Chapter 123: Information Broker
“The hot dogs here taste amazing.”
“You ran all this way just to eat…… hot dogs?”
“What’s the problem? They really taste great! I’ve been to so many places, but I still think the hot dogs here are the best. If you don’t believe me, Koala, try one. I guarantee you’ll want a second after the first.” Sabo handed over the hot dog in the paper box.
Koala rolled her eyes.
Her fair fingers unconsciously twisted a strand of hair; she had no appetite for food right now.
“Enjoy it slowly by yourself! But if it delays the mission, I wonder what you’ll do? Even if Dragon doesn’t mind, if Uncle Kil gets angry, I can’t help you.”
“Don’t worry, I have the mission under control.”
Sabo confidently gave his assurance, then lowered his head to take another bite of the steaming hot dog sandwiched between two pieces of long bread and topped with ketchup, his puffed cheeks constantly moving…… The two Revolutionary Army members were located in Sabaody Archipelago, standing under the giant mangrove tree, with light bubbles continuously emerging from the grass around them, floating toward the massive canopy of the mangrove that blocked the sun and moon.
The work in North Blue had come to an end.
They had returned to the Grand Line.
The Revolutionary Army is a worldwide organization, with their footprints spanning the Four Seas and the Grand Line. Places like Skypiea and Raftel don’t have Revolutionary Army eyes and ears, but even the Holy Land has Revolutionary Army informants embedded there. Though remote contact can be made via Den Den Mushi and similar devices.
But as the Supreme Leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon staying long-term in North Blue was ultimately inconvenient.
So after finishing the work in North Blue, they immediately hurried nonstop…… without stopping the ship, back to the Grand Line. And upon returning, instead of going anywhere else, they first came to Sabaody Archipelago, the land connecting the first half and second half of the Grand Line.
Speaking of which,
In the mouths of many Pirates, this island is also known as “Failure Island” and “Island of Restart.”
This is one of the places with the most up-to-date news on the Grand Line. The Revolutionary Army definitely has chess pieces planted here, but unfortunately, due to the Fire Fist incident, to search for the fleeting glimpse of Pluto, the Navy conducted a massive search on the island for several days. The Revolutionary Army’s planted chess piece was unfortunately swept away by the storm.
Later, new chess pieces were arranged, but they haven’t developed long enough to reach the level of the previous unlucky one.
Fortunately, Sabaody Archipelago still has quite a few capable people who have withstood the wind and rain without falling. Dragon came to Sabaody Archipelago to meet that person, and Sabo and Koala were sent ahead as advance scouts, after all, Dragon’s identity is special.
The reason for this wasn’t that Dragon feared an ambush—even if the Navy’s three Admirals came together, no one could stop him from leaving. The main reason was consideration for others and for the Revolutionary Army’s reputation.
If enemies like Navy Admirals or CP0 were drawn in because of him, he could escape anytime, but it would undoubtedly leave trouble for the partners cooperating with the Revolutionary Army. If that happened, the Revolutionary Army’s reputation would definitely be ruined.
However—
Sabo didn’t go directly to carry out the mission.
Instead, he took a detour to a commercial street and familiarly found a mobile hot dog vendor in the most remote spot on the commercial street.
“Koala, don’t worry. At this point, no matter how urgent, we don’t need to rush this moment. And don’t forget the nature of our mission—we’re here to scout. Taking a longer route is perfect for checking if anyone’s following us.”
As he spoke, Sabo pretended to seriously look around in all directions.
At the end of the street, there were very few pedestrians. Besides the hot dog mobile cart not far away, there were no other vendors nearby. The passing pedestrians were all in a hurry. This was also one of the commercial street’s exits, but it didn’t connect to the bustling harbor or roads to other peninsulas—going out from here led only to the depths of the peninsula.
That is, uninhabited wilderness.
Sabaody Archipelago isn’t huge, but it isn’t small either. Because it’s a floating island based on the roots of the mangrove, there’s no way to engage in agriculture on the island, nor are there mineral deposits or the like. All the island’s residents rely on commerce for their livelihood.
Therefore, settlements are mostly by the seaside, and few ordinary people live in the depths of the island. In other words, those who venture into the peninsula’s depths are generally no good—either Pirates who failed in the New World and fled back, criminals who committed crimes, or strongholds established by gangs and slave traders……
Koala scoffed, too lazy to argue with Sabo.
She widened her beautiful eyes and sized up the stall owner sitting lazily behind the cart, looking like he hadn’t woken up.
“That stall owner doesn’t look like an ordinary person.” She suddenly lowered her voice and said.
“Don’t overthink it. The stall owner is just an information broker—not Navy, doesn’t work for Pirates. As long as you pay, he’ll sell intelligence to anyone. Though…… he doesn’t have any exclusive intel; he basically sells various island rumors.”
Sabo explained to Koala while taking big bites of the hot dog bun.
This wasn’t his first time in Sabaody Archipelago.
Though he joined the Revolutionary Army only a year before Koala, as Dragon’s personally selected and guided ‘heir’—without the master-disciple name but with the reality—Dragon had always trained Sabo through various means. In terms of practical experience, he could outmatch Koala by miles.
Of course, this was also because their training paths differed.
Sabo was groomed by Dragon as a successor, while Koala, being a girl, was trained toward becoming an intelligence operative.
“You can try buying some intel yourself.”
Sabo encouraged Koala to investigate personally.
Koala actually went over and bought a thick little booklet. The stall owner indeed said no nonsense—one hand money, one hand goods. For five hundred Beli, she got this so-called ‘intelligence.’ Koala flipped through it, her face showing an extremely odd expression.
This thing……
Damn, this thing was basically a travel guide—a Sabaody Archipelago map split into many pages, with plenty of color photos, plus text introductions to famous local attractions. At the end, there were some outdated summaries of local gangs and evil forces……
“How is it? Interesting, right?”
Eating didn’t stop Sabo from showing a delighted smile.
“What kind of information broker is this?! It’s no different from those travel guides sold at the dock—it’s just a scam……”
Koala loudly complained, not caring if anyone heard. Or rather, the stall owner who heard Koala’s complaints immediately shrank his neck.
“It’s not exactly a scam.”
Sabo interrupted Koala’s rant. “At least compared to the shoddy stuff at the dock, this travel guide is of good quality. Five hundred Beli—fair price.”
With that said, Koala swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
Five hundred Beli for a deluxe travel guide…… couldn’t really call it a scam, but…… still felt scammed……
“Sabo, you wouldn’t have fallen for it before…… um, bought this thing too, right?”
“I have bought it.”
Sabo admitted.
But Sabo admitting so quickly only made Koala more annoyed. She glared fiercely at Sabo, who was still eating his hot dog bun, leaving him baffled for a moment. Fortunately, Sabo wasn’t stubborn; he quickly put such minor puzzles behind him.
He continued to focus on eating.
He wolfed down eight hot dog buns in one go, then satisfiedly exhaled, paid the stall owner, and left the commercial street with Koala. Following the shortcut indicated on the deluxe travel guide Koala bought, they headed to the destination.
Peninsula 13.
This island was their destination.
“Shakky’s Nail Bar…… this is the place, right?”
“Should be right. There’s no other nail bar around here. Let’s go in and ask!”
After passing a short staircase, the two pushed open the door and entered this bar with no customers…… well, no customers before they arrived. Standing at the entrance and looking around, every visible spot was empty and unoccupied.
Except for the woman sitting behind the bar counter, smoking a lady’s cigarette and reading a newspaper, there seemed to be no one else in the bar.
“Two guests? What would you like?” The woman with the cigarette stood up and greeted Sabo and Koala at the door. Her skin was very well-maintained, so much so that her age was indeterminable. If not for the unique aura of accumulated years, she could easily pass for a young girl in her teens or twenties.
“Um, excuse me, are you Miss Shakky?”
Sabo looked at the woman and compared her to the photo in his memory—perfect match, should be the target person.
“Oh! What brings you to me, little bro?”
Shakky curiously sized up Sabo and Koala.
“Dragon sent us.” Sabo said it subtly. Just saying the name of the Revolutionary Army’s Supreme Leader like this wasn’t due to lack of caution—on this sea, there were plenty of people with ‘Dragon’ in their name. Even East Blue had a Fish-Man Arlong now!
As long as the full name wasn’t said or related context given, no one would immediately link it to the world’s most dangerous criminal.
So Sabo and Koala, even on the road, never avoided calling him Mister Dragon, saying it openly even around others.
“Mister Dragon……”
The relaxed smile on Shakky’s face vanished. As someone in the know with many secrets, she immediately realized upon hearing the title that the handsome young man and woman before her weren’t here to drink.
“So you’re Mister Dragon’s messengers. Little bro, miss, why not sit down and chat?”
“Then we’ll impose.”
Sabo and Koala sat down at the bar counter.
Shakky took out two cups from under the counter, ice cubes clinking into them. Her right hand swept over the row of wine bottles. “What would you like to drink?”
“No need for drinks. We’re here to talk to you……”
“I know what Mister Dragon means. I agree to his request—no need for you two to run around anymore. Mister Dragon will come when it’s time. For now, just rest here.” Shakky grabbed a bottle of wine and asked, “Ruby Port, can you drink it?”
Facing Shakky’s assertiveness, Sabo helplessly blinked.
He recalled Dragon’s instruction before departure: after arriving at Nail Bar, don’t act on your own—follow Miss Shakky’s orders…… He suddenly lost any ground for refusal. For Shakky’s question, he could only nod and move his hand from the rim of the cup.
Sabo had no objections.
Koala naturally had none either. On this trip, Sabo was the main envoy; her task was to cover for him. She wasn’t even fully briefed on the mission details—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been dragged by Sabo midway to eat hot dogs.
“The Revolutionary Army coming to Sabaody Archipelago—is it really because of the World Conference the day after tomorrow?”
Shakky watched the two sip their drinks and casually asked.
“Miss Shakky!!”
Sabo was sweetly polite. Even knowing from Dragon that ‘Miss Shakky’ was likely older than Dragon, as a well-mannered gentleman, he still addressed her as Miss Shakky. He widened his eyes in surprise, instinctively glancing left and right despite knowing there were no other guests in the bar.
Saying ‘Mister Dragon’ was fine even with a Navy officer nearby, but the word ‘Revolutionary Army’—even a lowly Marine hearing it would mean guns aimed at them the next moment.
“Please don’t say that name, if someone……”
“It’s safe here, little bro. Relax. Didn’t Mister Dragon tell you my identity?” Shakky lightly laughed, soothing Sabo who was like a bristling cat.
“No, Mister Dragon just told me to relay a message: he hopes to borrow your power to monitor the World Conference.” Sabo shook his head.
“I’m an information broker.”
Shakky smoked her cigarette, a proud smile on her face. “As an information broker, if I can’t keep my guests’ secrets, I can’t stay in this business. In this bar, you can say anything—Revolutionary Army, Pirate Emperor, Celestial Dragon…… no need to hold back or worry. Plus, if you can pay the price, I can sell you intel here too.”
“Miss Shakky, do you sell all kinds of intel here?” Koala asked curiously.
“Saying I have everything is impossible—of course. Like Revolutionary Army intel, I have none. But in Sabaody Archipelago, no one’s intel is more accurate, detailed, or faster than mine…… Miss, what intel would you like to buy?” Shakky asked with a smile.
“Um…… let me think!”
Koala blinked, held her wine glass, pondered for a moment, then asked, “Um, do you have detailed intel on the conflict between Beasts and Black Prince? And how much for this intel? If it’s too expensive, forget I asked.”
