Time on Sabaody Archipelago passed inexplicably fast.
Michael thought it might have something to do with the Old Geezers Pirates' near-vacation-like routine.
If this had been wartime, every day would have felt like a year.
But...
that wasn't the issue.
Because vacation time was officially over as of today.
News of the Old Geezers Pirates' arrival on Sabaody Archipelago had finally spread across the island.
In no time, pirates from across the seas swarmed into Sabaody like madmen.
Following them came even more bounty hunters, drawn by the scent of opportunity.
Yet, the island's public order remained unchanged...
Neither pirates nor bounty hunters dared to run wild here.
After all... this was Sabaody Archipelago.
The governor of this place was none other than Nico Robin, whom pirates, bounty hunters, and unscrupulous merchants alike called the "Devil Child."
Meanwhile, the legendary SWORD special forces unit of the Angel Alliance had assembled on Sabaody.
Though unconfirmed, rumors circulated that someone had spotted the Angel Alliance admiral and "World's Most Beautiful Woman," Boa Hancock, the "Empress," somewhere on the island.
Others claimed to have seen a figure resembling the Angel Alliance admiral "Hawkeye" Mihawk while fishing in the waters around Sabaody.
Though mere rumors...
As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.
When making a living on the seas, the most important rule is... don't be stubborn, and don't court death.
Most pirates and bounty hunters strictly adhere to this principle, allowing them to survive on the Grand Line despite not being overwhelmingly powerful.
However...
There are always exceptions.
"Hey hey hey! We're the legendary Old Geezers Pirates, soon to become the new Emperors of the Sea!"
"If you don't want to be killed by me, the Golden Thief... then hand over all your valuables without a fuss!"
In the tavern, an obese man wearing a mask that barely covered his face shouted arrogantly.
The patrons in the tavern all wore expressions of suppressed anger.
After all, those who frequented such taverns were relatively well-informed, and naturally knew that the Old Geezers Pirates had already landed on Sabaody Archipelago.
But no one expected... to be so unlucky as to run into them here!
At a corner table in the tavern, three cloaked figures sipped mead while coldly observing the scene.
Their eyes remained fixed on the self-proclaimed "Golden Thief" the entire time.
Only... their gazes were unmistakably those of people watching a fool.
"We've checked the wanted posters. This guy is clearly the 26 million Belly bounty pirate, 'Triple-Tongue' Demaro Black... So how bad must someone's eyesight be to confuse this fat bastard with the man on the wanted poster!?"
"This kind of thing is perfectly normal... The chances of recognizing someone based solely on a wanted poster are too low, so people would rather believe it's true than risk it being false."
"Most importantly... no one expected that after news spread about the Golden Thief and Old Geezers Pirates landing on Sabaody, someone would still dare to impersonate them..."
The three sighed in unison.
Then they continued indifferently watching the farce unfold before them.
As if to emphasize the comedic nature of the situation, Demaro Black slapped his thigh and stood up, his flabby flesh wobbling.
He then announced explosive news to everyone present.
"Hahaha! Want to join my crew!? I don't expect you to have bounties over 100 million, but at least 70 million or above!"
"If you can meet that standard, I might just let you become subordinates of the future Emperor of the Sea!"
Pretending to be the Golden Thief was an extremely risky move.
More dangerous than any scam he'd ever pulled before.
But the potential rewards were enormous.
According to his not-so-bright calculations: since the real Golden Thief had arrived at Sabaody but hadn't shown himself, it must mean his actual strength fell far short of his reputation and bounty!
By taking this opportunity to recruit powerful pirates under his banner, even if the real Golden Thief and Old Geezers Pirates came for revenge later, they wouldn't stand a chance!
Then... he would become the genuine Golden Thief!
At this thought, an excited grin spread across his ugly face, barely concealed by the mask.
...
Soon, news that the Golden Thief and Old Geezers Pirates had appeared on Sabaody Archipelago and were openly recruiting crew members spread throughout the island and surrounding waters.For a time, more and more people were heading toward Sabaody Archipelago, with the influx surpassing any previous records.
Robin sat in her governor's office, grinning from ear to ear.
Though most of them were pirates... they were still money!
Pirate money was still money!
As long as it effectively boosted the economy, it was a good thing.
However, Robin immediately began strengthening the security and defense measures on Sabaody Archipelago.
The human resources at her disposal were now richer than ever before.
After all, the entire SWORD Special Forces had already assembled on Sabaody Archipelago.
So... was it too much to ask them to do a little side work for her?
The Angel Alliance deliberately refrained from interfering with Demaro Black's recruitment activities, despite their covert maneuvers.
After all, this was a rare spectacle not seen in years.
But this made the obese fool believe that even the Angel Alliance feared him.
His ambitions swelled to unprecedented levels.
He began fantasizing about becoming the true Golden Thief, an invincible and undisputed Emperor of the Sea.
Soon, he gathered all the responding pirates on Grove 46 of Sabaody Archipelago.
This area was relatively spacious, allowing for a larger gathering.
Among the pirates who answered the call, most were lone wolves.
Only three pirate crews chose to join him.
"Waiter" Lip Doughty, with a bounty of 88 million Berries.
"Heavy Wound" Albertaun, with a bounty of 92 million Berries.
Both were captains leading sizable crews.
The last pirate crew was the Caribou Pirates.
That is, the Caribou brothers, publicly recognized as "Supernovas."
This result... truly delighted Demaro Black.
Just as the pirates were about to meet their new boss, a woman in a long robe—whose alluring figure was still visible—appeared among the crowd.
Instantly capturing everyone's attention.