Chapter 19: Joker, the Clown?
Seeing the two approaching undead, the men immediately scattered, retreating to either side. If a fight broke out, they didn't know if the old man behind the bar could even stop these things.
Reiner paid them no mind, directing the Katana and Chainsaw Devils to take seats at the bar counter, then followed suit.
"Our master is here to make a deal," Reiner stated directly, wasting no words. "We need Seastone items, in stock now. If you have them, state your price."
The white-haired old man glanced at him without speaking, then turned his gaze back to the two undead.
Reiner naturally understood his meaning. While looking at the Chainsaw Devil, he mentally directed it to nod slightly towards the old man.
Only then did the old man look back at Reiner, thinking internally, "Are these two cyborgs? Arrogant, or perhaps unable to speak?"
He had come from the Grand Line to oversee the Loguetown base for the East Blue operations. He had seen all sorts of strange things.
Looking at the appearance of these two figures, his first thought was 'cyborgs'. The fact that their designs were very similar reinforced this belief.
After all, two identical Devil Fruit powers wouldn't appear simultaneously, and while similar powers might exist, the probability of two such users appearing together was minuscule.
"Seastone handcuffs, two pairs. Fifteen million per pair," the white-haired old man stated coolly. He didn't doubt their ability to pay.
In the East Blue, few even knew about Devil Fruits, let alone Seastone which countered their abilities.
Since this person came asking directly, he clearly wasn't ignorant.
"Do you have Seastone bullets?" Reiner pressed.
"Processing Seastone into bullets is extremely difficult. Six million Beri per bullet. I have sixteen rounds here," the old man replied. "Additionally, they require a special gun to fire. Eight million per gun."
Reiner intentionally glanced at the Chainsaw Devil again, then directed it to give another slight nod.
"I'll take all the handcuffs and bullets. Do you have any extra guns?"
"We have three in stock."
"Pack them all up together," Reiner said decisively.
Spares and spares for the spares, isn't that common sense?
"Are you sure?"
A change finally flickered across the old man's face. He had guessed they could afford something, but he hadn't expected them to buy out the entire stock.
This added up to 150 million Beri!
Who are they planning to fight that requires this kind of expense? Maybe they should just hire us as muscle instead.
If Reiner knew what the old man was thinking, he would have laughed out loud. Double it to three hundred million, and you guys go take out Crocodile and Enel.
"Certain. We'll take it all."
"Verify the cash," Kruk slowed down, addressing the men who had retreated to the side. "Go get the goods and show him."
Reiner placed the moneybag he was carrying directly onto the bar counter. He hadn't been sure how much money to bring on this trip.
Of the four hundred million obtained from Arlong, one hundred million was left for Cocoyasi Village; he had brought the remaining three hundred million.
Although these were the crew's funds, no one would complain about money spent wisely on essentials.
As Reiner unzipped the bag, the old man's breath hitched noticeably.
Honestly, the white-haired old man was tempted. In a place like the East Blue, seeing someone casually place three hundred million Beri in front of you... you'd have to be dead not to feel tempted.
However, the old man didn't make a move. Joker's business spanned the globe. If he attacked and failed to take down the opponent on the spot, it would severely damage Joker's reputation.
Forcibly suppressing his desire to act, the white-haired old man began counting the money, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the Knife-Saw Duo, calculating the probability of successfully taking them down.
Reiner, conversely, was somewhat disappointed. This old man wasn't weak, but Reiner could tell he wasn't as strong as Arlong.
Reiner almost wished the old man would try to pull a 'black eats black' move. As for Doflamingo...
Just needed to be clean about it. By the time Doflamingo could trace it back to him, it would be ages later, and who knows how strong Reiner would be by then.
Doflamingo himself might have to carefully consider his own strength before acting.
"Should I strike first? Is it necessary? It's not like I can't afford this," Reiner calculated internally.
He wasn't afraid of not being able to win; he was afraid of the opponent escaping.
Reiner continuously pulled stacks of cash from the bag, while the white-haired old man slowly verified the bills.
Both men harbored hidden intentions.
"Boss Kruk, the goods are here." Several men emerged from the back, one carrying a suitcase.
Only then did Reiner learn the old man's name. The men placed the suitcase on the table and retreated.
Old man Kruk pushed the counted money aside, then opened the suitcase, turning it to show Reiner the contents.
Inside lay two pairs of Seastone handcuffs, three ordinary-looking revolvers, and finally, three revolver cylinders – two fully loaded with six Seastone bullets each, and one cylinder with two empty chambers (implying four bullets). (Total 16 bullets).
"We work for Joker. Since you found your way here, you must know our reputation. Of course, you can test a shot first if you like."
"Oh my, Mr. Kruk, how could you say such a thing? Wouldn't I trust you?" Reiner chuckled awkwardly, closing the suitcase.
"Alright then. The transaction is officially complete. No returns or exchanges once you leave this shop," Kruk said, gathering the money from the counter.
Reiner placed the suitcase into the now half-empty moneybag, then picked up the bag.
He extended one hand to shake Kruk's, while simultaneously directing the Katana Devil and Chainsaw Devil to stand up and leave.
Kruk also extended his hand, but his peripheral vision remained fixed on the movements of the Katana Devil and Chainsaw Devil.
Their hands met and gripped firmly for a few moments.
Reiner controlled the two undead to turn towards the exit. As Kruk saw their backs turn, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes—
As the Knife-Saw Duo slowly walked away, Reiner and Kruk began to release their handshake, their hands slowly withdrawing mid-air.
The room was silent, the air seemingly frozen.
BANG!
Kruk exploded into action!
He slammed both hands onto the bar counter, simultaneously pushing off with his legs. Propelled by the combined force, his entire body shot forward at incredible speed.
"DIE!!!"
His plan: ambush and kill these two instantly, then slowly deal with the golden-haired follower. Do it cleanly, and no one will ever find out.
"I KNEW YOU WERE SCUM!"
At the exact same moment Kruk attacked, several void rifts instantly tore open throughout the room.
Several opened in front of the four men by the wall, and another appeared right behind Kruk!
This was a battle where victory or defeat had to be decided instantly.
Take them down inside this room, and there would be no problems.
If they escaped, endless trouble would follow.
Both sides shared the same thought.
Although having the two undead turn their backs was Reiner's intentional bait, if Kruk hadn't attacked, Reiner would have simply left.
However, there were no 'ifs'. The opponent made his move, so Reiner had to be even more ruthless.
Kruk formed his hands into blades, chopping towards the necks of the Knife-Saw Duo from behind.
Simultaneously, from the void rift behind him, a pair of arms ending in sharp claws thrust out, stabbing viciously towards his waist.
The Knife-Saw Duo didn't have eyes in the back of their heads and couldn't see Kruk, but Reiner saw everything clearly.
The instant Kruk moved, Reiner commanded the undead to spin around, while simultaneously drawing his White Bone Chain Sword, its tip aimed at Kruk.
You thought you were ambushing them?
This is the four of us surrounding you, old man!
Three long swords and three chainsaws slashed towards Kruk simultaneously, while from behind, sharp claws were already plunging towards his waist.
"Shoot him!!!"
The serrated tip of the White Bone Chain Sword suddenly shot forward!
Schlick! Schlick!
Schlick! Schlick!
In a single instant...
The Bone Chain Sword pierced through Kruk's body. The Wolverine claws sank deep into his waist. The Katana and Chainsaw Devils simultaneously slashed their blades and saws into his shoulders, neck, and chest.
Kruk lost his balance mid-air. The impacts from multiple directions sent his body tumbling forward in a twisted posture.
If you're going to do it, do it fast, do it ruthlessly!
"How... how could this be?" Kruk's eyes widened in disbelief. He lay battered in a pool of blood, coughing up blood.
"I'm... cough... Joker's man... If you kill me..."
Reiner paid him no heed, delivering the finishing blow directly. "You won't have problems precisely because I killed you, old man."
He then swiftly cut down the four men in the corner and walked towards the back of the tavern.
"Time for a harvest, then destroy the bodies and traces, and get out..."
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