One Piece: I Understand It Now

Chapter 16: Planned!

Seeing how Ken had dealt with their comrades made the men stop in their tracks.

"Come on, fight me, you bastards!" Ken shouted at the men who could only stare at each other.

"Alright, alright. Let's stop it here." The leader raised his hand in surrender while speaking.

Ken looked at this and sneered.

'Just when things were getting fun.' He thought to himself.

"Look man, we don't mean anything bad; the bastards who were actually here to rob you have been dealt with by us." The leader said with a sigh.

"So don't hurt those guys anymore." The leader continued.

"I know." Ken stopped him.

"Huh?" The man was surprised. He knew? How?

"You guys didn't seem to have any real intention to hurt me. So... who sent you? Is it some crew captain? You guys? The guards? Or was it... the woman at the bar?" Ken's eyes dangerously seized up the group, and seeing how he was ready to do anything made them swallow their saliva and thank God they weren't actually here to rob him.

"it was..." The leader didn't know what to say. This young man turned out to be more dangerous than they thought; at this rate, he was untameable.

"It was me." And that's when the woman came from behind.

"So it really was you..." Ken for a second, was shocked. Though he doubted it, he wasn't actually expecting her to be the one to send these guys.

"Don't think too much; follow me," she said and gave her back to them before she started heading towards the red light district.

"Why would I? I have business to do here, remember?" Ken said, his eyes seeming to rethink his very decisions as he was thinking to himself that he wasn't cautious enough.

"The old bastard living in the wooden house is my servant, and I'm his source of information. Whatever you want from him, you can get from me." She said.

"..." Ken didn't know what to say anymore.

"Now come." She said once again and this time, he followed.

Once they reached the red district once again, the woman, Ken, and the group of 16 all entered the bar with the leader and his right-hand man helping the duo who were beaten by Ken to walk. The other two weren't as hurt and could move normally.

"You're back?" Sitting alone on a chair and drinking was the guard who had left his position before.

Seeing him, Ken had some ideas in his mind, but at this point in time, he wasn't able to completely trust his judgment.

"As you see, this young man is better than you expected. Now hold your side of the promise and get going." The lady said, not looking at the guard at all.

"Guahahaha, alright, alright." The guard laughed and drank his cup in one go before he got up and walked till he was next to Ken.

"You really didn't disappoint me. I hope to see you here more often, Guahahaha." And he left.

"So this is what it's all about?"

"Yeah, don't get it wrong. It's not easy to survive in this place. Money and deals like this are what keep us afloat; thus, I had to do him a favor and in return he will protect this place for 6 months."

"I see." Even though Ken wasn't from around here, he knew that this was an offer no one would refuse.

"I tried to warn you, anyway." She said.

"I guess you're right." Ken shook his head.

"So what is it you want from me now?" He asked, looking around at the bar.

"That's what I should be asking you. What questions do you have, young man?" She said as she entered the counter and took the cup the guard was drinking from to start cleaning it.

"..." Ken stopped for a second to think.

"I will keep it short. I need islands where I can fight."

"That's too vague."

"Whether it's monsters, humans, marines, pirates, or criminals. I don't care. It's even better if some treasures are there." Ken immediately replied.

The woman stopped the cleaning of the cup for a second and raised her head to take another look at Ken.

"You're ambitious, huh?" She said before she went back to what she was doing.

"Not really." Ken said but didn't move his body in denial.

"Well, I do have some things for—"

"HEY, Watch where you're going!" Suddenly, a shout was heard from outside and the door opened violently for a girl who looked around Ken's age to enter.

"Sister Linda! Sister Linda! Help!" Urgency was visible in her voice as she shouted.

-----End-----

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