At Grove 51, Rayleigh arrived right on time, ready to coat the Chris. He had a strong hunch that Weiss was going to stir up trouble here in Sabaody.
There was no logical reason—just instinct. After witnessing how Weiss killed, that gut feeling took hold.
By the time Rayleigh arrived, Grove 51 was already teeming with all sorts of people—some waiting for their ships to be coated, others already done and preparing to head out to sea.
But strangely, the entire place was unusually quiet.
That wasn't normal. Pirates about to set sail for the New World usually made a scene, shouting things like, "New World, here I come!" as they set off.
But now? Silence.
When Rayleigh finally reached the harbor, he realized everything looked the same—same harbor, same crowd, same routine.
Except—Weiss was standing at the dock.
That was all it took. People lowered their voices, stepped softly, and avoided looking his way—terrified that the wrong glance might provoke this infamous killer.
Weiss, of course, was waiting for Rayleigh. If it weren't for yesterday's unfinished price negotiation, he'd have gone off to explore the island with Karina and the others.
…
Maybe it was because Weiss had ruthlessly eliminated a group of people the day before, but Karina and the rest now seemed safe for the time being—and had gone off shopping again.
"My ship is a big ship. You sure you can coat it all by yourself?" Weiss asked directly when he saw Rayleigh approach.
"If you're not in a rush, it's no problem," Rayleigh replied, holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and his coating tools in the other. "If you are, I can speed things up a bit."
"No rush. I'll leave it to you, then. Once it's done, I'll pay you five million Berries. How does that sound?"
"No problem at all." Rayleigh didn't mind. A big client was always worth milking a little.
"Much appreciated."
"Oh, one more thing," Weiss added. "Where on this island can I find the most reliable information? I'm looking for a Devil Fruit."
Rayleigh pondered for a moment. "You're a pure swordsman, aren't you? Why are you looking for a Devil Fruit?"
As a fellow swordsman, Rayleigh didn't like the idea of Weiss tainting his craft with a Devil Fruit. There were already too many ability users on this sea.
"It's not for me," Weiss said flatly. "It's for a crew member. I'd never eat one of those things myself—disgusting."
Of course, had he never met his master or lacked such talent in swordsmanship, Weiss would have eaten a Devil Fruit in a heartbeat, no matter how vile it tasted. Survival always came first.
But life doesn't work on "what ifs."
"Head to Grove 13," Rayleigh finally said. "There's a place called Shakky's Rip-off Bar. But be mentally prepared."
With that, Rayleigh turned and got to work. Clearly, he had no intention of chatting any further.
Weiss noted the name silently. Of course. Leave it to an old flame to plug her business even now.
After some thought, he made his way toward Grove 13.
In the original story, there had indeed been such a bar. It was run by Rayleigh's lover. But Weiss's memory was foggy—most of the details had long faded.
...
As he walked through the lawless zone, everyone he passed instinctively cleared the path for him. No one was dumb enough to block his way.
The bustling street was lined with all sorts of goods—anything you could imagine, you could buy here. Literally anything.
And if they didn't have it, you could place an order.
Weiss passed by a "talent recruitment" agency with a cold expression. As long as the Celestial Dragons existed, this kind of operation would never truly disappear.
Things were better when the Marines were stationed here. In the future, when Marine HQ relocated to the New World, Sabaody had descended into lawlessness.
Weiss quickly arrived at the giant tree marked Grove 13.
Outside a bar built high up in the branches, he heard shouting.
"You damn hag! A glass of booze costs 100,000 Berries? You trying to rob me?! I'm a pirate, you know!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few loud thuds followed, and several pirates were hurled out of the bar. A woman with short black hair, cigarette dangling from her lips, dusted her hands off and walked away without even glancing back.
She didn't notice Weiss standing nearby—just a trick of perspective.
Weiss glanced at the unconscious pirates on the ground. They really picked the wrong target to mess with. Didn't even bother to ask around before provoking Rayleigh's old flame.
Someone who's survived here for decades running an obvious rip-off bar? Of course she's powerful.
In the pirate world, sharp instincts were a must.
Pushing open the door, Weiss entered and walked straight up to the bar. Aside from Shakky, who was wiping a glass, the place was empty. That rowdy pirate had been her only customer.
Seeing Weiss arrive, Shakky raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. What brings the infamous 'Sword Demon' of the seas to my humble little bar?"
"Red wine," Weiss replied flatly, ignoring her question.
Shakky stopped wiping the glass and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet behind her, pouring him a glass without a word.
"I came to gather some intel. Some old coating geezer sent me here. I thought this was supposed to be an information hub, but it's just you."
Weiss knew full well this was the right place—but acting clueless gave him a reason to talk longer.
"Old geezer?"
Shakky instantly realized he meant Rayleigh. He'd only come back for one night, and left again early this morning.
"If you're looking for information, this is the right place." She took a drag from her cigarette, letting the smoke curl lazily from her lips. Even facing the Sword Demon, she didn't dare let her guard down.
"I'm looking for news of a Devil Fruit. Doesn't matter what type. If it's a Zoan, I want strong vitality and great escape potential. For Paramecia, escape ability is key. For Logia—just whatever shows up."
"Not asking for much, huh?" she said, but her smoking paused. Escape-type Fruits were rare.
On the Grand Line, people usually ate the Fruit the moment they got it. Who would let one just sit around?
"There was a Paramecia-type Fruit from the Celestial Dragons recently—the Coordinate Fruit. But CP already consumed it."
"As for escape-type Fruits, your best bet now is a flying Zoan-type. But even those are hard to come by. Kaido's been hunting for them too."
"No problem," Weiss said. "It's not like I haven't stolen from them before."
"Oh, and by the way—could you sell this for me?" He pulled something out. "Zoan-type. Earthworm Fruit." (I change the name Worm-Worm fruit to Earthworm Fruit since it's a Zoan type.)
Even Shakky, as worldly as she was, couldn't help being stunned. Not because it was powerful—but because it was so lame.
No wonder Weiss hadn't let a crew member eat it.
Knowing pirates, they'd probably turn it into some gross "Mud Spew" or "Wriggling Wrath" technique.
After all, worms eat dirt and… yeah, produce more dirt.
"I can sell it," she said. "But don't expect much of a price."
"That's fine," Weiss replied. "I just want the intel."
After hashing out the details, Weiss left the infamous Rip-off Bar.
Out of respect for his interest in information, Shakky gave him a small discount on the wine.
Only 99,000 Berries.