The rising of the Shield Hero X One piece

The Rising of the sword Hero part 29

"There you go!" Fargus lifted his own mug of beer up with a hearty laugh. "To the new friendship between the Sword and the Axe!"

Right now, Zoro and his team were sitting in the dining room of the Ark. After the battle, Captain Fargus had invited all of them on board his ship, "to have a drink to celebrate the new friendship", as in his words.

Zoro knew from his experience that pirates are famous for their ability to drink alcohol like water. Seriously, that beer was of very good quality.

"Damn, this is the first time in my life I've had such good food to eat with my beer! Shame you kids didn't want to have a drink..."

"They are all minors," Zoro glared at the captain. He pulled Atla, the person who was sitting right next to him, into his protective grasp. "If you dare give them just a drop of alcohol, I swear to you that I will hunt you down ."

Fargus pouted. "You're no fun at all."

Right at that time, a sailor entered the room. "Cap', Lord Bentley is here."

Fargus groaned. "Again?! This guy really doesn't know when to give up, does he?"

"Who is Lord Bentley?" Zoro asked in curiosity. The Axe Hero sighed.

"The head of the Zeltoble Merchant Guild. Pretty big shot over here, I say. Basically the king of this land, with this country being a country of merchants and mercenaries. Since the day you showed up, he has been nagging me to arrange a meeting with you."

Now Zoro started understanding what was going on. "So you're going to sell me to him?"

Fargus rolled his eyes. "Like I give a shit about him. That dude is power-hungry, and not in a good way. I'd rather not associate with him in any way, but when can we even choose what we do? Anyway, just ignore him. We have better things to do..."

"Now that's a cruel way to talk about your old friend, Captain."

Everyone turned toward the entrance of the room, where a man whom Zoro hadn't met before was standing.

The newcomer was pretty impressive compared to what Zoro had imagined from the description of Fargus. He was a burly middle-aged man, maybe not as much of a muscle freak as Fargus himself, but still way more muscular than what Zoro imagined about a merchant. His face bore a moustache that would put even Director Goredorf Musik's to shame, and behind the pair of round glasses he was wearing, his eyes were full of seriousness. He looked like a very competent politician to Zoro, and definitely NOT in a good way.

Fargus glared at the man in annoyance. "I don't remember inviting you in."

The newcomer just pulled a chair nearby and sat down nonchalantly, as if this ship were his own home. He smirked at the Axe Hero. "Come on, brother, aren't you being a little too cold? Just like I told you, the only thing that I want is a talk. I'm not going to do anything... out of line."

Then, without waiting for Fargus to say anything, he turned toward Zoro. He bowed deeply above the table they were sitting in.

"Sir Sword Hero, Roronoa Zoro. It's such an honor for us to finally be able to have you here, in Zeltoble. I wholeheartedly apologize for not being able to be here to greet you sooner."

"No need for cliché words," Zoro cut in with a neutral tone. "If you want something from me, just speak it out."

The man's eyes twinkled behind his spectacles. "You really don't like to talk much, Sir Sword Hero. Then, before we start anything, let me introduce myself first. My name is Arthur Bentley, and I am the Head of Zeltoble Merchant Guild."