*Chapter 34: Onmyoji Ryūna*

On a certain small island, the pirates were reveling through the night.

There was a tavern here known as the "Sea's Bubble." In earlier years, it mainly served as a temporary storage spot for weapons and contraband. Over time, it gradually became a popular gathering place for pirates.

The reason was simple: the tavern’s owner had considerable influence. No naval ships had ever visited the island, so anyone could rest and recuperate here, provided they had enough Berries in their pockets.

The so-called "Sea's Bubble Tavern" was a simple structure made of wood and tin, looking like a weather-beaten old ship. The tavern’s windows were set with thick wooden boards, patched over the years. Despite its worn appearance, it had a unique charm that made every passing pirate stop in their tracks.

This included the members of the Black Cat Pirates, who had just disembarked to indulge themselves.

"I like this kind of atmosphere," Kiba said with a smile as he pushed open the wooden door and walked into the noisy tavern.

It was much as he had imagined—rough tables and chairs were everywhere, marked by various weapon slashes. It seemed that brawls were a common occurrence here.

He quietly lit a cigar, a spoil of war from a previous battle. It had no special effects other than masking the mixed smells of tobacco, strong liquor, and sweat in the air.

This unique "aroma" was an irresistible temptation for every pirate. Kiba didn’t feel too out of place here.

Ordering a strong whiskey, he picked up his glass and quietly observed his surroundings, looking for any promising talent worth recruiting.

"Hey, have you heard? The Pirate Admiral just attacked a Marine base."

"That news has been all over. Poor Branch 153 has had a streak of bad luck."

"I heard Kuro the Hundred Plans was executed?"

"Heh, I always said the Black Cat Pirates wouldn’t last. Look at them now—their captain’s been captured."

Stopping the nearly enraged Paul, Kiba waved his hand and said, "Hold on, it’s not the right time yet."

"Got it." Paul, ever obedient to Kiba, immediately sat back down when told not to act.

However, Paul’s actions caught the attention of some keen observers.

Still holding his cigar, Kiba casually turned his head to a spot in the corner of the tavern.

The place was crowded, with pirates exchanging stories of their adventures. The room was packed, except for that particular corner, which remained oddly spacious. It was as if no pirate, no matter how crude, dared to squeeze into that spot.

This could only be for one of two reasons.

First, a very terrifying figure was sitting there, someone everyone knew to avoid.

Second, people had tried to sit there but ended up regretting it.

Others, seeing what happened, naturally avoided disturbing that area.

Paul’s earlier action had unintentionally attracted the attention of those sitting there. Kiba could clearly see that the group seemed to be pointing and discussing him and his crew.

"Boss," Kiba knocked on the table and silently handed over a large banknote, "Tell me about those guests."

The owner of the Sea's Bubble liked being called the First Mate, but Kiba didn’t use this title. However, the money was enough for the owner to overlook it.

As for information gathering, sorry, the owner was a man of principle and wouldn’t sell out his customers.

Seeing the owner shake his head, Kiba hesitated for a moment, then pulled out ten times the amount and slapped it on the table.

"They’re from the Alvida Pirates," the owner said, pocketing the money. He even provided a helpful explanation of the recent incident: "Half an hour ago, a group of pirates tried to get those women to drink with them."

"And?"

"If you go out now, you should still be able to see their bodies in the gutter."

As he spoke, the owner handed Kiba a bottle of liquor, his own special brew called Sea’s Flame. Its unique taste had won over everyone who tried it.

"Have a taste, guest."

Seeing the owner’s bright smile, Kiba felt a bit uncomfortable. To be honest, he preferred the owner’s usual prideful and defiant demeanor.

As for the information the owner provided, it confirmed Kiba’s suspicions. These women were no ordinary people.

The Alvida Pirates were the first enemies Straw Hat Luffy encountered after setting out to sea.

The captain, Alvida, was obsessed with beauty, considering herself the most beautiful woman on the sea. In reality, she was a freckled, obese, ugly woman.

Alvida, with a bounty of five million, was similar to Kiba at the moment in terms of strength, which was not impressive.

Later, after acquiring a Devil Fruit, she truly became a sexy, beautiful woman, with a significant boost in power. Even her personality became more seductive and charming.

"Maybe we can take this chance to absorb the Alvida Pirates into our crew."

As he glanced over at that corner again, Kiba suddenly noticed a beautiful woman walking toward him.

The pirates along the way instinctively stepped aside, like gentlemen. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they were encountering a group of aristocrats.

It seemed that this was the woman who had made the earlier move.

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After carefully sizing up the person in front of him, Kiba had a feeling that something was off about the woman's presence. Once she sat down, he had already guessed her identity.

“Who would've thought I’d run into someone from the same world just by grabbing a drink.”

“Quite the surprise,” the woman said, extending her hand and calmly looking him in the eye. “My name is Ryūna. It’s a pleasure to meet you, the world’s most wanted criminal, Mr. Jason.”

“You’re well-informed.”

“The Sound Nest Squad didn’t hide their defeat.”

So it really was them, Kiba thought. Even after losing the battle, they’re still trying to trip me up.

Now everyone knows the name of the criminal Jason. Going forward, it won’t be easy to play dumb and catch people off guard.

“Just luck,” Kiba said, shaking his head, not showing a trace of pride.

Clearly not wanting to talk much, Reincarnator Ryūna didn’t press further. Since they weren’t very familiar with each other, it was better to keep some distance.

After receiving a glass from the bartender, the woman downed the fiery drink in one gulp and suddenly asked, “After your fight with the Sound Nest Squad, I’m sure the Black Cat Pirates took heavy losses too. You must be in a hurry to recruit more crew.”

Kiba smiled and signaled her to continue while ordering another drink.

“I know of a big job that can earn a lot of money, enough for you to recruit a large number of pirates.”

Kiba had a pretty good guess about what she was getting at and asked, “How much exactly?”

“Over 700 million.”

Ryūna expected the man to ask eagerly or perhaps even show some skepticism. She couldn’t blame him; she wouldn’t easily trust a stranger either.

But he didn’t do that. The infamous Jason just stared quietly at her.

After a long pause, Kiba finally spoke, “Show me what you’ve got.”

She came to him for cooperation because she couldn’t handle it on her own, and she valued the fact that he had defeated the Sound Nest Squad.

Based on her abilities, Kiba could roughly gauge the strength of their enemy.

“Alright, let’s head to the back of the tavern.”

Soon, they arrived at an open area behind the tavern, and the other members of the Arlita Pirates followed them, clearly not trusting Ryūna to deal with Black Cat on her own.

As for the onlookers in the tavern, they saw the two sides squaring off outside and immediately understood there was a fight coming. Even the bartender brought out a small bench to watch the show, not to mention the other pirates who had forgotten all about their drinks.

When they heard that the group was the Black Cat Pirates led by the notorious Jason, a few guys who had just been talking smack immediately sobered up.

“Boss, let me handle this.” Paul, the loyal underling, stepped forward without hesitation.

With the demon blade in hand, his combat strength was only slightly below Buji and Sam’s, making him one of the Black Cat Pirates' main combatants.

Barring any external factors, Paul could definitely defeat most Reincarnators in a one-on-one battle.

Compared to his loyal subordinate, Ryūna seemed more mysterious. Since she had invited him to join the mission, Kiba didn’t feel right about scanning her information directly.

“No matter, once we start fighting, your secrets won’t stay hidden.”

“You two may begin, but remember, don’t go too far.”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Paul drew his demon blade and charged at the woman.

A violet glow surrounded the blade, clearly marking it as a weapon of great power.

Facing Paul’s aggressive attack, the female Reincarnator extended her finger and began drawing a glowing hexagram in the air.

In the blink of an eye, a blue talisman appeared out of thin air.

“A Onmyoji?!” Kiba thought it was odd, but he quickly realized things weren’t so simple.

Spirit Word: Bind!

The talisman transformed into chains that, with a flash of the hexagram, securely bound Paul.

Ignoring her opponent’s desperate struggle, Ryūna drew another talisman, but this time she threw it at her feet.

“Shikigami Summoning: Akashita!”

Seeing the four-eyed demon with a long red tongue, Kiba finally understood who she really was.

She wasn’t a Taoist priest; she was an Onmyoji.

Onmyoji Ryūna—any veteran Reincarnator would have heard of this super rookie.

Akashita, with its blood-red eyes, pounded a drum to summon thunderclouds.

Trapped by the binding spell, Paul could only watch as several bolts of lightning descended from the sky.

Thankfully, the woman knew her limits and didn’t strike too hard, so after a moment, the poor guy emerged charred but alive.

“Boss, I lost,” Paul said, looking a bit frustrated.

“Don’t worry about it.” Kiba patted him on the shoulder and asked the bartender for a room so his men could wash up.

After taking care of that, he turned back to size up the Onmyoji.

“Do you have other Shikigami?” Kiba asked, curious.

“Yes.”

“Do they take up skill slots?”

“Of course.”

It was his first time meeting a summoner-type Reincarnator, and he had many questions.

As for teaming up...

(Chapter End)

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