Baroque Works

The two undead seemed to have received an order. They spread their arms to display themselves as a layer of black spread from their wrists to their fists, eventually covering the round shields and spears in their hands.

"Not bad at all." The glow of Armament Haki flowed over the undead, making Reiner's smile widen.

"Oho? Your ability's pretty decent." Broggy praised him with a laugh.

"Hey, Reiner, let them fight me! Hehehe."

Luffy's eyes lit up, eager to give it a try. He could sense the powerful aura emanating from the two undead.

Reiner directly recalled them. "Quit messing around, Luffy. Those two could pin the current you to the ground and grind you into the dirt."

This trip to Little Garden had been a huge haul. Reiner clenched his fist. The Blue Ogre and Red Ogre could probably carry him all the way through the first half of the Grand Line.

The Saw Devil and Wolverine Undead, his strongest assets before this, had been completely outclassed.

Until Luffy and Zoro grew stronger enough to give him another template update, the Blue Ogre and Red Ogre would be his trump cards.

With Haki added in, Reiner's undead had surpassed Luffy in strength for the first time, making him the strongest person on the ship.

Woohoo~ Time to take off!

"Nice!! Reiner!"

Usopp excitedly pumped his fist. With two more powerful fighters on the ship, Captain Usopp's grand adventure had gained a little more security.

"Wait, that duo with the twenty-five-million-berry bounty... could they be..." Vivi stared at Reiner in shock.

She had seen Reiner summon undead over the past few days aboard the ship, but she had been too embarrassed to ask about someone else's ability.

Now that she thought about it, the pair with twenty-five-million-berry bounties had never appeared aboard the ship. Combined with the undead Reiner had created before her eyes...

The answer was obvious!

"Yeah, they're Reiner's undead." Luffy told Vivi outright.

Reiner did not mind. He had told Luffy not to be a big mouth, and Luffy would not casually reveal things that were not meant to be said.

"So that's how it is." Vivi looked strange, and the way she looked at Reiner changed completely.

Weren't undead supposed to be used for chores?

"That's just the kind of person Reiner is."

Nami scoffed. "He doesn't have an ounce of a strong person's dignity."

"What are you talking about? Are you questioning my Usopp-style strategy?"

"Wait, Reiner, was that supposed to be a compliment?" Usopp asked speechlessly.

Meanwhile, deep within the lush primeval forest...

Mr.3 was heading toward the giants' base with a little girl in a yellow hat. Mr.5 and the woman in the tight skirt followed behind them.

The candle man, Mr.3, adjusted his neat collar and shot a disdainful glance behind him.

"What are you two doing here? Don't drag me down later."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

Mr.5 shoved his hands into his pockets and replied disdainfully, "You know the consequences of failing a mission. The boss never keeps useless people around."

"I know that better than you." Mr.3's expression turned serious. "This target is important. If I'm not mistaken, someone else is probably coming after us."

"Not sure whether it's Mr.2 or Mr.1."

"Probably that dead pervert. Mr.1 usually doesn't leave the boss's side," the candle man said flatly.

He had been in Baroque Works for a long time. Though he had never met the boss, he understood the boss's style very well.

Someone else coming after them did not necessarily mean they were coming to help. If it was Mr.1...

"Forget it. No matter what, as long as we complete the mission, that's enough."

Rustle~ Rustle rustle~

A sound suddenly came from the bushes, but the group did not seem to care and continued onward.

"This damn jungle!"

Miss Valentine cursed under her breath. "It's damp! It's stuffy! There are bugs everywhere! I can't stand staying here another second!"

Only after they had gone far away...

A blue Fish-man's head emerged from the bushes, its hollow eyes fixed on the direction in which the four had departed.

It then circled around, broke into a full sprint, and streaked through the forest toward Reiner's location.

Before long, in the open meadow at the center of the island, Reiner saw a Fish-man Undead running toward him at high speed.

"Did you find prey?" The undead arrived before him and began gesturing wildly.

"This way?"

"Four people? Two men and one child."

"One has a three? What does that mean?"

Reiner's expression gradually turned strange. What the hell was it trying to gesture?

Seeing this, Nami could not help asking curiously, "What is it, Reiner? Did something happen?"

"There are other people on the island."

Reiner lit a cigarette and said slowly, "They're coming straight for us. They're already very close."

"Coming for us?" Nami asked in confusion. "Did we offend someone?"

"No, they might be coming for me."

Vivi suddenly stepped forward, crossing her hands over her chest. Her face looked awful as a bad feeling rose within her.

"No need to guess. They're already here," Reiner said calmly.

Hearing this, everyone looked around. Beyond the clearing, there was only a dark forest.

"I don't see anyone."

"Where are they?"

The Red Ogre Undead pointed its spear in one direction. The two undead had already sensed several auras approaching with their Observation Haki.

Everyone followed the direction of the spear, and soon enough, a figure emerged from the woods.

"Tch, they noticed us?"

The newcomer was none other than Mr.3. He frowned as the Straw Hat Crew locked their gazes onto him the moment he stepped out.

Oh, wasn't this the future Emperor's right-hand man, Mr.3?

Reiner looked at the braid shaped like a "3" atop the man's head and immediately understood what the undead's gesture for three had meant.

"Mr.3!!!" Vivi cried out, her pupils widening. She covered her mouth with both hands as her body trembled.

Nami stepped closer in confusion, placing one hand on Vivi's back as she asked worriedly, "What is it, Vivi? Do you know him?"

"He's one of Baroque Works' chief assassins."

Vivi stared at Mr.3 in panic, gripping Nami's hand tightly. "Baroque Works is an assassin organization. Its members' code names are ranked according to their strength.

"His number is three! He must be here to kill me."

"Kill you?" Nami froze. "So that curly-haired guy asked us to escort you to Alabasta because of this."

"What happened to Igaram?!" Vivi suddenly shouted at Mr.3.

If he had appeared here, then Igaram, who had set off early to draw attention away from her...

"You mean the captain of Alabasta's royal guard?"

Mr.3 looked at Vivi mockingly. "Who knows? Maybe the fish in the sea have already eaten him clean."

How could this be...? Vivi's face fell, tears she could not hide glimmering in her eyes.

"So he's an enemy, right?"

Luffy suddenly spoke. "Didn't we accept the job? If he's here to kill Vivi, then he's our enemy, right?"

"The answer is obvious," Reiner said. "There are three more hiding in the forest. I sent the undead in the woods after them."

"Mm, I'll leave them to you." Luffy responded, then charged straight at the enemy.

Reiner did not summon any more undead. He merely controlled the Fish-man Undead scattered through the forest to surround them.

"I'm sorry, Nami..." Vivi sat on her knees on the ground, one hand held by Nami's. "I'm afraid I've dragged you into trouble with an incredibly dangerous enemy."

"Don't worry, Vivi. They're really strong," Nami said with a smile, comforting her.

However, before her smile could last more than a few seconds, Vivi's next words instantly made Nami's attitude do a complete one-eighty.

"The mastermind behind Baroque Works is one of the Shichibukai—"

"—Crocodile!"

"What!!!" Nami and Usopp's faces turned green with fright.

"Hey, you bastard! You never said things were this bad from the start!"

"Doesn't that mean we got targeted by a Shichibukai right after entering the Grand Line?!"

"You bastard! Say something, Vivi!" Nami bared her teeth, grabbed Vivi, and shook her relentlessly.

Vivi: "┭┮﹏┭┮, I'm sorry~~"