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Ch148- Plot, My Biggest Enemy

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  --xLOVEx--

  Finally, they reached Grove 13. As they arrived at Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, Brook was the first to point at the sign hanging above the entrance. “Are we sure about this? The sign warns us already.”

  They pushed open the door, stepping ihe dimly lit bar. The first thing they saw was a woman casually beating up a group of pirates. Her fists moved so fast the thugs didn’t have time to react, eae hitting the floor with a thud as she expertly dispatched them.

  Hat’s eyes widened when he saw her. “Shakky?”

  The aused mid-pund gnced over, her expression shifting from surprise to a weling grin. “Oh my, Hat! Is that you? How long has it been, ten years, right?”

  Hat rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile crossing his face. “Yeah, it’s been a while, Shakky.”

  She gave o kick to the pirate groaning on the floor before turning her full attention to Hat and the crew. “Take a seat. I’ll be right with you.” Without missing a beat, she returo the brawl, nding a solid right hook on another pirate who had tried to sneak up on her.

  Hat waved his arm, motioning the crew toward the bar stools. “Go ahead, take your time,” he called out to Shakky as they all sat down, watg her finish off the st of the pirates.

  Shakky soon finished handling the group of pirates and turned back to Hat, a rexed smile on her face. She wiped her hands oowel casually, as if beating up a room full of pirates was just part of the daily grind.

  "Been a long time, Hat. Gd to see you’ve left pirating behind. You were always too soft-hearted for it anyway." She gave him a knowing look before her gaze shifted to Camie. "And is this cute mermaid yirlfriend?"

  Camie blushed furiously. As she started to mumble things away from the group.

  The versation shifted quickly as Shakky g the Straw Hats, her sharp eyes taking in each of them. "You want anything to drink?"

  Luffy, who had already mao sneak into the fridge, was rummaging through it like a kid in a dy store. “Already found what I wanted!” he shouted with a ugh, pulling out a giant sb of meat. Meanwhile, Brook had somehow gotten his hands on a bowl of beans.

  “These beans are delicious!” Brook excimed, ping down with his skeletal jaw.

  Chopper was horrified, his tiny hooves c his face. “Wha! I just turned around for a sed!”

  Shakky chuckled, clearly amused by the chaos. “You’re friends of Hat, so it’s on the house,” she said with a grin. She then handed a cotton dy stick to Chopper, whose eyes widened in delight as he grabbed it.

  Luffy blinked, looking surprised. “Hey dy, how did you know Chopper likes cotton dy?”

  Shakky raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re Monkey-, right? The captain of the Strairates?”

  Still busy ransag the fridge, Luffy mumbled, “Yeah, that’s me! You know me too?”

  Shakky ughed, leaning back against the bar. “Of course. You lot are pretty notorious by now. Plus, I like to stay informed.” She paused, gng over at Brook. “Though I didn’t know you had a skeleton in your crew. Or that a skeleton could move at all.”

  Coby, sitting nearby, smirked. “Yeah, he just joined us retly. Fits right in, though.”

  Brook straightened up with a flourish, tipping his hat. “Yohohoho! A pleasure to meet you, Shakky-san!”

  She then pced a cup of coffee in front of Coby. "I read a lot about the Enies Lobby i. Did you really start a fight with the Gover?"

  Coby smiled as Luffy sat o him, taking his own cup from Shakky. “Man, I really don’t wanna talk about it. That ain in the ass.”

  Shakky ughed, clearly expeg that response. "Ahahaha, no boasting, huh? What a big shot." She took a drag from her cigarette, blowing the smoke to the side. "You’ve got the same name as Garp from the Marines."

  Luffy, with his usual carefree tone, answered, "Yeah, he’s my gramps."

  Shakky puffed smoke once again. "I k. That expins a lot. You know, he used to chase me all over the seas."

  Luffy furrowed his brow. "Ah? Why?"

  Coby cut in from the side, sipping his coffee. "Because she used to be a pirate. Well, and an empress too."

  Shakky raised an eyebrow, looking at Coby. "Coby the Copy Ninja, huh? Didn’t know people still remember my old affiliations."

  Coby grinned slightly, copying her earlier words. "I like to stay informed."

  Shakky chuckled. "Well, that was 40 years ago. It’s been a long time since I sailed the seas."

  Luffy, ever blunt, bli her. "How old are you, dy?"

  Shakky ighe question, exhaling another puff of smoke. "Nowadays, I just cheer on rookies like you."

  Hat cleared his throat awkwardly. "By the way, Shakky…"

  She cut him off with a knowing smile. "I guess. You’re here to help the Straw Hats coat their ship, right? In other words, you want Rayleigh to do the coating for you."

  Hat scratched the back of his head, nodding. "Well, yeah. That’s about it."

  Shakky crossed her arms. "Well, he’s not here."

  Luffy perked up. "Where is he? How long has he been gone?"

  Shakky leaned back against the bar, thinking. "He hasn’t been around for about six months. Should turn up a month or so."

  Luffy frowned. "Six months?! We ’t wait another month. Let’s go to the amusement park we saw earlier!" He grinned, his excitement bubbling up.

  The crew, already eager for some fun, cheered in agreement.

  Shakky, unfazed, raised a hand. "You should be careful while you’re out there. Acc to my sources, there are currently 12 pirates here with bounties over 100 million berries. That’s her than you, Monkey-, Coby-, and Roronoa-."

  Luffy’s eyes widened. "That many?"

  Shakky nodded, putting out her cigarette. "Yeah. No matter which of the seven routes you took from Twin Peaks, they all lead here, to Sabaody Archipego. The New World is , and everyone’s aiming to get through."

  Shakky added, "Those names were filling the pages for a while now."

  Luffy, as blunt as ever, shrugged. "I don't read neers."

  Shakky chuckled, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Well, information is power. Speaking of bounties, among the rookies, you two have the highest. Monkey-, 350 million berries, and Coby-, 333 million."

  Luffy scratched his head, looking mildly curious. "Who’s third?"

  Shakky's gaze shifted, amused. "Eustass ‘Captain’ Kid. 315 million."

  Chopper, already feeling nervous, panicked from the side. "That's a lot! What kind of guy is he?"

  Shakky leaned back, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Kid’s bounty is high because he kills civilians, unlike you guys." She fshed a smile. "I'm definitely rooting for you, Monkey-."

  Luffy, ever carefree, ughed sheepishly. "I'm just having fun."

  "But with all those pirates around," Luffy’s expression turned a little more serious, "I’m worried about the coating guy."

  Coby waved off Luffy’s with a grin. "He’ll be fine. If I’m right, and that Rayleigh is who I think he is, he’s at least 100 times strohawo of us bined."

  Luffy blinked, clearly surprised but intrigued. "That strong, huh?"

  Coby nodded, his tone casual. "Yeah, trust me on this one."

  Shakky looked at Coby, her eyebrow raised. "You know him too?"

  Luffy, always curious, chimed in. "Who is he, Coby?"

  Coby just smiled and shrugged. "You’ll meet him soon enough. Let’s go."

  After saying their goodbyes to Shakky, they headed out. Luffy, Coby, Brook, Chopper, Hat, Camie, and Pappug made their way toward the amusement park. Luffy bounced ahead, bubbling with excitement at the thought of the rides and attras. The others followed at a more rexed pace.

  As they moved through the streets of Sabaody, Coby walked slightly behind the group, thinking. He knew Camie’s capture by sve traders would lead to them meeting Rayleigh and trigger a huge fight. The thought of avoiding that whole mess crossed his mind, but then again, the crew dispersing for two years after this arc was crucial for their growth. It was something they all needed—a wake-up call to get stronger.

  Coby g Camie, ughing with Hat as they passed some shops. He could prevent her capture and still beat up a Celestial Dragon for the same result, but that would alter things in ways he didn’t want to risk. The gathering of the big he csh with an Admiral—it all had to happen.

  "Let’s just go with the plot," he muttered under his breath, following the group.

  They soon arrived at the amusement park. Luffy’s eyes widened as he took in the massive Ferris wheel and other colorful attras. "This pce is awesome!" he shouted, running ahead to check out the rides.

  Luffy’s eyes lit up as he spotted a massive Ferris wheel. “Oi! That’s huge! Let’s ride it!”

  Camie’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but she hesitated. “I’ve always wao ride one, but...”

  Before she could finish, Luffy grabbed her hand and started draggiowards the ride. “e on! We’ll go together!”

  Coby watched them run off, shaking his head with a grin. He gnced over at Brook, who was admiring the colorful lights with wide, hollow eyes.

  “Yohohoho! This pce is quite lively, don’t you think, Coby-san?”

  Coby nodded. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

  As they tihrough the park, Hat stayed close to Camie, clearly nervous about the possibility of running into trouble. Coby noticed the tension but didn’t say anything. He had already decided to let things py out acc to the inal plot.

  They took the Ferry, rode the Gondo, and evehrough the Horror House. The amusement park was full of life, with the crew scattered around, enjoying the rides. Luffy was already hopping from ora to another, dragging Camie along with him, while Hat and Pappug stuck close behind, trying to keep up.

  At one point, as they were pying, a man in a bear e casually wandered by. It seemed harmless, part of the park’s typical fir. But as they passed by a crowded stall, the bear-man quickly and smoothly snatched Camie into his rge e, zipping it up with one swift motion before dashing away. The crew, he wiser, tio explore the park, their ughter and chatter filling the air.

  Except for Coby.

  --

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