Looking for balance

59. Thief versus thief

Thanks to iAmsushiiiii and AyaAhnouche0 for your comments.

Welcome aboard for the new readers.

Enjoy your reading.

***

"This time, we're gonna have fun!"

Franky turned to his friends, a sparkling smile on his lips. The Straw Hat crew's boys had met at the end of the afternoon while the girls had gone to a club for the female audience only after their shopping trip, much to the despair of the cook who had accompanied them so far. Nami had successfully completed most of the negotiations that morning at the market and supplies were ensured for the next few days at sea.

When Sanji had met his crewmates, he had noted it hadn't gone so well for them and that the island's reputation wasn't usurped: Luffy had lost all his money while being distracted by a magic trick, Brook had bought a broken flute and Zoro had been dragged by locals who had been quick to buy him a drink, thinking they might rob him this way. Of course, the swordsman had gotten rid of them without difficulty but he had taken more than two hours to find his friends again... As for Usopp and Chopper, they remained terrified at every corner and hid behind the cyborg at the slightest suspicious noise.

This time, Franky pushed open the door of a small tavern a little away from the city center. The place seemed a bit noisy but offered a lot of entertainment, from the pool table to the pinball machine, cards games and darts. The decor was simple and rustic, and the clientele of exclusively male regulars didn't seem to bother with restrictive hygienic conditions.

When they entered, everyone widely stared at them as if to size up their possibility of enjoying the place and Sanji and Zoro looked right back at those who were trying to intimidate them before each resumed their activities.

"I don't trust this place," Usopp grimaced behind them.

"There are darts, awesome!" Unaware of the heavy atmosphere, Luffy rushed to the corner and Sanji shrugged. "It'll be okay. It doesn't look that good but it'll pass the time."

Usopp worriedly looked around him. No one seemed to care for them now but he wasn't feeling safe. "I'm gonna stay near the pinball machine..."

"I'm coming with you!" Chopper said right away, also afraid.

"Let's see if they got something to drink," the swordsman growled, spotting the bar.

"Take something for everyone while you're at it, mosshead", the cook asked him while his partner was rushing towards the owner who was serving a customer.

"I haven't played pool for ages!" Brook got enthused alongside the blond.

"Neither do I," Sanji admitted, grabbing a cue. "You wanna play?"

"With pleasure, dear friend!"

"I'm gonna show them my super poker skills!" Franky decided, walking towards the players table with confidence.

***

"Well, I won."

Luffy stared at the spot where his dart had disappeared out of the window, dumbfounded, before turning his attention back to his playmate, a bearded man whose belly was sticking out of his badly washed tee-shirt.

"Wanna play again?" The captain asked, a delighted smile on his lips.

The man shrugged. "Okay but you got no darts now."

"I'll go get them!" The straw hat boy rushed out of the tavern. For the third time, he had sent the dart several feet away from its target, literally making it pass through the window open to the outside.