In the eyes of the villagers of Foosha Village,
pirates and bandits could not be more different.
To them, pirates were dream-chasing adventurers — people who sailed the endless seas in pursuit of freedom. Because of that, the villagers generally treated pirates with warmth and friendliness.
But bandits…
Bandits were despicable criminals who committed every evil imaginable.
If displeased, they would destroy an entire village without hesitation — something they'd done more than once.
The villagers hated them to the bone.
At that moment, Tsuneo lifted his head and instinctively frowned.
Wasn't that the infamous, brain-dead "Mountain Bandit King," Higuma?
According to the original storyline, shouldn't this guy show up only after Red-Haired Shanks arrived?
Why was he appearing early… and inside this very tavern?
Was the world planning to make him take the fall for Shanks's role?!
Tsuneo, a man with zero combat ability and a notoriously low-key temperament, shook his head quickly.
Forget it. Forget it.
Just pretend he never saw these bandits.
Red-Haired Shanks and his crew were probably already on their way.
Everyone should clean up their own messes
he absolutely refused to be anyone's scapegoat.
With that decided, Tsuneo turned around, preparing to ignore everything.
Unfortunately…
Plans never catch up to sudden changes.
At that critical moment, the entire tavern suddenly fell into complete silence.
Every villager froze, wine cups halfway in the air, time itself seemingly halted.
Everyone
Except his crew.
The Akatsuki.
A bunch of living calamities!
They were still casually eating and drinking as if nothing was happening.
You've got to be kidding me!
Tsuneo stared at them, utterly dumbfounded.
He had given them countless warnings before!
Stay low-key!
Don't cause trouble!
Blend in!
And what did they do?
They shrugged at him with innocent faces, hands spread as if to say:
Captain, we didn't touch anyone!
We're being very low-key!
To be fair, facing a rowdy gang of mountain bandits barging in, the fact that this lineup of top-tier villains remained seated was already miraculous.
However…
In a situation where everyone else had gone still,
only they continued eating and drinking without a care
To the bandits…
It wasn't threatening.
It was insulting.
As expected…
The moment the bandits entered, they locked onto Tsuneo's group.
"Oi, oi… look what we've got here. Pirates, huh? Haven't seen so many stupid faces in one place before!"
"Hey, hey, no need to be scared. We're not here to cause trouble — just to drink!"
"Oi, barmaid! Bring out your best booze! If we're not satisfied… who knows, we might actually cause some trouble!"
Makino's face instantly went pale.
Her tavern was small, and her stock was limited — she had already given the last few bottles to Tsuneo.
"Um… I'm terribly sorry, sir. We just sold out of alcohol. Next time, I promise we'll have more prepared."
"What? Sold out? Those pirates are drinking right now! What are they drinking — piss? Or is it that you'll sell to pirates but not to us?"
"Ah— no, no! It's nothing like that! Everyone here is a customer! They simply bought it earlier!"
"Oi. Did he just say something really annoying?"
At that line, every member of the Akatsuki slowly lifted their gaze.
A suffocating killing intent instantly filled the air, nearly impossible to restrain.
The bandits were oblivious.
Tsuneo wanted to scream.
He really did NOT want trouble!
Thankfully…
Because he had repeatedly drilled discipline into them, despite being monsters of overwhelming strength, every member of the Akatsuki obeyed his word absolutely.
At that moment, they all simultaneously turned their gaze toward Tsuneo.
With just one signal from him, the island could be wiped clean.
But…
Why start a war?
Why attract attention before he became absolutely unstoppable?
Peaceful sign-ins are so much better.
Why make a fuss?
This world had plenty of terrifying powerhouses.
Thinking this, Tsuneo exhaled lightly and smiled bitterly.
Forget it.
Let Shanks handle his own plotline.
These bandits just wanted a drink, right?
Such a simple, rustic request.
He happened to have an unopened bottle beside him.
So Tsuneo casually picked it up and handed it to Higuma.
Wait
The moment he extended his arm, Tsuneo instantly regretted it.
This scene felt too familiar.
And indeed
BOOM!
Higuma smashed the bottle with a single punch, splattering its contents all over Tsuneo's head.
Tsuneo stood there, stunned and speechless.
"Oi! Who do you think you're insulting?! My head's worth eight million berries! A mere bottle of cheap booze isn't enough to wet my tongue!"
Instantly
The entire Akatsuki leapt to their feet.
Every single one of them froze, eyes wide and filled with horror.
Are you kidding?!
Their god-tier captain
humiliated by a worthless insect?!
If the captain truly got angry…
This entire island would vanish.
The sky itself might collapse.
…
…