As Tereza ascends into the sky, leaving Nanohana behind, Alex finally breathes a sigh of relief.
Ever since we arrived on this desert hellhole of an island, everything's been going wrong. This world should've been a walk in the park—and yet we've been taking risks left and right, even almost died once, thanks to getting to that random assassination attempt by a huge team of hostile players.
At least most of the danger and uncertainty seems to be behind us... or that's what I'd like to say, if we weren't heading straight for Water 7. There are still almost 20 players unaccounted for—odds are most of them will side with the Marines. This is another huge opportunity... but also a massive risk. This time, we need to play it safe.
Soulmate shouldn't worry so much! With Princess Jewel here, everything is safe and secure!
"Despite her foolishness, the little one is right. You don't need to worry. What happened in Nanohana was a huge coincidence—one that couldn't have been predicted," Benezia says calmly. "I'll do my best to lower our risk in the future—however, despite the risk, we have also profited a lot. There is a fine balance we should aim for. We can't act too brazenly and risk dying, but we also can't lie low and aim for mediocrity. For now, all we need to do is recover and slowly but surely catch a few pirates to fulfill our mission."
"Water 7 has many opportunities..." Alex murmurs. "I wonder what would happen if we visit a certain 'Family', find their boss, rip open his stomach, and take out the hidden schematics inside."
"Probably nothing. Don't think you can just go in and do that," Benezia replies without hesitation. "It's certainly worth a try, but I doubt it'll be that easy."
"We'll see then," Alex says, not surprised by her answer.
After flying for quite some time—Benezia adjusting their course every hour or so—Tereza suddenly yells, "Should we stop at Jaya? We should be close."
"It could be worth it," Alex responds. "The Bellamy Pirates should be hanging out there. Apart from them, it's mostly nobodies, but that's exactly the kind of targets we are looking for. The Bellamy Pirates are ignoring those and are having their fun, only going for targets with a decent bounty. I, however, have no problem targeting these nobodies as well. A bounty is a bounty, and it would be awesome to arrive with a lot of heads, so we don't need to worry about taking risks in Water 7. I'd rather play it safe there and look for other opportunities."
"We're not in great condition though," Alex adds immediately, "but in this case, it's only Bellamy and his lackey, Sarquiss. If we could somehow take them down and then look for a few more bounties, that would easily clear our quest with Baroque Works, wouldn't it? We could also sell their heads to some neutral brokers in Water 7 and get a shitload of money in return. Who knows, maybe they're even carrying a decent amount of Belly themselves, since they're hunting pirates right now."
Princess Jewel still has that shiny [Tiny Dyna Stone (Inferior)] left. Along with her beloved, divine grenades, she could easily unleash her favorite technique.
"As much as I want to complain... she isn't wrong. Or do you disagree, Benezia?" Alex asks, shaking his head.
"It would be risky," Benezia admits, "but we do need to take a break anyway. Tereza can't fly for days, carrying us. While the little one and I are still heavily wounded, your injuries seem a lot better. Meanwhile, Tereza is fully recovered—just exhausted from flying. Do you have a strategy?" she asks.
"Why are you asking me?" Alex retorts.
Benezia sighs. "Don't assume I'm in charge. I'm just sharing my opinions freely. This is one of the few areas where I can still contribute something useful to the group. Your ideas and approaches have worked well in the past—there's no reason to ignore them now."
"I guess," Alex replies. "Look, at this point, these fuckers think they're on top of the world. Real bigshots. They even decided to initially ignore the Straw Hats because they think thirty million Belly is beneath them. In my opinion, they're arrogant idiots who spend all day drinking, waiting for new victims to show up. They either hang out at the bar or waste time in that luxurious tropical hotel in Mock Town.
The only risk would be if Blackbeard's around—but based on what I found, he shouldn't be. He's probably travelling, maybe even kicking Wapol's ass on Drum Island."
"As for my condition," Alex smirks, "my shoulder and chest hurt a little, but I have no doubt that I can fight just fine. The Medigel, along with my [Drakul's Vitality R2], constantly heals me and boosts my regeneration. That might've sped up the healing process. I'd say I'm at around eighty to ninety percent. If we want to be careful, we can lay low, do some research for a day, and then act. By then, I should be mostly recovered, but I don't even think that's necessary."
"I agree," Benezia says. "There certainly is some risk, but the rewards more than make up for it. Ultimately, I'll leave it up to you two."
Did you hear that, Soulmate? She is leaving the decision to Soulmate and Princess Jewel!
"She meant me!" Tereza says in her deep voice, clearly irritated. "Anyway, I agree. This is just fine. Let's land away from the town, check out the situation first, and then decide."
"Okay then," Alex decides. "We're landing on Jaya—next stop, Mock Town!"
As Tereza soars through the air, it takes less than a day from their departure at Sandy Island to arrive at Mock Town.
Mock Town is a small but lively settlement on the west coast of Jaya. The island itself is tropical, covered in vast rainforests filled with vibrant wildlife, large insects, and the curious South Birds—strange, parrot-like creatures known for their unique quirk of always facing south, no matter where they stand.
Despite its beautiful, almost paradise-like scenery, Mock Town is far from a peaceful haven. It's mostly inhabited by pirates and a handful of daring civilians who make their living catering to them—innkeepers, blacksmiths, and traders who profit from the lawlessness surrounding them.
Tereza, being cautious, lands some distance away from the town to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
"Nice weather," Alex comments as he dismounts her.
Princess Jewel does not like this climate at all.
"It's still better than the desert, isn't it? You probably like cold, overgrown, dark forests and hate most hot climates," Alex says with a small smirk.
How does Soulmate know?
"Because, despite your obvious changes and uniqueness, you're still a Thornback," Alex replies confidently. "Obviously, you'd feel right at home in a forest like the forbidden one in Northern Scotland."
"Do you want to remain here and wait, Benezia?" Alex asks, turning toward her as she dismounts. "You're pretty... eye-catching."
"In what way?" Benezia asks calmly.
"Do you really need me to say it out loud? I don't think blue people are common here," Alex answers, sounding mildly exasperated.
"You severely lack finesse, but I get your point. Even so, we should stick together. The only real danger comes if we split up and get surrounded by a large group. As long as we stay close, I doubt we'll run into any situation we can't handle," Benezia says, before changing her outfit again. She wraps herself in a long-sleeved robe and a facemask, concealing most of her Asari features, at least at first glance.
"I guess that works," Alex says approvingly.
The group begins making their way toward the town.
Within the city, everything appears surprisingly calm. Although they spot numerous tough-looking pirates wandering about, there are no open fights or obvious signs of chaos.
As they approach the center—located right beside the port—the number of pirates grows sharply, the air filled with the noise of laughter, shouting, and clinking mugs.
Alex spots numerous bars—some catering to wealthier visitors, others looking completely run-down and cheap.
"I actually see a few points of interest," Alex says as he stops in front of Pub and Pies—the bar where Luffy first met Blackbeard, and also a place where the Bellamy Pirates like to hang out.
He casts a brief glance inside but doesn't see anyone who looks particularly strong.
As they continue walking, they come across a woman waving around a large stack of bounty posters.
"Get your newest bounties here, freshly printed! Only 10,000 Belly for the entire stack! Are you strong enough to aim for the top?!" she yells cheerily, waiving them around.
"Scam someone else!" A burly pirate says, trying to trip her, only for the girl to jump across it and kick him in the stomach in the process, before smirking and moving on.
Interesting.
"Give me a stack," Alex says without hesitation, approaching her and pulling out a 10,000 Belly bill.
It's blatantly overpriced—especially since these are supposed to be free—but who cares about 10k at this point?
Alex smiles and pulls out another 10,000 Belly. "How about I pay double in exchange for a little bit of information. Show me any posters of people you've seen recently."
"Gladly," she says with a sly smirk, gesturing for Alex to follow her to the side of a nearby building, away from the main road.
Alex hands her back the stack, and she swiftly flips through it, placing twenty specific posters on top. "I've seen these people around."
Among the various wanted pirates—most of them with bounties ranging from three to twenty million Belly—Alex immediately spots Bellamy and his first mate, Sarquiss, with bounties of 55 and 38 million, respectively.
"I always hated these fuckers," Alex mutters as he eyes the two wanted posters. "Ugly fucks."
"Ahh," the woman says, grinning wide, "you'd better stay far away from them. They've been running wild lately. Took over the entire luxury resort. The owner's tried everything—hiring pirates, ambushing them—but it's useless. They're just too strong. He has given up and become their personal slave, catering to their every needs, despite not earning a single Belly."
"They're inside the Wild Cherry bar over there," she adds, pointing toward one of the busier, more popular bars. "Drinking and gambling. Bellamy's known to be a terrible gambler. When he finally snaps, he just beats the crap out of whoever wins and takes all their money. He's a bad gambler, but an even worse loser."
Alex glances at the others standing close by.
"Let's take a look," he says, smirking wildly. "You know, when people concentrate on their cards... their backs are usually wide open... just right for a certain claw to pierce them."
The woman suddenly looks pale and gives him an awkward smile. "Sorry, I need to leave... I'll see you around... hopefully."
She quickly scurries off, rushing far from the port—clearly sensing trouble.
"Tereza... let's do it. Take out your wand, and as soon as we spot our targets and they're busy, we move."
"Gladly," Tereza says confidently. "Before you try anything, let me go first. I actually have an idea."
Princess Jewel is still hurt, but she is the king of sneak attacks! With Soulmate's grenades, she can kill anyone!
"Good, it's your time to shine. We're not here to fool around. We'll be taking their heads! However, Jewel, I don't want to kill innocents. Leave the grenades, Tereza said she has a plan." Alex declares as they stride toward the Wild Cherry, his eyes turning cold.
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