A week had passed since they entered the Grand Line.
The sun was bright on the deck.
Nico Robin held her mother's adventure diary, her little face completely focused.
It was Olvia's personal belonging—and Robin's most treasured possession. Whenever she had a free moment, she hugged that diary and refused to let go.
Olvia's condition had stabilized under the scholars' careful care. She lay back in a deck chair under a blanket, smiling at her daughter.
"Mom," Robin suddenly looked up and asked softly, "the diary says you once ate something that was as soft as a cloud and sweet… called cake. What is it like?"
Olvia paused, a flicker of heartache in her eyes.
Robin had grown up alone—she hadn't even tasted the simplest dessert.
Olvia gently stroked her daughter's black hair. "That is… a taste of happiness. Mom hasn't eaten it in a long time either… When we reach somewhere safe, Mom will definitely—"
"No need to wait that long."
A calm voice cut in. Rain walked over with a cup of water, having overheard them.
He stopped and smiled.
Robin's eyes lit up. "Rain-nii!"
Rain crouched so he was level with her.
"Cake, huh?" He blinked mysteriously. "Wait here a minute."
"?"
Under Robin and Olvia's confused gazes, Rain turned and went into the ship's simple kitchen.
Not long after, he came back out.
In his hands was a clean white plate. In the center sat a fluffy, white sponge cake.
"Waa—!!" Robin's eyes widened instantly, shining with disbelief. "Th-this… this is cake?!"
"Ingredients are limited. Try it first," Rain said, handing her the plate and a small spoon.
Robin accepted it carefully, scooped a tiny bite, and put it in her mouth.
In that instant, the soft texture and perfectly gentle sweetness conquered her taste buds.
"Delicious—!!" Robin's eyes squeezed happily shut. Her face nearly buried itself in the plate. "Mom! This is… the taste of happiness!!"
She ate in small bites, pure joy blooming across her face—the kind of joy only a child her age should have.
Seeing her like that, Rain couldn't help reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Olvia watched, eyes brimming with tears, and gave Rain a deeply grateful smile.
…
After several more days of sailing, guided precisely by Rain's navigation skills and the [Eternal Pose], the ship finally reached a famous island in the first half of the Grand Line—
Jaya.
The ship eased into the chaotic harbor of Mock Town.
"Saul, Doctor, you stay on the ship," Rain instructed. "Saul's too conspicuous, and the scholars aren't suited to going ashore. Smoker, you come with me to buy supplies."
Dr. Clover looked at the pirates outside—grotesque, vicious faces everywhere—and couldn't help worrying. "Mr. Rain, we still have plenty of supplies. We can manage without resupplying for now."
Rain only nodded calmly.
He remembered that Sky Island used Berries too. Once the scholars settled there, they'd need start-up funds. This shore trip was partly to "secure sponsorship" for them.
Rain and Smoker changed into plain, unremarkable clothes, pulled up their hoods, and vanished into the noisy crowd of Mock Town like two drops of water in the sea.
"Damn it," Smoker muttered the moment they stepped off the dock, brows knotted. "This place smells like spoiled rum mixed with puke."
As a Marine, he instinctively hated this lawless breeding ground of crime; his whole body stayed tense.
"Relax. We're not here to enforce the law," Rain's voice came from under the hood, calm. "We're here to beg."
He ignored the hostile, evaluating stares as if he were strolling through his own backyard.
After scanning the scene, Rain picked a target: a pirate reeking of alcohol.
Under Smoker's confused gaze, Rain walked straight up.
"Hey, sir—one moment."
The pirate blinked, drunk eyes narrowing at Rain. "Hah? Who the hell are you, kid? You got guts blocking my way."
Rain pulled a small pouch of money from his pocket and quietly slipped it into the pirate's hand.
"Just a little greeting gift, boss," Rain said, his hooded voice smiling with extra "sincerity."
"My brother and I just arrived here and we're looking for a strong backer. You look impressive—your pirate crew must be powerful. Could you… do us a favor and introduce us?"
The drunk pirate weighed the pouch, looked at Rain and Smoker—both tall, faces hidden—and immediately broke into a grin.
He thought he'd found two clueless, strong-bodied idiots eager to join up.
"Haha! You've got a good eye!"
He pounded his chest proudly. "Come on! Our boss is 'Great Bull' Whiteman—worth 22 million Berries!"
He swaggered through the chaotic streets, leading them to a tavern that was clearly the Great Bull crew's base.
Inside, the air was thick with smoke and noise. Dozens of pirates were partying.
"Boss!" the drunk pirate shoved through the crowd excitedly and pointed at Rain and Smoker. "Two newbies want to join!"
Every pirate stopped and looked over.
At the head seat, a thick-necked brute with a scarred face—"Great Bull" Whiteman—had two women in his arms. He lifted his head, bleary-eyed.
"Oh? You wanna join? Then what can you do? Show me."
Rain kept his hood up, ignored the jeers, and walked to the center of the room. Smoker stood behind him, face dark.
"Hello," Rain said calmly. "Your man misunderstood. I'm actually here to borrow… a little money."
The tavern fell silent for three seconds.
"Pff—HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"What did this kid say?! He wants to borrow money from the boss?!"
"How much fake booze did he drink? Did it cook his brain?!"
Whiteman himself laughed until tears came out. He shoved the women off and stood up, pointing at Rain, wheezing.
"Kid! Are you freaking drunk?! Do you know who I am?! I'm a 22-million—"
Bang!
A crisp gunshot.
Sin Points +12,320
A pistol had appeared in Rain's hand out of nowhere, the barrel still trailing a wisp of smoke.
Whiteman's laughter cut off.
A blackened bullet hole sat dead center on his forehead. His grin froze, and his huge body pitched forward—thud—smashing into the table.
The deafening laughter died instantly.
Every pirate's face locked in place as if hit by paralysis.
Rain calmly blew on the barrel, then rotated the gun toward Whiteman's one-eyed first mate.
His voice stayed as casual as asking directions:
"Now you're the boss, right? Can you give us the money… please?"
The one-eyed first mate finally snapped out of it. Shock turned into rage.
"You bastard! You're ask—"
He'd barely pulled his sword—
Bang!
Another shot.
Sin Points +9,800
Blood burst from his chest. He stared down in disbelief and collapsed.
Rain's gun shifted again—first toward the drunk guide who was now limp on the floor in terror. Rain glanced at him and dismissed him, then aimed at another pirate officer who looked important.
Rain smiled warmly again.
"Okay. Now it's your turn to be boss. Can you give us the money?"
The "third boss" trembled violently at the two twitching bodies on the ground.
He dropped to his knees with a thump, hands flailing, voice cracking into a sob.
"Yes! Of course! Absolutely!!"
He whirled around and screamed at the stunned pirates behind him.
"What the hell are you staring at?! Move! Bring out all the money! All the treasure! Give it to this—no, give it to these two lords! Now!!"
A few minutes later, Rain and Smoker walked out carrying several heavy chests under the tavern's worshipful stares.
A rough count put the crew's liquid funds at nearly 30 million Berries.
After buying supplies, they walked back toward the port, and Smoker still didn't understand.
"Rain!" he hissed, voice low and furious. "What are you playing at? Why didn't you just kill them all? Aren't pirates what you hate most?"
"Smoker, don't forget what we are right now," Rain replied evenly.
Smoker blinked. "What are we?"
"Missing persons," Rain said, giving him a look. "Our script is: we were knocked out and abducted by that 500-million 'Devil Clark,' barely escaped alive as pitiful recruits."
"If we massacre Mock Town and someone snaps a photo, how do we explain that later?"
Smoker choked on the logic.
"A massacre is too high-profile. It brings attention. Not worth it," Rain said, weighing the money chest in his hand. "But in Mock Town, pirates killing each other, the boss and first mate getting taken out by two newcomers trying to climb the ladder—that's 'internal conflict.' A normal daily statistic around here."
"No one cares. No one reports it. That's how we keep our heads down and avoid exposure. Got it?"
Smoker's face stayed dark. He was still annoyed, but he had to admit Rain's logic was airtight.
~~~
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