The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

Inside the hall, John and Reed sat at a round table, each holding a menu and preparing to order.

"Order whatever you like, it's all free!"

Reed raised an eyebrow at John smugly, then, as if remembering something, added.

"However, alcohol is an exception; you'll have to pay for that yourself."

Upon hearing this, John glanced at the waiter who was awkwardly smiling beside him, then turned his gaze to the menu.

He first ordered ramen, representing carbohydrates, grilled meat, representing protein, and vegetables, which contain vitamins and dietary fiber, and finally moved his eyes to the beverage section at the bottom of the menu.

Since drinking is allowed at work, I should definitely have a little.

However, when John saw the prices of the drinks, he rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

Then I looked again and checked it again...

"Fuck! Why don't you just rob someone? Are you serious about adding a '0' to the normal market price?!"

"The Kingdom of Leon is currently enforcing a prohibition on alcohol, so it's normal for alcohol prices to be high."

Reed explained briefly, then his eyes flickered slightly as he gave an order to the waiter.

“Bring out a bottle of wine that I have here to celebrate John becoming a glorious Marine.”

Compared to the twenty million Berries John bribed him with, a bottle of wine costing tens of thousands of Berries was just a drop in the ocean.

If we can appease this spendthrift, we'll have plenty of opportunities to earn it all back with interest in the future.

"Yes, Captain Reed, please wait a moment, I'll have the kitchen prepare the ingredients right away."

The waiter took the menu, bowed to Reed, and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

After the waiter left, Reed wanted to chat with John to learn more, but found the other man staring blankly at the restaurant door.

"Hmm? Did you see a beautiful woman?"

Reed turned to look at the restaurant entrance, but didn't see any beautiful women, only a timid-looking boy with spiky hair walking in.

What's so interesting about this?

"What's wrong? Is it someone you know?"

"No, it's just that I think it's weird that the kid doesn't have eyebrows."

John smiled slightly and looked away.

To actually run into Dorag in this remote and impoverished place—what a small world!

"You'll know what it means to be truly strange-looking once you've seen races like fishmen and three-eyed people."

When the topic turned to other races, Reed immediately launched into a long-winded account, vividly recounting his experiences on the Grand Line.

This also subtly tells John that he comes from the Navy Headquarters and has extensive connections.

As long as the money is right, your military rank can rise rapidly!

John offered only half-hearted responses, his attention entirely focused on Dragon, who was seated to his left.

After ordering, the guy sat up straight in his seat, clasped his hands on the table, and fidgeted nervously with his fingers.

Unlike Luffy's obvious demon ball, Dragon is much more reserved and subtle, even shy and introverted.

How did that personality change into the one that came later?

Where did its inspiration for "revolution" come from?

The God Valley incident alone is not enough; something else must have happened to Dragon afterward.

And where did that ability to summon wind and rain, which seems to be a Devil Fruit power, come from?

"Please enjoy your meal, sir."

Before long, the waiter brought the dishes that had been cooked in line to the table.

John snapped out of his reverie and focused on the food.

The only thing you should never miss is delicious food!

Bang

Suddenly, an empty dining table was kicked over, the noise drawing everyone's attention in the restaurant.

Chapter 38 The Drive Away from the Dragon

"Everyone who is not involved, get out!"

John, with a piece of roasted meat in his mouth, looked up and saw a group of burly men in black suits standing at the restaurant entrance, some carrying long knives and others holding flintlock pistols, staring menacingly at the diners.

Under the menacing gaze, the restaurant patrons, like startled birds, quickly stood up and hurried towards the door.

The strong men didn't make things difficult for the guests; they deliberately parted to make way for them.

As the guests left, a middle-aged man dressed in a white suit, who appeared to be the restaurant owner, led a group of chefs carrying sticks and batons out of the kitchen.

The man in the white suit glared at the young man in the black suit who was leading the group, and demanded in a stern voice:

"We're just doing business normally, what exactly do you want?!"

"Of course we're kicking you out! The Kingdom of Leon doesn't welcome a bunch of rats like you!"

The young man in the black suit strode forward, hands in his pockets, arrogantly raising his chin to confront the man in the white suit.

The man in the white suit suppressed his anger, reached into his inner pocket, took out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and held it up in front of the other person.

"We are now also part of the Kingdom of Leon, and we hold legal permanent residency permits!"

"You have no right or qualification to drive us away!"

Don't give me that!

The young man in the black suit not only ignored the question, but also directly knocked the thin piece of paper held in front of his eyes away.

"If you refuse to leave, we will frequently visit all the businesses you operate and make sure your businesses go out of business!"

"you dare!"

In an instant, both sides rushed forward, but for some inexplicable restraint, they stopped three steps apart, swords drawn and weapons pointed at each other.

It seems like a fight is about to break out, but it never actually happens.

"How is this going?"

John swallowed the roast meat and asked Reed in a loud voice that everyone present could hear.

In an instant, Reed felt many eyes on him, and his lips twitched as he cursed John inwardly.

This idiot, doesn't he know when to speak?!

But to save face and not appear afraid, Reed had to answer in the same decibels:

"The situation here is very complicated and cannot be explained in a sentence or two."

"Since you're free anyway, tell me about it."

John picked up another piece of roast meat and put it in his mouth, then raised his chin to signal Reed to speak quickly.

Perhaps it was the tension of being watched by so many people, or perhaps it was to avoid appearing afraid, but they actually told the whole story in front of the person involved.

"The group in black suits are the local gang in Shells Town, while the group led by the restaurant owner are outsiders from the Kingdom of Felose."

"Due to a shortage of labor when the town of Shells was established decades ago, and because they were unwilling to spend a lot of money to buy slaves, they set their sights on the people of the Kingdom of Felose."

“They can establish a ‘Foreigner Act’ to grant them permanent residency by claiming that they are working for the Kingdom of Leon for free, building facilities, etc.”

"But now that the town of Shells has been established, the existence of the Felos Chamber of Commerce is no longer of any value to the locals and the mayor."

"They believe that the existence of the Feloce Chamber of Commerce has taken away the jobs and resources of the locals and squeezed their living space."

"So the locals wanted to kick them out after they had served their purpose."

"But unfortunately, the Feloce Chamber of Commerce members have legal residency permits and there are thousands of them in number. The mayor and the locals simply cannot drive them away by force."

"The two sides remained deadlocked..."

After saying all that, Reed picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp, but he still couldn't calm his wildly pounding heart.

It's so exciting to expose someone's secrets in front of them!

"Captain Reed, that's not how you put it."

The young man in the black suit walked up to the table with his hands in his pockets and stared down at Reed.

"As a member of the Navy, how can you take their side just because you've eaten a few free meals from the Felosser Merchant Guild?"

Are you threatening me?

Reed's face immediately turned cold, and he stood up, staring intently at the young man in the black suit.

Are you threatening a navy officer?

"Don't dare."

The young man in the black suit turned around, strode back to where he had been standing, and uttered a single sentence.

“But you ruined Colonel Burns’ plans.”

Upon hearing the name "Burns," Reed frowned, snorted, and sat back down in his chair.

John continued eating, but overheard the entire conversation between the two.

It seems that this "Colonel Burns" is the base commander of Branch 153, and has even become involved in this conflict.

John's eyes lit up with curiosity, and he asked:

"Sir, why are these people from the Felosser Merchant Guild coming to the Kingdom of Leon instead of staying in their hometown?"

"How should I know? The people involved are right here. Go ask them!"

Reed gave John a disapproving look and buried himself in his food and drink.

It's all this guy's fault, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

"Didn't we say everyone who's not involved should leave? Kid, what are you still doing here? Get out of here!"

The young man in the black suit, having been humiliated by Reed, dared not do anything to him due to his status as a naval officer, so he vented his anger on Dragon, who was sitting alone at the dining table.