Before long, the attendant brought over a large platter filled with a variety of exquisite snacks.
"Please enjoy!"
The young shop attendant placed the cake down and curiously glanced at Ah Yin, such a handsome big dog!
Such large dogs are rare to see, she couldn't help but reach out and pat it, grinning as she said, "Sir, would you like me to give it a portion too?"
"No, all of these are for it. I'll just have a bite to taste the flavor."
Shano smiled, picked up a fork, and took a small bite of cake into his mouth.
The soft cake base melted in his mouth, the sweet aroma of the cream perfectly blended with the sweet and sour taste of strawberries, complemented by chocolate cookie crumbs, everything was just right.
Delicious, it doesn't feel overwhelming, instead, it enriches the texture of the whole cake.
However, his interest in sweets had always been limited, so after this bite, he put down the fork.
"Don't hold back, dig in."
Shano looked at Ah Yin, whose drool was about to hit the floor, and smiled wryly.
If it were Nami or other crew members bringing Ah Yin here, the plate would probably be licked clean by now.
Only in front of him, its owner, would it obediently adhere to the canine hierarchy, eagerly watching him slowly savor the cake.
Woof!
Ah Yin finally got permission, eagerly lowered its head, burying its entire wolf-like face in the cream, sweeping across with a tooth-to-tooth method, getting its face covered.
That eating manner...
It's just slightly better than mine.
Shano shook his head, crossed his legs, and ordered a cup of coffee, just sipping leisurely when suddenly he heard a racket from outside the shop.
Sweeping his gaze, he happened to see a few figures running past hastily.
"Hey, did you hear? Lord Shano said that if you can defeat any crew member on his ship in a duel, you can join his ranks!"
"Really?"
"Can it be that easy to join the ship of such an important person?"
"It's definitely true! Although I heard it from someone else, it's absolutely certain! Lord Shano said that weaklings who can't even beat his crew members don't interest him. Doesn't that mean this?"
"Indeed, it does seem that way..."
The figures gradually faded away, and the voices were lost in the wind.
Shano paused, holding the coffee cup.
"..."
His mouth twitched, how did the rumors turn out like this?
When did he say such a thing?
Those brats, their way of passing messages is too outrageous!
Earlier, he had asked those present, half-grown teenagers, to pass along a few words, and the most important first point was to intimidate the Pirates on the island, so they wouldn't dare bully the island's residents.
This seemed to have worked, as he hadn't seen any pirates daring to conflict with the residents all along the way.
But the second point, "he had no plans to recruit Pirates as new crew members,"
seems to have gotten completely distorted and misrepresented as the information spread.
What a headache.
Shano rubbed his temples.
The Pirates wanting to board the ship surely wouldn't have the guts to challenge him.
But other crew members wandering around the island might not escape being targeted.
"Woof?"
Ah Yin lifted its head, its face full of cream, glancing at Shano questioningly, as if sensing his change in mood.
"It's nothing, keep eating."
Shano patted its head.
Oh well, it's nothing serious anyway. He didn't believe any Pirates on this island had the ability to defeat his crew.
Once they've taken a beating for a day, they wouldn't need to wait till nightfall to behave themselves.
By now.
Some comrades might have already found trouble knocking at their doors?
...
In the vegetable market, south of the city.
Zeff, dressed in chef's attire, was squatting in front of a stall, carefully picking fresh ingredients when he suddenly felt a chill behind him.
Without turning his head, he said calmly, "Kid, if you want to sneak attack this old man, you'd better go practice for a few more years."
"Don't underestimate me, old man!"
A young Pirate holding a long stick shouted, charging from behind:
"You're the cook on the ship, right? How lucky, I actually ran into someone non-combatant like you. If I defeat you, I'll be able to board Lord Shano's ship!"
Where did this rumor come from?
Zeff frowned.
But was he quickly singled out as a breakthrough point?
"Been underestimated, huh."
Feeling the gust of wind behind his head, Zeff sighed, and his right leg kicked out like lightning.
Bam!
The young pirate flew back at an even faster speed than he had come, flipping his eyes and fainting on the ground.
Zeff looked around, and in that moment, he found seven or eight suspicious figures in the crowd, who were evidently intending to challenge him.
But having witnessed him instantly defeat an opponent, they became hesitant and timid.
"Youngsters these days..."
Zeff shook his head, continued selecting his ingredients, "Pack these for me, boss. I'll take this cabbage, and also the carrots and onions..."
...
Beside the tobacco shop near the dock.
"This batch is of good quality."
Smoker walked in the alley, counting the cigar boxes in his hand while puffing smoke.
Suddenly, three pirates wearing captain hats blocked his path.
"Defector Hunter Smoker! We finally found you, we want to challenge you!"
"Tch, because of that rumor huh..."
Smoker looked up, slowly blowing a smoke ring, sizing up the reckless pirates:
"Hey, what gives you the confidence to choose me as your opponent?"
"Of course it's because you're weak!"
The leading pirate captain laughed, "A bounty of 160 million Belly, sounds terrifying! Ordinary pirates would be scared to death and wouldn't dare challenge you, but we're different. We've long researched your background! Before joining under Shano's command, you were just a small Navy colonel in a place like the East Sea!"
"A colonel from the branch! And the East Sea at that!"
Another pirate captain laughed arrogantly, "Your bounty is so high just because you've benefited from Shano's favor, having the status of an Endgame officer!"
"I'm a Great Pirate with a bounty of 70 million Belly. Those of your rank are weaklings. When I roamed the North Sea, I killed at least ten of such rank! You won't be an exception!"
"Come on, Smoker, stop wasting time!"
"Exactly!"
"This glory bestowed by Shano that doesn't belong to you, let us take it off your hands!"
"Tch, what a bother..."
Smoker sighed, his right hand slowly raised, thick white smoke gushed from his palm, instantly forming into a giant fist and slammed toward the three!
"White Fist·Heavy Strike!"
...
Town square.
Kuina was resting by the fountain, her eyes closed. From the conversations of the people passing by earlier, she already knew about the rapidly spreading rumors on the island.
Simply laughable.
She shook her head slightly, how could Shano possibly be interested in this motley crew?
However...
One thing was strange.
She deliberately chose such a conspicuous place to sit, several batches of pirates had passed by, yet none stopped to issue a challenge.
In fact, they were even deliberately avoiding her, not daring to glance at her more than once.
Just a bounty of 200 million, enough to scare these people witless.
The swordswoman opened her eyes and sighed deeply in boredom.
Not a bit of courage, that idiot Green Algae Head is much more entertaining. No matter how many times he's beaten, he still has the fighting spirit to go all out next time.
In any case, it looks like no one's coming today.
She stood up, left the fountain square, and walked toward the bookstore.
Wonder how the other members are doing. With their bounty exceeding a hundred million each, they should be able to scare off this crowd of cowards easily, right?
Wait.
Kuina suddenly halted, looking up in a certain direction, her expression turning peculiar.
How did she forget?
There's indeed an exception on board...
...
On a small stool in the center of the food street.
Nami was happily eating a large box of takoyaki when she suddenly noticed, perhaps for some time, things had become unusually quiet around her.
Eh?
She looked up in confusion and glanced left and right.
Only to see that the exits on both ends of the street had somehow been blocked by a dense crowd.
Taking a closer look.
The entire street was packed with at least three to four hundred people, all staring at her menacingly, closing in gradually, their faces showing malicious grins.
As if in their eyes, she was some enticing prey.
What, what do they want to do?
Nami tilted her head, a look of bewilderment and confusion on her face.