Chapter 15

After two days of rest, Law's injuries, although not completely healed, no longer hindered his mobility.

Under Abel's insistent request, the conspicuous hat was also wrapped in a cloth and stuffed into his clothes.

Moreover, it wasn't just the hat. Abel decided to use bandages from elsewhere to wrap up Law's face entirely, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.

Then he covered him with a black cloak.

There was no other way. Even though the get-up was a bit odd, it was better than his white facial spots being discovered.

On this trip into town, Abel noticed an obvious increase in patrolling soldiers.

It must have been due to the chaos at the port the day before, making the atmosphere somewhat tense.

However, this was a good thing. After such a big incident that attracted everyone's attention, probably not many people still cared about the homeless men who died earlier.

Inside a clothing store, Senoir was trying on a new suit.

The female store manager and the noblewoman accompanying her husband to buy clothes both had infatuated expressions, seemingly attracted by Senoir's masculine charm.

"Pack up all these suits."

"Sir, may I know your name?"

"I'm sorry, I'm destined to be a passerby in your life. So... forget me."

Senoir, whose swollen face hadn't yet subsided, put the money on the table, lit a cigarette, and left amidst the admiring gazes of all the women.

He was just... too charming!

The store manager, with a flushed face, passed out directly.

Not far from the store, Senoir suddenly stopped. He had been so focused on tactfully rejecting the woman that he forgot to take his newly purchased suits.

"Sigh. Let's get back quickly."

Senoir wanted to retrieve his clothes, but he didn't want those women to fall in love just because they saw him again, so he had to let it be.

Meanwhile, the area near the port was bustling with activity.

Many workers were scrambling to rebuild the buildings damaged the previous day. After all, each day's delay meant a significant loss of money, something every merchant couldn't tolerate.

The second reason was that all the remaining weapons on the Donquixote family's smuggling ship had been used in yesterday's fight. Without goods for trade, Senoir could only choose to return early.

Hence, the supplies that hadn't been completely procured were quickly delivered due to the notorious reputation of the Donquixote family, piling up at the port.

As a result, other ships wanting to leave could only quietly wait.

Such a situation with mixed personnel undoubtedly provided considerable convenience for Abel and Law's upcoming plan.

"Have all the supplies been accounted for?"

"Most of them have been handed over, but we have no news about the alcohol we ordered."

"What are you waiting for then? Hurry up and urge them!"

"Yes!"

However, not long after, the crew member who went to urge them came back with some bad news.

"What? They're out?"

"They said their wine cellar was cleaned out by someone yesterday, not even a barrel of beer was left. It's too late to fulfill our deal now."

"So you...

... believed that?"

"I..."

"Do you see this flag? No one in the North Sea can default on the Donquixote family's goods. I don't care if what he's saying is true or false, but before noon, I want to see at least a hundred barrels of alcohol here. Got it?"

"Yes, we guarantee to complete the task!"

...

"Move! Take all the alcohol here!"

With an order from a short and fat man, more than a dozen intimidating pirates immediately rushed into the tavern.

"Guraja! What the hell are you trying to do? There are patrolling soldiers everywhere outside, don't you want to live?!"

"Heh, old drunkard, don't scare me. If I can't deliver the goods to the Donquixote family today, I'm as good as dead. Either way, I'm going to die. Why not drag a few people down with me?!"

The old drunkard was both shocked and angry, and his men who tried to resist were quickly knocked to the ground.

He'd heard about the theft of Guraja's wine cellar, and even reveled in it. But who could have thought the tables would turn so dramatically?

Guraja's subordinates weren't so villainous, they must have been sent by the Donquixote family.

Thinking of the wiped out pirate groups, the old drunkard was instantly cowed. He murmured, "What exactly do you want, make it clear. If I can help, I will, but if you cross the line, I'd rather smash all the wine here and perish with a bastard like you!"

Hearing these words, Guraja finally felt a bit relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

"Relax, I won't make things difficult for you, brother. Just let me take half of the alcohol here. Don't worry, let me finish."

"I won't just take your wine. I'll give you half a percent profit over the cost price."

"And don't complain about it being too little, the next place won't give you this much. Think it over."

Hearing there was another buyer, the old drunkard quickly understood Guraja's intentions.

"Really?"

"Are you kidding? Don't you think there are too many taverns near the port?"

"Okay! For your words, I'll help."

In the blink of an eye, the two old foxes completed a silent, mutually beneficial deal.

The outcome was that all the other taverns were subjected to hardship.

The better off ones were just heavily overcharged, while those who couldn't read the situation had all their alcohol taken, or worse, got brutally beaten and nearly lost their lives.

What initially seemed like a crisis, was brilliantly turned into an opportunity by Guraja. And he even used the banner of the Donquixote family to publicly eliminate his competitors.

Even the soldiers outside, hearing that someone from the Donquixote family was at work, immediately pretended not to see and quickly led their men away.

Seeing this, Guraja's chubby face wore an even more triumphant smile.

What he didn't know was that under his nose, two little rascals had quietly hidden in one of the empty barrels.

These pirates didn't pay attention to the slight difference in weight when moving the alcohol. As long as it wasn't empty, they moved everything!

This inadvertently turned out to be a great help.

Even Abel himself probably didn't expect that his zero-cost purchase spree yesterday would trigger such a massive chain reaction.

Finally, before noon, more than two hundred barrels of alcohol were loaded onto the ship.

Senor, not knowing how the alcohol was procured, simply paid Guraja for the goods and prepared to leave on the ship.

Fortune favoring the fat-faced Guraja, he wore a smile as wide as a chrysanthemum.