"So we got some useful information, but now we need to get to this Mangrove Archipelago place," Alvida said, adjusting her mindset and starting to think about matters related to Sky Island. "Problem is, that's clearly not anywhere nearby."
Robin considered their options. "Should we split up and ask around at other locations? Cast a wider net for information?"
She was well-suited for this kind of work. Her Devil Fruit powers made eavesdropping almost trivially easy, she could sprout ears in places people would never think to check.
Goliath, for his part, had no opinions to offer. He simply stood there quietly, fulfilling his role as their bodyguard.
The final decision fell to Marcus. But he wasn't paying attention to the conversation. His mind was elsewhere, focused on his minimap interface. He was searching for Blackbeard. The problem was that his map was cluttered with hostile markers. Every pirate in Mock Town seemed to radiate low-level aggression toward everyone around them, creating a sea of red indicators that made picking out any specific individual nearly impossible.
And Blackbeard? His marker was nowhere to be found.
That probably meant Blackbeard didn't automatically show hostility toward strangers. Which made sense, actually, the man was known for playing things friendly right up until he decided to stab you in the back.
Marcus' map had the ability to actively mark people, but only if he'd actually met them face-to-face at least once. He could filter by known individuals, but Blackbeard wasn't in that database yet.
He mentally adjusted the filter settings, hiding all hostile targets. The map cleared significantly, showing only neutral individuals scattered throughout the town.
He scanned through them, but still couldn't spot anyone who might be Blackbeard.
Had they arrived too early? Too late? Or had his own actions already created butterfly effects that changed when Blackbeard would show up here?
Alvida noticed him spacing out and tugged at his sleeve. "Hey. You with us?"
"Yeah, sorry." Marcus shook his head to clear it. "Let's split up and check some other places. Cover more ground."
He pulled out several gold nuggets and distributed them to Goliath and Robin. He trusted both of them completely.
Robin looked at the gold in her hand, then glanced at Alvida with a knowing smile. She didn't say anything, but her expression suggested she understood something the others didn't.
Alvida, catching Marcus' subtle signal, remained quiet and stayed close to his side.
Truth be told, she'd been feeling somewhat neglected lately. Marcus had been obsessed with ship modifications and preparations, working himself to exhaustion every night. He'd had almost no time for her, and the frustration was building.
Among the crew members who knew about their relationship, Vivi, Shira, Robin, and Kira, none of them seemed surprised or concerned. As for Nami, well, Alvida hadn't really noticed any reaction from her. Then again, Nami had been coming back to the ship unusually late every night recently, completely absorbed in whatever she was doing.
Robin, being a night owl by nature, had definitely noticed the pattern. Shira and Kira had their own perspectives. Shira was literally Marcus' creation, and Kira had assumed from day one that Marcus and Alvida were a couple. So there wasn't really much need to hide the relationship anymore.
The group split up naturally, blending into the flow of pirates and criminals that made up Mock Town's population.
Marcus lingered for a moment, getting his bearings, then chose a direction and started walking.
Alvida followed beside him.
They walked in silence. Several pirates along the way clearly considered causing trouble but as they approached, they'd encounter the subtle aura of the Shichiseiken. The cursed sword's presence made them falter, lose their train of thought. By the time they snapped out of it, Marcus and Alvida had already passed by. But Marcus wasn't leading Alvida to a hotel or anything like that. Instead, he guided her to a lavishly decorated shop in one of the nicer districts of Mock Town.
Next to the shop's logo hung Doflamingo's flag.
The reason Marcus had come here was simple: his minimap showed a treasure marker at this location. And that treasure, according to the interface, was a Devil Fruit.
He pushed through the entrance without hesitation.
Alvida followed, though she felt something was off about the situation. Why would they come shopping at a time like this?
The moment they entered, a clerk came in front of them.
"Welcome! What can I get for you today? Our establishment carries everything you could possibly want. And if we don't have it in stock, we can have it delivered faster than you can finish a drink."
Marcus didn't call out the obvious exaggeration. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "I'm looking for a Devil Fruit. Any type will do."
The clerk's eyes immediately started calculating, sizing up the two customers in front of him.
On a pirate island like this, wealth usually came with indicators, like gold chains, flashy rings, or expensive clothing. It helped the staff quickly categorize customers and adjust their service accordingly. But these two didn't fit the typical pattern. Their clothes were neat and well-maintained, but simple. No obvious jewelry or wealth signals.
If the clerk had to identify what looked most valuable, it would be the sword at Marcus' waist, and the stunning woman. Both were worth a fortune, just not in the conventional way.
Before the clerk could formulate a polite way to question whether they could actually afford a Devil Fruit, a gold ingot had somehow appeared in Marcus' hand.
The clerk's entire demeanor shifted instantly.
"Please, right this way! I'll escort you to our VIP lounge immediately. You deserve only our finest accommodations."
He tripped over himself leading them to a private room in the back. The VIP lounge was considerably nicer than the main floor. The moment they sat down, the clerk had already produced chilled drinks and set them on the low table.
"Please make yourselves comfortable. For transactions involving Devil Fruits, our manager will personally handle the negotiations. I'll fetch him immediately."
He disappeared with his tray, moving fast enough that Marcus suspected he was hoping for a commission on whatever sale resulted.
Once they were alone, Alvida poked Marcus' arm. "You can actually see there's a Devil Fruit here?"
"Yeah. There should be at least one." Marcus took a sip of his drink, not bad, actually. "I don't know what type it is, though. That's why I wanted to check it out in person."
"By the way—"
Before Alvida could finish that sentence, there was a polite knock at the door.
Marcus called out, "Come in."
A portly man entered, his eyes immediately drawn to the gold ingot sitting on the table. The man's eyes sparkled with greed.
Even at a glance, it was obvious the ingot was of extremely high purity, the kind usually found only in royal treasuries or among the wealthiest nobles.
When he turned his attention to the two customers on the sofa, his smile became even more servile.
"I understand you're interested in acquiring a Devil Fruit. As you surely know, there are many varieties of Devil Fruits available on the market. The baseline price starts at one hundred million berries, but if it's a known fruit that can be identified in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, there's naturally a premium attached. So before we proceed..."
"Oh?" Marcus interrupted. "So you're saying you have a known Devil Fruit? One that's catalogued? What type?"
The merchant pulled out a thick, well-worn book from inside his coat. It was an official copy of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. He'd clearly referenced it many times before.
Flipping through the pages, he opened to the Zoan section.
"We currently have one Zoan-type fruit in stock: the Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Mantis. This is an exceptionally rare and powerful fruit, I assure you. As you're no doubt aware, a mantis' forearms can transform into razor-sharp blades, making it an ideal match for dual-sword fighting styles."
He tapped the illustration in the book. "Additionally, this fruit grants the user short-term flight capability. It's an outstanding fruit for anyone focusing on attack speed and agility. The current market value is three hundred and fifty million berries."
Marcus kept his expression neutral. That was definitely more expensive than he'd expected.
The merchant wasn't done with his pitch. He pulled out several photographs and spread them on the table like a dealer showing cards.
"Of course, we have other options as well. These three unidentified fruits are available for one hundred million berries each. And these two," he indicated a pair of strange-looking fruits with unusual patterns, "are valued at two hundred million apiece."
"Why are those two worth double?" Marcus asked.
The merchant smiled, clearly expecting the question. "Because based on their appearance and pattern structure, these two are very likely to be Zoan-types as well. That means, at worst, they'll have minimal negative side effects. You see, many Paramecia fruits, while powerful, come with unfortunate drawbacks. For example, the Sticky-Sticky Fruit causes the user's body to constantly secrete adhesive substances. Very inconvenient for daily life."
"I see. So Zoan fruits generally command higher prices than Paramecia or unknown types because they're more reliably useful?"
"Precisely! You understand the market very well."
Marcus processed this information, then voiced the question that was really on his mind. "Basically, you're telling me your shop currently has six Devil Fruits in total?"
The manager smiled and shook his head. "Currently, we only have one fruit in stock, the Mantis Fruit. The other five would need to be transferred here, which takes about three to seven days."
Marcus thought it over for maybe five seconds before making his decision.
"I'll take the Mantis Fruit. Three hundred and fifty million, right?"
His immediate commitment caught the manager off guard. "You're certain? Don't you want some time to consider?"
Instead of answering, Marcus simply said, "Appraise this."
Another gold ingot materialized in his hand and landed on the table.
"Of course! Right away! Let me call our appraiser." He turned toward the door and shouted, "Get the appraiser in here, now!"
The servant at the door took off running, and within minutes returned with an elderly man carrying a case of specialized tools. The appraiser set his case down and examined the gold ingot. His eyes went wide.
"Good god... This purity! This precision! Even the wealthiest kingdoms couldn't produce something with this level of consistency! The weight is exact down to the last fraction." He looked up at Marcus. "May I cut a small sample to verify the internal composition?"
The appraiser had never in his career seen gold of such exceptional quality. The weight was identical across both ingots, not varying by even a hair's breadth. It seemed almost impossible.
After all, most gold circulating in the pirate world was alloyed with other metals, resulting in questionable purity and much lower value. A chest full of treasure often converted to only ten million berries or so after proper assessment.
But Marcus' gold ingots were abnormally pure, so pure that the appraiser was actually worried. What if the interior was something else entirely? If he misjudged and the buyer came back angry, he'd be paying for it out of his own pocket, probably with his life.
Marcus waved dismissively. "Do whatever you need. Just give me an accurate valuation."
The appraiser's hands trembled slightly as he carefully cut a small corner sample and began the refining process. The minutes ticked by as he ran his tests, checked his results, then ran them again.
Finally, he looked up.
"99.999% pure."
That level of purity went far beyond standard gold values. This was experimental-grade material, the kind that sold for exponentially higher prices in specialized markets.
The appraiser cleared his throat. "My valuation is... two hundred and ten million berries. And that's actually on the conservative side."
Marcus wasn't surprised. Nami had already explained that his gold was worth considerably more than normal gold.
But the manager's expression had gone strange. He was now eyeing the appraiser suspiciously, clearly wondering if the old man and this young customer were somehow working together to scam him.
The price was just too absurd.
Normally, gold ingots went for around one hundred and thirty million berries at best. That was already considered a premium price. But now this was valued at two hundred and ten million?
Even if it had been valued at two hundred million, he wouldn't have questioned it. But an extra ten million markup? That seemed excessive.
The appraiser, recognizing the doubt on his employer's face, pulled the manager aside for a private conversation.
Several minutes later, the suspicion had completely vanished from the manager's expression. If anything, he now looked nervous.
"Please wait just a moment. I'll have your Devil Fruit packaged immediately. As for the remaining funds, how would you like them?"
"Convert it to berries."
The manager looked reluctant to part with the high-quality gold, but he nodded quickly and ordered his staff to prepare the cash.
Before long, the Mantis Fruit was placed before Marcus in a presentation box.
Alongside it sat a reinforced black case containing seventy million berries in large-denomination bills.
"This represents your purchase exceeding one hundred million berries at our Wandering Islands Trading Company." The manager produced an elegant metallic card with embossed lettering. "This VIP card entitles you to a ten percent discount on all future purchases, priority service at any of our locations, and various additional benefits depending on which branch you visit."
Marcus saw no reason to refuse. He accepted the card, and in the next moment, made everything disappear as if by magic.
The staff members stood there with dazed expressions as Marcus and Alvida walked out.
Even the lingering thought the manager had about investigating these customers evaporated before he could fully form it.
Everything Marcus had demonstrated was simply too extraordinary. The perfectly precise gold ingots, the noble bearing, the complete lack of haggling or concern over prices, it all screamed connections to power that ordinary merchants couldn't afford to mess with. He was either from a royal family of some major nation, or someone even more significant.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he worked for such a person.
But whether it was the former or the latter, it wasn't something the manager could afford to investigate. One wrong move, and his entire operation would be burned to the ground with him inside it.
That was exactly what the appraiser had warned him about in their private conversation.
After all, there was only one place in the world that could, and would, produce gold ingots with such flawless uniformity and precision.
The Holy Land of Mary Geoise, home of the World Nobles.
It was said that only the Celestial Dragons would insist on such aesthetic perfection, having gold crafted to be completely identical purely for appearance's sake. Even the wealthiest royal families of other nations wouldn't bother with that level of precision. For them, as long as the gold was heavy and pure enough, that was sufficient.
Rumors spread fast in Mock Town, especially when they involved potential Celestial Dragons. Within an hour, word had spread throughout the island that a World Noble had descended upon their lawless place.
The chaotic atmosphere of the pirate town shifted almost immediately. The constant background noise of drunken brawls and shouted threats diminished noticeably. Pirates weren't stupid. They might risk messing with regular nobles or even Marine officers if the odds were in their favor.
But Celestial Dragons? That was a death sentence. Injure even one of those bubble-headed bastards and the Marine Admirals themselves would show up to turn the entire island into a crater.
No pirate wanted to face that kind of heat.
Marcus and Alvida remained completely oblivious to their new reputation, strolling through streets that had suddenly become peaceful.
But Robin, who'd been gathering intelligence in a different part of town, nearly had a heart attack when she heard the rumors. Her hands actually shook as she processed the information. A Celestial Dragon? Here?
She immediately abandoned her current task and rushed to regroup with Marcus. When she found him, he was examining a fruit stand, apparently considering buying some apples.
"Marcus!" She grabbed his arm. "We need to leave."
"What? Why?"
"There's a Celestial Dragon on the island."
Marcus blinked. "Wait, what? A Celestial Dragon came here? Why would one come to a pirate town?"
Are they trying to collect wild pirate captains like Pokemon or something?
The mental image of a snot-nosed World Noble wandering around Mock Town made him feel slightly nauseous.
He quickly gathered Alvida and Robin, tracked down Goliath who was still questioning locals about Sky Island routes, and the group made their way toward the northern part of the island where they'd agreed to meet up with the Straw Hats.
In the end, he never did manage to run into Blackbeard, which left him disappointed. He'd been hoping to at least lay eyes on the guy, maybe get a read on his threat level. But some things just weren't meant to be.
Soon enough, the Straw Hats had fully regrouped at the ramshackle house belonging to Cricket.
From him, Luffy and the others learned about another method to reach Sky Island that didn't involve the Mangrove Archipelago route Marcus had researched.
The Knock-Up Stream.
A massive column of seawater that periodically erupted from the ocean floor with enough force to launch a ship miles straight up into the sky. It sounded completely insane. Which meant Luffy immediately loved the idea. However, the Knock-Up Stream only erupted after a long accumulation period. It was a rare natural phenomenon, not something you could just trigger on demand.
Fortunately, according to Cricket's calculations, they wouldn't have to wait too long, three to four days at most.
Coincidentally, their Log Pose would also finish recording in about three to four days.
And Marcus had brought back a permanent pointer to the Sabaody Archipelago from his shopping trip.
That meant three distinct routes now lay before the crew:
One, follow the Log Pose to the next island after it finished recording. The safe, standard route that ninety percent of pirates took.
Two, ride the Knock-Up Stream up to Sky Island. The dangerous, potentially lethal route that required perfect timing and a lot of luck.
Three, use the Eternal Pose to sail directly to Sabaody Archipelago via the regular shipping lanes. The boring route that would skip multiple islands entirely.
Any sensible pirate crew would pick the first option. It was the most reliable, the safest, and it followed the natural progression of the Grand Line. But the Straw Hats had never been accused of being sensible.
"Does this even need a choice?" Luffy declared confidently, his eyes shining with excitement. "Our next stop is Sky Island!"
Cricket's face broke into a smile. "It's rare to see pirates with real dreams these days! Most crews that come through here are just looking for treasure and an easy score."
He turned toward the interior of his house and shouted, "Hey, Masira! Shoujou! Break out the good stuff! Tonight we're drinking until we drop!"