At The Peak of One Piece

Seeing that figure leave, Victor quickly led the two girls to the bar—Shakky's Rip-Off Bar on Grove 13. 

That's right! Victor was planning to seek out Shakuyaku, the information broker, to cast another net. He was confident that at least one of his nets would catch the fish he wanted. 

After entering the bar, the three of them sat at the counter. 

"Rebecca, Wendy, there's something I forgot to tell Benn earlier. I need to go take care of it now. You two stay here, have a drink, and don't wander off. Wait for me to come back!" Victor said to the girls. 

"Okay, hurry back! We still have to go to the amusement park later!" 

Victor nodded, then left the bar under Shakuyaku's knowing gaze—as if she already knew what he was up to. 

An hour later, Victor returned to the bar. His clothes were slightly torn, but he wasn't injured. 

Under Shakuyaku's surprised expression, Victor sat back down at the counter. 

"Boss lady, pour me a good drink—money's no issue!" Victor grinned at Shakuyaku. 

Rebecca and Wendy, already full from drinking, glared at Victor with resentment. 

He had suddenly abandoned them, leaving them to sip drinks while Shakuyaku probed them for information. The two inexperienced girls had all their secrets squeezed out—including their identities as Marine recruits. 

Victor knew Rebecca and Wendy stood no chance against Shakuyaku's cunning, but at least she wouldn't harm them. 

The reason Victor had rushed off was because he'd spotted someone interesting—an idea flashing in his mind. 

"Here you go, handsome~ The finest liquor we have!" Shakuyaku smiled as she slid a glass toward Victor. 

Victor took a sip, then his expression darkened. 

'This is just Smoker's cheap-ass Nine Bends liquor! The lowest-grade stuff!' 

A realization hit him—Shakuyaku was trying to rip him off. His face soured. 'Did her Observation Haki sense what happened earlier?' 

"Boss lady, is your handyman, Old Ray, not around? I heard his coating skills are top-notch." 

Victor changed the subject, subtly warning her—'the Marines know Rayleigh is here.' 

Of course, this was an open secret. As long as Rayleigh didn't cause trouble, the Marines would turn a blind eye. After all, provoking a top-tier fighter would only lead to heavy losses. 

"Oh, Old Ray? Probably gambling or chasing young girls. Who knows?" Shakuyaku replied smoothly, unfazed. 

'What a seasoned fox,' Victor mused. 

"By the way, boss lady, I heard you deal in information. I'd like to buy some intel—do you do that kind of business?" Victor kept smiling. 

"Of course. Money's money. What do you want to know?" Shakuyaku replied lazily, as if she'd been expecting this. 

"I want the location of Eternal Black Gold. How much?" Victor asked seriously. 

"This one's free—a complimentary gift with your drink. But that glass you just had is our finest—20 million Belly a pop. The ladies' drinks are on me, though. As for the intel… come back in a month. No guarantees on accuracy~" 

Shakuyaku rested her chin on her hand, cigarette dangling from her lips, watching Victor with amusement. 

"Deal. This drink 'is' worth the price. I'll be back in a month for the intel." Victor matched her smile. 

He downed the rest of the liquor, left 20 million Beri on the counter, then led Rebecca and Wendy out. 

He trusted Shakuyaku's capabilities. If she agreed, the intel would likely surface. At the very least, she had leads—she just needed to dig deeper. Victor had faith in her reputation. 

With two confused rookies in tow, Victor marched ahead—toward Grove 30's amusement park. He intended to fulfill his promise to Rebecca. As for the bar incident? No explanations for now. 

But as they reached the bridge connecting Grove 20 and Grove 30, three figures blocked their path. 

At the forefront stood a man with fiery red hair, a yellow straw hat, and a sharp, weathered face. He was a head shorter than Victor, draped in a black cape, with a cutlass at his waist and sandals on his feet. 

Most striking were the three long scars over his left eye—a testament to a brutal battle where a single misstep could've cost him the eye. 

Behind him stood two others: 

- A black-haired man with a rifle slung across his back, muscles taut, eyes sharp with intelligence. 

- A huge, round-faced man munching on meat, wearing goggles and a green-striped shirt, a flintlock pistol at his waist—a glutton through and through. 

Before Victor's group could even step onto the bridge, the trio was already staring them down—especially the red-haired man, whose gaze burned with resentment, as if Victor owed him a fortune. 

"This tree was planted by me, this road was paved by me! To cross this path, you must pay the toll! Hand over all your money—or we'll take it by force!" 

The straw-hatted man's declaration was loud, but his tone was almost… bored. His two companions stood stone-faced, though their lips twitched. 

This kind of scene was common on Sabaody, and soon, onlookers gathered. 

"Over my dead body! If you want my money, you'll have to step over my corpse! Come at me!" Victor roared back, his voice brimming with defiance. 

Rebecca and Wendy froze. 'Since when was Victor this bold?!' 

Before they could process it, blades were drawn—and the clash was explosive. 

Despite only the straw-hatted man engaging, he and Victor were evenly matched. His Haki was refined, his swordsmanship formidable. 

The fight erupted out of nowhere—just two exchanged lines before steel met steel. It felt abrupt, but Victor was already locked in combat, leaving the girls no choice but to brace themselves. 

The duel quickly drew a crowd. Swordsmen of this caliber were rare, and their battle surpassed even master swordsmen. Every slash carried suffocating force, the air thick with pressure. 

Giant flying slashes crisscrossed the battlefield, reducing the surroundings to rubble. 

"That straw-hat guy… That's Red-Haired Shanks, captain of the Red-Hair Pirates! A New World powerhouse—why is he in Paradise?!" 

"I heard he suffered a defeat in the New World recently. Did he retreat to the first half of the Grand Line?" 

"Nonsense! He came back to duel Hawkeyes Mihawk! A man like him doesn't 'retreat'!" 

"Damn right! He's a conqueror Haki user—a man with the qualities of a King!" 

"These two are monsters! They're slicing up the island! Thank god they're holding back, or the whole place would sink!" 

Victor paid no mind to the spectators. His battle with Shanks was already white-hot. 

- Swordsmanship: Evenly matched. 

- Haki: Victor's Observation was superior, but Shanks' Armament was stronger. 

- Physicals: Victor had the edge in speed, strength, and endurance. 

Victor fought with both blades coated in Armament Haki—his swords were inferior in grade. 

Shanks, meanwhile, wielded his Supreme Grade blade, Gryphon, without Armament reinforcement. 

Relying on his blinding speed, Victor launched a whirlwind assault, spinning like a black-bladed top toward Shanks. 

Shanks could only parry and retreat, sparks flying with each clash. Victor's strength and speed overwhelmed him. 

But after a few exchanges, Shanks adapted—leaping high and stabbing downward at Victor's center. 

Victor was ready. A black blade intercepted mid-air, deflecting the strike. 

Shanks landed, and Victor halted his spin, unleashing a black sword wave straight at him. 

Shanks didn't dare take it lightly—Victor's slashes were faster than his own. He blocked with Gryphon. 

Meanwhile, Shanks' own slashes carried a dominating force, forcing Victor to counter with raw power. 

"Holy hell! Anyone who gets close would be diced to pieces!" 

"This is a death match! Insane!" 

On the battlefield, the two moved at blinding speeds—appearing in multiple places at once, blades clashing mid-air. 

Of course, those were afterimages. Their real bodies never stopped moving. 

The relentless clang of steel echoed nonstop, a testament to the battle's ferocity. 

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