Chapter 214: Chapter 214: The Zodiac Has a Headquarters?

Chapter 214: The Zodiac Has a Headquarters?

Grand Line, Whiskey Peak.

Baroque Works Hidden Base, Joy Pub.

“So hungry! So hungry! Finally landed!”

Accompanying the noisy voice, a boy wearing a straw hat pushed open the pub’s door.

“Owner, meat! I want meat! Give me a thousand servings first…”

He shouted excitedly with squinted eyes, as if he could already smell the meat.

Bang!

But before he finished speaking, a fist knocked him down from behind.

“Are you an idiot? Luffy—what a thousand servings, how can you say such ridiculous things!”

“Eh!? But Nami, I’m not being ridiculous, I can really eat a thousand servings…”

“Shut up! You think you are Laboon!?”

Amidst such dialogue, a group of people walked into the pub.

A green-haired swordsman, a curly-browed cook, a long-nosed sniper, and an orange-haired navigator.

“Alright, Luffy… Miss Nami is right, just taste a little meat. After buying ingredients and going back, I’ll cook better meat for you!”

“Owner—I want alcohol, a thousand cups…”

Bang!

“Hey, stop messing around… listen, listen to the great Usopp, this is the Grand Line, very dangerous, okay!?”

While the group was frolicking.

“Yohohoho!”

They saw the afro-haired man at the bar counter, originally back facing them and seemingly washing dishes, letting out a unique laugh.

“Truly an energetic group of guests.”

“However, that long-nosed brother is right, this is the Grand Line, if not careful, you might die!”

Speaking here, he turned around abruptly.

“Just like me—oh, but I came back to life later, although became a skeleton… Yohohoho!”

That terrifying skeleton face instantly scared Usopp and Nami out of their wits.

“Ske… ske… ske… Skeleton!”

Both collapsed instantly, trembling like sieves.

“What? Masquerade?”

Sanji frowned.

“Not a real body—this guy is really a skeleton…”

Zoro had already placed his hand on the hilt.

Hearing this, Sanji nodded. “I see, another special animal of the Grand Line?”

“Who is an animal, this curly-browed brother is truly rude!”

“Meat… meat… meat…”

Brook took off his dishwashing gloves protecting his bones, performing a hat-doffing salute smoothly. “Don’t look at me like this, but I am the dishwasher of this pub, named Brook.”

He said proudly.

Sanji, Zoro: “If just a dishwasher, don’t be so proud!”

“Meat… meat… meat…”

“Eh, this young brother.”

Now, Brook turned to look at Luffy who had been muttering ’Meat meat meat’ since just now. “Although there aren’t a thousand servings of meat here, Bon Clay took some away when reporting back recently, but there’s still a little food left, I’ll treat you.”

“Meat… treat… rea… really!?”

Luffy regained his spirit instantly.

Then, he seemed to notice Brook’s existence. “Eh!? A corpse is talking!”

“So what were you doing just now!?” (x4)

Although knowing their captain’s denseness long ago, the Straw Hat crew couldn’t help but retort in unison now.

“Yohohoho! Of course it’s true, and hearing you mention ’Laboon’ just now… I care about this, want to ask for some relevant information.”

Brook just said so.

Not long after…

“I see… Devil Fruit user, then it’s fine.”

“I told you, how could there be skeletons and ghosts.”

“Hey—you two say so, but come sit over here!”

“A pub not selling alcohol, but only cola? How does your pub operate?”

Unreliable dialogue continued.

Of course, amidst unreliability, someone cared about serious business.

“I see, you are a member of the pirate crew Laboon is waiting for?”

Sanji lit a cigarette silently, asking so.

“Ashamed to say, but it is true.”

Speaking of Laboon, Brook’s mood was somewhat low.

“Don’t you plan to go back to see it?”

Luffy, swallowing food on the side, asked clearly and seriously somehow.

“Of course I will go!”

Brook answered without hesitation. “A promise is a promise—something unforgettable.”

“Even risking this life, I will definitely complete the promise of circling the Grand Line, then go see Laboon… although I’m already dead, Yohohoho!”

Amidst a brief skeleton joke, he drank a cup of cola bravely, but then got up hurriedly to rummage. “Ah, drank it accidentally… Calcium! My calcium, I need milk!”

“Hahaha!”

Seeing this, Luffy clutched his stomach laughing loudly, tears almost coming out.

“Hey! You guy are really interesting!”

He grinned. “Since you are a pirate too, then come be my partner!”

“Eh?”

Hearing this, Brook froze. “Partner?”

“Yeah!”

Luffy stuffed another piece of meat. “The person circling the Grand Line is the ’Pirate King’, right?”

“The one becoming Pirate King will definitely be me, so to complete your promise, of course you should be my partner!”

His words would be mocked as big talk anywhere else.

But Brook could sense.

The other party was serious.

“Yohohoho! This is really an unexpected reason…”

He laughed again. “But Brother Luffy, is it okay? I am a suspicious person, and we’ve known each other for less than an hour.”

“Eh? What does that matter?”

Luffy seemed full now, patting his almost ball-shaped belly satisfactorily.

He grinned at Brook. “Because I think you are an interesting guy!”

To him, this was reason enough to become a partner.

Brook: “…”

He looked at the other Straw Hat members silently.

Then he saw—helpless smiles on their faces too.

“Ah, I knew it…”

“Luffy is just this style.”

“Can’t help it with him.”

They said so, but didn’t deny the captain’s words.

So…

“Yohohoho, this is really…”

Brook had a feeling.

The partner he thought he had to wait many more years to meet appeared so quickly?

“I am very happy.”

Brook took off his hat again. “Almost happy enough to play a song immediately.”

“Play?” (xN)

Hearing this, the Straw Hats were clearly astonished.

“Yes—I used to be a pirate, also a guard, now a dishwasher in this pub, but my profession is a musician.”

“Musician!?”

Hearing this, Luffy’s eyes lit up.

“Hey! Brook, you must be my partner!”

He had long decided his ship must have a musician.

“I am honored, Yohohoho.”

Brook agreed smiling.

But then, he said, “But… not now.”

“Eh!? Why?”

Luffy dragged out his voice immediately.

“The owner of this pub has shown me great kindness.”

Brook said seriously. “Recently he and my other superior went out for business, asking me to look after the pub—before they return, I can’t leave here.”

“And I promised him, if I find suitable partners, I will greet him before leaving… this is also a promise, Yohohoho!”

Hearing this, Luffy was clearly disappointed.

And the remaining Straw Hat members realized the meaning in Brook’s words immediately.

“Pub owner?”

“Superior?”

Normally, a pub dishwasher wouldn’t call the boss like that, right?

“Where did they go? Next island?”

Navigator Nami asked curiously.

“Yohohoho, not the next island…”

Brook said cheerfully, but didn’t elaborate. “Speaking of which, beautiful Miss Nami—since everyone is about to go to sea together, can you show me your panties?”

“Who would show you!? You suspicious perverted skeleton!”

At the same time.

Tatsu and Robin naturally didn’t know what happened on Whiskey Peak.

Or rather, even if they knew… they probably wouldn’t care.

Because now, they were in the Florian Triangle.

Or to be precise.

They were on—’The Abyss’.

“Actually… Lord Tatsu, this is incredible…”

Although already knowing from Tatsu that The Zodiac possessed an ancient ship from eight hundred years ago and found an ancient mural on it.

But clearly.

Robin never expected this so-called ’Ship’ would be like this.

“Part of the Red Line, belonging to legendary pirate ’Davy Jones’, an island ship that ate a Devil Fruit…”

Robin murmured facts told by Tatsu, each phrase enough to shake the sea.

Her fingertips brushed a bare red rock beside her instinctively.

As an archaeologist, she could clearly feel the ancientness of that rock.

And everything Tatsu told her about this island ship named ’The Abyss’ impacted her greatly.

To be blunt.

As a historian—the archaeological value of this ship was almost immeasurable to her.

She could even be sure.

If Ohara still existed, Professor Clover would probably faint on the spot hearing of this ship’s existence.

“This is a true priceless treasure, Lord Tatsu… must protect it, you… you actually shouldn’t have told me its location.”

Robin even said so instinctively now.

The value of The Abyss exceeded her cognition, even making her feel somewhat afraid—because she understood, once this ship’s existence was known by the World Government, its fate would inevitably be like Ohara.

Buster Call, even more and stronger armies would appear, destroying it completely.

So, fewer people knowing this ship’s existence was better.

Including herself.

Although she couldn’t cooperate with the World Government and never thought of betraying The Zodiac.

But she knew, compared to powerful Zodiac Top Executives, she lacked sufficient strength.

Once caught by enemies, intel might leak.

“Don’t worry.”

But then, she heard Tatsu’s casual reply.

“Here is safe, won’t be discovered in the short term.”

“And in a while, this ship will be taken to the ’Headquarters’.”

Hearing this.

Robin’s breath stopped instantly.

She captured both key points in Tatsu’s words.

“Take away?”

She looked around incredulously—this scale, this almost ’Continent’-level ship.

The Zodiac wants to take it away?

Robin almost couldn’t understand how to achieve such a thing.

Besides that…

“Headquarters!?”

This word made waves in Robin’s heart.

What headquarters?

The answer was obvious—it must be the headquarters of ’The Zodiac’.

Robin once guessed its existence; after all, such a powerful organization should have a real base no matter how one thought.

But until today she truly confirmed its existence!

“If it’s headquarters, Star Lord must be there, and other Zodiac members…”

So, she couldn’t help imagining.

What kind of place would The Zodiac’s headquarters be—an island? Or a ship? Or even a country?

But just then…

“Hm!?”

Robin’s peripheral vision caught a figure appearing suddenly not far away. “Lord Tatsu! Someone!”

She crossed her hands almost immediately, ready to use her ability to engage—usually not fond of fighting, she appeared very aggressive now.

Mainly she absolutely didn’t want this ship’s existence exposed due to any accident.

But just the next moment, she saw Tatsu waving his hand lightly.

“It’s okay, that’s just Rocks.”

He looked at the figure emerging slowly from the mirage, saying casually.

“Let’s go, time for business—don’t you want to see that mural?”

☆☆☆

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