Monster Hunter of the One Piece World

The venue for the trade fair was unexpectedly high-end—it was actually being held inside the royal palace at the very center of Gules. But given that the event organizer was the true power behind the country, this arrangement seemed rather natural.

Getting into the palace was also surprisingly easy. Cody handed over the invitation, and then led Sherwin and the others through without a hitch.

There were no body checks, no weapons confiscation... Maybe it was to help the invited merchants feel at ease? Or maybe they were just absolutely confident in their own strength.

After passing through the main gate and entering the palace, Sherwin kept a firm grip on Klee Meow to stop her from running off, while glancing curiously around.

Though the king was just a puppet, the palace itself was built with considerable grandeur.

The only thing that felt out of place was the palace guards—every single one of them was a gang member in a black suit and sunglasses, most with a cigarette or cigar dangling from their mouths. The whole palace gave off a rather roguish, unserious vibe.

Led by a black-suited escort, the group made their way into the palace banquet hall. The room was arranged like a cocktail party, with invited merchants mingling in small groups, speaking in hushed tones.

Cody quickly spotted someone he knew among the crowd and brought Sherwin and the rest over to join the conversation.

Sherwin had been wondering for a while now just what this so-called trade fair was really about.

If it was just a matter of inviting merchants from around the world to do some business, collect a bit of protection money, and be done with it, then their goal was already accomplished.

Over the past few days wandering around the city, he had seen plenty of unique products not found in the surrounding regions, and had witnessed gangsters making their rounds to collect fees.

But just now, after eavesdropping on some nearby chatter, Sherwin finally understood what was really going on.

The three major families had invited these merchants with two main goals in mind. First, they wanted them to invest in industries on the island, not just drop by once or twice for short-term business.

In other words, they wanted to turn Gules into a proper trade hub, not just a temporary marketplace. And of course, they hoped to make protection money into a long-term revenue stream.

The second goal... Once the merchants had set up shop on the island, the question of who they would be affiliated with, and how the island territory would be divided among the three families—that would become a matter of power struggle.

In fact, even before the trade fair had officially begun, the three families had already been in contact with many of the merchants. Carrot-and-stick tactics, threats and bribes—they'd used every trick in the book to get the merchants to agree to fall under their banners.

Yeah, it all fit the mafia style perfectly.

To most of the invited merchants, formally affiliating themselves with one of the three major families wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

These families were by no means pushovers among the mafia forces of the entire West Blue. Since they were going to pay protection money to the underworld anyway—what difference did it make who they paid it to?

In fact, this model bore a strong resemblance to how things worked in the New World under the rule of the big-name pirates.

The most obvious example was Charlotte Linlin, who hadn't yet earned the title of "Emperor of the Sea." Whether it was the "lifespan tax" paid by the citizens of Totto Land, or the "sweets tax" collected from subordinate crews, it was pretty much the same thing the three families in Gules were trying to pull off here.

As for why no one had approached Uncle Cody in advance... well, maybe his business just wasn't big enough to be a priority?

Either way, Sherwin didn't think this had anything to do with him.

A little while later, a man who exuded a commanding presence stepped onto the banquet hall central stage.

He was also wearing a suit, though his wasn't black for once. Instead, it was an ostentatious plaid that looked a little gaudy.

His blond hair was slicked back into a classic mafia-style pompadour, and he leaned on a sleek black cane topped with a massive sapphire that sparkled in tandem with the diamond ring on his finger.

"That Buono John—he became the godfather of the Buono family just a few years ago," Bucks murmured to Sherwin in a low voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gules Trade Fair…" Buono John tapped the microphone lightly, drawing everyone attention before beginning his speech at a relaxed pace.

Stripping away the polite greetings and thinly veiled threats, his message boiled down to the main goal of the event.

"…Please give it some serious thought. When the banquet ends, I hope you'll all make a wise decision."

Buono John smiled as he scanned the room, then stepped down from the stage and, surrounded by his men, walked toward a merchant—one who already had a gang leader standing next to him with his own entourage.

"That an adviser from the Simont family—he also the second son of their patriarch," Bucks explained again.

As he spoke, the Simont heir, after a tense standoff with John, was forced to swallow his pride and retreat, clearly outmaneuvered.

It was obvious now: this trade fair was also a battlefield where the three families vied to claim merchants for their factions.

Sherwin withdrew his gaze and continued to scan the room. He'd now seen representatives from two of the families—so where was Capone Bege, the man who would eventually become the biggest winner?

It didn't take him long to spot Capone Bege—or more accurately, to spot his two distinctive subordinates: Vito the "Monster Gun" and Gotti the assassin.

In the West Blue, where most people were of fairly average build, these two stood out like sore thumbs—especially Gotti. If Vito was just a tall man by normal standards, Gotti sheer bulk could easily compete with people in the second half of the Grand Line.

Of course, that without counting giants.

As for Capone Bege… he was too short and blocked by the others, so Sherwin couldn't see him.

Sherwin carefully observed the two not far away. Their appearance didn't differ much from what he remembered—except that Vito no longer had that massive triple-barreled machine gun mounted on his right arm.

But now that he thought about it, had these two already been following Capone Bege this early on?

Since Sherwin hadn't made any effort to hide himself, the sharpshooter Vito quickly sensed someone staring at him.

When he turned and realized it was Sherwin, he was visibly startled for a second. Then he immediately bent down and whispered something to the obscured Capone Bege.

The next moment, Vito and Gotti stepped aside, clearing a path and revealing Capone Bege figure before Sherwin…

Hmm. Eyeballing it, he looked to be under 170 centimeters tall. That height was considered short even in the West Blue. In the New World, he might as well be a dwarf.

Still, considering that even an average-sized person in the New World looked like a halfling, Sherwin didn't really have much ground to mock Bege for his stature.

While Sherwin was spacing out, Capone Bege had already approached with his right-hand men. Those who were in the know cast curious, eager-to-watch-the-drama eyes in their direction.

"Hello, Mr. Capone," Uncle Cody, ever the loyal one, stepped forward first and greeted Bege.

Bege stopped in his tracks, gave Uncle Cody a long, meaningful glance, then put on a fake, insincere smile and said, "Sorry, Mr. Cody, you're not the one I'm looking for. Would you mind stepping aside?"

Cody expression shifted a few times, but in the end, he chose to move out of the way, deciding it was best to see how things played out.

"So, you're Sherwin?" Bege walked up to him, chomping on his cigar. He tilted his head up and blew a puff of smoke toward Sherwin, asking with a grin that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hoo—" Sherwin puckered his lips slightly and blew the smoke away, then replied with a cheerful squint, "Yep, that me. What does big boss Capone want with me?"

Seeing Sherwin slightly provocative move, Bege actually smiled even wider. He glanced at Klee Meow, who was perched on Sherwin shoulder making faces at him, then asked, "These two Mink tribe Felynes—you really not planning to sell them?"

"They're my partners, not pets." Sherwin rubbed the heads of Klee Meow and Sanji Meow to calm their indignant puffing, then pointed at the two towering figures behind Bege.

"If someone tried to buy those two from you, would you sell them?"

Sure, in the manga Capone Bege had shot one of his own subordinates over a minor matter—but that guy was just cannon fodder.

Vito and Gotti, on the other hand, were clearly different. Gotti even ended up marrying Chiffon sister, Lola, making him Bege brother-in-law.

"I see…" Capone Bege grin faded, and he said with a pointed tone, "Then you'd best keep a close eye on your partners—once the trade meet ends, Grez won't be as peaceful as it is now."

With that, he turned and walked off, flanked by his two hulking henchmen.