A Deal That Fell Through

Deep beneath Kars Mine Island, the pungent stench of blood mingled with thick dust, lingering in the air for a long time.

Rain withdrew his gaze from the rock wall that had been completely compacted. The once-arrogant Mad Rhino had not even left behind an intact corpse. All that remained was a pool of dark red blood seeping through the cracks in the stone, along with a grayish-white rhino horn that had been crushed off and fallen to the ground.

Rain stepped forward and bent down to pick up the horn, which was as thick as an adult's arm. It was incomparably hard, still bearing the rough keratin texture Baroque had possessed in life. It was the perfect token for claiming the 35 million Beli bounty from the Marines.

After dealing with the "corpse," Rain turned and headed deeper into the mine.

This was Baroque's private domain. Unlike the hell outside, where civilians labored, this place had been remodeled into a relatively spacious stone chamber. Lavish stolen carpets covered the floor, while crates of cheap rum and unprocessed Black Gold Ore were piled in the corners.

Rain had no interest in those cumbersome ores. His eyes settled on a heavy all-steel safe embedded beneath a broad wooden desk at the far end of the chamber.

For an ordinary person, forcing open steel plates this thick without a key or combination would require a considerable amount of powerful explosives. But to Rain, it was merely a slightly harder walnut.

He walked up to the safe and slowly crouched down. He extended his right hand, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and the flesh-colored tips instantly turned into pitch-black, profound High-Pressure Obsidian.

"Shhk—"

Amid a teeth-grating screech of metal being cut, Rain's sharp obsidian fingers pierced through the safe's thick steel panel, then precisely traced a circle around the lock cylinder.

"Clunk."

The heavy latch and the entire steel plate fell away, exposing the inside of the safe.

Inside were two neat stacks of 10,000-Beli bills, roughly totaling over five million. Beside them lay an exquisite wooden box wrapped in black velvet.

Rain took out the wooden box and gently flipped open its clasp.

The instant he saw what was inside, an exceedingly complicated glint flashed through Rain's usually tranquil black eyes.

It was an extraordinarily precise spherical glass device. A special magnetic needle floated inside, trembling faintly. No matter how Rain turned the box, the needle seemed drawn by some unseen force, stubbornly pointing in the same direction.

An Eternal Pose.

In these seas, which were filled with chaotic magnetic fields, ordinary compasses would completely fail upon nearing Reverse Mountain. Yet this small glass sphere recorded the magnetic field of a specific island. It was a sacred navigational artifact—and the absolute pass to the Grand Line, known as the Pirate Graveyard.

Rain turned the Eternal Pose over in his hand. At the bottom of the glass sphere, four tiny words were engraved: [Alabasta].

"A superpower in the first half of the Grand Line... No wonder Baroque was desperate to build a warship and return. He'd opened up an underground route over there." Rain muttered to himself.

With this, he could set sail at any time, cross Reverse Mountain, and see those legendary monsters for himself.

However, Rain stared at the magnetic needle pointing into the unknown and remained silent for a full five minutes. In the end, with a snap, he closed the wooden box and shoved it, along with the five million Beli, into the backpack he carried with him.

"Not yet."

Rain rose to his feet, his gaze returning to its usual calm restraint.

After the physical training aboard the ship, he understood his current weakness better than anyone. A Logia was indeed an overwhelming advantage in the Four Blues, but that was because there was no Haki here.

If he barged into the Grand Line with such blind confidence in the future, then the moment he encountered a Marine Headquarters elite like Smoker, or an experienced pirate who had mastered Armament Haki, the Rock-Rock Fruit he was so proud of would instantly become the death warrant hanging over him.

Two days later, Rum Town.

When Rain once again pushed open the oak door to the Marine branch commander's office, he keenly sensed that something about the atmosphere inside was off.

The map of the West Blue that had hung on the wall was gone, as were most of the Top Secret files from the bookshelves. Several huge cardboard boxes were piled in the corner, and the whole office carried the desolate air of a place being abandoned.

Colonel Moore stood by the window, watching the Marine recruits training on the drill field outside. Hearing the door open, he turned around. A rare trace of relief appeared on his weathered face.

"Bang."

Without wasting words, Rain threw the rough burlap sack holding the grayish-white rhino horn onto Moore's desk. The heavy horn struck the solid wooden surface with a dull crack.

"The horn of Mad Rhino Baroque. Taken while he was alive. As for his head, I crushed it thirty meters underground on Kars Mine Island. If you don't mind the trouble, send someone to dig it up." Rain pulled out a chair and sat down with imposing ease.

"Also, I left those civilians who were forced to mine a way out. If your Marine rescue ship wasn't late, they should be home drinking hot soup by now."

Moore's eye twitched faintly as he looked at the broken horn radiating savage ferocity from the desk. He did not doubt Rain's words in the slightest, because over the past three years, the young man in black had never failed.

"Well done, Rain." Moore took a deep breath and pushed a prepared, massive black cash case toward him. "Forty million Beli, not a single Beli short. Clean, non-sequential bills. You've helped the West Blue Marines solve another major problem."

Rain casually opened the cash case for a glance, then closed it. His gaze swept over the cardboard boxes on the floor, and one brow rose slightly. "Judging by this, Colonel, are you planning to get promoted and leave this godforsaken place?"

Moore gave a bitter smile, shook his head, walked over to the sofa, sat down, and lit a cigar. "It is a promotion. Thanks to you, the pirates around Rum Town have been nearly wiped out these past two years. The higher-ups think I've governed well, so an order came down transferring me back to Marine Headquarters at Marineford. I leave next week."

As he spoke, a complicated emotion flashed through Moore's eyes.

"Then congratulations, Colonel." Rain's tone was flat, without any detectable emotion.

The office fell into brief silence. Only the faint hiss of the burning cigar could be heard.

"Moore." Rain suddenly broke the silence. He changed how he addressed him, leaning forward slightly as his pitch-black eyes fixed on the old Marine about to head for the heart of Marine Headquarters. "Since you're leaving, as a farewell gift for our pleasant cooperation these past few years, can I buy something from you?"

Moore froze for a moment. "Buy something? Do you want weapons or a warship? As long as it isn't too excessive, considering—"

"I have no interest in that scrap metal." Rain cut him off without ceremony, his voice low and grave. "I want intelligence. Or rather, training methods."

Moore's expression gradually became solemn. He looked at Rain as if he had sensed what was coming.

"I want the Marine Headquarters training manual for the Six Powers." Rain stated his first condition, then immediately named what he truly desired. "And systematic training methods for awakening Haki. Name your price. The bounty money I've saved over the years is enough to buy half of Rum Town."

At those two terms, Moore's hand holding the cigar jerked violently. A piece of burning ash fell onto his uniform trousers, but he seemed not to notice at all.

"Have you lost your mind, Rain?" Moore lowered his voice, abruptly rose to his feet, and strode to the door. Only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping outside did he turn back and glare sternly at Rain. "Do you know what you're asking for?!"

"I do. Something that will keep me alive." Rain leaned back in his chair, refusing to yield an inch.

"Keep you alive? I'd say you're tired of living!" Moore paced irritably around the office before stopping in front of Rain. He took a deep breath and spoke rapidly.

"Listen, Rain. The Six Powers are superhuman martial arts that surpass the limits of human physical ability. They are absolute secrets accessible only to Cipher Pol, the intelligence agency directly under the World Government, and officers of Marine Headquarters at the rank of commander and above! They require not only brutal supporting training, but also government authorization. If I sell a Six Powers training manual to a bounty hunter like you, Cipher Pol agents will be on my ship tomorrow, throwing me into Impel Down to feed the Jailer Beasts on charges of treason!"

Rain's eyes dimmed slightly. He had expected it. A core institutional technique like the Six Powers truly would be difficult to obtain through money.

"Then what about Haki?" Rain pressed on unwillingly. "Haki isn't classified, is it? Pirates in the second half of the Grand Line practically all have it. I refuse to believe the Marines don't have a systematic method for awakening it!"

"Ha..." Moore suddenly let out a laugh full of self-mockery and bitterness. He looked at Rain, his eyes filled with the helplessness of someone who had been there.

"Rain, you think too highly of me, and far too little of Haki." Moore slowly raised his callused right hand and clenched it into a fist. But aside from bulging veins, no black Armament Haki armor covered that fist.

"If the Marines really had some 'systematic method' that could awaken Haki as long as you followed it, why do you think I've rotted in this swamp called the West Blue for twenty whole years?"

Moore's voice carried a trace of unconcealed unwillingness. "Haki is a latent power possessed by all humans, but it isn't gymnastics you can learn by reading books or following instructions! It is the manifestation of spirit, killing intent, and the will to fight. Marine Headquarters does have instructors to guide people, but that is only guidance. If you truly want to awaken Haki..."

Moore stared straight into Rain's eyes and said each word with deliberate force, "You need to be driven into a desperate situation. You need to let go of that lofty sense of superiority that comes from relying on a Logia Fruit. You need to fight life-and-death battles against monsters on your own level—monsters who can crush your heart at any time!"

"Shutting yourself away to train, or slaughtering worthless pirates in a place like the Four Blues, where not one of them can block even a single finger of yours—you'll never touch the threshold of Haki for the rest of your life."

Those words struck Rain's heart like a heavy hammer.

They were harsh, but Rain knew Moore was telling the truth. Over the past three years, he had relied too heavily on the Rock-Rock Fruit's absolute defense. In the West Blue, he was a god; and within a god's safe zone, the Haki born of staking everything could never take shape.

"I understand." After a long silence, Rain finally picked up the cash case filled with forty million Beli and stood.

He said nothing more and turned toward the door. The moment he grasped the handle, Rain stopped, his back facing Moore.

"May the journey go smoothly, Brigadier General. I hope you don't die too quickly at Marineford."

Moore looked at the black-clad figure's back and sighed. "You too, Rain. The Four Blues can no longer contain you. If one day you can't make it in the Grand Line, don't become a pirate. The Marines... will always welcome you."

Rain did not answer. He opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight.

Rain walked through the bustling streets of Rum Town, feeling the weight of the cash case and the Eternal Pose in his backpack.

The colonel's departure meant that half of his intelligence network and protection in the West Blue would be gone. And his failure to obtain Haki had made him clearly realize the predicament he was in.

If he remained in the West Blue, he would forever be nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.

Rain raised his head and looked at the rolling clouds on the distant horizon. A cold smile curved across his lips.

"Looks like it's time to head out to sea."