Clara’s glare and corrected himself.
At the cabin door, the man known as Stripe nodded seriously and said, “Leave it to me. But you two, be careful.”
“Don’t worry, we’re not here to cause trouble.”
Pipe waved to the man and jumped off the ship with Clara.
The two walked side by side on the dock.
Looking at Pipe, Clara lowered her voice, “I can’t believe you sometimes. That was just a stolen pirate ship. Even as a joke, don’t call it ‘home’.”
“Well, don’t sweat the small stuff. At least it carried us here and provided a convenient disguise.”
“That’s true, but… whatever.”
Clara sighed softly, then said seriously, “I must remind you, the main goal of this mission is to gather information. Don’t mess around.”
Pipe lowered the brim of his hat slightly and replied seriously, “I know, the primary task this time is to figure out the troop layout at the ‘Labor Factory’. If conditions allow, obtaining a detailed map would be even better.”
“As long as you understand.”
Clara nodded, then observed the surrounding crowd.
“Even the dock is crowded. I can’t imagine how many pirates and underworld people are in town.”
“Heh, with such a grand event, it’ll be easier for us to move around.”
Pipe’s gaze skimmed over the surroundings like a dragonfly touching water, memorizing relevant information with each glance.
“Clara.”
Suddenly, Pipe’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled Clara to the side of the road.
Clara hastily pulled aside, looked puzzled.
“Sorry, I’m sensitive to killing intent, although it’s not directed at us…”
Pipe explained, discreetly glancing at a group of menacing pirates behind them.
Reminded by Pipe, Clara noticed the group of pirates and quickly looked away.
The two slowed their pace in unison.
Soon, the group of pirates passed them, heading towards the town’s main street.
Clara watched the pirates’ backs, recalling information about the pirates in West Blue, and whispered:
“It’s the Spike Bull Pirates. They’re not very famous in West Blue, but their captain, Kazzat, is quite strong Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.
A few days ago, one of the biggest merchant ships of the Pelking Trading Company in West Blue was attacked by pirates. It must have been them.”
Pipe replied calmly, “Ordinary pirates couldn’t take down a Pelking Trading Company’s armed merchant ship. It must have been a joint action of several pirate crews.”
Clara nodded, “Yes, that’s very likely.”
“Anyway, as long as we don’t get into conflicts, it’s fine.”
Pipe looked away.
There were many more formidable characters in this grand event than the Spike Bull Pirates.
Hearing Pipe’s words, Clara looked at him with surprise.
Noticing Clara’s strange look, Pipe asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing, just a bit surprised by your level-headedness this time. It makes me feel like you’ve finally matured.”
“……”
The two walked into the street side by side.
As far as they could see, the street was filled with pirates carrying swords and guns, mostly in pairs or small groups, rarely alone.
After walking a few hundred meters, they saw multiple bloodstains on the ground.
The bustling crowd was accompanied by chatter, clashing swords, and sporadic gunfire from further away.
Following the sound of swords clashing, they saw a pirate slashing down his opponent.
“Haha, fool, that’s what you get for messing with me.”
The bloodstained pirate laughed wildly while looting the bodies for money and weapons.
The onlookers cheered for the victorious pirate as if they had just watched an intense dogfight.
“So chaotic.”
Watching the scene, Clara sighed softly.
Pipe, however, remained expressionless, staring straight ahead.
In such chaotic times, this was nothing new.
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