One Piece: Starting with a Refusal of Red-Hair's Invitation

Everyone behind the hooded man collapsed without exception, dead where they fell.

Fatty, who had been so full of himself moments ago, turned deathly pale. "Bastard! You killed all my men! I'll make you pay with your life!"

With that, Fatty drew his twin axes and charged at the hooded man.

"Hmph!" The hooded man smashed one of Big-Faced Man's battle axes with a casual swing of his tonfa. With another, he struck Big-Faced Man in the face and sent him flying into the opposite wall.

"Bastard! What have you done to my tavern?" the Tavern Owner cried, his expression changing.

Lin Mo and Rayleigh watched the hooded man in silence.

Rayleigh had no idea who he was.

But Lin Mo knew.

It was Gin the Demon, commander-in-chief of the Krieg Pirates.

Krieg was the pirate captain Lin Mo had killed at Baratie.

"Brat, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Gin glared viciously at Lin Mo.

When Krieg had gone to Baratie, Gin had stayed behind on a mission.

He had nearly broken down when he learned Krieg was dead.

Of everyone in the Krieg Pirates, Gin was the most loyal to Krieg.

To avenge him, Gin had searched for Lin Mo all this time.

That was why he was here.

Lin Mo stared at him, at a loss for words.

Gin was ruthless, but he never forgot a debt.

If events had followed the original story, Sanji would have helped Gin ten years later. Gin would even have knocked out Krieg, the man he supported above all others, to repay that kindness.

But Lin Mo had killed Krieg now.

And Lin Mo had done Gin no favors, so being hunted down was hardly a surprise.

"Oh? Sounds like there's quite a grudge between you two." Rayleigh watched with amusement and chuckled as he went on drinking.

The Tavern Owner fumed. "Whatever grudge you've got, don't settle it in my tavern! Honestly, you've already smashed several tables."

Gin's face darkened as he turned a vicious glare on the Tavern Owner.

He pulled out his Double-Barreled Gun and fired at him.

The Tavern Owner nearly jumped out of his skin.

Rayleigh kept drinking from his bottle with one hand and drew the sword at his waist with the other.

As the bullet flew past him, he used the blade to redirect it.

The bullet grazed the Tavern Owner's hair and struck the wine rack behind him with a bang, shattering a bottle.

Gin frowned slightly.

"What a waste of good wine," Rayleigh lamented.

"Hmph!" Gin turned his attention back to Lin Mo.

Without another word, he fired several shots at him.

The moment the bullets left the barrel, Gin pulled out his twin tonfas and charged.

Lin Mo tilted his head twice, dodging every bullet, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

As Gin closed in, Lin Mo drew Toyako.

Perfect chance to try Swordsmanship: Divine Departure.

His eyes flashed.

Lin Mo swung his blade at high speed, wrapping the Sword Aura from his slash in swirling Haki.

The Haki-wreathed Sword Aura seemed to have a mind of its own. It curved around Gin's tonfas and slammed into his back.

Blood spurted from Gin's mouth.

He fell facedown, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

"T-that was incredible!" The Tavern Owner stared in awe.

Rayleigh's easy expression froze for a moment when Lin Mo used Divine Departure.

"That was..." Rayleigh said in surprise. "Was that Divine Departure?"

Lin Mo silently sheathed Toyako at his waist, picked up his bottle, and drank.

The way Rayleigh looked at Lin Mo changed.

There was no doubt. Lin Mo had just used Divine Departure!

That was Roger's sword technique.

Even knowing how it worked, most people could never learn it.

Even someone with talent would need years of training to master it.

How on earth had this brat done it?

Rayleigh had not quite believed Red-Hair when he said Lin Mo might one day shake the world.

Now he did.

Anyone who could learn and use that man's sword technique so easily was extraordinary.

"Aren't you going to hide?" Lin Mo asked flatly after taking a drink.

Only then did Rayleigh notice the many Marines in the alley outside, drawn by the commotion and heading their way.

The brat's Observation Haki is impressive, too.

Rayleigh gave him another look, his eyes full of admiration.

Then Rayleigh smiled, stood, and turned to the Tavern Owner. "Mind if I hide in your storeroom?"

The Tavern Owner nodded, though he had no idea what was going on.

Rayleigh headed straight for the storeroom where the tavern kept its drinks.

Not long after he went inside, Smoker arrived with several Marines.

He looked at the bodies scattered across the floor.

His brow tightened, and he turned to Lin Mo, who sat at the bar drinking as though nothing had happened.

This brat again... Did he kill all these people?

Smoker turned to the Marines behind him. "Drag them out."

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines got to work at once.

Smoker sat down beside Lin Mo.

His gaze fell on an empty bottle on Lin Mo's other side.

Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Did you drink that bottle too?"

Lin Mo glanced at the bottle Rayleigh had emptied, then kept drinking without bothering to answer.

When Lin Mo ignored him, Smoker said to the Tavern Owner, "Get me a glass of Rum."

The Tavern Owner snorted. "I've got nothing for you to drink!"

Smoker didn't seem to mind the cold reception. He used his smoke to pull a bottle from the shelf, uncorked it, and took a long swig.

"Brat, did you kill those people on the floor?" Smoker asked without expression.

"No," Lin Mo said calmly.

Just then, a Marine called out, "Smoker, sir! One of them's still alive!"

Smoker looked at the man the Marine was carrying. Once he saw his face, surprise crossed his own. "Isn't that Gin the Demon, commander-in-chief of the Krieg Pirates? Krieg died a few days ago, and Gin the Demon has been searching everywhere for the one who killed him. What's he doing here? Don't tell me you were the one who killed Krieg."

Smoker looked back at Lin Mo, astonishment in his eyes.

Lin Mo simply went on drinking.

It was as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him.

Loguetown: A Little Gambling Never Hurt Anyone

Beep! Earned Dark King Rayleigh's admiration. Sign-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 50%. Reward: Observation Haki level +1. Current Observation Haki level: Lv4.

The sudden system notification nearly made Lin Mo choke on his drink.

His improved Observation Haki instantly let him hear the heartbeats of nearly half the people in Loguetown.

The noise made his head feel as if it would split open.

Fortunately, it faded after only a few seconds.

Lin Mo rubbed his temples in exasperation.

Rayleigh's something else.

He isn't even in the tavern's main room, and he still earned me sign-in progress.

Smoker had been watching Lin Mo the whole time. Noticing the odd look on his face, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lin Mo said coolly.

"Is that so?" Smoker didn't believe him.

When Lin Mo gave no further response, Smoker went on. "You haven't had too much to drink, have you?"

Lin Mo shot him an exasperated glance.

Too much?

Not a chance.

He might still look like a child.

But he could drink almost anyone under the table.

Before coming to the world of One Piece, he had already loved a drink.

To him, drinking was as natural as drinking water.

Even so, Lin Mo always knew his limit.

The moment he felt even slightly tipsy, he stopped.

"Heh. You really don't say much, do you?" When Lin Mo still ignored him, Smoker took another long drink.

By then, the Marines had carried out all the bodies strewn around the tavern.

"Sir, what should we do with the bodies?"

One of the Marines asked respectfully.

"Take them straight to the Corpse Disposal Site," Smoker said.

"And what about the one who's still alive, sir?"

"Lock him up for now."

"Yes, sir!"

With their orders, the Marines left the tavern.

Only four people remained: the Tavern Owner, Lin Mo, Smoker, and Rayleigh, who was hiding in the storeroom.

"A lot of pirates will be coming to Loguetown soon," Smoker said as he drank. "Besides the Execution Platform where Roger was Executed, this tavern named after Roger will draw plenty of them. I'll be stopping by often, Shopkeeper."

"Damn it, are you trying to wreck my place?" the Tavern Owner said through gritted teeth. "If you've got nothing to do, stake out the harbor! The pirates have to pass through there to come ashore, don't they? Stop watching my tavern!"