Chapter 186: You Get Used To Taking The Blame After A Few Times
The bright moon hanging in the sky coldly watched the Water 7 below.
Time was approaching late night, the bustling commercial street gradually becoming deserted, most citizens already home resting by this time, those still wandering the streets either drunks lingering in bars or wage slaves just off work, besides them there were quite a few special workers.
Bruno’s Bar,
The shipwrights drinking themselves drunk had also reached closing time.
They had to work tomorrow, couldn’t afford a hangover, Galley-La Company’s rules weren’t for show, losing this hard-won job they’d have nowhere to cry, after all in Water 7, Galley-La Company’s shipbuilders were top-tier jobs.
Failed applicants each year were as numerous as carp crossing the river.
Like the little punks from Franky House, over half had failed shipwright applications, too ashamed and broke to return home, could only wander the streets······ eventually picked up by Franky.
“Hey, Kaku Big Brother, one more round!”
Of course,
Not everyone could stay rational under alcohol’s assault.
The already wasted bachelor clearly didn’t want to go home to sleep alone, dragging his fellow single colleague, trying to pull more people into ‘falling’ together.
“Bonaci, enough, you’ve drunk plenty today, go home and sleep properly.” Kaku rejected the invitation, and even turned to lecture the guy daring to invite him to fall, “You few, watch this idiot, don’t let him drink more.”
He pointed at several subordinates with good tolerance who could control themselves, having them ‘escort’ the self-control-lacking Bonaci home.
The foreman title might sound unimpressive.
But in Galley-La Company, foremen’s status was second only to President Iceberg, vice president currently vacant, they were solidly leadership.
Several people grouped up, parting from Lucci, Kaku and others at the fork, planning to first send this drunk fool home, just then a man in dark green hooded windbreaker came face-on, seemingly not minding Bonaci’s drunk group, brushing past knocked one over, then like dominoes toppled a bunch.
“Hey!”
“No eyes?”
“Bastard, don’t run, stop!”
The fallen drunks were furious, struggling up and chasing the trench coat man heading straight for Bruno’s Bar, yelling threats.
The trench coat man not only ignored the drunks behind, but quickened his pace.
“What’s going on? Bonaci that idiot still not settling down?”
Kaku and others not far off also heard the shouts, all stopped, turning to see Bonaci and crew chasing a trench coat man toward Bruno’s Bar.
Kaku adjusted his cap.
“What are these idiots doing?”
His question, no one answered.
Everyone exchanged glances, no one knew what that group was crazy about? Infected by Bonaci that idiot?
“Sigh! Let’s go back and check!”
Kaku sighed, his nice guy persona making him unable to pretend not to see.
“Don’t let Bonaci them make too much trouble, if it blows up it’s bad for everyone.” Him worrying was natural, it looked like Bonaci’s group chasing one trench coat man yelling threats, all drunk, no restraint in fighting, really could cause deaths.
If pirates it’d be fine, kill and claim bounty from Navy.
But if not,
President Iceberg punishing was merciless.
Thus,
The group turned back, also rushing toward Bruno’s Bar, Lucci among them, his persona silent but full of justice, when Straw Hat Pirates’ two hundred million Beli was taken by another foreman Barry, discovered by Lucci, he forcibly returned it and gave the two hundred million Beli back to Straw Hat Pirates.
Such justice-upholding occasions, Lucci wouldn’t miss.
————
Bruno’s Bar.
Shipwrights leaving didn’t mean the bar closed, night was when bar business boomed, wait a bit and customers would come, Bruno stood inside the counter, diligently wiping cups.
Hired waitstaff cleaned the messy interior.
At this time,
The doorbell rang again.
Another customer arrived.
Bruno slowly looked up, seeing the dark green windbreaker man enter, head low, brim pulled down, face unclear······ when he neared the counter, Bruno smelled intense alcohol.
Here for third? Fourth round?
This hour, drunk this much, rare!
“What’ll······ it be?”
Bruno asked.
“One······ Door-Door Fruit.” The customer ordered.
But,
This order wasn’t easy!
Among CP9 colleagues, Bruno’s impression was dull, wooden, inflexible······ he knew he wasn’t quick-thinking, so honed his observation, noticing more details.
Smelling that intense alcohol, he noticed it differed from usual drunks.
Very clean alcohol smell,
No vomit stench mixed in.
Like bathed in alcohol!
Sensing abnormality, Bruno secretly alerted, prepared to act, hearing the order······ even dull he instantly knew ill intent, hurled the wine glass at the trench coat man.
“Pa!”
Wine glass shattered mid-air.
Iron chains like snakes shot from trench coat man’s sleeve, smashing the incoming glass, momentum unabated rushing Bruno.
Bruno crouched dodging the snake-like chain.
His back liquor cabinet slowed, bottles smashed, red liquor cascaded like waterfall.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Bruno couldn’t mind the loss now, strove maintaining persona, questioning the unknown attacker as bar owner, because Bonaci etc. shipwrights returned, he knew these burly shipwrights were fight experts.
Even pirates with tens of millions bounty repeatedly fell to these shipwrights.
What’s more,
Lucci, Kaku them probably not far.
Best not expose identity now.
“Hey, bastard, what’s······ going on?” Shipwrights saw trench coat man wielding chains attacking Bruno, minds foggy but bodies reacted instinctively, between acquaintance and unapologetic stranger who knocked them······ chose help Bruno.
“Shit, daring trouble in Water 7? Die!”
“Trash, drunk then go home sleep! Why cause trouble?”
Shipwrights cursed, grabbed handy items and lunged at trench coat man.
Stools, table legs, flower pots, door frames, doors, signs······ bar front door dismantled clean by these work-hardened shipbuilders, eighteen weapons rained on trench coat man’s head.
“Bunch of idiots, get lost.”
With clanging sounds, over ten chains flew from trench coat man’s sleeves, binding the lunging shipwrights tight.
“Ability User?!”
Sharp-eyed saw during trench coat man’s sleeves flaring, iron chains rapidly growing from palms, arms, totally different from their rope-binding foreman, Barry foreman couldn’t make ropes, only used carried ones.
“Damn, let go.”
“What the hell is this!”
“What trouble did Bruno guy cause?”
Bar doorway full of caterpillars.
Chain-bound shipwrights sobered a bit, realizing trench coat man targeted Bruno specifically, unrelated to them······ prior collision likely accident.
Bruno then realized things exceeded expectations, an Ability User······ looking like Paramecia Chain-Chain Fruit user, if memory served, Chain-Chain Fruit Ability User was that famous treasure hunter.
—Madd Torega.
“You’re treasure hunter, Torega!!!”
Bruno shouted exposing trench coat man’s identity.
But obviously useless.
Trench coat man dealt with interfering shipwrights, fully attacked Bruno, whipping chains from all sides blocking dodge space, now besides using Door-Door Fruit to escape, seemed no other way out.
Sensing dire straits, Bruno gritted teeth, decided go all out.
Suddenly,
Invisible terrifying pressure fell on him.
Single-directed spiritual pressure.
Mind or body······ Bruno instantly lost mobility, watched snake-like chains wrap his body, binding limbs, even mouth tightly gagged.
No,
Not Madd Torega.
In binding instant, Bruno saw face hidden in hood, was······ Black Prince!
Slow-reacting he finally realized tricked, didn’t know why Chain-Chain Fruit power held by Black Prince, but instinctively felt huge terror, wanted shout, warn door-appearing Lucci, Kaku······
Pity now he could do nothing.
Chains dead-bound his body.
Forget shouting, even closing mouth impossible, saliva freely drooling from mouth.
“Bruno!”
“Bastard, release him!”
Back at bar door, saw ground full of big caterpillars, Bruno in trench coat man’s hands····· Lucci, Kaku, Barry, Bubbly Lulu, Tylstone, Galley-La Company Dock No. 1’s five foremen charged at trench coat man about to leave with Bruno.
Barry rushed fastest, rope-binding expert already thrown his rope.
“You’re late!”
Trench coat man······ or rather, Elus, grinned at incoming rope, flicked sleeve, chains tangled with rope, more chains burst from sleeve wrapping beams, pillars, instantly weaving blocking net ahead.
Foremen halted.
Path ahead blocked, unless blade cutting steel, couldn’t break this iron chain net.
“Bang!”
Elus swung chains smashing wall, dragged bound Bruno and fled out.
“Chase from outside!”
Kaku decided instantly.
He leaped kicking adjacent wall open, other foremen followed through breach, circled to bar back, immediately saw alley sprinting back······ unlucky Bruno dragged on ground, leaving clear trail.
Chase battle erupted.
Five foremen stuck tight, unshakeable tails, no matter Elus zigzagged, couldn’t shake these locals.
“Acting really well!”
Elus glanced back.
Kaku and Lucci blended in foremen, nothing off.
But this target just Bruno, Lucci, Kaku······ leave for Iceberg to handle slowly!
He dragged Bruno sprinting, suddenly same dark green windbreaker figure appeared on wall, hurling seven-eight lit dynamite bundles at Kaku etc. foremen, high position plus bright moonlight, they saw hood-hidden face.
Golden wavy curly hair, scar under eyes······ instant, Lucci, Kaku recognized identity.
Next second,
“Boom——”
Explosion rocked surrounding streets.
Soaring smoke filled air, blackened foremen burst out.
Not bad, five foremen unscathed, not mentioning Lucci Kaku, just Barry etc., around forty-fifty million Beli bounty strength, once teamed to take down sixty-seven million Beli bounty pirate.
This dynamite couldn’t injure them.
But for blocking sight, delaying time, sufficient.
Bypassed explosion zone, empty alley ahead.
Lucci lightly sniffed, pity these alleys drunk shortcuts home, everywhere residual alcohol, tracking by scent······ needs pro hound, leopard no expert here.
“These damn bastards, treat Water 7 like backwater? Using dynamite here, catch you and swear you’ll taste dynamite! Bastards!!!”
Barry furious, bit cigar in half.
“Hey, Lucci, Kaku, Lulu, Tylstone, know who threw dynamite?” Lost chase, Barry hoped on colleagues, he saw face, problem non-newspaper-reading him didn’t know name.
“Hell if I know!”
Simple-minded white-bearded Tylstone dug nostril with pinky.
“Never seen, not local.”
Messy spiked hair, tinted glasses Bubbly Lulu shook head.
Kaku frowned, seeming recalling, actually side-eyeing Lucci awaiting orders······ involving Revolutionary Army dangerous bunch, can’t casually dive into trouble.
However,
Why Revolutionary Army target Bruno?
Their infiltration discovered by Revolutionary Army?
Then, Lucci lightly nodded.
“Seen that guy’s bounty poster, if not wrong, Revolutionary Army.” Kaku suppressed messy thoughts, made ‘remembered’ face.
“Revolutionary Army?”
Unexpected answer gave Barry headache, subconsciously scratched head hard.
Even non-newspaper reader knew these World Government-opposing dangerous molecules.
“Revolutionary Army······ damn, how’d Bruno cause them?”
This question got no answer.
Five silently returned to Bruno’s Bar.
Saw crowd watching ground bound caterpillars, tied unfortunates still unrescued.
“Hey, you guys just watching? Hurry untie them.” Kaku frowned, scolded.
“······Kaku Big Brother, we tried, these chains too tough, normal knives can’t cut, no locks found······” Unjustly scolded shipwright cried innocence.
“······That tough?”
Kaku approached, crouched testing with hand, drew cold breath, “Hiss! This hardness······ needs cutter probably.” Of course full power with beloved sword, confident to cut, pity Galley-La persona no swordsmanship mastery.
“Right, any of you know who took Bruno’s identity?”
Barry crowded over.
“Before Bruno boss captured, shouted ‘Madd Torega’, we all heard.” Someone spoke, others nodded.
“Madd Torega······ eh? Isn’t that super famous treasure hunter?”
Barry eyes widened.
As famed Grand Line treasure hunter, Madd Torega’s ruthless treasure tales endless in bars, casinos, gambling Barry heard plenty.
“Damn, why treasure hunter with······ mixed.”
Too many people, too mixed,
Barry didn’t say Revolutionary Army name, avoid unnecessary trouble, on return already told Kaku them, Revolutionary matter best report President Iceberg first, no spreading before.
However,
“Sigh!”
Barry deeply sighed.
Tonight luck really rotten, hit such trouble!
Speaking of, what did Bruno guy do?
