Chapter 164: This Right Here! Is Logistics!
Early the next morning.
White clouds unfurled in the azure sky. The gentle morning sun shone down on the vibrant plain.
The floating island, no longer under control, had long since fallen back to the sea, and the Merry was docked by the shore.
Not far from the shore sat a small mountain village. The already dilapidated village was almost in ruins after the impact of the island's fall the previous night.
The villagers were scattered among the ruins, busy at work. Among them were many of the young and able-bodied who had been taken away by Golden Lion, now reunited with their families.
"Rebuilding this place is going to be a big project."
"As long as everyone is alive, that's all that matters."
"Hahaha, that's true."
"These old houses needed to be renovated anyway."
Although the village was destroyed, everyone's face was brimming with smiles. The young and strong chatted and laughed as they cleared the piles of rubble.
"We're back, everyone!"
On the hillside, Luffy's cheerful figure slowly approached, dragging a giant porcupine. Several other figures gradually appeared behind him.
"The benefactors are back!"
"They actually hunted such a large beast!"
"Everyone, quick, set up the pots and start a fire!"
Seeing the Straw Hat crew return from their hunt, the villagers cheered joyfully, suddenly full of energy.
"The big brothers and sisters are so strong!"
"I want to go out to sea and be a pirate in the future too!"
"Me too! I want to be a pirate like big brother Straw Hat!"
Several children, holding wooden sticks, looked at them with adoration, swinging the sticks like swords, and soon began to laugh and play.
"You're very popular, Luffy. The people here see you as a hero."
Usopp nudged Luffy with his elbow and smiled. "It's no wonder. You fought hundreds of fierce beasts alone last night to protect the villagers here."
"A hero!"
Chopper's eyes sparkled. He excitedly jumped onto his shoulder and hugged him. "You're a hero, Luffy!"
"Hee hee hee, but I don't want to be a hero. I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy grinned cheekily.
The group dragged the porcupine into the village, and the villagers rushed to help set up pots and start fires.
Meanwhile, the crew found a patch of lawn nearby, spread out a picnic blanket, and sat in a circle to chat.
"The weather is nice today, perfect for a picnic."
Nami sat on the ground, her fair, slender legs stretched out straight. She tilted her head up, closed her eyes, and savored the warm sunlight and gentle breeze.
"Yeah, the weather is nice today, perfect for splitting the loot!"
Reiner called out with a laugh, "Everyone! Come see what we've harvested these past few days! Thriller Bark and Golden Lion left us a lot of treasure."
"Woohoo!!"
"Split the loot, split the loot!"
"Nice, more money for booze."
Upon hearing about splitting the loot, several people immediately gathered around excitedly.
Gold and treasure are a pirate's romance!
"Hee hee hee, my allowance just ran out," Luffy said with a cheerful laugh as he sidled over.
"What! What did you say!" Hearing this, a raging fire instantly ignited around Nami. She grabbed his neck with both hands and shook him repeatedly, roaring:
"Didn't we split a lot of money from the gold on Skypiea! Where did you spend it all, you bastard! I knew I shouldn't have given you any money!"
"Alright, alright, Nami. Luffy's about to be strangled by you."
Seeing Luffy's face turn green as if he were about to stop breathing, Reiner patted her shoulder and said with a smile:
"We got a lot this time. The Merry's public funds were almost running out anyway, so this is a good time to replenish them."
"Eh! Didn't we just add two hundred million Berries to the public funds when we arrived in Water 7? How could it be gone so quickly!" Nami exclaimed in shock.
"Half of it was used for parties, and the rest was almost all for food," Sanji spoke up, explaining for him.
The ingredients they usually bought weren't cheap, and Luffy's appetite was simply too exaggerated.
Eating ten people's worth in one meal was his minimum. As for his maximum... there was no maximum.
"The treasure from Moria's place is probably worth about two hundred million Berries. Let's use half for the ship's funds, and we can split the rest equally," Reiner said casually.
"If we split half..."
Chopper counted on his hooves, thought for a moment, then looked up excitedly. "That's ten million Berries per person!"
"That's right. And from Golden Lion's palace, I found treasure worth about five hundred million Berries. We'll take another two hundred million from here for the Merry's funds."
Reiner smiled and patted Chopper's head, then added, "The rest is mine."
"In your dreams!"
"Go to hell!"
"I disagree!"
"Well, just kidding. Everyone put in a lot of effort, so of course, everyone will get some allowance," Reiner chuckled.
Soon, they finished dividing the spoils from the past two days. Reiner wrote out several slips of paper with the corresponding amounts and gave them to them.
"What's this?" Luffy looked at the slip in his hand with a puzzled expression, tilting his head as he asked.
"Because it's all gold and treasure right now. When we get to the Sabaody Archipelago and exchange it for cash at a currency exchange, you can use this to get your allowance from me," Reiner said, pinching a slip and flicking it.
"I see. I understand," Chopper took off the small blue backpack from his back, unzipped it, and carefully folded the slip before putting it inside.
"Hey, what about me? I participated in the battle too, you know!" Perona said, hands on her hips, her face puffed out as she got close to him.
Nami forcefully inserted herself between him and Perona, her eyes full of hostility. "You have the nerve to say that? On Thriller Bark, you were still fighting against us."
"That was before!"
"I won't let you get away with it that easily!"
"You're not cute at all!"
"By the way, Reiner, what were you just saying about the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Chopper looked up, his round eyes full of curiosity. "Didn't you say our next destination was Fishman Island?"
Hearing this, the others also looked over.
"The Log Pose points to Fishman Island, that's correct. But the needle is pointing down, right? Fishman Island is ten thousand meters under the sea. Hasn't anyone thought about how to get down there?" Reiner asked in return.
"No."
"Oh, that's right."
Chopper and the others, who had just realized, fell silent, couldn't help but think of the perilous experience of getting up to Skypiea.
"But, Reiner, didn't you say Fishman Island is the gateway to the New World? If there's no way to get to Fishman Island, how do other pirates get to the New World?" Chopper asked curiously.
The Grand Line is divided into two halves by the Red Line. They already knew this. The difficulty in entering the New World lies in how to cross the Red Line.
The first half has the reverse-flowing currents of Reverse Mountain; the second half does not.
"Normally, there are two ways. One is to enter the New World through Mary Geoise on the Red Line, with the permission of the World Government. We're pirates, so that's definitely out."
Reiner drew a large mountain on a piece of paper to show everyone, then drew a circle at the bottom of the mountain and pointed.
"The second is our goal. There's a large hole under the Red Line. We can pass through this hole under the sea to enter the New World."
"The Fishman Island that the Log Pose is pointing to is also there. And the way to enter the sea is at the Sabaody Archipelago. We need to get the ship coated with a special membrane there to be able to dive."
"Get a membrane coating? But I have a question."
At this moment, Nami came over, looked at the Log Pose on her wrist, and asked with a puzzled expression:
"It's impossible to tell directions at sea, and the Log Pose is pointing to Fishman Island. How are we going to find the Sabaody Archipelago? Did you prepare an Eternal Pose for it?"
"No. Strictly speaking, the Sabaody Archipelago isn't an island. It doesn't have a magnetic field, so there's no Eternal Pose that points there," Reiner said, shaking his head.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Luffy, who hadn't caught on yet, was suddenly displeased. "I don't want to go to some Bobo Island! I want to go to Fishman Island!"
"..."
You're more than half a beat slow, hey!
Usopp explained to him with open hands, "Luffy, didn't you hear just now? We have to go to Bobo... no, to the Sabaody Archipelago first before we can go to Fishman Island."
"So why do we have to go to Bobo Island first? Can't we just go straight to Fishman Island!" Luffy shouted, his arms crossed in front of him, dissatisfied.
"I... you... sigh~~." Usopp hung his head, clearly having given up trying.
So much effort. So tiring.
"The Sabaody Archipelago is a lot of fun, Luffy."
Reiner leaned back against the tree trunk, lit a cigarette, and said faintly, "They have specialty foods from every sea route in the first half of the Grand Line. And... that island blows bubbles."
Slap!
As soon as his voice fell.
"Alright! Our voyage's destination has been changed to Food Bubble Island!" Luffy raised his hand and slapped his palm, speaking with absolute certainty.
"You even changed the island's name!!" Usopp stared, speechless.
Behind him, Sanji came over, carrying two large platters of roasted meat. "Dinner's ready, everyone."
"Waahahaha, smells so good!" Luffy looked like he wanted to dive into the platter. He leaned over, grabbed a large piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out as he mumbled,
"By the way, Reiner, where did you get these two swords?"
"These? They were Shiki's beloved swords, [Oto] and [Kogarashi]. They're both famous blades,"
Reiner said, picking up the two double-edged swords beside him and drawing them to show them.
The one most interested in these swords was, naturally, a certain sword fanatic.
"Famous blades, huh?"
Zoro reached out and took one of them, looking it up and down for a while. He turned his head and teased with great interest, "What, want to learn swordsmanship? I can teach you, four-eyes."
"Well, I don't have that in mind. I was thinking of keeping them as collectibles, but that feels a bit wasteful."
Reiner chuckled. "If you're interested, these two swords are yours, Moss-head."
"You're quite generous."
A corner of Zoro's mouth lifted. He held the sword and swung it a couple of times to test it, then handed it back with a lack of interest. "It's a good sword, but I have no intention of changing my swords, and I'm not used to double-edged ones."
"Is that so? That's a pity. It's a bit of a waste for me to use them."
Reiner took the sword back, picked a piece of meat from the central platter, cut it, and placed it in the bowl beside him. "This piece is a bit leaner. For you."
"Mm, I'll pour you some wine," Nami smiled faintly, picked up the wine bottle, and poured it into his cup.
"That 'waste' you just mentioned..."
A vein popped on Zoro's forehead. He closed his eyes, his teeth itching with anger. "You're not planning to use them as dinner knives, are you?"
"Of course not. What are you thinking? For someone like me who doesn't know how to use swords, it would be a great waste to hold onto them," he denied firmly.
"That's good."
"So I'm planning to give them to Sanji to use as kitchen knives," Reiner said righteously.
Zoro: "..."
"Oh—what an unexpected surprise. Let me see."
Sanji took the longsword with great interest and weighed it in his hand. A corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. "A bit heavy, very sharp. Perfect for cutting Sea King meat. Thanks, Reiner."
"You're welcome, chef."
Reiner waved his hand, picked up his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and slammed it heavily on the ground.
This right here! Is logistics!!
The gentle breeze blew across the grass, causing it to ripple. Under the fair and sunny sky, the group enjoyed this moment of peaceful picnic.
After eating and drinking their fill, they rested on the spot and chatted. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were fooling around nearby.
Reiner sat under a tree, leaning against it. Sunlight dappled his face through the gaps in the dense leaves.
This time, he had fused Golden Lion's template with Sukuna. The incomplete ability he inherited couldn't affect other objects; it could only allow him to float and fly.
Being able to supplement his flying ability was already more than enough. Sukuna was meant to be developed in the direction of swordsmanship anyway.
His powerful mastery of the sword path was enough for Reiner to use him until the late game. He could just find someone with a stronger physique to fuse with him later.
Moreover, although Shiki's overall strength was a far cry from before, his physical body was still much tougher than Ryuma's nearly decayed corpse, whose physical activity was less than a tenth of its original state.
With his enhancement, Sukuna's strength directly surpassed Frieren's, leaping to become the strongest trump card in his hand.
The plan was proceeding quite smoothly. At least in the Summit War, he could be considered to have the strength to influence the battle situation a little.
Rustle~~
A sound came from above his head. A few leaves drifted down onto Nami's face beside him.
"Eh?" She looked up and saw a cheeky head suddenly appear above them.
"Reiner! Nami! Look what I caught!"
Luffy grinned, his feet hooked upside down on a branch as he lowered his head. In his hand, he held a beetle larger than his face, showing it off. "It's a Hercules!"
"What a big rhinoceros beetle. As expected of—"
"Don't point bugs at me, you idiot!"
Bang!
Nami roared angrily and smashed his head into the tree trunk with one punch.
"Sowwy..."
Countless green leaves fluttered down. Looking at Luffy's head stuck in the tree, a cold sweat dripped from Reiner's forehead.
"This is bad! Great benefactor Straw Hat!"
A panicked shout came from the distance. Several villagers ran up, panting heavily. "Marines! There are a lot of Marines! Five warships are coming!"
"A Buster Call?!"
"What!"
"They must be here to catch us!"
The group hurriedly stood up. Luffy pulled his head back and flipped down from the tree. "Are you guys ready!"
"Ready!"
"Ah."
Zoro placed one hand on his sword hilt. "Just in time to cut them down and get revenge for last time."
"Hee hee hee."
Luffy placed one hand on his straw hat and charged straight towards the Merry on the shore, shouting with a cheerful laugh, "Then let's run!"
"Battle maniac."
"Moss-head."
"Directionally challenged swordsman."
The group disgustedly bypassed Zoro and ran directly in Luffy's direction.
Nami jumped onto Reiner's back, turned her head, and smiled, waving at the villagers behind them. "Goodbye, everyone!"
"Goodbye!"
"Bon voyage!"
The villagers behind them waved goodbye enthusiastically, watching them gradually depart.
Turning back, Nami hooked her hands around Reiner's neck and rested on his shoulder, her gentle gaze falling on his sharp, defined side profile.
"Reiner."
"Hmm?"
"It's nothing. I just wanted to call your name," Nami said, tucking a strand of hair back with a faint smile.
On the deck of the Merry, Reiner released his undead to weigh anchor and set sail, turning the helm to slowly steer the ship away from the shore.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With a dense roar, countless cannonballs whistled through the sky.
"Cannon fire from the left!"
"Leave it to me, yohohoho~~."
Brook leaped lightly, his figure like a swallow as he came into the air, his rapier a blur of afterimages as he rapidly tapped in the air.
"Gavotte Bond en Avant: Chain Strike!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sharp green glints flew out like a storm, intercepting a large number of cannonballs and making them explode in mid-air.
At the same time.
"Cola-power charged! Soldier Dock System, Channel Zero - Paddle Wheels, activate!"
As Franky's voice fell, the Merry's speed suddenly surged, and the entire ship sped across the sea.
"Hahaha, well done, Franky," Luffy jumped onto the bow, raising his hands and shouting excitedly.
"Set sail! For Food Bubble Island!"
"It's the Sabaody Archipelago!!"
Watching the speeding Merry, Brook, slowly floating down from the air, looked bewildered.
"Huh? I'm not on the ship. Wait a minute! I'm not on the ship yet, hey!"
(End of chapter)
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