One Piece My Partner is Too Crooked - Chapter 10
“After successfully coaxing Luffy with a plate of bird egg fried rice, Icey closed the restaurant door and again hung up the wooden sign that read ‘Closed for Business’.
“Really, Icey, if Luffy wants to stay here, just let him stay,” Aqua complained while resting her chin on the dining table, her mouth pouting.
“Now is not the time for leisurely fun, Aqua,” Icey said with a serious tone.
As he spoke, he walked to the remaining table and retrieved the gray package left by Ace under the table.
Undoing the knot on top, he unfolded the four corners of the cloth, revealing shiny gold and silver jewelry.
There were jade ornaments with gemstones, rings made of pure gold, dazzling pendants…
“Icey! Is this what you meant by making money this morning? You… you actually swindled those two kids’ wealth!” Aqua blinked her clear eyes, recalling Icey’s conversation with Ace earlier, her brain suddenly becoming more agile, guessing the gist of it.
Icey bent down to sort out the treasure without lifting his head and replied, “Transactions between men cannot be considered swindling.”
He had his bottom line. Compared to villains like the bandit Shigeru Kuma, Ace’s money would not go to waste.
If they could successfully eradicate the bandits and earn eight million in bounty, returning the money would be no problem.
If the operation failed, they would slip away…
It would also be a lesson for Ace, who had not yet set sail, to learn about the treacherous hearts of people in the pirate society.
Well, both Ace and Sabo wouldn’t lose out!
“What do you mean by transactions between men, Icey? That’s terrible,” Aqua said disdainfully, her eyebrows lightly teasing.
Who do you think got me into this embarrassing situation?!
Being scorned by the goddess of stupidity, Icey’s mouth twitched.
Suppressing the urge to beat Aqua, he repackaged the treasures Ace stole, stood up, and asked seriously, “Aqua, how do you think your value compares to these treasures?”
“Worldly treasures have no right to be compared with the goddess,” Aqua arrogantly snorted, unaware that she had fallen into Icey’s trap.
“So, let them pawn you off to them, it’s a way to make the best use of you.”
“Huh?”
Aqua was taken aback for a moment, her eyes rolling around, “You said it was a transaction between men, so even if it’s easy to intervene, even if I’m a goddess, it’s hard for me to handle!”
“Heh, useless goddess,” Icey coldly snorted.
“Ahaha, let’s not dwell on strange matters too much.”
Thinking of the fragrant fried rice, Aqua decisively chose to endure it and turned her gaze to the package on the table, changing the subject, “So what are you going to do with this money? Build a luxurious temple for the goddess?”
“…Do you think I would cheat for such a boring matter? Well, cough cough, settle this transaction between men?” Icey said speechlessly.
“This is not a trivial matter! Icey, let me tell you…”
Aqua was about to explain the benefits of building a goddess temple, but Icey interrupted mercilessly.
“Summoning you borrowed a lot of money from the villagers, so you need to repay them first, and then build a ship for sailing.”
“You’re making money just to pay back debts? That’s so boring.”
Aqua successfully changed the subject, excitedly suggesting, “How about we have a banquet tonight and drink heavily!”
Her cute face was full of anticipation, far from the stern condemnation she had just made.
Seeing this, Icey stepped forward, not wanting to talk to this foolish goddess anymore.
Seeing Aqua’s drunkenness, she quickly followed suit, still talking incessantly.
Under the refreshing sea breeze, the two left the restaurant and embarked on the path to repay the villagers’ debts.
To Icey’s slight surprise, the accumulated treasures exchanged for paper currency by Ace and Sabo amounted to a whopping one and a half million berries!
This was considerable for two kids living in a harsh environment with uncertain futures.
It’s worth noting that aside from the initial investment and renovation, the restaurant’s monthly revenue was only about one or two hundred thousand!
“Indeed, worthy of becoming the second captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army in the future…”
Icey couldn’t help but sigh.
Windmill Village wasn’t big, with only a few dozen households at most. One could reach the end by walking along the village’s main road from the harbor.
According to the normal plot, repaying the debt wouldn’t take long. Soon, they could focus on making and building the sailboat.
However, with Aqua around, who knows if the plot will follow its intended trajectory?
After learning about Icey’s “distant relative” with severe mental and intellectual problems, the kind and simple villagers were extremely generous, enthusiastically offering fruits, pork, and other local specialties.
Furthermore, unable to bear seeing such a cute girl acting foolishly, some even generously waived Icey’s debt!
After circling Windmill Village, Icey didn’t repay much money and was laden with vegetables, fruits, and other foodstuffs.
It’s quite absurd!
“Hahaha, I didn’t expect so many followers of the Acacius Cult in such a small village!”
Aqua walked lightly, holding the free wine she obtained from the tavern owner, looking at Icey with a proud expression.
“Do you see it, Icey? How devout their eyes are. That’s the charm of the Water Goddess Aqua!”
“Are you sure their eyes are devout?” Icey couldn’t help feeling a bit sad.
Those were eyes of pity for the mentally challenged!
“You’re just jealous, but I won’t blame you.”
Aqua leaned her white and tender face against the wine bottle and rubbed it, “After all, the gap between an ordinary restaurant owner and a noble goddess is too great!”
“If the last remaining creditor is still generous because of the Water Goddess’s identity, I will admit that your charm is indeed well-deserved.”
Icey smiled calmly.
Behind his words, there was one more thing he didn’t say: You’re good at fooling people~”
“Wait a minute, what did you just say?”
Icey spread his hands expressionlessly, “You didn’t hear wrong, it’s the vicious bandits lurking around here.”
“Ah?!”
Remembering the fierce appearance of those people from this morning, Aqua’s mouth twitched, genuinely discouraged, “Uh, Mr. Icey, how about… you go alone?”
Perhaps it was because Icey mentioned the terror of the pirates of the New World earlier, which caused her to feel some fear at the mention of “thieves” or similar existences.
“Without the strong Aqua following, I alone.
A completely inadequate,” Icey shook his head lightly.
“Is that so? It turns out that Icey, you really make people headache.”
Seeing Icey, who usually scorn and despise her, now rely on her like this, Aqua’s vanity suddenly exceeded her heart, raising her head proudly, revealing a posture that relied entirely on this goddess.
“Not bad for the great Aqua!” Icey chuckled lightly.
There was one more thing he didn’t say: You are good at fooling people~”
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
30 chapters ahead are available on Patron!
