The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

They all followed the instructions and went down to prepare, waiting for the pirates to arrive.

Whiskey Peak, if you come here unaware of the truth, you might think it's a town that welcomes pirates.

But in reality, this place is a gathering place for a group of bounty hunters who specialize in hunting pirates, and it is also a branch of Baroque Works, a secret criminal organization on the Grand Line.

Many young pirates who were unaware of the truth became innocent victims when they set foot here, buried under the cacti on the mountain peaks.

When Luffy and his crew entered, they were greeted by this grand and unprecedented scene.

They saw many town residents gathered at the dock and port, warmly welcoming their arrival.

"How is this going?!"

Zoro and his crew, who were already prepared for battle, were somewhat confused, thinking they were unpopular and would be expelled.

The situation on the ground was completely different from what they had imagined.

It's not that they're unpopular, it's that they're too popular!!

"Bang~ bang? bang."

Just then, the enthusiastic crowd parted, and a tall man with blond, wavy hair, whose hairstyle looked like a tube of toilet paper, walked out.

He strained his voice, as if he were playing some kind of classical music.

His overall demeanor was that of a minister or nobleman from a certain kingdom, somewhat out of place with the residents of the surrounding town.

"Welcome to this town that belongs to pirates!!"

The blond, wavy-haired man stood there with his arms outstretched, striking a pose of enthusiasm:

"Any hero who dares to sail the seas, any pirate hero, will receive a warm welcome here!!"

"I am the mayor of this town, and on behalf of all the residents, I extend my warmest welcome to you all!" The man who called himself the town mayor smiled and looked at the group of people in front of him with anticipation in his eyes.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was genuinely looking forward to the pirates.

"That's a bit strange..."

Zoro crossed his arms, his face calm, but doubts were creeping into his heart.

Having once been a bounty hunter, he sensed a kindred spirit in this group.

"Hey, this looks pretty good!!"

Completely unsuspecting, Luffy was eager to go in and have some fun.

but?

"I never expected there to be a town here that welcomes pirates!!"

Usopp was the first to rush forward, his enthusiasm no less than that of the man who called himself the mayor.

"Since you've extended such a warm invitation to us, we can't be so ungrateful, can we?"

His long nose twitched, and then he pulled a bottle out of his pocket.

Inside were tiny, pinkish-purple pills that looked like candies.

On the Going Merry, everyone, including Luffy, turned to look at Link.

"I taught Usopp this: on this vast sea, you shouldn't have a heart to harm others, but you must always be wary of others."

Link shrugged. "But it seems he only took the last part of what he said to heart, and then he took the [Truth-Telling Pill]." A silence fell over the room.

They knew perfectly well what Usopp was planning to do with the [580 Truth-Telling Pill].

However, since it was for the sake of their entire pirate crew to understand the details of this place, they did not stop them.

However, looking at the enthusiastic smile on Usopp's face...

It seems that after being tricked by "Tell the Truth Pill" before, he now particularly enjoys seeing others suffer because of it.

"this is……"

The mayor, with his wavy blonde hair, looked at the candy that Usopp enthusiastically offered him, somewhat puzzled.

"This is a tradition of our pirate crew, a gift given to those who are recognized and welcomed by us in return."

Usolan chuckled, "Although it's just a piece of candy, it's a small gift but carries great meaning, and it really represents our feelings."

With that, Usopp poured out two pills, grabbed Luffy, and put one of them into Luffy's mouth.

He indicated that the pills and candies were not toxic or harmful, and then, with an innocent expression, handed the pills to the blonde, wavy-haired mayor.

the latter:"……"

He first glanced at Luffy, only to see him happily chewing on the candy pill. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling to himself that he had been overthinking things.

"Looks like they're just a bunch of playful pirates after all; even their welcome involves giving out candy..."

Mayor Big Wavy Hair smiled and put the candy in his mouth.

Usopp's grin widened even further, and on the deck of the Going Merry, the way a group of people looked at the mayor became subtle.

"Then, dear Mayor..."

Usopp then clapped his hands, revealing his friendly "cheeky teeth," and asked, "Could you please tell us if this is a town that welcomes pirates?" "Of course it is!!"

The answer flashed through the mayor's mind and heart without hesitation.

But when the words finally came out of her throat, it was...

“Of course not!!”

The mayor blurted out, then paused for a moment.

What am I even saying?!

Not only was he taken aback, but the residents of the small town behind him also had question marks on their foreheads.

Sure enough...

Zoro's eyes showed understanding, and Usopp's smile deepened.

The other Straw Hat Pirates members had even more subtle expressions on their faces.

Except for Luffy, who was still tilting his head, looking on with a puzzled expression.

The mayor, with her wavy blonde hair, knew her words were inappropriate as soon as they left her mouth and quickly tried to make amends.

But when the words reached my lips, my tongue wouldn't obey me:

"This isn't a town that welcomes pirates; it's a gathering place for bounty hunters!"

No, this isn't what I wanted to say at all!!

"It's also a criminal organization, under Baroque Works, that specializes in sniping passing pirates here to make money!!"

My tongue's not obeying me anymore!!!

"You bunch of clueless, greenhorn pirates who've just set sail, and with such a high bounty, you're the perfect prey!!"

Wait!! Stop talking!!!

The mayor, with his long, wavy, blond hair, grew paler and paler, but his mouth kept moving, revealing all their secrets.

[Thank you again to 'Naruto and Uchiha' for the generous donation!! And thank you to 'DSNero' for the 588 points donation. We are extremely grateful for your support and love!!]

078 With the [Air Cannon] in hand, I hate it when people throw things, especially boogers!

"Mr. 8?!!!!"

The group of bounty hunters behind the mayor stared at his back in astonishment, dumbfounded. Some even muttered his code name.

Whether they had a code name or not was irrelevant, because their superior had already revealed all their secrets.

There's absolutely no need to hide it anymore.

Mayor Mr. 8 finally stopped talking after he had gone on and on about it.

He immediately pressed his lips tightly together, preventing them from opening again.

But what needed to be said has already been said, and there's no point in trying to cover it up anymore.

Instantly, the scene fell silent, utterly still.

"What? So you're bad guys?"

After Mr. 8 explained it so clearly, Luffy finally understood.

He pounded his fist against his palm, sighing with regret, "I actually thought there really were towns like this that welcomed pirates!"

How could such a small town possibly exist...?

"What exactly is going on?!"

The mayor of Mr. 8 is going crazy; he has no idea how he ended up in this situation.

However, he soon remembered the candy pill that Usopp had given him earlier.

He looked up abruptly and saw that Usopp had already hidden behind Link and was looking at him with a half-smile.

"It really was that candy pill..."

Mayor Mr. 8 looked very grim.

I was being careful enough, but I still got infected.

"Uncle, you're being dishonest! You're bounty hunters chasing pirates, but you're pretending to be a town welcoming pirates!!"

Usopp, who had the least right to say such a thing, found himself on the moral high ground at that moment.

He said with a smug look, "Luckily, my wise and mighty Captain Usopp saw through your plan. You'd better surrender obediently!!"

Well, his words would have been more convincing if he hadn't been hiding behind Link.

"It's clear that he's still relying on Link's gadgets. If it weren't for that, you might have been fooled by him just like Luffy!" Zoro complained as he drew his sword from his waist.

The snow-white blade reflected the increasingly ferocious faces of the island's inhabitants.

"Let's think about how to deal with these guys first!"

The once enthusiastic residents of the island have instantly transformed into ferocious and terrifying pirate hunters.

They numbered over a hundred, and in terms of sheer numbers, they were completely surrounded!

"Why, you want to fight?"

Knowing that the other party had ill intentions and was hostile towards him, Luffy smiled and rubbed his shoulder.

Then he saw the frog prince inside the house, holding two steel baseball bats, and the domineering blue-haired woman who seemed to be wielding a peacock chain rushing out after realizing that their scheme had been exposed.

"So these two were hiding here. No wonder they lured us here. It seems they really are in cahoots with us."

When the two of them showed up, the others realized that this was a trap set for them.

but--

"The roles of hunter and prey can be changed at any time."

Link calmly watched the bounty hunters below, who had already concealed their weapons and were now drawing them.

These bounty hunters are all pretty weak; Zoro alone could easily wipe them out.

As for the other four people who were cadres...

Link glanced at the Frog Prince, who was on high alert, the arrogant blue-haired woman, the dark-skinned female monk with her solid muscles, and the gloomy-faced mayor, Mr. 8, with his long, wavy blonde hair.

They were all minor characters, which made Link somewhat uninterested.

"Rubber, rubber..."

Luffy was the first to rush forward, followed closely by Zoro and Sanji, the two main fighters.

As their first battle on the Grand Line, they were all full of fighting spirit.

"So you two are just here cheering each other on?!"

Link glanced at Nami, who was acting as a cheerleader with complete composure and self-righteousness, and Usopp, who felt he had already done a good job and could now legitimately hide away.

"We'll handle the finishing touches!!"

The two of them answered in unison.

However, the two gave different answers.

Usopp's concluding remarks were merely an attempt to avoid a direct confrontation, while Nami's meaning...