There was a very obvious difference between a famous blade and an ordinary sword.
As long as the weapon shop owner hadn't hidden Sandai Kitetsu, El was confident he'd be able to find it at a glance.
Unfortunately, this was still ten years before the original story began.
Loguetown was chaotic, and pirates often wandered into weapon shops like this one.
The old shopkeeper, not wanting the cursed blade to bring misfortune to some clueless buyer—or simply unwilling to sell it cheaply—hadn't tossed Sandai Kitetsu into a barrel of random blades for 50,000 Berries apiece.
Instead, he'd placed it on the wall among the one-million-Berry swords, hoping the price alone would drive away anyone tempted to buy it.
El didn't care in the slightest.
He paid 1.5 million Berries for it on the spot.
Of course, the owner tried to refuse at first.
He told El the history of the cursed sword, voice full of warning and worry. He didn't want to see a child, of all people, be taken by its curse.
In the end, El had no choice but to draw a sword and demonstrate his swordsmanship.
After watching the boy's technique, the shopkeeper could only stare, stunned into silence.
A few minutes later, the deal was done.
"I didn't expect a cursed sword to be sitting in a normal weapons shop like this," Kuina said as they walked back into the busy street, Wado Ichimonji now returned to her waist. "Is this what a big city is like?"
"I was surprised too," El admitted, resting a hand casually on the hilt of Sandai Kitetsu at his hip. "Didn't think I'd actually find one here, much less buy it."
Even though Sandai Kitetsu wasn't a Skillful Grade Sword (Ryō Wazamono), it was still a genuine famous blade.
Spending a little over a million Berries for something like this?
That was a bargain.
"…But the shopkeeper said cursed swords are 'ominous weapons,'" Nami said worriedly. "He said every owner of that blade dies in the end."
"Nii-san, are you really okay using something like that?"
"Relax. Only the weak get controlled by a cursed sword."
El smiled, full of disdain for the so-called curse.
"No matter how 'cursed' it is, it's still just a piece of steel."
Seeing how confident he was, Nami and Carina swallowed their objections and fell silent.
Kuina's lips curved up faintly.
She agreed completely.
A true swordsman could kill with a stick, or even a bamboo sword.
Her father had once told her that the strongest swordsmen could kill even without a blade.
That was the pinnacle of "swordsmanship without a sword."
If a swordsman could reach that realm, how could they possibly be controlled by a mere cursed weapon?
After buying his new sword, El took the three girls to a hospital in Loguetown to stock up on medicine.
Unlike El—the natural-born monster whose body simply refused to break—Carina, Nami, and Kuina still had the physiques of normal people.
Until they became stronger, they could still catch colds, fall ill, or suffer from everyday injuries.
Medicine was a necessity.
Once they'd finished at the hospital, the four of them booked a suite at the most luxurious hotel in Loguetown. Only then did they head out again to properly enjoy the town.
The shipyard had given them a completion estimate of nine days.
Which meant the four of them would be staying in Loguetown for at least a week.
And in that week, El, Carina, and Nami had already made a decision—
They were going to relax.
The best way to do that?
Obviously: a shopping spree.
As a normal working-class person in his previous life, and as a poor orphan for the first eight years of this one, El had lived more frugally than he liked to admit.
It was only after meeting Carina and Nami a little over a month ago that things began to change.
If he had been a lone bounty hunter, tracking pirates would've been several times harder.
But with his strength combined with Carina's cunning and Nami's navigation?
They were a money-printing machine.
As long as pirates existed in this world, they would never be truly poor.
Which was why El had no intention of being stingy.
He would be good to himself—and even better to his crew.
Eat well. Live well. Buy good things. Have fun.
With that mindset, the trio plus their new crewmate Kuina went wild.
Since Kuina had boarded their ship with only a single suitcase, the first stop was naturally a clothing store.
They needed clothes for all four seasons—and proper custom battle wear.
"Um… You don't have to buy me so many clothes," Kuina said, sounding genuinely embarrassed as the clerk took her measurements.
"Hehehe… Don't be shy," Carina laughed. "Girls can never have too many clothes."
"That's right," Nami added. "If you really feel bad, just treat it as a debt to Nii-san. You can pay him back with your future shares."
"…Okay."
Seeing El nod with a smile, Kuina could only accept.
That said, she still firmly insisted that she only needed:
A few sets of basic clothes for each season.
One specially tailored battle outfit.
And nothing extra.
Unlike the others, Kuina had grown up in the small, quiet Shimotsuki Village and lived a simple, frugal life.
Having someone suddenly shower her with gifts like this…
It made her feel a little guilty.
The others understood.
They didn't push her, and instead chose to respect her pace.
After finishing their purchase, El left a hotel address with the clothing store and asked them to deliver all finished clothes there once they were ready.
Then he led the three girls to start ordering furniture and other items.
Once the new ship was completed, they'd need to furnish their new home.
It wasn't until dusk that the four finally returned to the hotel, completely exhausted from a full day of shopping.
They asked the staff to send dinner up to their room and flopped down wherever they could sit.
By the end of the day, El had spent over 30 million Berries.
Once the final payment for the ship and all deliveries were accounted for, the total amount spent would exceed 50 million.
In a single day, El had burned through roughly half of his savings—
And he didn't regret a single Berry.
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