Xia Yu's guess proved to be spot on.
After gaining his Devil Fruit ability, Shande's temper turned explosively aggressive. If anyone annoyed him even slightly, he'd kick them without hesitation.
Before long, Shande had stirred up quite a commotion across Shells Town.
Eventually, he tracked down the guy who had tried to pick a fight with him—and beat the entire group senselessly. Afterward, he returned to his normal form and headed with Doro to a bar near the port, eager to show off their new powers.
The Bar at Shells Town Port
Inside the bar, Shande and Doro sat surrounded by a crowd of drinking buddies, basking in the attention.
"So Shande and Doro are Devil Fruit users now?"
"Of course! You should've seen Shande beating Luka earlier! One kick sent Luka flying across the street—he broke dozens of ribs!"
"D-dozens of ribs?!"
"That's amazing!"
"This is amazing! From now on we'll follow Shande and Doro! Take care of us, big bros!"
"From today on, we're the strongest bounty hunter duo in Shells Town!"
"Hahaha! The future looks bright!"
Suddenly someone asked:
"By the way, Doro… where did you get those Devil Fruits?"
"Bought them."
Doro answered casually.
"Remember that mysterious shop on Central Street? The owner came back. He said he's a traveler, and he brought many Devil Fruits from his journeys."
He let out an emotional sigh.
"That boss… he's a genuinely good man."
"A traveler? Many Devil Fruits?!"
"Is that real? Are there still more there? Can we go buy one too?"
"Sure," Doro nodded.
"To Shande and me, that great traveler is basically our second father."
Without him, they wouldn't have their current strength.
"How much did your Devil Fruits cost?"
"1.5 million Berries."
"WHAT?!"
Everyone in the bar froze.
"1.5 million?! That's insanely expensive!"
"Yeah, it's pricey," Shande said as he leaned back in his chair.
"But totally worth it."
"Look at me now—full of power! If I had this ability earlier, what would Morgan even count for? Capturing Kuro would've been my job!"
Suddenly…
A strange voice spoke from behind them.
"You bought Devil Fruits… for 1.5 million Berries?"
"Are you doubting me?"
Shande didn't even bother turning around.
"Believe it or not, I could punch you to death."
"Young man," the old voice replied calmly.
"You cannot punch this old man to death."
Shande finally turned around.
Behind him stood a gray-haired old man over sixty, smiling casually.
"Not in the East Blue."
"Not even in the Grand Line."
"There isn't a single person alive who can kill me with one punch."
The entire room fell silent.
Doro and the other bounty hunters immediately stood up.
Then—
THUD!
They all dropped to their knees.
"C-C-C-Vice Admiral Garp!!!"
Monkey D. Garp
Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters.
A legendary figure in the Navy.
The man who had cornered the Pirate King Gol D. Roger countless times.
The hero of the Marines after the God Valley incident.
Known to the world as:
"Hero of the Marines — Iron Fist Garp."
Today he wasn't wearing his Marine coat.
Just ordinary clothes.
Without the uniform he looked less imposing and more like a friendly old man.
Garp waved his hand casually.
"Alright, alright, get up."
"I'm just on vacation."
"You're bounty hunters, right? No need to be so nervous."
Even after standing up, none of them dared to sit.
For bounty hunters like them, Garp's name was terrifying.
Even with their new Devil Fruit powers—
they were nothing in front of him.
Then Shande spoke.
"Hey old man Garp."
"I heard you're strong."
He leaned back lazily.
"How about we have a fight?"
THUD!
Doro and the others immediately collapsed back onto their knees.
What the hell was wrong with this guy?!
Being hot-tempered was one thing, but challenging Garp?!
"HAHAHA!"
Instead of getting angry, Garp laughed loudly.
"I like spirited youngsters."
Then he suddenly changed the subject.
"You said you bought Devil Fruits from a traveler for 1.5 million?"
"Y-yes…" Doro answered nervously.
Shande crossed his legs arrogantly.
"So what?"
Garp stared at them for a moment.
Then he asked:
"Do you know the starting price of a Devil Fruit in the Grand Line?"
"100,000?" Shande guessed.
Then he suddenly jumped up.
"Damn it! That guy really scammed us!"
"He sold it to us for 1.5 million!"
"I'm going back to beat him up!"
BONK!
Garp punched Shande on the head.
"You idiot!"
"You just got the deal of a lifetime!"
"You East Blue bounty hunters seriously need some education!"
Garp folded his arms and spoke bluntly.
"Let me tell you something."
"In the underground black markets of the Grand Line…"
"The starting price for a Devil Fruit…"
"…is 100 million Berries."
The bar fell into complete silence.
Everyone's minds went blank.
100 million?!
Meanwhile, elsewhere in town…
Xia Yu was calmly sitting in his shop, waiting for customers.
Completely unaware that—
two idiots were advertising his store all over town…
and Vice Admiral Garp had just heard his name.
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