"Two people, one meal—200,000 Berries. Three meals a day makes it 600,000. Add the lodging fees, and that's 1.6 million a day," Weiss said casually, unfolding the newspaper as he spoke to Ace.
"Mhm."
"Rounding up, that's basically 3 million a day, right?"
"Mhm."
"Wait, if we round that up, that's 10 million Berries a day, isn't it?"
"Mhm."
"Alright then, let's write up an IOU."
"Mhm."
Weiss frowned. That didn't seem right. With Ace's personality, he wouldn't just agree so easily. Turning to look, he saw Ace holding a coconut drink to his chest, straw still in his mouth, a giant snot bubble inflating from his nose.
Fast asleep.
...
...
Weiss sighed and shook his head. Well, since you agreed in your sleep… guess that makes it official.
"Huh, Lilia's in the newspaper again? Tch, that strong 'Will of D'... Really popular with the folks in the North Blue." He placed the newspaper over his face and drifted off to sleep, still holding his coconut drink.
Time passed.
Later, two people who had just finished cleaning up were resting atop the lookout tower. Deuce kept watch while Kadun had already fallen asleep.
Night was falling. If he didn't rest now, their foul-tempered captain would absolutely make him stand night watch. Fortunately, someone else was on rotation. Otherwise, this first night would've been rough.
Deuce looked out at the shimmering sea, waves reflecting the golden hues of sunset. Far off, the ocean had swallowed half the sun.
The Chris sailed westward, chasing the sun, with seagulls circling ahead.
But then, under the sunlight—what were those little black dots on the sea?
"Land ho! Captain, I see an island!" Deuce shouted excitedly. He and Ace had been drifting across the sea for over half a month without spotting land. If not for today's storm and running into Weiss, they might've become fish food by now.
Seeing land now? Of course he was thrilled.
The shout woke Kadun first. Catching sight of the faint outline of the island in the distance, he was stirred with emotion. Please, let this be a populated island, he silently prayed. Finally, a chance to step off the boat!
Just one day at sea was more exciting than the last ten years combined!
Weiss stretched at the ship's rail, gazing toward the island. A thought crossed his mind—Could it be that island? But based on how long they'd been sailing, it shouldn't be. They'd only left that afternoon.
And in that kind of storm, there was no way two people could survive in open water all afternoon. They'd have been fish food long ago.
"Hey Weiss, we've spotted an island! Looks like we can land there soon. Thanks for looking after us today," Ace said, crouching by the railing, one hand resting on his knee, the other adjusting his hat.
"No problem. Ten million a day—you can stay as long as you like," Weiss replied calmly.
"...Huh???"
"Wait, didn't we agree on 1.6 million?! How'd it jump to ten million? When did I ever say yes to that?"
"When you were asleep. I asked you, and you kept saying 'mhm.' What, are you saying you, a pirate, are going to go back on your word now?" Weiss feigned surprise at Ace's jaw-dropped expression.
"Of course I am! I only agreed to 1.6 million! I'm not paying a single Berry more!" Ace snapped back. The most money he'd ever handled was when he bought a ship for Sabo—and even that wasn't ten million. No way was he getting swindled like this in one day.
By the time night fully fell, the Chris had reached the island. It was uninhabited. If not for the moon lighting the way, the ship might've run aground.
They found a good spot to anchor and tied the ship securely. All three leapt onto shore.
"Kadun, aren't you coming with us to explore?" Weiss asked, turning back to see Kadun still standing at the rail.
Just as Kadun was about to say yes, a deafening roar echoed across the island. The howl shook the forest, sending countless night owls fluttering into the sky in terror.
Kadun shivered. "Uh… I think I'll stay here. There's no one on the island anyway. I'll just watch the Chris and check for any repairs."
Weiss just shrugged. He had no strong opinion on Kadun's decision. Among the four of them, Kadun was the only regular human. To put it bluntly, even a low-level East Blue pirate could easily end him.
"Alright then. Be careful."
With that, the other three vanished into the dark forest.
...
An hour later, Weiss stood atop the corpse of a massive beast. The sounds of insects and wind rustling through the trees had returned.
He was certain now—he'd gotten separated from Ace and the others.
Fifteen minutes after entering the forest, the others were already out of sight. At first he could still hear them, but then—nothing.
His Observation Haki could only reach ten kilometers. Beyond that, he couldn't sense a thing.
"And this island's way bigger than I expected..."
With a flick of his blade, he cut down a leopard lured by the scent of blood. He leapt into the treetops.
In the distance, a massive mountain ridge split the island down the middle. The towering peak pierced the sky, with the moon perched like a jewel atop its summit. A huge bird circled the peak, wings flapping wide.
Its flight pattern seemed... off.
Weiss noted the direction, then jumped down and began walking toward the mountain.
After all, wasn't the point of sailing to witness strange sights and meet kindred spirits?
And this mountain certainly qualified as strange. How could he not go check it out?
"Maybe I should invest in a snapshot or recording Den Den Mushi next time... Can't let moments like this go undocumented."
He strapped his sword to his waist, clasped his hands behind his head, a blade of grass in his mouth. With a relaxed stroll, he moved deeper into the island. To him, this place was no more dangerous than his own backyard.
Oh—wait. He didn't have a backyard.
As Weiss ventured deeper, the once-noisy forest fell completely silent.
No insects. No birds. Only the whisper of wind through leaves—the sound of the forest breathing.
Even so, Weiss remained calm, not even changing his posture, humming a little tune. Under the sweep of his Observation Haki, he clearly sensed the giant tiger a hundred meters away—over ten meters tall.
And the tiger seemed to be waiting for him.
As he approached, the tiger dropped all pretense of hiding.
Its massive body was impossible to miss.
"ROAR!!"
The beast, over forty meters long, lunged from above. Trees splintered under its weight, crushed by its bulk. As it roared, birds burst from the treetops in a frenzied flight.
A foul, rancid stench poured from its gaping maw—remnants of its last meal still stuck to its teeth.
"You must be the king of this territory," Weiss said, drawing the blade from his back. "Well then, it's time for you to step down."
Under the moonlight, his twin-edged sword gleamed coldly—an omen of death for any enemy that stood in his way.
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