Meanwhile—
In another corner of Loguetown.
A group of pirates wearing the same coarse burlap cloaks as Buggy's crew had also gathered together.
"Lady Alvida! We've made contact!"
"They're willing to pay 150 million Beli to purchase the Devil Fruit in our hands!"
A pirate came running over in a panic, then lowered his voice as he hurriedly reported.
The one he was reporting to was a massive, grotesquely obese figure—so huge that the loose cloak clung tightly to the body.
The bloated physique made it impossible to determine the person's actual gender, while the rough, gravelly voice only added to the confusion.
But from the name Alvida, it wasn't hard to tell—
She was none other than the female pirate who appeared in the very first episode of the series: Alvida!
"—Hiss!"
She suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, causing the air beside her cheeks to visibly ripple.
Alvida spoke with a mix of excitement and regret:
"They really agreed to that price?!"
"Damn it! That means we still asked for too little!"
"So the rumors must be true…"
"A strangely shaped fruit, hiding demonic and mysterious power within!"
As she spoke, Alvida's gaze could not help but drift toward the wooden crate by her feet.
Inside it was a peculiar fruit discovered at their base.
Having heard rumors of Devil Fruits, Alvida came to Loguetown with a try-it-and-see mindset, looking for a suitable buyer.
She never expected that after showing only a single photograph, the other party would immediately agree to the deal.
That could only mean one thing—
This was the real deal!!!
The thought that this single fruit was worth at least 150 million Beli sent waves of excitement crashing through her heart.
Once she sold the Devil Fruit, she could buy bigger ships, better weapons, recruit more men, and conquer the seas!
The day she became the world's greatest female pirate was already close at hand!!!
With that thought, Alvida suddenly stepped forward, using her massive body to block her crew's greedy gazes.
Her eyes swept quickly across her subordinates before settling on the shortest man among them.
The rolls of flesh on Alvida's face twisted into a sinister grin.
"Koby."
"You take this crate back to the inn and wait for us there. Once we get the money, we'll come find you."
"Everyone else—come with me to the交易 site!"
She suddenly squatted down, pressing her massive, brutal face close to Koby's.
Then she grinned widely.
"Don't even think about running away—or eating the Devil Fruit yourself."
"If you do…"
"I'll make sure you learn what true cruelty means."
"Y-Yes! Captain Alvida!!!"
Koby's forehead instantly broke out in cold sweat as he answered nervously.
"Good."
Entrusting the Devil Fruit to the most timid member of the crew, Alvida nodded in satisfaction. Her eyes swept over the pirates still staring at the crate, and a cold smile curled at her lips.
Bang!
Her enormous spiked club slammed down violently, cracking the marble-paved ground beneath it.
Alvida snorted, white mist bursting from her nostrils as she barked her order:
"Everyone except Koby—move out!!!"
At her command, the cloaked pirates streamed out of the alley and headed toward a meeting point on the outskirts of Loguetown.
…
…
On the other side of town, inside a restaurant near Loguetown's edge.
A man with a blond explosion of hair, a nunchaku tucked at his waist, and an unmistakably delinquent air walked in.
After scanning the room, his gaze instantly locked onto a man with slicked-back green hair.
"Boss Bartolomeo! Why are you still here?!"
The delinquent shouted and hurried over.
"Hm?"
Bartolomeo, who had just finished eating, casually picked his teeth with a toothpick and glanced sideways.
"What's wrong, Gambia?"
"You forgot already?!"
Gambia stiffened, glanced cautiously around, then leaned in close to Bartolomeo's ear.
"We're meeting the Alvida Pirates at one o'clock this afternoon to buy a Devil Fruit!"
"I already collected protection money from several districts—we've scraped together 150 million Beli!"
"As long as we get that Devil Fruit and have Big Sis Dezaya eat it, we'll become the strongest delinquent gang in East Blue!"
"At that point, the entire underworld of East Blue will bow to us!!!"
Gambia gestured wildly, his voice rising higher and higher as he spoke, completely forgetting his earlier caution.
Bartolomeo, however, merely snorted with indifference.
"Relax, Gambia. It's just a Devil Fruit."
"We don't even know what ability it has yet—no need to make it sound so amazing."
"Besides…"
He suddenly stood up. One of his men immediately draped a golden fur coat over his shoulders.
Bartolomeo bared a grin, revealing sharp, vampire-like fangs.
"Compared to some Devil Fruit…"
"I'm much more interested in those clowns from the Buggy Pirates."
"They actually claim they've joined up with the Straw Hat crew—and want to talk to us."
"An East Blue pirate with one of the highest bounties around, joining a brand-new pirate crew?"
"Now that doesn't sound interesting to you?!"
Bartolomeo grinned fiercely, anticipation flashing in his eyes as he strode out of the restaurant.
…
…
Time passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, it was already 1:00 PM.
Although they were a delinquent group made up of young thugs, Bartolomeo's gang—who ruled over 150 towns—had impeccable punctuality.
At 12:59 PM, they arrived at the agreed meeting place with Alvida's crew—
An abandoned farm on the outskirts of Loguetown.
What Bartolomeo's group didn't know was—
Days earlier, Buggy the Clown and his crew had already seized this location and made it their temporary base in Loguetown.
…
…
"Captain Buggy! Someone's coming!"
A pirate burst into the makeshift tent and shouted his report.
"Huh?!"
The upper ranks of the Buggy Pirates—who had been preparing weapons in anticipation of meeting Bartolomeo's group later—were momentarily stunned.
Mohji stepped forward with a scowl and began berating the subordinate.
"You idiots! You need to report something this trivial?!"
"What's that gun in your hand for—decoration?! Just chase them off!"
"We're about to meet the biggest underworld group around—the Bartolomeo Gang! Don't you understand priorities?!"
"But—"
The pirate, scolded out of nowhere, hesitated with a wronged expression.
After a brief pause, he spoke again.
"But Vice-Captain Mohji, the people coming look like they are from the Bartolomeo Gang!"
"I saw a green-haired guy among them—he should be Bartolomeo himself!"
"What?! Bartolomeo?!" Mohji exclaimed in shock. "How did he find this place?!"
"I—I don't know…" the subordinate replied, just as puzzled.
From the seat of honor inside the tent, Buggy suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"That's enough, Mohji."
"He is the underworld boss of this region—having a few extra eyes and ears is normal."
"But still… hmph."
Buggy snorted disdainfully, his red nose twitching slightly.
As a pirate, he had never thought much of land-dwelling scum.
"Daring to come here on his own—trying to give us a show of force, is he?!"
"Interesting~!"
"Mohji, take some men and go meet them."
"See what they're after."
"After all, Lord Red only told us to find Bartolomeo."
"Now that he's here…"
"Our mission is basically complete."
"All that's left is to wait for Boss Straw Hat and the others to arrive!"
"Yes, Captain Buggy!" Mohji answered immediately.
…
…
Moments later.
Mohji led a large group out of the tent and walked straight toward Bartolomeo's gang.
When Red had assigned Buggy his mission, Mohji had been present as well.
He knew that although Red's instructions were simply to locate Bartolomeo and avoid conflict—
There was unmistakable appreciation in Red's tone.
Mohji had realized it immediately.
Red was interested in recruiting him.
Recalling the incredible abilities Buggy had displayed recently—like producing Beli out of thin air simply by striking enemies—
Mohji and the entire Buggy Pirates had already come to revere the Straw Hat crew from the bottom of their hearts!
A power that could create money from nothing?!
Was there any ability more incredible than that?!
So this time, Mohji was determined to perform flawlessly and earn Lord Red's approval.
What he didn't expect, however, was—
The moment they made contact, the other side suddenly tossed over a huge sack of Beli.
"We've already shown our sincerity!"
"Now…"
"Let me see yours, yeah?!"
Bartolomeo, with his slicked-back hair, strode forward with an arrogant, swaggering gait and flashed a domineering grin.
(End of Chapter)