At dawn the next morning, a faint glow appeared on the horizon, and the sea shimmered beneath the weak light.
Up in the crow's nest, Lina's face reddened slightly in the dawn light. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling its warmth.
"Ugh, my head." Lina sat up, holding his head and rubbing his temples. He'd had a little too much to drink last night while drinking Zoro under the table.
"I should brush my teeth... Never mind, I'll have a cigarette first."
Sitting on the crow's nest railing, he lit a cigarette with practiced ease and recalled the undead he'd summoned before bed to stand watch. "I'm almost out of the cigarettes I swiped from Kaya."
"Yo, Lina, you're up early. You and Zoro really put away the drinks last night." Sanji had already woken up. He came out of the cabin below deck and looked up, greeting Lina with a smile.
"You're up early too. Why not sleep a little longer?"
"Well~, I have to get up and make a loving breakfast for Miss Nami."
"What about us?"
"Make your own."
"What's that supposed to mean? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Hahaha, I'm joking. What kind of chef would let you go hungry?" Sanji waved a hand with a laugh, then headed toward the second-floor kitchen, smoking as he went.
Gradually, the others woke up too. By the time they'd finished breakfast, the sun had fully risen.
"Everyone! There's an island ahead. It should be Loguetown!"
"Here we go! Let me see!" Luffy excitedly ran to the bow and leaned over the figurehead to look.
After a day of sailing, they arrived at the place known as the beginning and the end.
"Lina, give me some money. I wanna go have fun!" Luffy grinned and held out his hand.
Lina tossed him a hundred thousand berries. "That should be enough for food, drinks, and fun."
"I want to buy two new swords too. That'll probably cost two hundred thousand berries."
At Zoro's request, Lina hesitated. What if giving him the money meant he never got Sandai Kitetsu and Yuki?
"Whatever. Who can predict where fate will lead?" Lina gave Zoro the money anyway.
Finally, he gave Nami and Usopp some spending money, then headed into town with Sanji, carrying a large bag of cash.
They planned to shop for supplies together. Sanji knew more about ingredients, so Lina would handle medicines and other daily necessities.
They'd brought plenty of ingredients from Baratie, but Sanji had nothing better to do.
If they happened to find anything rare, they could let everyone sample the finer things tonight.
"Come have a look! Deep-sea fish just delivered by merchants from the North Blue!"
"Giant Mountain Wolf fur, a Grand Line specialty, brought back at great risk by the Mountain Wolf Pirates!"
"Baozi! Goubuli Baozi!"
Huh? What was that?
...Never mind.
After walking around town, Lina and Sanji had bought most of what they needed. Aside from a few especially fine green groupers, Sanji hadn't found anything else worth buying.
"Hey, hurry over! The cooking competition's starting!"
"It's finally starting? Come on, let's go!"
"I heard the first prize is an Elephant Trunk Tuna!"
A few passersby ran past Lina, apparently heading to some event. They shouted as they went, drawing a crowd of others along with them.
"Elephant Trunk Tuna? Sounds pretty interesting. I'm going to give it a try. Want to come, Lina?"
"I'll pass. I've got something else to take care of." Lina handed Sanji a cigarette, along with a backpack full of supplies.
"Here, take everything back to the ship after you're done watching the show."
"Are you going somewhere?"
"To check out the black market."
"Sure. Be careful." Sanji lit his cigarette and took the backpack. "I'll get going, then."
"Yeah. Good luck." Lina gave Sanji a brief farewell, then headed straight into an alley.
When he'd taken out his money to pay for their purchases, he'd noticed two thugs watching him from a corner.
"Can't beat asking the locals."
Lina strolled deeper into the alley. At last, the two thugs couldn't hold back any longer. They darted out and blocked his way.
"Heh heh heh. What's in that bag you're carrying? Open it up and let me have a look."
One of them, a yellow-haired man, grinned wickedly as he drew a long knife and held it across his chest.
Another Soul Clan member?
Lina remained calm and said nothing. He simply reached into his coat and drew his pistol.
Bang—!
The knife-wielding man flinched at the sudden movement, instinctively raising his blade and hunching his shoulders.
"Pfft!"
"Ah!!!"
"I shot you in the shoulder. Don't make such a fuss." Lina slowly exhaled a ring of smoke and stepped closer. "Where's the biggest black market in town, and who's behind it?"
The yellow-haired man clutched his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he tried to slow the bleeding. He stared in alarm as Lina approached step by step.
His companion had already collapsed onto the ground, bewildered and terrified. He clutched his dagger tightly in both hands, trembling nonstop.
"Ugh, you two little punks can at least speak, can't you?" Lina sighed. "Otherwise, you're no use to me."
"Wait! I know!" the wounded yellow-haired man shouted in a panic. "There are two big black markets in town."
"One's controlled by our boss, Bartolomeo. The other..."
"The other black market is run by a mysterious group. There are rumors they came from the Grand Line, and they claim to work for someone called Joker."
"Bartolomeo?" Lina suddenly remembered that the spiky-haired guy seemed to be from here.
But he had more important things to do right now. After getting the information he wanted from the two thugs, he left at once.
Doflamingo's business stretched across the world, so it was no surprise he had an outpost in Loguetown, one of the East Blue's most prosperous towns.
He just didn't know whether they had any Seastone in stock. He couldn't afford to wait around here for long. This was Smoker's territory, and even the Smoke-Smoke Fruit—which was said to be the most shameful of the Logia—was more than he could handle right now.
Before long, Lina followed the directions he'd been given to a tavern, accompanied by the Blade Devil and the Chainsaw Devil.
It was tucked deep in a remote alley. There were hardly any people around by the time they reached it.
"Would be a great place to rob and kill someone," Lina couldn't help saying.
The tavern was deserted. Only four men sat slouched at the bar.
Behind the counter stood an old white-haired man wearing a monocle. He was polishing a glass with a handkerchief.
His face was already lined with wrinkles, but he was still full of energy. Dressed in a bartender's uniform, he stood tall, a red bow tie at his collar.
Creak—
The tavern door opened. The bartender and the four slouching men all turned to look.
A handsome blond man walked in first. He bent forward, extending one hand as if ushering some important figure inside.
The old man raised his gaze, looking at the two figures who strode in behind him.
"Hey, what are those things?"
"Are they even human? Devil Fruit users?"
The men couldn't help panicking at the sight of the two undead, with their fearsome faces and bizarre appearances.
"Is it them?" A flash of surprise crossed the white-haired old man's mind, but his expression didn't change. He spoke in a low voice:
"Well, we have some big shots here. The Blade Saw Duo of the Straw Hat Pirates, who defeated Arlong, the East Blue's number-one villain, not long ago."
"It's them! I remember now!"
"From yesterday's wanted posters?"
"The Blade Saw Duo, with a bounty of twenty-five million!"
"Man, they're a lot more terrifying in person than in the pictures."
Before you continue