Joker, Clown?

The men immediately scattered as the two undead approached, retreating to either side. If a fight broke out, they weren't sure whether the man behind the bar could stop them.

Lina didn't give it a second thought. He controlled Mr. 1 to sit down at the bar, then followed.

"Our master is here to make a deal." Lina got straight to the point. "We want Seastone goods on hand. If you have them, name your price."

The white-haired old man glanced at him without speaking, then shifted his gaze to the two undead.

Lina knew what he meant. He looked at the Chainsaw Devil and controlled him to give the old man a slight nod.

Only then did the old man look back at Lina, thinking to himself, Are these two cyborgs? Are they looking down on everyone, or are they unable to speak?

He had come from the Grand Line to oversee the Loguetown branch in the East Blue. He'd seen all kinds of strange things.

Looking at the two figures, his first thought was that they were cyborgs. Their appearances were so similar that it only strengthened his conviction.

After all, two people with the same Devil Fruit ability wouldn't exist at the same time. Similar abilities were possible, but the odds of two such people showing up together were negligible.

"Two pairs of Seastone handcuffs. Fifteen million per pair," the white-haired old man said evenly. He didn't doubt that they could afford them.

In the East Blue, few people even knew about Devil Fruits, and fewer still knew about Seastone, which could restrain their users.

If they'd come straight here to ask, they clearly weren't ignorant.

"Do you have Seastone bullets?" Lina pressed.

"Seastone is extremely difficult to process into bullets. Six million berries each. I have sixteen here," the white-haired old man replied. "You'll also need a special gun to fire them. Eight million per gun."

Lina deliberately glanced at the Chainsaw Devil, then controlled him to give a slight nod.

"I'll take the handcuffs, guns, and bullets. Do you have any extra guns?"

"I have three on hand."

"I'll take all of them," Lina said decisively.

Having a spare—and a spare for the spare—was just common sense, wasn't it?

"Are you sure?"

The white-haired old man's expression finally changed. He'd guessed they could afford it, but he hadn't expected them to be here to buy out his stock.

That came to a hundred and fifty million berries!

Who were they planning to fight that they needed to spend this much? They might as well hire us as their muscle.

If Lina had known what the old man was thinking, he would've laughed out loud. If the price doubled to three hundred million, would you go take out Crocodile and Enel?

"I'm sure. I'll take everything."

"Count the money." Kruke relaxed and addressed the men who had retreated to one side. "Go get the goods and show them to him."

Lina placed the money bag he was carrying on the bar. He hadn't known how much money he'd need for this trip.

He'd taken four hundred million berries from Arlong and left one hundred million for Cocoyasi Village. He'd brought the remaining three hundred million with him.

It was the pirate crew's funds, but no one would object to spending money where it mattered.

As Lina pulled open the bag, the old man's breath visibly caught.

To be honest, the white-haired old man was tempted. In a place like the East Blue, anyone would be tempted by three hundred million berries sitting right in front of them.

But the white-haired old man held back. Joker's business was spread across the world. If he attacked and failed to take them down on the spot, it would seriously damage Joker's reputation.

Resisting the urge to strike, the white-haired old man began counting the money, all the while keeping an eye on the Blade Saw Duo and calculating his odds of taking them down.

Lina, on the other hand, was a little disappointed. The old man was no weakling, but Lina could tell he wasn't as strong as Arlong.

Lina was practically hoping the old man would attack so he could stage a little double-cross. As for Doflamingo...

As long as he covered his tracks, who knew how long it would take Doflamingo to trace it back to him? By then, Lina's strength might be on an entirely different level.

Even Doflamingo would have to think twice about whether he could take Lina on.

Maybe I should strike first in a moment? Is that really necessary? It's not like I can't afford this.

He wasn't afraid of losing. He was afraid they'd run.

Lina pulled stacks of money out of the bag one after another, while the white-haired old man slowly checked the bills.

Each of them had their own schemes.

"Boss Kruke, the goods are here." Several men came out from the back, each carrying a briefcase.

Only then did Lina learn the old man's name. The men set the cases on the table and withdrew.

Old Kruke pushed the counted money aside, then opened a briefcase and turned it toward Lina, showing him what was inside.

Two pairs of Seastone handcuffs, three ordinary-looking revolvers, and three revolver cylinders. Two were loaded with six Seastone bullets each, while the third had two empty chambers.

"We work for Joker. Since you found us, I assume you know our reputation. Of course, you can test one first if you like."

"Oh, Mr. Kruke, you wound me. Of course I trust you." Lina gave an awkward laugh and shut the briefcase.

"Fine, then. The deal is final. Once you leave this shop, there are no returns or exchanges." Kruke gathered up the money on the bar.

Lina put the briefcase into the half-empty money bag and lifted it.

He extended a hand to Kruke, while controlling the Blade Devil and Chainsaw Devil to get up and leave.

Kruke also reached out, but kept an eye on the Blade Devil and Chainsaw Devil out of the corner of his eye.

Their hands clasped and squeezed a few times.

Lina controlled the two undead to turn and head for the door. When Kruke saw their backs, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

As the two Devils slowly walked away, Lina and Kruke began to release their grip, their hands gradually drawing apart.

The room was silent, as if the air had frozen.

Bang!

Kruke exploded into action!

He slammed both hands onto the bar and pushed off with his legs. The combined force sent him hurtling forward at incredible speed.

Die!!!

If he could kill the two of them with a surprise attack, he could deal with the blond man trailing behind them afterward.

As long as he covered his tracks, no one would find out.

I knew you'd pull this, you son of a bitch!

The instant Kruke sprang into action, several spatial rifts opened throughout the room.

Several appeared in front of the four men, while another opened behind Kruke!

This was a fight where the winner had to be decided immediately.

If he took them down right here in this room, there'd be no trouble.

If they got away, endless trouble would follow.

Both sides had the same idea.

Although Lina had deliberately baited Kruke by turning the two undead around, if Kruke hadn't attacked, Lina would've simply left.

But there were no what-ifs. His opponent had made a move, so Lina had to be even more ruthless.

Kruke turned both hands into knife-edged palms and slashed at the Blade Saw Duo's necks from behind.

At the same time, a pair of clawed arms emerged from the spatial rift behind him and stabbed viciously toward his waist.

The Blade Saw Duo couldn't see Kruke coming from behind, but Lina had a clear view.

The instant Kruke attacked, Lina controlled the undead to turn around. At the same time, he drew the Bone Chain Sword and pointed its tip at Kruke.

You thought you were sneaking up on the two of them?

This is the part where the four of us take you down, old man!

Three long blades and three chainsaws all swung toward Kruke, while several claws closed in on his waist from behind.

Shoot him!!!

The saw-toothed tip of the Bone Chain Sword shot forward!

Thud! Thud!

Thud! Thud!

In an instant...

The Bone Chain Sword pierced Kruke's body, the golden Werewolf's claws sank deep into his waist, and the two undead of the Blade Saw Duo drove their blades and chainsaws into his shoulder, neck, and chest.

Kruke lost his balance in midair. Struck from several directions, he crashed forward in a twisted heap.

If you were going to do it, you had to be fast and ruthless!

"H-How could this be?" Kruke's eyes widened in disbelief. He collapsed awkwardly in a pool of blood, coughing up blood as he said, "I'm... cough... one of Joker's men. If you kill me..."

Lina ignored him and finished him off. "Killing you is how I make sure nothing happens, old man."

He then hacked the four men in the corner to death and slowly walked toward the back of the tavern.

Time to reap the spoils, then get rid of the bodies and leave...