The next morning, the horizon glowed faintly, the first rays of dawn shimmering across the rippling sea.
Up on the lookout, Reiner's face was bathed in the soft light as his eyes slowly blinked open.
"Ugh, my head…" He rubbed his temples and sat up. He'd had a bit too much to drink last night, competing with Zoro.
"Should brush my teeth first… eh, forget it. A cigarette will do." Sitting on the railing, he dismissed the undead he had summoned to keep watch through the night.
"Yo, Reiner. Up this early? You and Zoro went pretty hard last night."
Sanji had already risen, walking out of the cabin below deck. He looked up at the lookout and smiled.
"You're up early, too. Why not sleep a little longer?"
"Well~ it's time to prepare a heartfelt breakfast for Miss Nami."
"And what about the rest of us?"
"You cook for yourselves."
"What kinda answer is that!?"
"Hahaha, just kidding. A cook could never let his crew starve." Sanji waved dismissively, heading toward the kitchen.
Gradually, the others woke up as well, and by the time breakfast was finished, the sun had fully risen.
"Everyone! There's an island ahead—must be Loguetown!"
"Really? Let me see!" Luffy ran excitedly to the figurehead, leaning over the sheep's head to look ahead.
After a day of sailing, they finally arrived at the place known as the Town of Beginning and End.
"Reiner! Gimme some money, I wanna go have fun!" Luffy beamed, holding out his hand.
Reiner casually tossed him 100,000 Berries.
"That's enough if it's just for food and messing around."
"I need to buy two new swords. Maybe 200,000 Berries."
Reiner hesitated at Zoro's request. Would giving him money prevent him from obtaining the Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri?
"Forget it. Fate's not something you can control." He handed over the money anyway.
He also gave Nami and Usopp a little spending allowance before hefting a large bag of cash and heading into town with Sanji.
They planned to shop for supplies together. Sanji was better with food, so Reiner would handle medicine and other necessities.
They'd brought plenty of ingredients from Baratie, but Sanji was restless anyway. If he found anything rare, he could always treat the crew to something special tonight.
"Come see, come see! Deep-sea fish just brought in by North Blue merchants!"
"Fresh wolf pelts from the Great Sea Wolves of the Grand Line!"
"Steamed buns! Steamed buns!"
…Huh? Steamed buns? Never mind.
After wandering for a while, they'd nearly finished shopping. Sanji had only picked up a few fine-looking spotted fish.
"Hey, the cooking competition's starting!"
"Finally! Let's go!"
"I heard first prize is an Elephant-Tuna!"
Passersby rushed past them, shouting excitedly, drawing a crowd of other onlookers along.
"Elephant-Tuna? Sounds interesting. I think I'll give it a shot. You coming, Reiner?"
"I'll pass. Got something else to take care of." Reiner handed him a bag full of supplies.
"Bring this back to the ship after you're done watching."
"Where are you going?"
"The black market."
"Alright. Just be careful." Sanji slung the bag over his shoulder. "See you later."
"Win big." Reiner offered a simple farewell, then turned and walked straight into a side alley.
Back when he'd paid at the stalls, he'd already noticed two shady punks watching him from the corner.
"Best to get some local rats to show me the way."
Reiner strolled down the narrow alley. Finally, the two men couldn't hold back anymore and jumped out to block his path.
"Kekeke! What's in that bag you're carrying? Hand it over and let us take a look."
One of them—a blond man—grinned wickedly as he drew a long blade and held it across his chest.
Another Soul Clan guy?
Reiner's expression didn't change. Without a word, he reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol.
Bang!
The sudden gunshot startled the swordsman. He flinched, instinctively raising his weapon to protect his neck.
"Gahhh!"
"Relax. It's just your shoulder." Reiner walked forward calmly. "Now tell me—where's the biggest black market in this town? Who's behind it?"
The blond staggered back, clutching his bleeding shoulder, trying to slow the flow of blood as he stared at Reiner in panic.
His companion had already collapsed to the ground in fright, gripping a dagger with trembling hands.
"Tch. Two small fry who can't even answer a question? That makes you useless."
"W-wait! I know!" the wounded blond shouted desperately. "There are two big black markets here!"
"One is controlled by our boss, Bartolomeo. The other…"
"The other belongs to some mysterious group. Rumor is they're from the Grand Line. They say they work for someone called Joker."
"Bartolomeo?" Reiner suddenly remembered—the punk with the rooster haircut came from here.
But that was secondary. The important part was the information he had needed. Without another word, he left the two trembling men behind.
It made sense that Doflamingo's business stretched across the world. In a prosperous East Blue city like Loguetown, of course, he would have a foothold.
The question was whether they had Seastone in stock. Reiner couldn't afford to linger—this was Smoker's territory. Even if the Smoke-Smoke Fruit was considered the weakest Logia, he wasn't someone Reiner could handle yet.
Before long, Reiner followed the directions and arrived at a tavern, flanked by the Chainsaw Demon and Blade Demon.
It was deep within a deserted alley, so deserted that no one else was around.
"Perfect spot for robbery and murder," Reiner muttered.
Inside, the tavern was nearly empty. Only four men sat slouched at the bar.
Behind the counter was an elderly man with white hair and a monocle. He was polishing a glass with a handkerchief.
Despite the wrinkles on his face, he was sharp-eyed and stood straight in his bartender's uniform, complete with a red bow tie.
Creak—
The tavern door opened, and the bartender and the four half-drunk men all turned to look.
First through the door stepped a handsome blond man, bowing slightly with one hand extended as if introducing someone important.
The old man's gaze lifted past him—toward the two towering figures who followed.
"What the hell… what are those?"
"Are they even human? Devil Fruit users?"
The four men shifted uneasily at the sight of the two grotesque, eerie undead.
The old bartender's heart skipped for an instant, though his face showed no change. His deep voice rumbled:
"Well, well. We've got some big names in here today. Not long ago, they took down the East Blue's top villain, Arlong—the Straw Hat Pirates' Chainsaw and Blade Demon Duo."
"That's them! I remember now!"
"From the wanted posters yesterday?"
"Bounty of 25 million for the Chainsaw-Blade Duo!"
In person, they're even creepier than the pictures!