After several days of searching, the World Government ultimately had no choice but to accept the fact that the Blood-Eyed Ninja's corpse had gone missing.
Subsequently, the World Government began reconstruction efforts, aiming to rebuild the eastern district of Mary Geoise in an extremely short time.
Consequently, numerous ships transporting supplies appeared near the Red Line, delivering reconstruction materials to Mary Geoise.
Seizing this opportunity, Meiser retrieved the items he had hidden within the Red Line.
"With these, our Straw Hat Pirates will never lack money again," Meiser muttered to himself.
After one last glance at the merchant ships, Meiser dove into the sea and swam rapidly toward Sabaody Archipelago.
Soon, Meiser returned to Sabaody Archipelago and once again encountered that familiar Old Man.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the Old Man fishing leisurely on his boat, Meiser—who had used the Transformation Technique to revert to his previous appearance—remarked, "Fishing again, Old Man?"
"It's you again, young man."
Turning to look at Meiser on the shore, the Old Man smiled and said, "My friend mentioned the fishing conditions are good today, so I thought I'd give it a try."
The other old man nearby raised an eyebrow and interjected, "Just tell us if the bite is good or not."
"Well, it's actually quite good."
As soon as he finished speaking, a tremendous force tugged at his fishing rod, nearly pulling him into the water.
"Quick, I've got a bite!"
"Whoa!!"
Watching the two old men grow ecstatic over the hooked fish, Meiser chuckled and then turned to leave.
When passing through the 30th commercial district, Meiser paused and muttered, "Should I exchange some gold while I'm here?"
The amount of gold he had acquired this time was immeasurable, and it would be ideal to offload some of it here.
After a moment's thought, Meiser shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll go see Shakky first."
Ultimately, he wasn't sure if the gold bore any special markings or the like, so it was better not to risk selling it carelessly.
Just then, Meiser spotted a young girl selling newspapers and beckoned her over.
"Would you like to buy a newspaper?" the girl asked, looking at Meiser expectantly.
"One copy, please."
Meiser crouched down and asked, "Is this the latest issue?"
"Um..."
The girl thought for a moment, then nodded. "You could say that."
Meiser: ???
Meiser's head filled with question marks at her response. What did she mean by "you could say that"?
Perhaps sensing his confusion, the girl explained, "They've been distributing this same issue for the past few days, so it's technically the latest one."
As for why they were doing this, she had no idea—as long as they sold well, it was fine.
"They've been distributing the same issue for several days now..." Meiser murmured.
Could the World Government be spreading news about their own 'demise'?
As he thought this, Meiser handed the Berries to the little girl and received the newspaper he wanted from her hand.
"Transaction complete~"
The little girl smiled and said, "Well then... I wish you good health and all the best~"
Hearing the girl's words, Meiser laughed outright and casually pulled out another two thousand Berries from his pocket to give her.
"Such a sweet talker. Here, a reward for you."
"Thank you, boss!"
After bowing to Meiser, the little girl skipped off into the distance.
Watching her retreating figure, Meiser couldn't help but think of that little rascal Merry.
Thinking of this, Meiser instinctively said, "Be careful, little one."
"Thank you for your concern, Area 30 is very safe." The little girl waved at Meiser with a smile before skipping away into the distance.
Meiser stood still watching her leave, only withdrawing his gaze after she entered a newsstand.
"So she's a little newspaper seller from that newsstand." Meiser chuckled.
Then he turned his attention to the newspaper in his hand.
"Just as I thought."
Looking at the newspaper with the headline [Notorious Criminal - Blood-Eyed Ninja Has Been Eliminated], Meiser smirked and said, "These guys are really promoting this story."
"Selling this same edition for several days in a row... Are they trying to minimize the impact of this incident as much as possible?"
After pondering for a moment, Meiser muttered, "Probably the World Government wants to send a warning too."
Most likely they want to tell the world: Anyone who dares to oppose the World Government has only one fate - death!
"But unfortunately, I'm still alive." Meiser grinned.
He wondered what kind of reaction the World Government would have when they discovered he was still alive. Perhaps imagining certain possibilities, Meiser's laughter grew even more unrestrained.
"Huh?"
Other people glanced at Meiser curiously, wondering why this man was standing in the middle of the street laughing maniacally.
Paying no attention to the others' stares, Meiser tucked the newspaper into his coat, picked up the bag containing the Devil Fruit, and turned to leave.
"Off I go~"
"That Meiser hasn't made any moves for so many days?" Shakky, holding a newspaper, frowned and said, "Could he really have been killed?"
"That shouldn't be right. With that kid's abilities and strength, even if he can't win a fight, he should be able to escape."
After thinking for a moment, Shakky rubbed her temples and said, "I hope that kid is safe and sound."
Just at that moment, the tavern door was suddenly kicked open, and two men walked in from outside.
"BAM!"
"I heard you like to rip people off here?"
The leading man with a crew cut looked at Shakky and said, "Let me see what's going on here."
Then, this crew-cut man noticed Shakky's appearance.
"Well now~"
"Didn't expect to find a beauty here!" The crew-cut man said excitedly, "Quick, bring this master some drinks!"
"Then keep me company for a good drink - you won't be shortchanged!"
Looking at the expression on the man's face, Shakky calmly lit a cigarette for herself and said, "If it were any other time, I might play along with your little act."
"But right now..."
"I'm not in the best mood, so you'll just have to count yourself unlucky!"
Buzz-cut man: ???
What do you mean?
Just as he was still confused, Shakky, who had been standing in front of him moments ago, instantly vanished from her spot.
When she reappeared, she was already right in front of him.
The next moment...
Thud!
A fist imbued with Haki slammed into the man's head, sending him flying straight out through the doorway!
Whoosh~
Boom!!
He crashed into the ground, creating a large crater!
"Urgh..."
The man with his skull shattered trembled as he tried to stand up, but his body simply wouldn't obey.
In the end, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
"Hmm?"
Meiser glanced at the buzz-cut man who had landed not far from him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Another one coming here to get fleeced?"
He looked up at the tavern's sign and shook his head. "I don't know what these guys are thinking, coming in here knowing they'll get ripped off."
Then, Meiser stepped forward, intending to check out the situation.
Just then, Shakky walked out of the tavern dragging another unconscious man, muttering, "No strength, yet still so arrogant... I really don't know how you even made it here."
After casually tossing the man aside, Shakky noticed a man holding a bag.
"Hmm?"
Recognizing the familiar face, her eyes immediately lit up with joy.
It was Meiser using his Transformation Technique!
He'd used this same face to visit her last time!
Thinking this, Shakky said, "Kid... you're here!"
She had almost called him Xiao Meiser, but considering they were outside, she quickly corrected herself.
"Yeah, I'm here." Meiser nodded, then gestured toward the two men lying on the ground. "What's up with these two?"
"Troublemakers who came to the door." Shakky flicked the ash off her cigarette.
"Should I..."
"No need." Shakky shook her head. "I know how to hold back. They won't last the night."
She was quite experienced in dealing with this sort of scum.
Seeing Shakky's confidence, Meiser didn't press further. He then approached her with the bag.
"What's this?" Shakky asked curiously, eyeing the bag in Meiser's hand.
Didn't he have that Scroll to seal things away? Why bother carrying a bag?
"These are Devil Fruits," Meiser said.
"Devil Fruits?"
Hearing this, Shakky was so shocked that the cigarette in her mouth fell to the ground uncontrollably.
Then, she exclaimed in disbelief, "You brought back a bag of Devil Fruits?"
Did he rob several Celestial Dragons or something?
"It's not that extreme," Meiser replied. "The boxes take up most of the space."
"That's still a lot."
Shakky glanced around and said, "Come on, let's go inside."
Meiser nodded and followed her into the tavern.
"Hmm?"
Noticing the wide-open entrance, Meiser asked, "Where's the door?"
"Those two idiots smashed it."
Meiser: ...
No wonder Shakky was so angry—they'd destroyed her door.
Tch, they got what they deserved.
After casually tossing the bag to the ground, Meiser turned around, picked up the broken door, and walked to the entrance to start repairing it.
"Hmm?"
Shakky, who had originally intended to fix the door herself, was momentarily taken aback before smiling. "You know how to do this too?"
"It's just fixing a door, not exactly skilled labor," Meiser replied without looking up.
Shakky nodded with a smile and returned to the bar counter, pouring Meiser a glass of fine liquor.
She then lit another cigarette for herself.
"Inhale... exhale..."
After blowing a smoke ring, Shakky took a sip of her coffee, her expression growing more relaxed.
Soon, under Meiser's efforts, the door was restored to its original condition.
Meiser casually returned the tools to his Ninja Tool Pouch, dispelled his Transformation Technique, and reverted to his original appearance before announcing, "All fixed."
"How is that thing like a treasure chest?" Shakky remarked teasingly. "It seems to have everything in it."
To just pull out door repair tools like that... it was downright unbelievable.
"As a Ninja, isn't it normal to carry a variety of repair tools?" Meiser said with a chuckle.
Of course, most of the time, he specialized in "repairing" people.
Shakky shook her head at his words and pushed the glass of liquor toward him. "Try it. It's the latest batch."
Meiser took a sip and gave a thumbs-up. "Tastes great!"
"Glad you like it."
Shakky smiled, flicked the ash from her cigarette, and said, "Now, tell me what you've been up to lately."
She was genuinely curious about Meiser's recent experiences, especially since... this guy had single-handedly stormed Mary Geoise and made it out unscathed!
Throughout history, few had accomplished such a feat!
"Nothing much, just caused some chaos in Mary Geoise and took out a few Celestial Dragons along the way," Meiser said lightly.
Shakky rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."
Everything Meiser had mentioned was already covered in the newspapers, so there was no need to repeat it.
"Alright."
Setting down his glass, Meiser scratched his head. "After leaving your place that day, I planned to use the Transformation Technique to disguise myself as a World Government official and infiltrate Mary Geoise. But on the way, I came across a slave-catching ship and changed my plan."
Hearing this, Shakky raised an eyebrow. "You decided to transform into one of the slave catchers?"
"Yes."
Meiser nodded. "After dealing with everyone on that slave-catching ship, I used the Transformation Technique to take on their appearances."
Shakky thought for a moment before asking, "What did you do with the slaves on the ship?"
Since the slave-catching ship was headed to Mary Geoise, it couldn't have been empty. She was curious how Meiser had handled the slaves.
"It wasn't as many as you might think."
Meiser shook his head. "There were only two captured fools on that ship."
"Fools?"
"Yeah, fools."
Meiser sighed helplessly. "You might not believe it, but I ran into Camie on board."
"And the other one was her friend."
Shakky: "..."
Hearing Meiser's words, Shakky paused mid-smoke and then showed an utterly speechless expression.
"Why is it her...
After being captured once, this fool still dares to venture out to sea?
Does she even realize how serious the situation is?"
Shaking her head, Shakky asked, "So, how was she caught?"
"According to her... she was swallowed by a Sea King while out searching for shellfish with a friend," Meiser said. "After that, the Sea King was captured by a Slave Hunting Group, so those two ended up..."
Meiser didn't finish his sentence, but Shakky understood what he meant.
"This girl's luck is just too..." Shakky wore an indescribable expression, momentarily at a loss for words.