Seastone Armament

Half a month later.

Roana Port, a bustling commercial island in the East Blue known as the "Capital of Free Trade."

At dusk, a conspicuous mid-sized clipper, black as a drawn sword, slowly entered the harbor and headed for one of its top private berths.

With its streamlined, droplet-shaped hull and understated luxury, the Eclipse drew plenty of covert attention from the moment it entered the harbor.

On deck, Buggy sprawled across the costly Iron Pine flooring, limbs spread wide as he gasped for breath.

"I can't do it anymore. My fingers are about to cramp up."

Buggy looked at his hands, which were covered in special gloves. He was so exhausted he couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger.

Over the past half month, Ace and Sabo hadn't beaten him up out of boredom.

But that systematic, targeted training had been even worse than taking a beating.

Sabo crouched beside Buggy, making the final adjustments to a finely crafted set of finger guards and wrist guards.

"Stop complaining, Buggy."

Sabo tossed the adjusted finger guards onto Buggy's stomach, his tone serious.

"Your Chop-Chop Fruit's immunity to slashing attacks is certainly powerful, but your offensive options are too limited."

"We took that piece of Seastone scrap from Bluejam's treasure chest and had a black-market craftsman quickly shape it into these Seastone knuckles."

This was the development path Ace had tailored for Buggy.

The inside of the Seastone knuckles was lined with thick insulating leather and metal. As long as they didn't touch Buggy's skin directly, they wouldn't drain his strength.

High-purity Seastone was set into the outer striking surface.

Combined with Buggy's ability to detach his hands, feet, and even individual fingers from his body and send them flying through the air at will, this gear was a nightmare for every Devil Fruit User.

Just imagine it: in the middle of a fierce fight, a severed hand wearing Seastone knuckles suddenly came flying in from the enemy's blind spot.

The moment it touched the enemy, it could strip away their powers.

"That's all well and good, but what if the leather lining wears through while I'm wearing them? What if they touch my skin?"

Buggy whimpered as he carefully put the knuckles away.

"I could even fall into the sea and drown!"

"That's why you need to practice fine control and precision every day when you split apart."

With measured footsteps, Ace opened the cabin door and came out.

He was wearing a fitted black shirt today, with his dark red sleeveless coat draped over it.

"Sabo and I are going ashore."

Ace walked to the rail and gazed at the bustling streets of Roana Port.

"We'll exchange the bits of jewelry we picked up at Terminal and Orange Town for cash on the black market, and stock up on supplies for the Grand Line."

"You stay here and keep watch."

"Leave it to me!"

The moment he heard that he wouldn't have to keep training, Buggy sprang up like a coiled spring and thumped his chest.

"I guarantee not even a fly will get aboard!"

Ace glanced at him but said nothing.

He turned and leaped onto the pier with Sabo. Soon, the two of them disappeared into the bustling crowds at the port.

Watching them go, Buggy let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally, they're gone."

"Keep watch, my ass. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in half a month."

Buggy yawned widely, then went straight to the leather sofa outside the living quarters and flopped onto it, sprawled out in every direction.

Less than two minutes later, earth-shaking snores rang out from the deck.

Night quickly fell over Roana Port.

The harbor district blazed with lights.

But the Eclipse, moored at a private berth, lay quietly hidden in the shadows beneath the water.

Just then, a slender figure appeared atop a lamppost beside the pier.

The purple-haired girl crouched on its crossbar, her black stealth outfit almost blending into the darkness.

She didn't hurry to make her move. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and inspected the Eclipse from its hull material and berth class to the patrol routes on deck.

"Iron Pine decking, corrosion-resistant steel plating along the hull, a private berth..."

Carina lightly tapped the lamppost, her interest piqued.

"This isn't an ordinary pirate ship."

The phantom thief, Carina.

She was somewhat notorious in the East Blue underworld, specializing in targeting the wealthy, the nobility, and pirates.

Rather than approach from the main deck, she circled around to the shadows at the stern and tossed a padded grappling hook.

The hook caught on the rail without making the slightest metallic clang.

Carina climbed the rope and flipped onto the deck. She landed toes first, knees slightly bent, barely stirring a speck of dust.

"Rrrrr..."

Loud snores came from the open-air bar.

Carina crept closer and saw the Red Nose guard sprawled across the sofa, snoring louder than the waves.

"Security's pretty lax, huh?"

Carina raised an eyebrow.

"Still, better safe than sorry."

She took a delicate spray can from her waist, held it beneath Buggy's nose, and pressed the nozzle.

A stream of colorless, odorless sleeping gas sprayed out.

Buggy's red nose twitched, as if he'd noticed something.

But the next moment, he smacked his lips and sank into an even deeper sleep.

"Done."

Carina put away the spray can and nimbly stepped over Buggy.

"Now it's time to find the treasure."

She pushed open the door to the living quarters.

Even this well-traveled phantom thief couldn't help sucking in a breath when she saw the expensive silk carpets covering the floor and the entire wall of wine storage.

Relying on her exceptional professional instincts, she soon found a heavy-gauge steel vault set into the wall behind a hidden door in the wine cellar.

"A complicated six-digit combination lock?"

Carina took out her stethoscope, put it on, and pressed the earpiece against the cold steel door.

Her fingers steadily turned the dial.

"Against me, it's nothing but a decoration."

"Click... click..."

The faint sound of the gears engaging rang clearly through the silent cabin.

Less than three minutes later.

With a sharp click, the steel door—sturdy enough to withstand cannon fire—swung open with ease.

"Clatter..."

The moment the vault opened, blinding golden light nearly lit up half the living quarters.

Piles of gold bars, rubies and sapphires, and thick stacks of Beli banknotes were heaped inside like a small mountain.

"This has to be at least fifty or sixty million Beli..."

Carina's heart began to race.

"Who on earth is that Red Nose guarding?"

She didn't take just anything.

Instead, she started with the gems and gold bars that were small, valuable, and easy to sell.

She only stuffed a few bundles of banknotes into her bag.

"Nothing too heavy, nothing too conspicuous. Prioritize anything I can turn into cash quickly."

Carina murmured to herself as she packed at lightning speed.

Only after struggling to zip up her stuffed backpack and hoist it onto her shoulders did she turn, ready to slip away—

"Clap."

"Clap."

Two leisurely claps rang out from a corner of the living quarters.

The smile on Carina's face froze.

With the heavy pack on her back, she slowly turned around.

In the dim yellow light, Ace sat in an armchair.

He held a half-peeled tangerine, as if he'd been waiting for her for a long time.

"Nice lockpicking. Clean entry, too."

Ace glanced at the bulging pack on her back.

"And you know how to pick your loot. You went for the small, valuable stuff that's easy to sell first."

Carina said nothing.

But her fingers had already begun inching toward her waist.

"Don't move."

Ace set down the tangerine.

"Now, I'm giving you a chance to introduce yourself."

"If what you say is worthwhile, you can keep this stuff as a gift for our first meeting."

"If it isn't, I'll sink you and the bag together."