Alistair had two reasons for sending Lafitte to the chestnut-haired man (whose name he'd forgotten).
First, after years of salvaging, the man should suspect that Skypeia wasn't underwater, but in the sky.
Second, Lafitte's flight would clearly show their ability to reach Skypeia.
Lafitte's respect was secondary. Once the man arrived, his knowledge of the sea and hot air balloons would be crucial.
The South Bird was a backup plan, and a good one. With training, it could replace Log Pose in the Grand Line—Alistair didn't understand why the Straw Hats didn't use them.
He didn't understand many of the Straw Hats' actions. They were few, yet fought separately, with the weakest—Nami, Usopp, Chopper—taking the initial beating before counterattacking.
This repeated endlessly… Never learning from their mistakes was frustrating.
A snake emerged from the sea, swimming towards Hancock and the others. Standing upright, it hissed at the Kuja officers. Ran nodded and hissed back.
The snake swam back quickly. This was the Kuja's communication method—poisonous snakes that could swim, facilitating communication during sea battles.
The Shandora Union hesitated at sea, recognizing the ship's flag—the new Shichibukai, Hancock's flagship. The flag was a deterrent; they couldn't provoke Hancock. What should they do?
The mysterious man had sent them to Jaya, but the Kuja blocked their path.
The chestnut-haired man quickly made a decision.
He and his two adopted sons, a gorilla and a monkey, rowed towards Jaya's west coast.
They were unaware of their near-death experience. The Kuja intended to destroy their ships, but thankfully, they asked first.
The gorilla and monkey were incredibly strong; the monkey had once knocked out a small Sea King. Rowing together, they were faster than a motorboat, quickly approaching Jaya.
Many pirate ships were in Jaya's port, marked with numbers (1-15) on their sides, looking like a fleet. When did Jaya acquire such a powerful pirate force?
Perhaps Captain Kuro could have such a fleet, but he was unlucky, encountering Mihawk in the Grand Line, losing all but his flagship.
Only Yonko crews usually had such power.
Seeing Hancock's flag, the chestnut-haired man and his sons made the connection.
"Gorilla (Soucho in Japanese), Monkey (Masira, unsure of the meaning), be careful. The Shichibukai are unlike any pirates you've encountered." Montblanc, a sensible man, warned them seriously.
They nodded solemnly, one making a "zee" sound, the other a "jee" sound.
Entering the port, they saw Lafitte waiting.
He held a cane, his smile unsettling. Adjusting his hat, he said, "Our leader awaits. Please follow me."
Upon arrival, the auction was over.
It was now a procurement event.
This was more intense than the auction—auctions involved spending money; procurement involved making money.
The chance to connect with Hancock, a Shichibukai, made them even more eager, selling their goods at a loss, promising more supplies later.
Alistair ignored these empty promises; in the Grand Line, empty promises were unreliable. These merchants might provide supplies now, but their fleets could be robbed by a Yonko or Shichibukai, leading to bankruptcy.
Alistair calmly announced the winners.
He controlled the merchants' emotions and the pace, impressing Nico Robin, yet remaining fair.
When merchants offered their bottom prices and quantities, he accepted, preventing destructive competition…
Even the merchants who lost money felt satisfied, not feeling cheated.
"Hello." Alistair, sitting on the platform, greeted Montblanc and his sons.
The square was filled with merchants' workers—cleaning up, receiving goods, and transporting Alistair's purchases.
It was exhausting!
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