At the very front of the Merry, Luffy leaned forward excitedly, holding down his straw hat as he hopped lightly onto the figurehead, his "throne" atop the ram's head. From there, he gazed ahead.
"Wuhuuu~~! Looks lively over there!"
"Ah-la, this is one of the resort paradises of the first half of the Grand Line."
Robin stepped out of the second-floor cabin with a faint smile. "It's also one of the more prosperous nations here."
She was right. On this island stood the Hored Kingdom. It couldn't compare to a superpower like Alabasta, but it was still wealthy and developed.
Its permanent population was only a little over a hundred thousand, but the floating population was massive.
This island, Gaude Island, was one of the rare autumn islands of the Grand Line—cool and pleasant year-round. The western half was home to several famous resorts, while the eastern half was farmland. Thanks to heavy maritime trade, the kingdom enjoyed a flourishing economy.
At the moment, the Merry was approaching the island's western port.
Dozens of ships of varying sizes were docked in neat rows. On the shore, laborers bustled about, hauling crates and barrels. Towels hung around their necks, their white shirts soaked through with sweat. Even in the cool climate, hard labor drew sweat from their brows.
"Robin, you know this place?" Rainer leapt down from the lookout, lit a cigarette, and asked.
"Yes. I've visited a few times before. It isn't far from here," she replied.
"Vacation, vacation!" Luffy couldn't help cheering when he heard that. Adventure was fun, but "vacation" meant good food!
Usopp, though tempted, voiced his concern: "But we're pirates. Isn't it dangerous to be too high-profile?"
"No worries. I checked." Rainer smirked. "This is one of the few kingdoms that openly allows pirates to enter."
"Eh?"
"For real?!"
Most pirates only brought destruction, but pirates needed food, drink, and entertainment too. Their spending power was notoriously high. A few kingdoms dared to welcome them for the sake of business.
"This country is prosperous, with solid military strength. Supposedly, a strong protector oversees it. That's why they can afford to let pirates in." Rainer explained casually.
"Of course, no causing trouble. Otherwise, their army will still come after you. Oh—and pirate ships docking here pay a fee of ten million Berries per day."
"Ten million!!"
Nami nearly leapt from her seat, baring her teeth. "That's daylight robbery! No wonder they allow pirates—they're just fleecing us!"
"Yeah!" Usopp chimed in angrily. "Can't we just dock somewhere else?"
"No," Robin shook her head. "Entering from anywhere else is considered illegal immigration. The army would still come after us."
Back when she worked with Baroque Works, she hadn't been classified as a pirate, so she never had to pay such outrageous fees.
She paused, then added, "Some pirate crews lower their Jolly Roger and disguise themselves, waiting until the Log Pose resets before sailing off again."
"What a joke! Lower the pirate flag? Then we wouldn't be pirates anymore!"
Luffy roared in outrage. That, he would never accept.
The record log here only took about a day to set. Without paying, another option was drifting offshore until it was done.
But that meant no supplies—sailing from Alabasta to Jaya without resupply would take half a month. Most provisions couldn't last that long.
Clearly, Rainer wasn't about to suffer like that. And more importantly, he had money.
"Let's go. One night's enough. Tomorrow we sail. Take the chance to relax at one of the best resorts on the Grand Line."
With a wave of his hand, Rainer had his undead steer the Merry into the harbor.
Meanwhile, in the harbor's watchtower, a guard spotted the approaching ship and lowered his telescope.
"Check the bounty posters. See which crew it is."
"Yes, sir!"
The guard rushed downstairs into a spacious chamber. "Captain! A pirate ship is docking!"
"Oh? Which crew?"
"Not sure yet. We're checking."
"New faces?" The tall man's interest was piqued. With a grin, he rose from his chair. "Take a squad and come with me."
He had long brown hair over his shoulders, a brutal face, and wore a gray standard-issue armor with a large sword at his waist.
Arriving at the port with his men, he spotted a small ram-headed caravel.
Straw Hat Pirates? His eyes narrowed when he saw the flag. Quickly, his gaze swept the group being herded by his soldiers—then stopped on a blond, glasses-wearing man.
Suppressing his inner shock, the captain shoved his men aside and stepped forward.
"You're pirates, aren't you?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy answered confidently.
"Hahaha, welcome, welcome!"
The man grinned, baring his teeth. "According to Hored Kingdom's law, docking fees are thirteen million Berries per day."
"You'll come with me, pay, and then you can enter the city."
"Wait a second!" Nami snapped furiously. "Wasn't it ten million?! Where'd the extra three million come from?!"
The captain just laughed, his tone dripping with false cheer.
"Oh, ten million is just the docking fee. We also assign soldiers to guard your ship. And of course, processing paperwork takes time." His grin turned sly.
"If we take too long, you'll end up paying another day's fee. A little extra, and we'll speed it right up for you."
The sleaziness of the act made everyone's blood boil.
Rainer could tell instantly—this wasn't clumsy corruption. The man was showing off his scheme.
Three million was the perfect amount. Painful enough to annoy, but small enough that most crews would grit their teeth and pay, since they'd already shelled out ten.
When Nami tried to argue more, Rainer rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
Three million? A trivial sum. Not worth stirring trouble over.
With Luffy's chaos magnet ability, even a small scuffle could escalate into a war with the kingdom. Rainer wouldn't be surprised in the least.
He could always "recover" the expense later before leaving.
So he stepped forward, looking furious but resigned. "Fine! We'll pay, alright?!"
"Rainer!"
"It's fine, Nami. We'll manage. We've saved enough for this."
Not exactly the "mark" they were looking for, the captain sighed inwardly in disappointment, but kept his broad smile. "Good, good. Follow me, then."
Soon after, the crew paid, received a certificate, and entered the city.
Shortly after, the harbor watch changed shifts. Two guards strolled along the coast, grinning as they headed back to their barracks.
"Captain is amazing," the younger one laughed, tossing a bundle of cash in his hand. "A hundred thousand Berries each. Following Lord Sandy to the first half was the right call."
"Idiot!" the older snapped, lowering his voice.
"How many times have I told you—call him 'Captain' here! If other soldiers hear you, you'll regret it!"
"Ah—sorry, senpai!" The younger flinched, slipping the cash into his jacket and checking the surroundings nervously.
Though they wore the uniform of guards, that was only a cover.
"Still," the younger whispered, "with Captain's strength, he could thrive even in the New World. Why bother here in the first half?"
"Heh, that's a long story." The elder smirked. "Buy me a drink tonight, and I'll tell you."
"Deal! I'll treat you on Peach Wine Street!"
"Tsk, youngsters—always so much energy."
The older man leaned closer, voice dropping. "It all goes back to the family's auction incident…"
Years ago, the Donquixote Family held an auction, one of the items being an extremely rare Devil Fruit.
But the Fruit was never meant to sell—it was bait to draw high-value clients.
Then chaos struck. Someone crashed the auction, and in the mess, the Fruit was stolen.
Later, when the culprit's identity came to light, the family was stunned.
It was Gild Tesoro—the Golden Emperor.
By then, Tesoro was already too strong. Not only did the Donquixote Family fail to retaliate, but they even destroyed one of their bases in the first half.
Coupled with his terrifying business acumen and wealth-gathering ability, the Family eventually abandoned revenge and allied with him.
Joker, infamous for his grudges and ruthless retaliation, chose to cooperate instead—it had shocked the entire underworld.
"And so, the Family sent someone here to rebuild their front-half base. Captain volunteered."
"I see… but," the younger frowned, "wasn't he once the Young Master's strategist? His status in the Family rivaled even the top executives. Why give that up just to play soldier here?"
"Who knows?" The older shrugged. "Though I've heard rumors he's addicted to… something on this island."
"For real?"
"Who knows. Just hearsay."
Meanwhile, inside the luxurious chamber at the base of the harbor's watchtower…
Thud. Thud. Thud. A finger tapped rhythmically against a desk.
Behind the ornate desk sat a tall man with long brown hair. A cigarette hung from his mouth as he compared a photo in his hand with documents spread before him.
His brow furrowed. His muttering was low.
"The prime suspect is him. But he doesn't look the part at all."
Sandy stared at the blond, glasses-wearing man in the picture—Rainer.
Then his eyes shifted to another photo on the desk: a collapsed, burnt-out building.
If Rainer had been there, he would have recognized it instantly. It was the Joker Family's East Blue stronghold in Loguetown—the one he had looted and burned down.
Or maybe it wasn't them. Could it have been Buggy's crew instead…?