"Captain! They responded with signal flags!" the crewman responsible for communications shouted while interpreting the message.
"They say… they want to talk."
"Maintain our course. Slow the ship and let them come alongside," Sami ordered calmly.
"Since they want to talk, we'll hear what they have to say. But nobody relax. Stay ready for battle. Without my command, no one makes the first move."
Soon the two ships of the Doggy Pirates accelerated and caught up.
With practiced coordination, they positioned themselves on both sides of the Swordfish, like a pair of pincers, forming a brief parallel formation.
"Hey—HEY over there!" a slightly hoarse voice shouted from the opposite ship.
The man speaking was the oddly proportioned Short-Legged Wena from the bounty poster, leaning against his ship's railing while calling out to Sami.
"You've got some guts, Captain Riberra Sami! Causing such a huge scene on Drum Island, kidnapping the king, and still managing to escape unharmed! Impressive! Truly impressive!"
Sami placed one foot on the railing of the Swordfish, his body swaying gently with the ship.
"So what? Captain Wena chased us all this way just to seek justice for the Drum Kingdom's king?"
"No! No! No!" Wena waved both hands quickly, his grin widening.
"Why fight and kill? That just hurts the atmosphere! I, Wena, love making friends!"
"I've got a great opportunity to make a fortune—and I wanted to talk to you about it!"
"A fortune, huh?"
Sami raised an eyebrow, showing interest.
"That's right! Shouting across ships is exhausting with this wind," Wena said. "Why don't I come aboard your ship? We can talk face-to-face."
Clearly, Wena had great confidence in his own strength and numerical advantage. He had no fear stepping onto Sami's ship.
A glint flashed in Sami's eyes, but he casually waved his hand.
"Oh? If it's something important enough for Captain Wena to chase us down personally, it must be significant."
"Please—come aboard. We'll prepare some drinks to welcome you."
Soon Wena boarded the Swordfish with four or five tough-looking subordinates using a temporary plank bridge.
Up close, his body proportions were even more striking.
His upper body was nearly as broad as Aldo's, but his legs were absurdly short, making it difficult not to stare.
Sami had an empty wine barrel brought over to serve as a makeshift table. He personally poured two cups of rum and pushed one toward Wena.
"So then, Captain Wena," Sami said calmly while holding his cup without drinking, "what kind of big opportunity made you chase us down like this?"
"You're inviting my crew to share a fortune, I assume?"
Wena also picked up his cup but didn't drink. Instead, he rubbed the rim of the glass with his fingers and leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice.
"That's right. A big fortune."
"The next island is Alabasta. You know that, right?"
"I've heard a little," Sami nodded cooperatively. "A desert kingdom, lots of sand everywhere. Doesn't look particularly wealthy."
"Hmph! That's because you're looking in the wrong places!"
Wena sneered, wearing an expression that said you clearly don't understand.
"I've been watching that country for a long time. It's different from many kingdoms on the Grand Line that squeeze their people dry with taxes or endless wars."
"Their king is supposedly a rare benevolent ruler. He doesn't tax his people heavily…"
"So what you're saying is…?" Sami asked, feigning curiosity.
A greedy grin spread across Wena's face.
"If the king is kind and taxes are low, then the ordinary townsfolk must have saved up quite a bit over the years."
"We just pick a town, gather our forces, and rob the hell out of it!"
"The wealth we get will be enough for our crews to enjoy life for years!"
"Oh? That does sound like a good plan…"
Sami stroked his chin, showing appropriate interest.
Then he shifted tone slightly, adding a hint of suspicion.
"But Captain Wena, your crew is strong and your ships are numerous. Why invite a newcomer like me to such a guaranteed opportunity?"
"Ah… Sami, my friend," Wena sighed dramatically, forcing a helpless look onto his face.
"I've been wandering these waters of the Grand Line for years."
"All that nonsense about circling the Grand Line and becoming Pirate King? Total bullshit!"
"In my opinion, real wealth—gold, jewels, and Berries stuffed into your own pockets—that's what truly matters!"
"To be honest, everything I said earlier was just putting a fancy spin on things."
"The truth is… I'm just not strong enough."
"This damned sea is full of monsters! Guys like us with bounties in the tens of millions look scary on paper, but in reality we're nothing special."
"For years I've only dared to stay in the very beginning of the first half of the Grand Line."
"These early islands along the fixed routes—I've practically visited them all."
"Most of the time I only dare raid remote villages in poor regions with weak defenses."
"The profit is pitiful. My brothers have suffered following me."
As he spoke, Wena quietly observed Sami and the officers behind him from the corner of his eye.
Then suddenly his tone rose, his face instantly changing into one filled with admiration.
He gave Sami an exaggerated thumbs-up.
"But what you did on Drum Island really opened my eyes!"
"My god! Kidnapping the king directly!"
"And the best part? Your bounty is only 69 million!"
"With that strength and bounty, you dared to pull something like that off—and actually succeeded!"
"What does that prove?"
"It proves you've got guts! And brains!"
"You're a real talent! Absolutely a talent!"
He slapped the wine barrel loudly with both hands, making several bang bang sounds in excitement.
"So I thought—what if we join forces?"
"With my experience navigating these waters and your boldness and brains!"
"With our combined strength of over 140 million Berries worth of bounty!"
"Then robbing a small town in Alabasta would be a piece of cake!"
"At that point, gold, jewels, Berries—we'll be hauling them onto our ships by the piles! Hahahaha!"
The reason Wena dared to speak so openly was simple.
Before chasing Sami down, he had already investigated Sami's reputation in the West Blue through his own channels.
He knew that Sami had robbed mafia groups, trafficked weapons and slaves, and acted without any moral restraint.
His targets included gangs, marines, and even other pirates.
From that behavior, Wena concluded that Sami was exactly the type of ruthless man who believed fortune favors the bold—someone greedy enough to risk his life for wealth.
Wena was calculating that if this cooperation succeeded and Sami tasted the profits, then with Sami's greed and bold personality, he would definitely develop a taste for it.
And perhaps—
He might even be able to absorb Sami's pirate crew into his own, greatly expanding his power.
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