Chapter 139: Looking Forward to Ralph's "Insult"?
The cold moonlight poured like mercury over the square of Whiskey Peak.
Four agents of Baroque Works—Mr. 8 Igaram, Miss Monday, Mr. 9, and Miss Wednesday—stood dumbfounded, staring at the black-haired young man before them.
Their minds went blank for several seconds.
Kill Navy soldiers?
Kill nobles?
Kill World Nobles?
Take on an Seven Warlords of the Sea?
This... Is he out of his mind?
Or perhaps...
Does he truly possess such strength?
In the midst of this eerie silence, a flurry of panicked footsteps echoed from inside the building.
Several underlings disguised as civilians rushed over, breathless and frantic, reporting to Mr. 8:
"Mr. 8! Miss Monday! Something's wrong! Two people are missing from inside!"
Igaram whipped his head around:
"What?"
"It's... that black-haired guy and the green-haired one—they're gone!"
"Useless!"
Miss Monday roared, "You couldn't even keep an eye on a few drunks!"
"Wait!"
Mr. 9 suddenly realized something, "Two people? The nameless Ralph here is one... Then where's the other?"
Before his words could fade,
A voice came from the rooftop.
"A swordsman should never do something as foolish as getting drunk."
Everyone looked up.
Under the moonlight, Zoro sat cross-legged on the roof, three long swords fastened at his waist.
He gazed down from above, a faint, elusive smile playing on his lips.
"Ralph," he continued, "I'm glad you didn't disappoint me, or I really would've drawn my sword on you."
His tone was as casual as if he were chatting with a companion on an ordinary day, completely disregarding the nearly hundred people below.
Just then, from the shadows of the buildings surrounding the square, figures began to emerge.
The "residents" who had been singing, dancing, and overflowing with enthusiasm at the banquet now wore no smiles.
The instruments in their hands had transformed into swords, pistols, and even rocket launchers.
Moonlight glinted coldly off the metal weapons.
Over a hundred people.
They densely packed the entire square, leaving no room to move.
Zoro scanned the crowd and grinned:
"I started suspecting something when I heard the codenames Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday."
He paused, then leaped down from the roof, landing steadily beside Ralph:
"Back when I was a Pirate Hunter, a criminal organization called Baroque Works invited me to join, but I refused.
"Their members love using codenames like that."
Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji, pointing its tip toward Igaram across the way:
"This town is actually a nest for bounty hunters, right? Specializing in hunting Pirates who've just entered the Grand Line! And all hundred-plus of you are Baroque Works employees. Am I correct?"
Exposed, Igaram's expression turned dark and icy, "I didn't expect you to be such knowledgeable Pirates. But since you know our secret, we have no choice but to silence you."
His voice lowered further, his eyes looking at the two as if they were already dead, "It seems... the tombstones on Cactus Rock will have to add one... or two more."
The night breeze swept through.
Pale moonlight shone upon the surrounding hills, shaped like towering cacti.
Those densely packed "spikes" revealed their true forms under the moonlight.
They were tombstones.
Thousands upon thousands, too many to count, marking the pirates who had perished here.
This terrifying sight could send a chill creeping up the spine of anyone who saw it clearly.
But Zoro only grinned wider.
He cracked his neck, producing a soft click:
"One tombstone enough? I think we'll need over a hundred."
The tension instantly tightened.
Over a hundred bounty hunters gripped their weapons.
Blades were drawn, guns were loaded, bazookas took aim.
A great battle was about to erupt.
Right then—
"Why make things so tense?"
Ralph's voice abruptly rang out.
He had actually folded up the wanted poster, tucked it into his pocket, and now stood with his hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease:
"Can't we just talk things over?"
One sentence.
It left both Zoro and the hundred-plus people opposite utterly dumbfounded.
Zoro frowned, looking at Ralph:
"You..."
Meanwhile, the bounty hunters across from them exchanged bewildered glances.
What was going on here?
Over a hundred bounty hunters were about to wipe out a pirate crew, to capture the two leaders with a combined bounty of 65 million Berries.
How much clearer could the situation be?
What was there to talk about?
Ralph seemed oblivious to the expressions on everyone's faces and continued on his own:
"You people are risking your lives to capture us, all for the bounty. But our Straw Hat Pirates, the two of us combined are only..."
He thought for a moment.
"Over sixty million Berries?"
"It's sixty-five million!"
Igaram instinctively corrected him.
"Alright, alright, let's say sixty-five million."
Ralph waved his hand, his tone carrying a hint of... disdain?
"On the Grand Line, is sixty-five million even considered money?"
He swept his gaze around, looking over the bounty hunters:
"It's not even a fraction of what the great pirates have. You couldn't even buy a decent ship with that, let alone a Devil Fruit."
Silence.
Then, over a hundred faces instantly turned green.
Not only did their faces turn green, but their hearts also soured!
Like pickled cucumbers!
The bounty hunters of this entire town were so poor they had to hunt whales for food.
And this rookie pirate who had just entered the Grand Line was telling them "sixty-five million isn't money"?
How dare he act so arrogant?!
What did he mean by "not even a fraction of what the great pirates have"?
Are you a great pirate?!
You just got on the wanted list a few days ago and already forgot your roots?!
Looking down on sixty-five million?!
Some in the crowd were already trembling with rage, their weapons shaking in their hands.
But Igaram, or rather Mr. 8, was, after all, an officer.
He forced himself to calm down and asked in a low voice:
"From what Mr. Ralph is saying, do you have a way to offer a price far exceeding sixty-five million Berries in exchange for our peaceful coexistence?"
"Of course."
Ralph nodded, "I see you all are rare talents. I really don't want any casualties between us. More importantly, fighting would just waste time."
He spread his hands:
"Isn't it better to spend a little money and turn hostility into friendship?"
He emphasized the words "a little money" particularly clearly.
On the rooftop, Zoro's face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.
The veins on his hand gripping the sword hilt bulged. The battle that was about to erupt was actually going to be settled by Ralph with "money"?
What kind of swordsman was this?!
As for the bounty hunters opposite, their expressions were even more spectacular.
This guy... wants to use "a mere sum exceeding sixty-five million" to brush them off?
Who does he think he's insulting?!
But the more crucial point is...
They actually... feel somewhat expectant?
How exactly does Ralph plan to "insult" them?