Chapter 3
When Nami and Carina returned to the deck, they looked like completely different people.
The new outfits Aike had prepared fit them perfectly; their dazzling beauty made his eyes light up.
As expected, beautiful girls really do improve the mood.
Still, work was work.
"Nami, you'll be the navigator of the Libra.
Carina, you'll handle the helm for now.
Tom, you're on lookout duty. Finding new clients is your responsibility, so keep those eyes sharp."
In just a few seconds, he'd assigned everyone their roles.
"What about you, boss?" Carina asked bluntly. She had already accepted her fate and no longer feared him.
"Me? I'm the boss. Obviously I oversee everything."
With that, Aike pulled out a lounge chair and flopped down.
Before, he had no choice but to do everything himself.
Now that he had employees, it was time for the boss to lie flat and enjoy life.
While the two girls and one cat stared speechlessly, Aike suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, which village are we closest to right now: Syrup Village, Shimotsuki Village, Windmill Village, or Cocoyasi Village?"
Nami froze the moment she heard "Cocoyasi Village."
She hesitated, torn between selfishness and fear.
In the end, her long terror of Arlong won.
"Syrup Village. Three days' sail."
"Then we're heading to Syrup Village."
Aike gave the captain's order.
"Your future crewmate is there, after all."
Crewmate?
Nami and Carina exchanged confused glances, a guess already forming in their minds.
...
The next three days showed Aike just how "peaceful" the East Blue really was.
Not a single pirate (aka client) in sight. He ran into a few merchant ships, but he didn't have the heart to fleece honest civilians.
It made him miss the good old days of scamming kingdom nobles.
With no business to do, he turned his entertainment toward his two new "employees."
Thanks to short time together and Tom playing wing-cat, the three humans grew much closer.
At the very least, Nami and Carina no longer spoke to him with fear in their voices.
Add in Aike's constant teasing, and physical contact with the girls became more and more frequent.
By the time they reached Syrup Village…
"Boss, who exactly is this 'colleague' you keep talking about?"
Carina leaned lazily against Aike's back, asking curiously.
Nami glanced over too; she was already used to their closeness.
She'd been on the receiving end of the same "tofu-eating" plenty of times herself.
Her ears turned pink just thinking about it.
"You'll see soon enough."
Aike didn't answer directly. He simply wrapped an arm around each girl and leapt off the ship, Tom clinging to his leg like a koala.
Once on the island, Aike glanced at a nearby bush.
The terrible hiding job (complete with a visible long nose) instantly told him who it was.
Free transaction points just walked right up to me.
He strolled over.
"No need to hide. Come out."
The bush rustled, then went still.
Tom, ever curious, picked up a stick and poked the nose.
The nose instantly retracted.
"If you don't come out, I'll have no reason to tell you about your father, Yasopp."
The moment the words left his mouth, a figure burst from the bushes.
It was none other than the future Straw Hat sniper: Usopp.
"You know where my dad is?! How is he?!"
Despite trembling in fear, Usopp couldn't hide his urgency.
"Want to know about Yasopp? Then let's make a trade."
Aike flashed his classic shady-merchant grin.
Behind him, Nami and Carina looked at Usopp with pity.
Kid, you're screwed the second the boss sets his eyes on you.
"I'll tell you everything about your father. In exchange, I'll copy one thing from you."
"C-copy?"
Usopp took several shaky steps back.
"That's right. Just a copy. It won't hurt you at all."
Usopp's face flickered with hesitation.
In the end, his mother's dying wish and his longing for his father won.
He clenched his teeth. "Fine, I agree!"
"Deal sealed!"
The golden scale appeared with a wave of Aike's hand.
"Your father, Yasopp, is a cadre of the Red Hair Pirates—one of the Four Emperors ruling the Grand Line.
He's a sniper standing at the very top of the seas."
Aike gave a quick rundown of the Red Hair Pirates' legend.
Using publicly available info in exchange for Usopp's future potential (and a fat stack of points).
A perfect three-way win!
As the scale flashed, a card materialized in his hand.
At the same time, the system voice rang in his head:
[Transaction complete. +15,000 Transaction Points]
Deal done, Aike lost interest in chatting.
There would be plenty of chances later.
One easy trade already gave this much; imagine the future haul.
The Straw Hat crew was premium client material; he intended to milk them slowly.
After leaving the shore, the group headed toward the village.
"You didn't take any of his lifespan?" Nami asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Carina added, "I thought you'd at least skim a few years off him."
Since when did the boss grow a conscience?
Aike's face darkened.
"I'm a merchant, not some murderous demon who kills indiscriminately."
"But boss, your nickname literally is 'Devil Merchant'…"
The two girls replied with perfectly innocent expressions.
Aike opened his mouth… and had no comeback.
He could only glare fiercely, raise his right hand, and make a spanking motion.
Just wait till we're back on the ship.
Reading the threat loud and clear, Nami and Carina flushed bright red and instantly shut up.
Following the villagers' directions, the group soon arrived at a grand mansion.
The guards immediately noticed the strangers.
"Who are you? State your business."
"I'm Aike, a merchant. I'm here to discuss a transaction with the lady of the house."
Hearing it was business for the young miss, the guard didn't dare delay.
"Please wait a moment. I'll inform the miss at once!"
A few minutes later, a man in a neat suit walked out.
It was none other than their real target: "Captain" Kuro, disguised as the butler Klahadore.
"Good day! I am the butler of this estate. The young lady is waiting in the drawing room. Please follow me."
Every movement was perfectly refined; not a hint of pirate about him.
Inside the drawing room, a delicate blonde girl with short hair came into view.
Behind Aike, Nami and Carina exchanged a glance.
Confirmed.
This frail, beautiful girl was definitely their future crewmate.
They hadn't known Aike long, but they already understood his personality perfectly.
A total sadistic womanizer!
There was no way he'd let prey this pretty slip away.
Tom's eyes gleamed with understanding too.
New mistress incoming!
The two girls and one cat had their boss completely figured out.
"Hello, Mr. Aike. I'm Kaya, the owner of this estate."
"Klahadore said you wished to discuss a transaction?"
Kaya looked at them curiously.
"That's right. But before we talk business, there's something you need to know first."
As confusion appeared on Kaya's face, a blade materialized in Aike's hand.
"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."