53 Port Velvet
After leaving Lex's office Fred and Captain Mcnugget went to visit Koby 2 and Koby 3 to see their situation, insisted on recruiting Hina... once again without success... said goodbye to all the marines that found on their way and left the 80th Branch Marine Base aboard the Arcadia Mark 5
"Well Captain Mcnugget, we're back on the charge!
We'll surface later, for now relax inside the submarine!" Said Fred from the pilot's seat of his small submarine with capacity for three people
"KYAAAAAHHH!!!" Captain Mcnugguet answered from the co-pilot seat
After that declaration of intent, the compact submarine made partly of wood submerged in the port of the Marine base and quickly disappeared from sight by of everyone with the exception of the fishes
A fairly compact prototype submarine... reluctantly made by Stephen... which apart from all the space used to house the machinery necessary for their own operation, a fairly compact prototype submarine made reluctantly by Stephen that, apart from all the space used to house the machinery necessary for its operation, a small pantry, a bathroom, a main room that Fred used as a bedroom, gym and laboratory...
And finally a command room from where he controlled all the functions of the vehicle, including the different harpoons and other remote weapons
There was even a small deck to go outside and navigate like a more or less normal ship... but now he wasn't using it, since for an hour he had been sailing fifty meters below sea level, almost the maximum depth capacity of this prototype
"Oh! There's our cargo!
Give me a moment and we'll be right back on the surface" Fred said to Captain Mcnugget as he pointed ahead of him through the armored glass of the submarine.
Before arriving at the Marine base Fred secured all the cargo he got from the pirate ships in perfectly sealed barrels and left them in a safe area below sea level to prevent that any living being in a marine cap from trying to take even 1% of his loot with bullshit excuses
And now that he had [declared all he obtained] all he needed to do was strap them onto a hook from the Arcadia Mark 5, use the retractable harpoons to remove the weights that held the cargo at the bottom of the sea using and return to the surface to sail with more easily with the additional weigh
"Perfect, you can exercise your wings for a few hours
If I'm going too fast and you get tired let me know and I'll slow down so you can go up." Said Fred after opening the hatch to let Captain Mcnugget out and by the way to get some fresh air while his vehicle used its electric motor at full capacity
"KYAH?"
"That's right, but dose yourself, the trip to Port Velvet will be long.
We carry more weight than usual" replied Fred, the great interpreter of animals who not for nothing earned the title of [Beast Tamer], among many others
"KYAAAHHH!!!"
Captain Mcnugget took flight and Fred set the Arcadia Mark 5 in the direction of Port Velvet, where he would sell all the cargo he had obtained in this fruitful adventure.
"Well, let's kill some time in the meantime..."
And as had become the custom, Fred sat on his stationary bike, where he paddled like a maniac with arms and legs to power his means of transportation... while with his hair he performed all kinds of tasks simultaneously.
Manage the controls of the submarine, maintain the weapons and other equipment, prepare new poisons and strange potions almost like an automaton, embed some small Den Den Mushi in some constructs, clean the floor, hold books to read them and write down their conclusions in his notebooks…
And many other things!
Among them talking wit himself…
"I'm getting better and better with the [Multitasking no jutsu]
HAHAHA!
Without a doubt, learning the Seimei Kikan has been a great investment, no matter what Stephen says... who by the way I have to call or he will kill me at this rate." Fred said to himself as he manipulated a part of his long hair to grab one of the many and various Den Den Mushi that were on his desk.
With which he called the Steel family!
"Freeeeeeedddd!!!!
How is everything? Have you eaten well?
When will you come to visit us? We haven't seen you in months!
Neither you nor Captain Mcnugget" Stephen yelled from the Den Den Mushi, one who for some reason tried to hug Fred with his big, long eyes.
Hi Stephen
Sorry I haven't visited you in so long, but I'm already in a hurry to get all the money we need.
So I'm working intensively" Fred said as he pedaled... among many things... and apologized for being so absent lately
An excuse that didn't convince Stephen, however he quickly forgave him as always "I see...
And are you having luck?
"EXCELLENTLY!
everything is going pretty well
According to my calculations, after two or three months of collecting the rewards, what I sell and we sell will already have enough money to complete the first phase of our projects and start seriously" Fred replied as his eyes mutated into the shape of the Berrie symbol, something even Stephen could see through his Den Den Mushi.
Something that would disturb and even upset anyone, but for Stephen that was something normal, even desirable "OH! Great!
And how are you doing with the [investigation we can't talk about for Den Den Mushi yet]?
Have you been able to make any progress?"
"Inside your prototypical miniature and with so much work? Impossible...
However, the [animal] project isn't crucial now... not even the [share]....
The next step is to start with the [Underworld]" Fred said, reminding his VP of his company's priorities in this first informal meeting in so many weeks.
Priorities that Stephen knew perfectly... more or less... but he liked to see if there were unexpected changes every now and then, something that used to happen with Fred in charge "I wanted to wait for you to come back to check all the details, but yes, I'd better start with the structural data
In a couple of days..."
BOOOMMMM!!!
"This...
Is everything alright there?" Fred asked somewhat worried when he heard an explosion in the background.
However, Stephen didn't seem to worry too much about that, so he calmed down "Yes, everything's fine, as usual, nothing to worry about...
But if you don't mind I'll hang up on you, I have to finish business"
BOOMMMM!!!
"Okay...
Take care of yourself! Greetings to Marlon and Roxanne!" Said Fred, finishing the conversation calmly despite hearing more explosions and even screams of pain through the Den Den Mushi.
After calling his best friend, brother, business partner and sometimes Jiminy cricket, Fred continued on his long, insanely busy and efficient journey for hours.
A journey in which he practically crossed all the West Blue in less than a day thanks to the super speed of his muscle-powered mini-submarine.
Until they finally reached their destination almost at nightfall!
"Captain Mcnugget, we're getting there!
You know what to do, don't let them see you near me!"
"KYAHHHH!!!"
His next stop was a place far from any urban center with a presence of Marines like Mastarc and surroundings.
Port Velvet!
A small island practically far from civilization and practically infested with all kinds of criminals. Bandits, pirates, smugglers, hitmen, black and white thieves, kidnappers, drug dealers, doujinshi yaoi sellers, and many other people with disreputable jobs and livelihoods.
And one of Fred's favorite [fishing] spots!
"Well here we go again"
As he always did when he got here Fred went to park his [boat], obviously. What wasn't so obvious is that instead of docking at one of the four docks on the island, Fred docked in an extremely remote location.
Specifically in a underwater cave that could only be accessed through the extremely well-hidden land entrance or through the practically unknown and inaccessible entrance below sea level that could only be accessed by diving or with a submarine
A perfect smuggling spot where Fred left all the cargo he wanted to sell that night!
Immediately afterwards, Fred used the Seimei Kikan to manipulate his long red hair compressing it to absurd limits and subtly manipulated his muscles to superficially change the appearance of his bod, put on the mask and wig he made a few hours ago, changed his voice and...
He walked out of that underwater cave looking like a totally different person!
"Is there no one watching today? Strange..."
The exit was hidden behind a wall located in a basement to which the disguised Fred ascended until he finally opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and entered the back of a bar. The typical bar infested with pirates and criminals that we have all seen in some movies, with all the typical elements of that kind of bar
"ONE MORE BEER!"
"HEY! YOU'RE CHEATING!"
"YOU ARE RIGHT! He has an ace up his sleeve!"
"Guys, let's stay calm, everything has an explanation and.."
POMMM!!!
PRAM!!
"Such nice tits…"
People of dubious reputation cheating playing poker and starting a fights after finding it out, having meetings with people from their band accompanied by prostitutes or drinking to unrecommended limits at the bar while being mesmerized by the generous cleavage of the waitress
The bar and waitress to whom the metamorphosed Fred was heading to speak "Hello gorgeous!
Could you please serve me a full special menu, with extra cola, super extra ketchup and a Red Velvet Cheesecake with extra cheese and double extra of Velvet?
Shaken, not stirred
Please"
"Oh! It's you...
You've changed a lot since the last time I saw you... and from the last last time too...
It's impossible to recognize you" Macarena, the bar manager, answered, who was only able to recognize Fred by that secret code that both knew
Since Fred was so well known these days he used to dress up so as not to attract too much attention, especially this kind of environments where his targets used to gather. It was necessary if he wanted to avoid alarming them, make them flee before he could hunt them down, and even prevent assassination attempts on his youthful self.
"Business is good? Do you have a test product you can show me?
Meat, drink, spices, cutlery... " Said Macarena speaking in code in a rather suggestive way, while she filled a beer mug full of cola for Fred
"Everything is going great
And yes, I have everything, but especially meat.
I left it all in the warehouse
It's a very heavy load" Fred also responded suggestively while he made titanic efforts not to look at her cleavage
"I see
You never disappoint" Macarena replied as she handed him the jug of cola
However, this wasn't only the typical bar that criminals used to frequent...
It was an underworld cover where weapons, drugs, organs, information and any kind of illegal merchandise that could be bought and sold was trafficked.
These covers had branches established on virtually every island in every sea, even on islands with Marine Bases like Mastarc, although those branches for security reasons didn't operate at such a high level.
And these were places Fred often frequented to sell many of the sensitive goods he managed to wrest from pirates. He frequented them so often that he learned to speak in his own code and they even offered him special deals despite the fact that Fred often savagely slaughtered their own clientele.
"OK handsome...
Do you trust me or do you want us to go negotiate later?" Macarena once asked with an increasingly suggestive voice despite knowing that she was speaking to a teenager in full puberty
"It's not necessary
I fully trust you Macarena, I know you'll give me a fair price for everything" Fred answered as he took a sip from his pitcher of cola and tried to think of something else to calm down 'Of course I trust you, you have no other choice thanks to my Pact Magic, neither you nor anyone here
But please, stop talking to me in this way
Fucking hormones…'
"Thank you for the trust handsome
In nothing I bring the food to your table
I discount it from your sale as always "Said Macarena while she ordered the waiter to accompany Fred to her favorite table, where minutes later he received his food
However, despite the fact that this bar was a cover, the food was delicious, especially the cheesecake. Something the manager put a lot of effort into to make this cover more credible and attract more people to gather information from.
"Mmm delicious and the portions are quite generous
No wonder this place is so populad" Fred said as he ketchuped the fries and ate them with pleasure
However, Fred didn't just come here to sell his wares and refuel with a delicious feast overloaded with a not very healthy sauce
He had also come to work!
'Now that I'm full...
Let's hear what's going on around here' Fred thought as he finished his cheesecake and closed his eyes to focus better
Thanks to the intense, numerous and insistent... but failed... training sessions to obtain Kenbunshoku Haki, the poor Fred collaterally managed to develop an extremely fine ear from his childhood. A fine ear that he perfected over the years and that now not only allowed him to fight minimally well with his eyes closed or detect minimally noisy enemies hidden from his sight
¡If he focused enough Fred was even able to hear conversations over long distances with clarity and even know where people around him were talking!
And this is what he and many other people were doing right here, gathering information on drunken pirates to know their future activities!
'Let's see what kind of idiot I catch today…'
More than one marine would be surprised to learn about the number of common pirates from important gangs that frequented this kind of places when their weren't looting or adventuring, but above all how much they used to spill important information without even realizing its value or who might be listening
Especially when they flaunted around the female company that Macarena cleverly distributed around the venue!
And that's what Fred was looking for at this point, that the clumsiness of the little fish would reveal the location of the big fish.
'Unrewarded bandits looking to make a name for themselves by robbing the gun shop of this island? Baj, I know the owner of that store, he will kill them easily
...
Captain Mnugget I think he's eating on the roof...he must have caught some rat or something....
...
The captain of the gang of those idiots doesn't even have a million on his head, it's hardly worth going after them yet... though if I don't find anything better...
…
Pornography traffickers? It's not child pornography and they don't force girls... come on, that shouldn't be a crime anywhere... damn puritanical politicians
...
Fuck that guy has been throwing up for three minutes in the bathroom...kids and adults, you need to drink in moderation
...
HAHAHA! How pathetic, the one on the second floor had a trigger and his excuses are bullshit '
Nothing he heard appealed excessively to Fred, who was already thinking about whether he should buy information from Macarena like other times when he couldn't get anything himself.
'MMMMMNNNNHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!'
Until his ears could pick up a conversation between two rather drunk pirates who belonged to the same gang trying to impress two local prostitutes.
A conversation in which Fred was able to hear such interesting keywords and phrases as [tonight], [pirate alliance], [rob another pirate] and [akuma no mi]
'FUCKING JACKPOT!!!!!' Fred thought with extreme excitement.
An excitement that Fred was unable to contain and that made him lose control over the Seimei Kikan that he had applied to his body and hair! Just like his expressive face, which because of the boundless greed didn't seem human inside or outside the mask.
"WHAT THE!" Some pirates yelled as they witnessed the hideous and almost nauseating transformation of Fred, whose position mask had been moved by that sudden and uncalculated facial movement.
Although since they were all drunk and drugged they believed that they were simply suffering the usual side effects and didn't inquire further.
And Fred, practically ignoring that his appearance wasn't quite normal right now and almost completely forgetting about the concept of stealth, jumped over to those two pirates and sat directly at his table.
"Hello Janeth, hello Vane
Could you give me a second?
I have to talk about something serious with these gentlemen" Fred said as he came to his senses a bit and re-adapted his appearance with the Seimei Kikan
A somewhat grotesque spectacle that terrified the girls! Besides unknown guy who gave off danger from every one of his pores had called them by his name, it's possible that he was harassing them or something similar
Therefore they accepted the suggestion and left that table without making question.
"Yes, let's go Janeth..."
A rather intelligent decision in view of the circumstances...
"Wait girls! Don't go away!"
However, those two drunken pirates were too drunk and sexually frustrated to analyze the situation as well as those escort ladies.
"YOU! FUCKING IDIOT! DO YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE!"
YOU FUCKED UP OUR NIGHT!
YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR IT!" Shouted one of the two pirates who pulled a knife from inside his pants with which he threatened Fred
A provocative act that didn't intimidate Fred at all, who was too focused on finding answers immediately, even for the peaceful way "...
I'll ignore this comment and gesture if you answer my questions...
I've heard that..."
But they still didn't take the hint
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR QUESTIONS!
GIVE US ALL YOUR MONEY AND MAKE THOSE WHORES COME BACK...
And maybe that way we can spare your life" Shouted the other pirate who took out a pistol from inside his pants and pointed it at Fred's head
A provocation that this time managed to annoy Fred a lot, although he tried not to externalize it "Ara ara…
It seems you don't understand human words...
I'll have to try another means to communicate with you..."
Although it wasn't necessary for him to externalize his anger to know his intentions, some knew his identity and his methods
"Whatever you do, do it outside my bar" Macarena said, pointing to the back door that led to a dark alley where hardly anyone used to pass.
---
Several minutes and a lot of pain later
"Summarizing...
Yesterday an idiot like you, but belonging to another pirate gang drank too much like you and shouted that his captain had found an Akuma No Mi and that he was waiting to sell it for many millions
Right?" Fred asked as he sneered at the insignificant slag below him, kneeling on a jagged cinder block.
"Yes sir..." The Neo Scum 1 replied, who after a bit of torture and Pact Magic had become extremely collaborative.
"Then that information reached the ears of several pirate gangs at the same time and among all of you…possibly to avoid fights ahead of time… you have agreed between yourselves to steal the fruit together and share the profits after selling it
Did I hear you right?" Fred asked once more, to make sure that he had understood everything correctly.
"Perfectly sir..." Neo Scum 2 replied, as collaborative as his partner
"I see... I see...
Two pirate gangs with a total bounty... including captain and other crew... above 100 million and three gangs with a total bounty of around 50 million are going to be at the same place at the same time to steal a priceless Akuma No Mi which is in the possession of a pirate with a bounty of 17.5 million...
And that joint attack will begin in a few hours...
Is everything okay up to this point?" Fred insisted to confirm with his Pact Magic that everything was true
"Yeah...
Everything is as you say...
…
Sir…" both scum answered while crying inconsolably
But unlike them, Fred burst into more jubilation!
"MUA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
YES!!!! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUDKKKK!!!!
I JUST WON THE FUCKING LOTTERY!!
Ha... HA... KIAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHAAAA!!!
TWO OR THREE MONTHS!? NOOO!!! I WILL HAVE EVERYTHING READY TOMORROW IN THE MORNING!!!
MUA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Fred shouted with an overflowing joy and madness that with his out of control facial muscles and his hair ended up completely destroying the mask and wig that he was still wearing
And for this reason, upon seeing the true identity of their sadistic tormentor, the two scum began to despair even more "We...
Are you going to keep torturing us to death?
Lord [Pirate Butcher]"
Fortunately for them Fred was in a very good mood and might still have use for them.
"No, not for now...
Are there any of your band with a similar height and build to me?" Fred asked as he grabbed both of their heads and lifted them to his height.
None of them were taller than 1,8m, so they seemed extremely small for a gigantic human with 2,69m like Fred
"No sir...
I'm afraid... you're too tall... no one is similar to you in our tripulation" Neo Scum 1 responded, feeling an atrocious fear for giving a negative answer to that monster thirsty for pirate blood
A negative answer that suddenly truncated Fred's ambitious and complex plans "Damn...
The bad thing about being almost three meters tall is how difficult it's to find compatible people to impersonate… but I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world...
No sir, be tall is the fucking best...
Well, I'll have to fight almost directly… like an animal..."
"He's going to kill us now, right?
He won't waste time torturing us if he has to get to the island, right?
We won't have to suffer anymore, right?" Asked the tearfully Neo Scum 2 to his partner, who looked as if he was already dead, just like him.
However fortunately... or unfortunately for them... Fred still had uses for them "Don't worry, you'll live a few more hours."
You and your friends may still be of some use to me...
You just have to…"
#################
You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon
pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371
