"So this is the Sabaody Archipelago? It's just like the anime—there are bubbles everywhere!"
Bardock reached out and poked a massive bubble drifting past his face. It was surprisingly bouncy. The roots of the colossal Yarukiman Mangroves secreted a special natural resin. As the massive roots underwent respiration, the air expanded the resin, creating these floating bubbles that drifted up into the sky. However, they could only exist within the specific climate of the archipelago; the moment a bubble crossed the island's borders, it would pop instantly. Bubble bikes, the massive bubble Ferris wheel, and even entire houses built on top of them—bubble culture was woven into every single aspect of Sabaody!
"Shanks, guys—thanks for everything! See you around!" "Smooth sailing, kid!" "See ya, Bardock!" "Don't forget us!"
The Red Hair Pirates had slipped in through Grove 44 and anchored their ship in a hidden cove near Grove 41. Bardock knew Shanks was most likely heading over to Grove 13 to catch up with the "Dark King," Silvers Rayleigh. Part of Bardock had genuinely wanted to tag along and beg Rayleigh to teach him Haki, but he ultimately decided against it. He had specifically refused to join Shanks' crew because he wanted absolute freedom over his own allegiance. If Rayleigh agreed to take him on as a student, they would officially have a master-apprentice relationship. That would automatically tie Bardock to the Roger Pirates' faction, completely contradicting his goal of staying neutral.
He already owed Shanks a massive favor. If he deepened his ties to that group, he'd inevitably end up having to act as a bodyguard for the Straw Hats in the future. And the Straw Hat crew were absolute trouble magnets. Just thinking about dealing with the Marines, Big Mom, and Kaido on their behalf made his scalp tingle with dread.
Some fans in his past life used to complain that Rayleigh held Luffy back, taking two whole years just to teach him the basics of Haki, while enemies like Katakuri and Kaido essentially forced Luffy to level up mid-fight. But that was completely unfair to the Dark King. Rayleigh did the grueling, foundational work, taking Luffy from absolute zero to a competent Haki user. Luffy's explosive growth later on was entirely thanks to the rock-solid foundation Rayleigh had built for him.
'Alright, there's a shopping mall in Grove 30 and hotels in Grove 35,' Bardock thought, visualizing the map he had memorized. 'After that, I need to hit up the World Government office to apply for passage over the Red Line into the West Blue.'
Adjusting his grip on his massive sack of animal pelts, he oriented himself and marched toward the commercial district. He needed cash if he was going to survive in Sabaody, and these pelts were his ticket to a quick payday.
"Are you kidding me, boss? These are top-tier pelts!" Bardock slapped the counter in outrage. "You're only offering a million Berries for five completely intact, massive tiger skins? Does your conscience not hurt?!"
"I'm really not lowballing you, kid," the shop owner sighed, waving a dismissive hand. "A Fish-man slave only goes for a million Berries around here. Sure, the fur on these is decent, but your preservation method is a total mess. Look—come here and look. Right here, and here, and here. The hair is shedding! Go ask any other shop on this strip; nobody is giving you a fairer price than me."
"Can't you go any higher?" In reality, Bardock had already shopped around, and this guy genuinely had the best offer, but he wasn't about to give up without a fight.
"That's my absolute ceiling, kid. Business is tough right now. I have to hire designers, pay tailors to actually make the coats, and even then, they might just sit on the rack..." The boss rubbed his chin. "Tell you what. I'll let you pick out one outfit and a hat from the floor as a free bonus. How about that?"
"Fine, deal." Bardock sighed. He desperately missed Nami right about now. If the Straw Hats' navigator were here to haggle for him, she would have bankrupted this guy so hard he'd be taking her last name.
'Looks like I definitely need to recruit a gorgeous, money-savvy crewmate!' he thought. Scanning the shop, a familiar-looking blue hat caught his eye. 'Wait, isn't that almost exactly like the hat Chopper wears after the time skip? I'll take it.'
By the time Bardock strolled out of the shopping district, he looked like a completely different person. He wore the blue, Chopper-style hat and a pair of dark sunglasses, dressed head-to-toe in trendy, local Sabaody fashion. He carried a heavy bag of cash in one hand and his old clothes in the other.
As Bardock navigated through a quiet, secluded alley in Grove 35, five massive men suddenly jumped out from behind a giant mangrove root, blocking his path. They looked like stereotypical, ugly thugs, each gripping a vicious spiked club. To make matters worse, they were all huge—averaging around two meters tall, with their leader standing at a towering two and a half meters.
"Who the hell are you guys? A mugging?" Bardock asked, stopping in his tracks.
"Gyahahaha! You're an out-of-towner, aren't ya, kid?" the giant leader sneered. "My boys spotted you earlier. You traded in a massive sack and walked out with a whole lot of cash! Tsk, tsk, tsk... and dressed in Sabaody's finest designer clothes, too." The leader pointed his club at Bardock. "Get him, boys. But try to be gentle! Don't smash him up like the last guy, or the Human Auctioning House won't accept the merchandise!"
"Rahhh!" The four goons didn't hesitate, howling like wild animals as they charged forward, clubs raised high.
Bardock had activated his Fiery Golden Eyes the second they stepped out of the shadows. Thanks to his new sunglasses, the thugs had no idea his eyes were currently glowing like molten gold. Through his enhanced kinetic vision, their charge looked hilariously slow and clumsy. They were weak.
The fastest thug swung his club straight for Bardock's head. Bardock casually stepped to the left, letting the heavy weapon whistle harmlessly past his ear, and drove his fist into the man's ribs. Terrified of accidentally turning the guy into human paste, Bardock pulled his punch, only using about thirty percent of his strength. It was still enough to send the massive thug flying through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed into the dirt and didn't twitch.
'Good to know,' Bardock thought. 'They just look big. They're actually complete fodder.'
The second thug brought his club crashing down toward Bardock's shoulder. This time, Bardock didn't even bother dodging. He reached out and smoothly caught the spiked metal shaft barehanded, stopping the weapon dead in its tracks. Before the thug could even process what had happened, Bardock planted a front kick square in his chest, launching him backward.
The remaining two thugs attacked simultaneously, sweeping their clubs low to take out Bardock's legs. Bardock simply leaped straight up into the air and executed a perfect split-kick, driving his boots into both of their faces at the same time. They dropped instantly.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. The two-and-a-half-meter giant had fired a warning shot into the air. He slowly lowered the barrel, aiming it directly at Bardock's chest.
"Gotta admit, kid, you're pretty good in a fight," the boss growled, a nervous sweat breaking out on his forehead. "But you can't punch a bullet. Put your hands up and surrender!"
'They say within seven paces, the fist is faster than the gun,' Bardock mused. 'Ah, whatever. I'm just going to beat him up.'
He wasn't entirely sure if his base human body could tank a bullet yet, and he wasn't currently in his indestructible Monkey King form. But he was absolutely certain of one thing: this idiot's trigger finger was nowhere near as fast as his reaction time. As long as he watched the man's muscle movements, the bullets would never touch him. Hell, if he pushed his Fiery Golden Eyes to the limit, he could track the bullets in mid-air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The boss fired three shots in rapid succession. Bardock simply tilted his head side to side, weaving through the gunfire with casual, jerky movements as he slowly walked forward.
The giant's face twisted in absolute terror. He frantically pulled the trigger again, but Bardock was already in front of him. Lunging forward, Bardock delivered a brutal Superman punch squarely to the boss's face. The giant was lifted off his feet, flying ten meters backward before crashing into the dirt, knocked completely cold.
Bardock didn't immediately relax. He swept the area with his Fiery Golden Eyes to ensure there were no other ambushes waiting in the wings. Once the coast was clear, he dragged all five unconscious thugs into a neat little pile. He had no idea how badly he had injured them, especially the boss, whose face was currently a bloody, mangled mess.
"You guys are completely broke!" Bardock complained as he rifled through their pockets. "Why are you even criminals if you're this poor? Isn't the protagonist supposed to get rich off mugging the muggers?"
He gathered up their meager stack of Berries and claimed the flintlock pistol. It was a decent gun, but he only managed to scrounge up twelve spare bullets for it. What a joke.
He stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands, and looked down at the pile of groaning, unconscious men.
"Now then... what exactly am I supposed to do with you?" he muttered, rubbing his chin in deep thought.