(Dante's POV)
[Sabaody Archipelago, Some Time Later]
"We cannot waste much time here." Ryoma said, "I'll guard the ship. Dante, do what you need to do. The rest, make your trips quick."
"Aye aye, Vice-Captain~!" Gabriella said as she and Myriam ran down the ramp, "I need ingredients for the rest of the trip."
I was standing next to Ryoma, "You sure you're gonna be alright?" I asked, "This is Sabaody, we could be quite exposed."
He shrugged, "I can handle myself." He said, walking to his hammock, "Go on and get the information you came here for, don't waste time."
"I'll stay here, if that is okay." Eleanor suggested, the others having already left, "I don't have anything to do here and if trouble arise, I'll provide support to Ryoma-san."
I nodded while crossing my arms, "Alright then." I said, "Have fun with this stick-in-the-mud."
"Shut up." Ryoma muttered
I turned around and made my way to the ramp, "Make sure you keep my Seliana from getting busted, Eleanor!" I said with a smirk, "I leave it to you."
"I won't fail you." She said
"Ahaha..." I said as I jumped out of the ship and landed on the ground, "Alright, time to go...."
"Oi, Dante." Brynden was waiting for me, "What do you need me to do?"
I walked by him as I looked around, "Go around and make sure the Marines stay off our asses." I said, "Grey will go and buy some supplies while the girls have fun, I guess. If something arises, give Ryoma a heads up and call me, alright?"
He nodded, "Where are you headed?"
"The only place that has the information on the fucker we're after." I said, "Shakky's Bar."
"Shakky?" Brynden asked, "Oh, Dante, you're not...."
"Hm?" I said, "What? No, no. She told me a few weeks ago that she heard a couple of things, that's all."
"Are you sure?" He asked me with a frown, "You say that and...."
"Relax, relax." I said with a chuckle, "Let's just focus on the mission at hand. If things get out of hand, we'll focus on getting out of here, alright? There's no time to fuck about, you hear me?"
"Right...." He said, "I don't trust you, though."
"Hahaha!" I said, "Alright, enough."
"Let's go...."
***************
I walked through the door, the bell ringing as it opened. I saw that the Bar was completely empty, with nobody inside.
"Hm...." I said, "Hello?"
The back door opened and I saw a pretty woman walking out that was smoking a cigarette, "Hm?" She said, "Oh my. If it isn't Dante-boy..."
I closed the door behind me, "Shakky-san." I said, walking up to the counter, "Long time no see."
"Mhm." She said, "Last I saw you was before the incident with the Celestial Dragon here."
"I heard about that." I said, "How did you fare?"
She shrugged, "It was not an issue." She said, leaning down on the counter, "Did you see Ray-san when he went to visit Amazon Lily?"
I shook my head, "Nah." I said, "I was already gone. Hancock had helped them out and she was already friendly with him."
"Hm....." She said, exhaling some smoke, "Did you go and see her?"
"Yea." I said, "Straw Hat helped me out a lot with her, she was very angry."
"That girl yearns for you." Shakky said, "You shouldn't break her heart."
"Haha, I'm not here to get relationship advice, Shakky-san." I said, "Besides, she told me exactly how she felt. If she had a problem with what I did, I wouldn't dare go near her."
"Fufu~" She tilted her head, "Why are you here then?"
I tapped my finger on the counter, "The Pirate I was looking for." I said, "The one that Hanafuda mentored back then, you said you know where he is."
"The Devil, Joe." She said, her cigarette in her mouth, "Captain of The Devouring Pirates, or what's left of them. He serves under Kaido's flag, you know."
"Of course I know that." I said, "He escaped my sight years ago, I need to find him."
"Hm....." She said, "Last I heard, he was in a kingdom not far from here. But you're going to backtrack too much just to get one man, Dante."
"Anything to get him." I said with a serious expression, "The sooner, the better."
"And you'll head back to the New World? So much traveling." She said
"I need to do this." I said, "And I have time."
"Or so you think. But Blackbeard is causing too much chaos as of late." She said, "Are you going to do something about that?"
"When the time comes." I said seriously
"Hm...." She said, "You were there when Joe got his title, right? The reason why he became so feared in this side of the Red Line.....a dangerous Pirate...."
"I saw the things he did." I said, "And it is precisely why I want him dead."
"Hm....." She said again, tilting her head, "Why bother sending you there when you can wait for him here? Or at least right next door."
"Huh?" I said, "what do you mean? You wanna lure him here?"
"Sure, why not?" She asked, "There's a remote island a few dozen miles away, free from the Government's sights. I can make it so that he's there, it'll take a few days."
"You'd do that for me?" I asked while blinking
"Do you need to kill him so badly?" She asked
"Yes." I nodded, "He's a danger. If Kaido accepts him to his actual crew, it won't end well. Besides, that power of his needs to be checked. It is too dangerous."
"I see....." Shakky said, giving me a smile, "I'd do it. I'll have him lured to the remote island, worry not about that."
"Thanks." I said with a smile, "You are a great help."
"Of course, it won't be free." She said
"Oh." I said, "How much?"
"I never said anything about money." She said, exhaling smoke, "Ray-san hasn't been back in a while and he won't be back yet. It's been so boring as of late, I need some entertainment."
I blinked, "Shakky-san....ain't you married?"
"That doesn't stop Ray-san from frolicking with women younger than him." She said, giving me a wink, "Why would that stop me?"
"I...." I said, "I mean, my Crew is already mad at me for what happened. If they find out I've been spending time having sex, they'd beat my ass. Well, the girls...."
"Fufu~" She said, "You let me handle them. Besides, wouldn't you want this?"
"I mean...." I said, eyeing her up and down, "I'd be a liar if I said no...."
"Then lock that door, boy." She said, "Don't waste any more time."
"And let's get this party started~"