Simultaneous Time Travel: What Villain? I'm the Protagonist!

New World, Sea Sound Tavern.

Even though it was already dark, the tavern was even more lively than during the day.

"You know what? Kaido's courting death again," the speaker said. He had a thick beard and scars on his face. He was chatting with his drinking buddies, but he was shouting as if he wanted everyone to hear him.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he became even more smug: "Kaido moved a giant rock over, and that guy, it was like a mountain, tied it to himself, and then jumped into the sea with a splash."

"This has happened so many times, and he still hasn't died."

Upon hearing this, the bearded man burst into laughter, displaying a bold and unrestrained demeanor.

A bounty hunter sat by the window in the tavern, and diagonally opposite him, two pirates kept flipping through the bounty posters.

"Nothing's quiet anywhere," the bearded man continued. "I have a friend in the Navy, and he told me that the Navy and the World Government have been in complete chaos these past few days." He picked up his glass and gulped down his drink. Seeing that everyone was getting impatient, he continued with satisfaction:

"For months, we've been going through files, searching for information, even setting up roadblocks and searching house to house, all to find one person."

"Who's there? Roger's alive?"

"Live my ass, he's looking for Vegapunk's colleagues."

Behind the bar, the old man wiping the glasses raised his eyelids and gave him a deep look.

Even the sound of flipping through the bounty posters stopped.

"I know that," the pirate flipping through the bounty poster turned around, placing his sake bowl on his lap. "Six months ago, on Egghead Island. That guy injured Kizaru, stole something, and then ran away. As for the bounty..."

"Three billion!"

In an instant, the tavern became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"...How much? How much did you say?" The bearded man's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Three billion! Double the amount if captured alive!" The pirate said, enunciating each word clearly. "I saw this bounty poster with my own eyes in Sabaody Archipelago. It was red with gold trim. I've only seen bounties of this scale twice before, the last time being Roger's."

"One Piece!"

"Yes, so who is this person?"

No one responded.

The bounty hunter in the corner looked up, revealing a thin chin beneath his hood.

Just then, the tavern door was pushed open.

The first person to enter was a man with a pineapple-shaped haircut and dead fish eyes, clutching a rolled-up roll of paper in his hand. The second person had slightly messy hair and a smile on his face, but that smile made the bearded man inexplicably feel a tightness in the back of his neck.

Marco, the Phoenix, captain of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

No one spoke in the tavern. The guy who was just talking about Kaido moving away had his wine bowl halfway up in the air and forgot to put it down.

Marco walked to the bar and tapped on the counter:

"A glass of rum and a glass of water."

Ace stood beside him, his gaze sweeping over the people in the room, and those whose eyes were swept away unconsciously turned their faces away.

The old man placed the wine glass on the bar.

Marco didn't drink. He unfolded the paper in his hand and placed it on the bar counter. The paper was already wrinkled, with curled edges, clearly having been turned over many times.

Bounty Notice.

Three billion, red background, gold trim.

"Has anyone seen this man?" Marco asked.

The only sounds in the tavern were the light filtering through the blinds and the clinking of glasses against the wooden table.

The bearded man opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The bounty hunter in the corner pulled his hood down even further.

Marco waited, while Ace picked up the glass of water from the bar, took a sip, frowned, and put it down again.

"Sheng Ren," Marco gave a name, "disappeared on Egghead Island six months ago, and was last seen in Water Seven. If anyone has seen him or heard anything about him, the drinks here are on me."

Nobody moved.

A few seconds later, the pirate who had flipped through the bounty poster coughed and asked, "Um... what does the Whitebeard Pirates want with him?"

Marco didn't answer. Ace, however, chuckled, but it seemed unnatural, as if he hadn't quite managed to feign ease.

"I have a favor to ask him," Ace said, "a personal matter."

“Back in Water Seven,” he said, “someone saw him.”

Marco turned to look at him.

The old man draped a rag over the rim of the cup: "A guy at the shipyard said that the man bought a large barrel of industrial alcohol and paid in cash."

"Industrial alcohol?"

"Yeah, the guy said he looked familiar, and he only realized it after the bounty poster was put up, but three months had already passed."

Marco and Ace exchanged a glance.

The old man lowered his eyelids and continued wiping the cups.

"Thanks," Marco said, leaving Bailey at the bar and turning to leave.

Ace followed, then turned back at the door and waved to the people inside: "Enjoy your drinks, everyone."

When the tavern door was pushed open again, the bearded man's bowl of wine had just been filled.

This time, even more people came in. The one leading them was tall and had a smile on his face. He was Owen, the fourteenth son of the Charlotte family.

There were three more following behind him.

Behind the bar, the old man wiping the cups didn't even lift his eyelids.

Irving walked to the bar, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and slapped it on the bar.

It was still a red poster with gold trim.

It's still the same face.

"Have you seen it before?" Owen asked.

In Pangu City, the same bounty poster was placed on the table.

"Thirty billion might not be enough," Jin Xing tapped the face in the photo.

Jupiter remained silent for a long time. Beside him lay the operation report from six months ago, with a medical record attached at the end: Kizaru had a penetrating wound in his left shoulder, healing at an unusually slow pace, and burn marks were still visible.

"Use the Buster Call?" he said.

Venus did not respond.

"...Where is the Knights of God?"

The words landed on the table, but no one answered immediately.

After a long pause, Saturn spoke, his voice hoarse:

"First, find out where he is."

Sheng Ren, who had been missing and causing everyone headaches, was currently enjoying dinner with his assistant.

But he spat it out after just one bite, so he quickly grabbed the bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls to suppress the nauseating taste.

"Robin, is this how you deal with your boss?"

Robin ignored her, rolled her eyes, and continued cooking, repairing machines, organizing intelligence, and so on...

Seeing that Robin ignored him, Sheng Ren flipped himself up from the recliner:

"Robin, what kind of attitude is this? How can you face the boss who's supported you for twenty years?"

"Heh," Robin put away the Flower-Flower Fruit, glaring angrily at the unscrupulous boss amidst a series of clattering sounds. Her resentful gaze made Sheng Ren feel a little scared.

"As an employee, it's natural to help the boss solve problems, but," Robin paused, "as a boss, where's the salary you're paying? I haven't seen it."

"Ah, this," Sheng Ren knew he was in the wrong. He glanced at the wine barrel that was so big that it would take ten people to hug it. In the past few months, all the money he had earned from opening a business had been spent on drinking.

Robin pulled a piece of paper from a stack of documents and shook it casually.

The poster, with its red background and gold trim, depicts a face facing the recliner.

"Three billion," Robin read aloud. "Double that if you capture him alive. Come to think of it, that's enough to pay salaries for twenty years."

Sheng Ren lifted his eyelids from the edge of the wine bottle.

Robin turned the wanted poster around and compared it to him: "Similar."

"That's how it is."

"So if I were to make a call to the Navy," Robin tilted her head, "this barrel would be full of berths by tomorrow."

Sheng Ren placed the wine bottle on the armrest and sat up.

"Go ahead and call," he said. "Remember, cash only. I don't accept checks."

Robin rolled his eyes and threw the bounty poster back into the pile of documents.

It was completely dark outside. The window was slightly ajar, and you could hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the distance.

Sheng Ren stretched, and his bones cracked twice.

"We're opening tonight," he said.

Robin was squatting in front of the pile of parts. He paused for a moment, but didn't turn around.

"Those people outside," she said, "two captains from Whitebeard's side have arrived, and Charlotte's family has also made a move. Just now, we received news that Kaido's men are inquiring about the shipwright in Water Seven who bought industrial alcohol."

Sheng Ren hummed in agreement.

"Also," Robin turned her head, "some members of the Knights of God have left Mary Geoise on their private ship, heading towards the New World."

Sheng Ren put the bottle on the ground, stood up, and walked to the window. Through the gaps in the blinds, he could see the street below, with a few lanterns swaying and hardly anyone around.

"I know."

Robin stared at the back of his head for a few seconds.

"It's too dangerous," she said.

Sheng Ren didn't turn around, but smiled:

"Don't worry," he said, "those people are coming to give us money."

Robin didn't reply. She lowered her eyelids and continued fiddling with the pile of parts, her fingers steady.

After a few seconds, she suddenly spoke:

"Three billion, double the amount if you capture him alive, is that the price you set for yourself?"

Sheng Ren turned around, and the moonlight shone on half of his face.

"Too low," he said. "I'll just have to go to Mary Geoise and give them my opinion."