Miss Monday leaned against the tavern bar. The other bounty hunters filled the tables around her. Mr. Shimizu sat slouched in a chair near the window, Hercules stood by the door with his arms folded, and a handful of other Baroque Works agents scattered throughout the room.
Igarappoi sat alone at a corner table, unusually quiet.
"Still nothing?" Miss Monday looked at Shimizu.
"Searched the entire island." Shimizu shook his head. "No ship. Not even a dinghy."
Miss Monday straightened up. "Once Catherina gets him talking, we'll know exactly where he hid it. That woman could seduce a brick wall if she wanted to."
A few of the bounty hunters chuckled.
"Should've been back by now," one of them muttered.
"She's probably taking her time." Miss Monday smirked. "Especially when this one is quite the looker."
"I don't like this."
Everyone turned toward Igarappoi.
His fingers were drumming against the table as he was lost in thought.
Miss Monday frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
Igarappoi's voice came out flat. "This whole situation feels off."
"Off how?"
Igarappoi finally looked up. "A man appears on this island with no ship or boat. Shows zero interest in anything we offer."
Hercules nodded slowly. "Yeah... and he was completely dry, so it's not like he left it further out and swam here."
"And now Catherina and Beans have been gone for hours." Igarappoi stood up. "They should've came back already."
Miss Monday waved dismissively. "You're reading way too much into this."
"Are they?"
The question hung in the air.
Shimizu shifted in his seat. "You think something happened?"
The tavern door burst open.
One of the millions, a thin man with a patchy beard, stumbled inside with a crumpled paper clutched in his trembling hand.
"We—we need to—" He couldn't finish the sentence.
Miss Monday's head snapped toward him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"We need to leave!" The man's voice cracked. "We need to hide or—or something—we can't stay here anymore!"
"Are you out of your mind!?" Miss Monday pushed off the bar and strode toward him.
"Please!" Tears streamed down the man's face. "We need to leave!"
The man dropped to his knees, the paper slipping from his fingers.
"We will die if we stay here…"
The bounty hunters exchanged uneasy looks among themselves.
Hercules stepped forward. "What the hell happened to him?"
Igarappoi walked over. He bent down and picked up the crumpled paper.
Everyone watched as Igarappoi unfolded it and froze.
The paper shook in his grip. His eyes went wide. The color drained from his face.
"Hey." Hercules moved closer. "What is it?"
Igarappoi didn't respond. Just kept staring at the paper with his mouth slightly open.
Mr. Shimizu walked over with a beer bottle raised to his lips. He took a swig and glanced at what Igarappoi held.
He choked mid-swallow and sprayed beer directly across Igarappoi's face.
Beer dripped down Igarappoi's face, but he didn't react.
"What the hell is going on?!" Miss Monday shouted. "What's happening to you idiots?!"
Shimizu snatched the poster from Igarappoi's trembling hands and held the poster up so everyone could see. "Take a look for yourself!"
Ulquiorra's face stared back at them from the paper.
And beneath that: 150,000,000 ฿
Silence filled the tavern for a second before chaos erupted.
"One hundred fifty million?!"
Chairs fell from everyone standing up. Tables tipped over.
One of the hunters traced each zero with his finger: one, two, three...
Seven zeroes total.
"Yeah." He dropped his hand. "We're fucked."
"You think we don't understand that!"
"Wait—wait!" One of the younger bounty hunters held up his hands. "Just because he has a high bounty doesn't mean—"
"Doesn't mean what?!" Shimizu whirled on him. "That he's not dangerous?!"
"I mean... he's still human, right?" The young man's voice wavered. "We've got numbers on our side. If we all work together—"
Three sharp cracks echoed across Whisky Peak.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The gunshots cut through the night.
"Was that from Beans and Catherina?" A woman near the back whispered.
The young hunter who'd been defending their chances straightened up. "Maybe they got him."
"Maybe we should check it out." Another bounty hunter moved toward the door. "See what happened."
"Don't even think about it!" Igarappoi's voice rose. "That's suicide!"
But the words didn't land. Not the way he needed them to.
A few hunters exchanged glances. Their expressions shifted from fear to calculation.
"There are one hundred of us," someone muttered from the corner. "Even if he's strong..."
"One hundred fifty million berries." Another hunter licked his lips.
The room went silent again, but this time it wasn't out of fear. Greed spread through the crowd like poison.
"Even if we split among ourselves, there would still be a lot left..."
"We would become the most famous bounty hunters."
Igarappoi slammed his fist on the nearest table. "Are you even listening to yourselves?!"
Heads turned toward him.
"A pirate with that kind of bounty shouldn't be judged as some normal human!" Igarappoi's face flushed red. "Do you understand what one hundred fifty million means? The Marines don't hand out numbers like that for nothing!"
Miss Monday crossed her arms. "He's right. That bounty means the World Government considers him a serious threat."
"But he's just one guy," the young hunter insisted. "We've taken down crews before. Entire crews!"
"With captains who had what? ten million? fifteen million bounties?" Hercules shook his head.
"Catherina and Beans went after him." One of the hunters near the door gripped his sword. "If they're in trouble—"
"Then they're already dead," Igarappoi said flatly.
But they didn't listen as forty hunters moved at once to grab their weapons. The greed had won, and fear couldn't compete with the promise of wealth.
"Wait!" Igarappoi stepped toward them. "Don't do this!"
They didn't listen. The door burst open, and forty bounty hunters poured into the street, rushing towards where the gunshots had come from.
Igarappoi stared at the open door. His hands clenched at his sides.
"Idiots," Hercules muttered. "Every single one of them."
Miss Monday looked at the remaining hunters. Maybe sixty people stayed behind. The ones who valued their lives more than money.
"We're leaving," Igarappoi said. "Now."
Shimizu nodded. "Where to?"
"Outside the city. Far enough that we can watch the port." Igarappoi grabbed his coat from a chair. "We just hide and wait for his log pose to reset."
No one argued.
The remaining bounty hunters filed out of the tavern in silence. They moved through back alleys, heading the opposite way from where the others had gone.
Igarappoi led them toward the edge of the island, toward the rocky outcroppings that overlooked the city.
"How much further?" Miss Monday whispered.
"Just ahead." Igarappoi pointed toward a ledge that overlooked the entire city. "We can see everything from there."
They reached the outcropping and spread out along the rocky surface.
Shimizu crouched near the edge. "Good view of the city and docks from here. We'll see when he leaves."
"With what ship?" someone asked.
"Well, we'll find that out."
They'd watch from there. Wait for the man to leave and pray he doesn't decide to look for them first.
Minutes passed. Then more minutes.
Nothing happened.
One of the hunters shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe we should—"
The air changed.
It happened all at once. Weight pressed down on everything. Igarappoi's knees buckled, slamming him into the ground face-first. All around him, bodies collapsed to the ground.
"What—" Miss Monday's voice cut off as she couldn't speak properly.
The pressure crushed down harder. Like the sky itself had fallen on top of them.
Weaker members began screaming as their bodies were getting crushed against the ground.
But just as suddenly as the pressure came, it disappeared.
Igarappoi immediately lifted his head, looking toward Whisky Peak.
Only to see that the city was gone.
Where dozens of buildings had stood moments ago, was now replaced by an empty field. Only one house still stood, completely untouched.
And behind it, half of the mountain had vanished.
Igarappoi's hands trembled.
One hundred fifty million berries.
Half a mountain. An entire city. Gone.
If Crocodile can do the same...
There would be no saving Alabasta.
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Author's Notes:
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Still figuring things out as I go, so if you've got feedback or ideas, I'm all ears.
Thanks for reading!