Daily Life in One Piece - Chapter 49

Mosen stood under the giant red tree marked with “13GR,” looking up. A winding stone path led up to the entrance of a bar. He tightened his grip on the package in his hand.

At this point, the large amount of Beli in the package had been sorted and placed on his person, leaving only some smaller amounts of gold and silver jewelry.

“This should be enough to pay for information on a merchant ship,” Mosen thought. He had taken care of some slave traders in the lawless area, and their loot was quite substantial.

Mosen now had nearly three million Beli on him, and the package contained another five or six hundred thousand. While not exactly wealthy, it was enough to cover his mission expenses.

“The famous saying holds true: ‘Where there’s risk, there’s reward.’ This is quite the haul,” Mosen mused. Though his mission budget was low, this windfall from the slavers would cover his needs.

Thinking of the scar-faced leader, Mosen knew there was probably more hidden wealth, but he didn’t have time to search for it. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Letting a scumbag like that live would be too lenient anyway.

“I’m too kind-hearted,” Mosen thought, justifying his actions. “The most important thing for a group is to stay together, and I’ve made sure they all went together. They should be grateful.”

Praising himself for his altruism, he stepped onto the path leading to the bar.

Mosen pushed open the door at the bar’s entrance and walked in.

Behind the bar was Shakky, with her short black hair and middle-aged face. She was wearing a brightly colored top and a low-cut jacket that highlighted her ample chest. She wore low-rise jeans and stared out the window, lost in thought. The ash on her cigarette indicated she’d been there for quite some time.

“Hey there, handsome,” Shakky said, her eyes lighting up as Mosen entered. “What can I get you?”

Mosen sat at the bar, tossing the package at his feet. “A beer will do, lovely lady,” he said. “And I need some information.”

Shakky paused, looking at Mosen more carefully, then put her cigarette in her mouth and poured the beer.

“A sweet-talking young man who knows his way around. The beer’s on me,” she said, sliding the drink over to him.

Mosen wasn’t surprised not to see Rayleigh. The older man spent most of his time away from the bar, which wasn’t unusual.

“Thanks,” Mosen said, downing the beer in one go and letting out a satisfied burp. “Great beer. Now, Shakky, do you know of any merchant ships heading to the North Blue in the next few days?”

Shakky sized Mosen up again, unable to fully gauge him. He seemed too young to be an independent bounty hunter. The faint smell of blood suggested he wasn’t as simple as he looked.

She hadn’t expected such an easy request. It was the information anyone could find with effort.

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Shakky leaned on the bar. “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, handsome. There are no merchant ships heading to the North Blue in the next week.”

Mosen wasn’t surprised. Reaching the North Blue from here was challenging, and pirates crowded the sea. Even with the protection of the World Government and the Marines, merchant ships were rare.

“Oh, that’s a bit troublesome,” Mosen said, though he didn’t seem bothered. “What about new pirate arrivals? Preferably with fast ships. I need to know their abilities and where they’re staying.”

Understanding his plan, Shakky chuckled. Confident young man, she thought.

Moving closer to Mosen, Shakky smiled. “What’s your name, handsome? I haven’t asked yet.”

“Mosen. My name is Mosen.”

“Mosen, a good name. Handsome and with a good name.”

Mosen was puzzled. “How is it a good name? I never knew that.”

It may have had some special meaning. Oh well, she’s older, so she gets to decide.

She’s called me handsome so many times, what can I do?

“Alright, little Mosen, I have some useful information. Want to hear it?”

After finishing her cigarette, Shakky lit another and asked Mosen.

Of course, he wanted to hear it. And what’s with the “little” Mosen? I’d argue with her about this if she weren’t a beautiful older lady.

He placed the package on the counter and opened it.

“Is this enough to pay for the information? If not, I’ll have to think of something else,” Mosen asked.

Shakky glanced at the contents, extracted the Beli, and pushed it back to Mosen, pocketing the rest. “I know a girl as good-looking as you, so there’s a bit of a discount,” she said wistfully.

No wonder she chose Rayleigh, an older man with style, Mosen thought. Turns out she’s a sucker for good looks like me.

“Sorry, got distracted. Here’s the information.”

“Bondy Pirates, Captain ‘Beast’ Bondy, bounty 95 million Beli, from the South Blue. Known for eating hearts, hence the name ‘Beast.’ Not a Devil Fruit user, prefers fighting with steel claws. His first mate and boatswain are both worth over 50 million Beli. Total bounty for the crew is 210 million Beli.”

“Their boatswain is a skilled shipwright, having modified their ship to be thirty percent faster than standard sailboats.”

“They’re currently hiding in the lawless area under Red Tree No. 9. Their ship should be ready to sail in two days.”

Shakky finished and placed the bounty notice for the Bondy Pirates in front of Mosen.

She poured herself a beer, chugged it, and then poured another, sipping it slowly.

“How does that sound, little Mosen?” Shakky asked, winking.

Mosen ignored the wink. She could be a grandmother for all he knew.

“If you drop the ‘little’ from my name, this information would be perfect,” Mosen said, downing another beer before heading out.

“Deal, beautiful lady,” he said, smiling.

Getting back at her for calling him “little,” he added, “Thank you, Aunty.”

He figured calling her ‘Aunty’ was fair payback for her nickname. At least he didn’t call her grandma.

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