The Laughing Clown in Pirate

"Hey! Boss, what is that?" A young man who got up to buy fruit in the early morning asked pointing to the three-meter-high platform in the center of the square.

"I don't know, maybe it's used to hang pirates! It's been jingling for the past few days, and it's hurting my business!" The fruit shop owner said while neatly stuffing the apples into the bag.

"That's enough, that's enough!" The young man shouted hurriedly: "We really don't need so much, take out a few, and then take out a few more."

The boss slowly took out an apple and put it on the scale neatly.

"Oh, take out a few more!" The young man picked out three small apples from the bag and took them out.

"Chenghui 450 Baileys!" The fruit shop owner said with a smile: "Today's grapes are also sweeter, would you like some?"

As he spoke, he picked up a fallen grape and handed it to the young man, still smiling: "You can try it first..."

"No, thank you!" The young man picked up the bag and left in a hurry.

The fruit shop owner looked at the rising sun and stretched out the canvas in front of the shop to prevent direct sunlight from drying his fruits. He is a native of the Chambord Islands, and his parents were once in the navy, so he also

As a relative of the Navy, I am lucky enough to live on Island No. 66, the safest island in the Chambord Islands - where the Navy is stationed.

The shops around the square were very expensive, and he didn't know whose property they belonged to, so he asked someone to find connections to rent this street-facing location.

Because of the deterrence of the Navy branch, few people make trouble here. The only dissatisfaction is the monthly tribute to the Navy.

Of course, there are also troubles. For example, recently the navy built a high platform to work in the square, so he had to provide free fruits and tea.

He didn't dare to close the door, otherwise he might accidentally offend an adult, and this precious store might not be his next month.

As the sun rises, there are gradually more and more people in the square. Most of them are local civilians and military families, and there are also some pirates armed with swords and guns.

Although it is an island where the navy is stationed, as long as the pirates do not cause trouble or the bounty is too tempting, the navy will not care about them.

In fact, the Chambord Islands have such a prosperous economy thanks to the pirates who plundered the wealth in the first half of the Grand Line. They support the human trafficking industry, service industries such as taverns and hotels, entertainment industries such as style streets, and handicraft industries.

And basic commerce is also inseparable from these generous pirates.

As the flow of people increased, the business of the fruit shop owner gradually improved.

"Slow down, guest!" The boss greeted the last customer before leaving the stall. He grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm. Looking from a distance, he saw that his smile had solidified like paraffin.

In the bright sunshine, a group of young marines were talking and laughing, walking straight towards him. They were very young, wearing white navy hats, their navy uniforms were washed clean, and their exposed arm muscles were bulging.

‘Don’t come here, don’t come here!’ The boss prayed in his heart, turned his back to the navy, and sprayed some water mist on the fruit with a watering can.

"Boss, how do you sell this melon?" A young and energetic voice sounded from behind.

'Fuck your mother's navy!' He cursed in his heart, but the shop owner turned around with a smile on his face: "How can I ask for the military master's money? I will give this melon to the military master!"

"Does your melon stay ripe?"

The young navy's words made the shopkeeper stunned for a moment, and then he reacted: "Look what you said, Master Jun, can I sell you raw melon eggs?"

"You're not selling this either, aren't you giving it as a gift?"

"Are you looking for trouble?" The shop owner broke into cold sweat on his forehead, feeling sorry for the money he would have to contribute to the navy.

"Hahaha!" The young navy standing aside hugged the shoulder of the navy who had been talking: "Simon, please stop scaring my boss."

"We don't want you to give it to us, we'll pay Bailey to buy it!" The navy said with a smile: "Is there anything colder?"

"There is a cellar in the store, so you have to pay extra!" As soon as he said this, the store owner wanted to slap himself.

"If you add more money, just add more money. Today is an important day for men!"

The shop owner went into the cellar neatly and came out after a while. He was holding a melon on his waist and was about to hand it to the young sailors.

"I told you to pay, but weigh it first!"

The watermelon weighed 7 kilograms on the scale. The store owner calculated it secretly and gave a low price.

"A total of 460 Baileys, military men!"

"Phew! It's so cheap, let's get another one!"

"Okay." The store owner went to hold the melon with a smile on his face. The price was a bit of a loss, but if you can send these navy away, it is still worth it.

When he came back, the young navy had cut the melon into several pieces, squatted under the canvas of the shop, and ate heartily.

"You don't need to cut the other melon, let's take it away!" After eating the melon, the young navy threw the rind into the trash can, held the melon handed by the shop owner in one hand, and walked out with his friends: "Put the money on your table.

Go up and press it under the big pear!"

"Okay, thank you for your patronage!" the store owner shouted, breathing a sigh of relief.

He turned around and picked up the big pear holding Bailey on it, and casually counted it. The money on the table was much more than what he quoted, about 1,800 Baileys.

The shop owner counted it in detail and found that it was indeed 1,800 beli.

He looked outside the store and saw a group of young sailors lining up under the command of a lieutenant colonel. Their heads were held high, and their young faces reflected the sun, full of vitality.

"Come on, another group of good marines." The store owner laughed sarcastically. There will be a few such young marines every few years, and they will cause some trouble every time.

There's a little more this time, and I don't know how much trouble it will cause.

But in the end, they will gradually be assimilated into this chaotic island and become what they once hated - this island has the blood of pirates, which can make people bad!

"Stand at attention!" Standing in front of the team, Russell looked at the group of young soldiers who stood up for justice and was full of pride.

They were personally selected by Russell. Some were his contemporaries at the Naval Academy, some were his childhood playmates in the Chambord Islands, and some were the new recruits assigned to the Chambord Islands this year.

They are young, pure and full of passion for justice, and Russell will make them shoulder the burden of true justice!

The young lads lined up under the scorching sun, while Marine branch chief Mulder Shipley was chatting and laughing with Rudy Norris, the top administrator of the Shampoo Islands of the World Government, in the cool shadows.

"Huo! The one standing in front of the team is your son, he is really young and promising!"

"Hahaha, this kid is impulsive and can easily get into trouble. Brother, please be more patient when the time comes."

"It's easy to say, easy to say! That's for sure!" Rudy Norris smiled so much that his gums were exposed: "Brother, you have taken advantage of the Tianlong people, and you will have to say a few nice words for me when the time comes! Don't ask for a promotion.

, just ask me to stay in this position for a few more years until I retire!"

Rudy Norris certainly didn't seek promotion. He served as the chief executive of the Chambord Islands for ten years and accumulated enough wealth to almost buy a small island.

As for Mulder Shipley, he was a native of the Chambord Islands and had always been very honest or tolerant before he became the branch leader.

It was with this forbearance that he worked with the Oroko family to overthrow the former branch chief and successfully took the position of branch chief by relying on the dirty information he had collected over the years.

The Chambord Islands are the second intersection between the Grand Route and the Red Continent. The wealth accumulated by the pirates who sailed the first half of the Grand Route will be gathered here. That is enough wealth to make a saint fall.

Now, the little problem that Mulder Shipley faces is that he has pretended to be a dog for most of his life, but is actually a cunning wolf, but his son, Russell Shipley, has almost been trained to be a loyal dog of justice.

"Of course..." Suppressing the complex emotions of depression and pride, Mulder Shipley said softly: "After all, you and I have been working very happily together!"

Lisandro Oroko was originally planning to replace the position of chief executive of the Shampoo Islands with a more obedient one of his own - the same guy who is now making fun of Mulder and Rudy.

But now that Lisandro Oroko is dead, everything must be considered in the long run.

The sun was shining high, under the blue sky, the military drums were beating, the military band played passionate military songs, and the honor guard marched onto the stage.

Curious people also gathered in the square, looking up at the high platform.

"Beheading! Is it beheading?" someone in the crowd asked

"If you want to see beheadings, you have to go to Island 61, where the execution ground is." Another person replied: "I guess some policy is to be promulgated!"

"Policy? What's so good about that!"

"It's all here..."

Amidst the sound of military music, the smiling Chief Executive Rudy Norris stepped onto the high platform side by side with Navy Branch Chief Mulder Shipley.

He first waved to the crowd below with a smile on his face, and then moved closer to the live phone bug. This scene would be captured by the live phone bug and broadcast simultaneously to 79 islands in the Shampoo Islands.

"Good day, dear citizens. I am Rudy Norris, the chief executive of the Chambord Islands. I think many of you don't know me, even though I have been in power here for ten years!"

"You may always be cussing out the chief executive in the saloon, but you don't know what that bastard's name is. Now you know, Rudy Norris."

There was a burst of laughter from the high platform... Rudy Norris was very satisfied that he had aroused the emotions of the citizens.

"I understand your feelings. The pirates from the first half of the Grand Line have all gathered on our island. They are powerful and do evil things. They fight on the streets without any scruples. A small quarrel may make them draw their pistols. As a result,

Take your life!"

"I know we've been living hard, long and scary days!"

"You don't dare to let your children play carefree on the streets for fear of being affected by a pirate battle one day!"

"You don't dare to let your daughter dress up and wear a floral skirt because you are worried that she will be robbed by pirates!"

"I will never carry more than 2,000 beli with me because I am worried about being robbed on the road..."

"But listen to me, all this will eventually pass, as long as we have hope and unite as one!" Rudy Norris waved his hands and said passionately: "We formed a small team, composed of young marines, they are young,

Passionate and upholding justice!"

"I believe! They will make the entire Shampoo Islands a better place, first a little bit, and then slowly, everything will be different!"

Warm applause!

First the heads were held up in the crowd, and then the emotions were contagious, and the whole square was boiling.

Rudy Norris took a deep breath: "I would like to invite the Chief of the Navy Branch, Mulder Shipley, to speak!"

While clapping his hands, Rudy Norris stepped back and extended his hand to invite Mulder Shipley to come forward and speak.

Mulder Shipley stepped forward and leaned closer to the talking bug.

He is tall and strong, wearing a white suit, and his face is expressionless. The round rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose cannot make his resolute face any softer.

The wind blew, and the cloak of justice behind him rustled.

Then, he leaned down slightly, smiled and spoke slowly. At this moment, his selfless face unexpectedly gave people a friendly feeling.

"Citizens, I am Mulder Shipley, a Marine!"

"I know that you have all complained about the navy's incompetence, corruption, and complicity with pirates."

"But we never agree with such a stigma!"

"Today...I'm going to tell you something you don't know!"

"According to our estimates, the average number of pirates in the Shampoo Islands is about... fifteen thousand!"

"On average, three pirate ships land on this archipelago every day. In every unofficial port, there are more than a dozen pirate ships docked openly!"

"In every coating factory, two out of every three businesses they do are coating for the Pirates!"

"And in the Chambord Islands, the average bounty for pirates is 2 million beli!"

"Note, this is an average bounty, we even include the boatmen who wiped the decks on the pirate ships."

Mulder Shipley's round glasses were misted, and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Now, let me inform the citizens about the number of the navy serving justice. This is a military secret... nine hundred and eighty-one people! There are nine hundred and eighty-one of us!"

"Last month we were nine hundred and ninety-three!"

"Nine hundred and ninety-three people faced the fierce pirates who had completed the first half of the Grand Line by fifteen thousand!"

"Despite this...despite this!" Mulder Shipley shouted rudely: "We will still not give up our insistence on justice!

"

"Young Marines! Please come to the stage!"

"Yes!" The young sailors, with tears in their eyes, walked onto the stage in neat steps, their powerful footsteps shaking the wooden stairs.

"Stand at attention!" Russell, the leader, shouted, and the sailors stood at attention, put their guns on their shoulders, and held their heads high.

"We will form a team" Mulder Shipley stretched his hand to the back: "It will be composed of the young navy behind me, responsible for picketing the illegal coating operations in the Shampoo Islands!"

"I declare that the Storm Watch was established today!" Mulder Shipley personally placed customized medals on each of the young sailors, and patted each young sailor on the shoulder.

"May you live up to this trust and justice!" said Mulder Shipley.

The members of the newly formed Storm Patrol stood in unison and saluted.

Mulder Shipley turned around and continued speaking.

"Storm Picket is our declaration to pirates!"

"You are not welcome in the Shampoo Islands! Justice will never be compromised!"

The applause resounded like thunder. Under the blue sky and the scorching sun, Russell and the 49 young sailors behind him stood up straight, with tears in their eyes.

Even the well-informed fruit shop owner was excited.

…

After the speech, the crowd stopped gathering and returned to a flow of people, talking and discussing with each other.

This wonderful speech and the bright sun made the fruit shop owner sell a lot of fruits and juices. In addition, the young navy men he met today made the fruit shop owner feel very good.

At this time, the navy officers as an honor guard walked to the fruit stall with sweat dripping from their backs.

"Boss, please bring some fruits and juice, please keep them iced!"

"Okay!" the fruit shop owner said with a smile.

When we came back from the cellar...a group of hard-working sailors had already taken all kinds of fruits and sat on the shelves and chairs in the stall to eat them.

A navy man directly took away the fruits and a large jug of juice from the fruit shop owner's arms.

"Chenghui costs 3,000 beli in total." The shop owner glanced at the melon peels on the ground, and after a quick mental calculation, he gave an affordable price.

"What did you see!" A marine approached and pointed at his wet chest.

‘Watermelon seeds and watermelon juice’, the fruit shop owner thought to himself but did not say it out loud.

"It's profuse sweat, sweat for justice!" The navy's saliva mixed with the smell of watermelon sprayed on the face of the fruit shop owner: "We sweat and bleed for justice, what's wrong with eating your fruit?"

The navy's hand pushed the fruit shop owner's shoulder. The shop owner took a few steps back and hit the fruit stand. The fruits on the edge fell to the ground with a crackle.

Seeing the store owner's embarrassed look, the navy officers laughed, said hello and left.

"Isn't it still the same as before?" thought the shop owner who fell to the ground.

"Boss, can we eat these spoiled apples?" Several dirty children said, pointing to the apples on the ground.

In an instant, the grievance suffered by the fruit shop owner turned into malice and anger.

"Do you have money? If you have money, I can sell it to you cheaper!" He said contemptuously, while picking up the fruits on the ground.

These street kids, give them once and they will come a second time!

"No, no!" The child's voice was timid.

The shop owner raised his head, only to see that they had not left, and their big black eyes were looking at him with their dusty faces.

"What have I been doing!" The innate compassion of human beings made the store owner's hard heart soften again.

"As promised, you can only take the bad ones!" the shop owner's voice was still fierce.

"Thank you!" A few little guys timidly rearranged the good fruits and put them on the stall, and then took some fruits that were seriously cracked or had big scars.

The shop owner took a few glances and handed them some fruits that were only slightly soft after being smashed angrily.

"It's for you...take it!"

"Can these still be sold..."

"What are you talking about? This fruit shop of mine only sells high-quality products, kid!" The shop owner stood up straight and made a proud gesture.

The street children looked at him with admiration, then thanked him repeatedly and ran away.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the store owner straightened his back and relaxed, picked up a broom and dustpan and began to clean up the melon rinds and seeds on the floor.

Soon after, he straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked outside... The high platform was empty, and several people were planning to dismantle it.

The scorching sun hangs in the blue sky, and the sunshine is fierce.