Chapter 374: Love Pub

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Love Pub

Chapter 374: Love Pub

Under normal circumstances, even with reliable navigation, reaching Sabaody would have taken nearly two weeks.

After entering the Triangle Current and having Big Shark tow their vessel, however, the journey was reduced to only two days.

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 44.

Also known as the Civilian Dock.

Workers moved constantly along the waterfront, unloading cargo from merchant vessels and transporting crates into the grove.

Axel’s group quietly docked among them.

Most of the traffic here consisted of merchant ships, and their vessel looked ordinary enough aside from the horribly distorted pirate flag Chopper had painted at the top.

No one paid them much attention.

Axel stepped onto the dock and looked around.

"Back here again."

His gaze swept over the familiar mangroves.

"I’m feeling a little nostalgic."

Sanji stared at him.

"You’re nostalgic?"

His eyebrow twitched.

"We’re the ones who should be sighing!"

"You’ve dragged us into a conflict involving the Marines and two of the Four Emperors, and you’re standing there acting like we came here on vacation!"

Sanji still knew little about the true strength of the Blackbeard Pirates.

That hardly mattered.

The immediate problem was already terrifying enough.

The Marines were widely regarded as the greatest military force on the seas.

The Four Emperors ruled much of the New World and possessed enough strength to stand against that organization.

And the two currently involved were hardly ordinary pirates.

Whitebeard, the man known as the strongest in the world.

Kaido, the creature known as the strongest in the world.

The strongest military organization.

The strongest man.

The strongest creature.

Any one of those names was enough to frighten an ordinary person.

Somehow, Axel had managed to place them directly in the middle of all three.

Sanji could not imagine anything good coming from it.

Axel spread his hands.

"That isn’t what I’m nostalgic about."

Sanji frowned.

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Memories."

"What memories?"

Axel looked into the distance.

"I seem to remember a girl here who was quite fond of me."

Sanji froze.

Then his face twisted.

"You?"

He looked Axel up and down.

"A guy who looks more like a girl than most girls?"

"What kind of woman would fall for that?"

Axel shrugged.

Sanji knew perfectly well his insult had little basis in reality.

Whenever women realized Axel was male, their surprise was often followed by obvious interest.

It was precisely the sort of attention Sanji desperately wanted for himself.

Axel turned away.

"Anyway, let’s go."

Robin closed the book she had been carrying.

"Go where?"

She smiled slightly.

"What exactly are we supposed to do now?"

For once, Robin truly had trouble understanding Axel’s plan.

His actions had become increasingly difficult to predict.

They had entered a conflict that could involve the Marines, Whitebeard, Kaido, Blackbeard, and whatever Tesoro was planning behind the scenes.

Any sensible person would be searching for somewhere safe.

Robin had even caught herself considering leaving.

That realization bothered her.

In Alabasta, after Crocodile’s defeat, she had been prepared to die.

She had spent too many years living in fear and suspicion. Her dream had gradually become something too painful to continue chasing.

Then Axel had asked her to travel with him.

To search for the history she had nearly abandoned.

That invitation had made her want to continue living.

Yet now, faced with another overwhelming danger, she was considering survival first.

Had she changed?

Axel’s answer interrupted her thoughts.

"We’re going to play."

Everyone stared at him.

Sanji’s face became blank.

"Play?"

Axel nodded.

Sanji pointed toward him.

"Are you insane?"

"We’re sitting in the middle of a conflict involving three of the biggest forces on the sea, and you want to play?"

Then another thought occurred to him.

"And don’t expect me to fight for you."

Axel looked at him seriously.

"I never expected you to."

Sanji paused.

"As long as you keep cooking, you’re useful enough."

Sanji’s face darkened.

Before he could start shouting, Axel leaned closer and whispered a few words into his ear.

Sanji froze.

The anger disappeared.

A faint flush spread across his face.

He cleared his throat.

"Well..."

He straightened his jacket.

"If you’re inviting me that sincerely, I suppose I can accompany you."

Chopper looked between them.

"Where are you going?"

Sanji stiffened.

He glanced at Robin.

Explaining that Axel had just offered to take him somewhere full of attractive women suddenly became much harder.

Axel rescued him.

"An amusement park."

Chopper’s eyes immediately lit up.

"An amusement park?!"

He had only read about such places before.

For a moment, excitement covered his entire face.

Then he remembered he was supposed to be mature.

Chopper straightened himself.

"Well... I guess I could go if everyone else really wants to."

He looked toward Robin.

"Robin, you should come too!"

Robin smiled.

"Sure."

Sanji froze.

He slowly turned toward Axel.

No.

Absolutely not.

If Robin was coming, then Sanji suddenly had no desire whatsoever to visit the place Axel had actually described.

Axel smoothly stepped in again.

"Actually, Sanji and I are going somewhere more like a haunted attraction."

Chopper stiffened.

"Haunted?"

"Ghosts."

Chopper’s face immediately went pale.

Axel nodded solemnly.

"It’s probably pretty intense."

He placed a hand on Chopper’s shoulder.

"I’m not saying you’re scared, of course."

"B-But?"

"You’re a doctor."

Axel spoke with complete seriousness.

"Something that stressful probably isn’t good for your heart."

Chopper rapidly nodded.

"That makes sense!"

Robin watched the performance with obvious amusement.

She had seen through Axel from the first sentence.

"Then I’ll take Chopper to Bubble Park."

She looked toward Axel and Sanji.

"I hope the two of you enjoy yourselves in the Lawless Zone."

Chopper blinked.

"Lawless Zone?"

"What’s that?"

"Just the name of the area they’re visiting."

Robin smiled and walked away.

Chopper hurried after her, becoming distracted almost immediately by the soap bubbles drifting up from the mangrove roots.

Axel turned toward the ship.

"Wapol."

Wapol, who had been lounging on deck, looked over.

"You’re guarding the ship."

Wapol frowned.

"I am a king. Why should I..."

Axel smiled.

"You don’t have to."

Wapol immediately became suspicious.

"But if the ship is gone when we get back, you can drink seawater for dinner."

Wapol shuddered.

The Munch-Munch Fruit allowed him to eat almost anything.

Unfortunately, seawater still affected him like any other Devil Fruit user.

Without his ability to distort the experience, he would have to endure its raw salty, fishy taste while being weakened by it.

Wapol sat upright.

"Lord Axel, leave everything to me!"

He puffed out his chest.

"The great Wapol will personally protect this ship!"

"If any idiots cause trouble, I’ll swallow them whole!"

Axel looked at him.

Wapol hesitated.

"I mean..."

"I’ll drive them away."

"Good."

Axel and Sanji left the dock.

The moment they were out of sight, Sanji leaned closer.

"So?"

Axel looked at him.

"Where’s this place you mentioned?"

"Which place?"

Sanji nearly exploded.

"The place with all the beautiful women!"

"Oh."

Axel scratched his cheek.

"I don’t actually know."

Sanji grabbed his collar.

"You bastard!"

His eyes burned with betrayal.

"You were messing with me!"

Axel lightly tapped Sanji’s wrist.

The grip loosened immediately.

Sanji stared at his own hand.

Axel straightened his clothes.

"I said I don’t know exactly where it is."

He pointed ahead.

"But I know the general area."

Sanji’s anger faded somewhat.

"Where?"

"Groves 1 through 29."

Axel pointed toward the enormous tree marked with the number 44.

Sanji followed his gaze.

Groves 1 through 29 formed Sabaody’s infamous Lawless Zone.

Human trafficking, slave trading, underground markets, bounty hunters, illegal businesses, and countless other criminal enterprises flourished there.

The area had suffered enormous destruction during the earlier incident involving Issho and Kizaru.

But Sabaody existed directly beneath Mary Geoise.

The Celestial Dragons had no intention of allowing the destruction of their playground and trading grounds to remain visible.

Using the Yarukiman Mangroves, new artificial sections had been constructed and the Lawless Zone rebuilt.

If anything, it had returned even more extravagant and brutal than before.

Human trafficking continued.

So did hunting.

So did killing.

The only thing truly protected was the absolute privilege of the Celestial Dragons.

Despite its reputation, the region still attracted merchants, bounty hunters, pirates, brokers, and wealthy visitors.

There was money to be made.

And wherever there was money, people appeared.

Ordinary civilians simply tended to become the victims.

Following the signs among the giant mangroves, Axel and Sanji eventually reached Grove 14.

Their destination was a newly constructed establishment with an expensive-looking exterior.

A large sign hung above the entrance.

LOVE PUB.

Sanji stared.

Then slowly turned toward Axel.

Axel gestured toward the door.

"There."

Sanji’s eyes lit up.

They stepped inside.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

A group of women dressed for the upscale nightlife establishment greeted the newcomers with practiced smiles.

In the Lawless Zone, those smiles were often less about hospitality than survival.

Many of the workers here had little real freedom.

Violence was common, and powerful customers could get away with almost anything. If someone caused trouble, compensation mattered more than justice.

If the offender was too dangerous to confront, even that might be forgotten.

So the first rule was simple.

Keep customers happy.

Several attendants immediately gathered around Sanji.

"Welcome!"

"First time here?"

Sanji stopped functioning normally.

For someone with virtually no experience handling this kind of attention, several charming women speaking to him at once was already overwhelming.

He stiffened.

His face turned red.

Axel watched from beside him.

Pathetic.

Then he noticed something.

Almost no one had approached him.

Instead, several attendants were looking at him in confusion.

Even the male greeter seemed uncertain.

Axel sighed.

"I’m male."

The question disappeared from the greeter’s face before he could ask it.

Ultimately, nobody working here cared much about gender.

Money was money.

The attendants looked Axel over again with renewed curiosity.

His appearance was striking enough that they were clearly wondering why he had come to this kind of place at all.

Unlike Sanji, who looked ready to faint from excitement, Axel showed no reaction to the atmosphere.

That made him stand out even more.

A few attendants approached him more cautiously, offering drinks and trying to engage him in conversation.

Others continued occupying Sanji, who seemed seconds away from ascending to heaven.

Amid the movement, one woman quietly slipped away through a side passage.

No one appeared to notice.

She reached the back of the establishment and entered a private room.

"Boss."

A man lounged inside amid expensive furnishings.

He glanced toward her.

"What?"

"A strange customer just came in."

The owner’s expression shifted slightly.

He looked toward a nearby guard.

"Go check."

The guard obeyed.

After hearing the woman’s description, it did not take him long to identify Axel.

He hurried back.

As soon as he entered, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

"Boss."

The owner looked over.

"That customer is dangerous."

"How dangerous?"

The guard swallowed.

"He’s the man from the old wanted posters."

"The one with a four-hundred-million-Berry bounty."

The owner shot upright.

"Four hundred million?!"

The relaxed atmosphere vanished instantly.

He thought rapidly.

Then he pointed toward the door.

"Give him strong liquor."

The guard waited.

"Put a very small amount of sleeping drug in it."

The guard looked uneasy.

"If it affects him, bring another glass with a stronger dose."

It was a cautious test.

A tiny amount could easily be blamed on strong alcohol if Axel noticed something strange.

If he failed to notice and the drug showed an effect, then they could consider increasing the dose.

Fighting him directly was out of the question.

Only an idiot operating in Sabaody’s Lawless Zone would casually pick a fight with someone carrying a four-hundred-million-Berry bounty.

Sabaody was called both the Island of Failure and the Island of New Beginnings for a reason.

Pirates who reached this far had already survived much of Paradise.

Many were monsters compared with ordinary criminals.

A competent businessman learned quickly which customers should never be provoked.

The guard hesitated.

"Boss..."

"What?"

"His bounty was revoked."

The owner’s face became even worse.

"Revoked?"

He thought for a moment.

"That might mean he’s even more troublesome."

Why would someone like that come here?

If it were merely entertainment, perhaps there was no problem.

But the report suggested otherwise.

The owner turned toward the woman.

"He wasn’t here for the staff?"

She immediately lowered her head.

Her body trembled slightly.

The fear was partly real and partly practiced.

She had learned long ago that appearing submissive helped satisfy the owner’s ego and reduced the chance of punishment.

"No, Boss."

"We tried talking to him and keeping him entertained, but he didn’t seem interested at all."

The owner’s brow furrowed.

That was worse.

"Then use only a tiny amount."

He looked toward the guard.

"Enough that he won’t notice."

"If it affects him, good."

"At least we’ll know we have something that can keep him from suddenly going berserk."

The guard’s disappointment was carefully hidden.

He had hoped the owner would simply abandon the place rather than gamble with someone that dangerous.

But the man clearly valued the establishment’s profits too much.

And because the guard wore an explosive slave collar around his neck, leaving on his own was impossible.

"Yes, Boss."

His voice sounded obedient.

Like the woman beside him, he had become very good at acting.

.....

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