Late into the night, Weiss returned to the Chris and spent hours tossing and turning, still unable to understand why Theodore had given up so much just to set sail on the open sea.
"For freedom? For some so-called Grand Treasure? What a load of nonsense."
Was Weiss simply too dense to understand? But if he were truly that dull, he wouldn't have become a Greatsword Master at such a young age. No—it was just that he wasn't part of that world, so the reasoning behind Theodore's choices remained out of reach.
But if you asked Weiss about swordsmanship, he could go on for days without stopping.
Outside the ship, Kadun climbed aboard with a mountain of books in his arms, while Jack followed behind, carrying a massive bundle that reeked of gunpowder even from afar.
Weiss stood on the deck, gazing down at them. "Where's Karina? Why isn't she with you?"
"Haven't seen her since lunch," Kadun replied without looking up. "She probably got lost in shopping again. It's a woman's instinct—once they're in the zone, they lose all sense of time."
"Oh…" Weiss muttered and returned to his usual spot. He collapsed into a lounge chair next to a half-finished coconut drink. Skipping dinner didn't matter—he'd been snacking all afternoon anyway.
Kadun was in the helm room reading. Jack cleaned his stash of gunpowder up in the crow's nest. Everything was calm and peaceful.
...
...
...
"Weiss! Weiss! Come help me with these bags!"
Karina's voice rang out from the port, snapping Weiss out of his sleepy daze.
Dragging his feet, Weiss walked to the ship's edge and spotted Karina waving at him in the distance. Around her stood four or five men, each carrying bundles twice their size.
"Oh my god... this is what it means to be a woman," Weiss sighed, slapping his forehead. "Thank the heavens I don't have a girlfriend. Imagine spending an entire day just shopping…"
"I see you, Weiss! Don't pretend you didn't hear me! Hurry up!" Karina shouted again.
With a groan, Weiss flipped off the railing and jumped down onto the dock.
But just as he approached, Karina waved at the porters and signaled for them to carry everything onto the ship.
"…So, why exactly did you need me to come?"
Karina crossed her arms and smirked. "Hmph. Those guys kept giving me the creeps the entire walk here. They thought I wouldn't notice, but I did. If they were going to rob me, this would've been the perfect place to try."
"People are scarce around here at night. With the ocean nearby, it'd be easy to dispose of the evidence. Plus, this part of the island makes you lower your guard. They didn't expect me to call for backup so close to the ship."
She glared at the porters hauling the bags. They avoided her gaze and picked up their pay before hastily fleeing.
Can't blame them. That glare of hers? Terrifying. Like a tiger in human skin.
Weiss hadn't expected the day would come when he'd be used as the "tiger" in a game of borrowed authority.
"Wait till we get back. I've got something interesting to show you." Karina leaned in close, her voice low and teasing as she clung to his arm and dragged him aboard.
Once the suspicious men left, Karina gathered Kadun and Jack. From her "dimensional pocket," she pulled out a rolled-up stack of crisp white papers.
"What's this? Don't tell me it's a treasure map—you're making a whole show of it," Kadun guessed immediately.
"If it really were a treasure map, do you think she'd be showing it to us?" Jack muttered, giving Kadun a sideways glance. Everyone aboard knew Karina's personality well by now.
"What's yours is yours. What's mine is mine. What's public stays public. Don't mix them up!"
Karina scowled. "You think I'm some greedy hoarder? Tell me, what kind of thing would actually catch my interest?"
"This," she said, unfolding the documents, "is a batch of intel on an upcoming auction. It lists the items being sold and the guests invited. But here's the weird part—none of us received invitations, yet our names are clearly on this list."
Weiss took the pages from her. They detailed the auction schedule: famous blades, crowns, treasure maps, and more.
And then there was a strange note—one that caught Weiss's eye.
On one particular page, he found his name, alongside the emblem of the Groo family, a name he knew all too well.
"Where did you get this?" Weiss asked, suspicion creeping in. This kind of detailed intel wasn't something Karina could've gotten just by arriving on the island.
Karina smirked. "Hehe, I just… stumbled across it."
She looked proud of herself. "While shopping, I noticed some shady guy in black tailing me. Didn't seem like a good guy, so I got close—and boom, I found this on him."
"…Well, I guess it's somewhat useful."
One item in particular caught Weiss's attention: a Devil Fruit. No abilities listed. No image. Just a big, bold "JOKER" and a crude drawing of a smiling face.
He lost interest after that.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere on Flying Bird Island…
In a dimly lit alleyway bathed in soft lantern glow, a shadowed figure leapt across rooftops, heading swiftly in one direction.
They avoided the streets below—there were more people out at night than during the day. Getting spotted would ruin everything.
The figure paused above a specific building. Dressed in a standard black suit, he peeked through a slightly ajar door. Inside, the light was dim. Multiple small rooms were tightly shut.
After confirming no one was around, he slipped inside.
Beyond several hidden doors, the lights switched on.
A woman with glasses stood inside, furiously berating a group of five suited men.
"Useless trash! You can't even handle something this simple. What good are you? You'd be better off dead! Do you think your job is to sabotage the mission?"
"You were sent to gather information, and you come back with three words? Why do we even bother with you?"
The five agents kept their heads low, too afraid to meet her eyes, too afraid to speak.
The bespectacled woman finally noticed the new arrival. She waved the others out.
"Get out. All of you. Worthless garbage."
They didn't even dare lift their heads as they scurried away.
"Report," she said, sitting down and flipping through a folder.
"It's done. The files were successfully handed to Karina. She didn't suspect anything," the agent answered.
If Karina had been present, she would've instantly recognized this man as the suspicious figure from earlier. The intel had been deliberately given to her.
"Good. As long as we lure that person to the auction, the pirates will have one more enemy. Too many powerful figures are coming this time. We must ensure everything goes perfectly."
"Isn't this overkill?" the man asked. "With an event this big, the Sword Demon is bound to show up. Why bother luring him with intel?"
"Overkill?" the woman raised an eyebrow. "This is about absolute certainty. What if he wasn't planning to come? Now that he's seen the information, if he knows anything about what's really at stake—he'll have no choice but to attend."
"After all… this event could change the balance of the entire world."
"That item must not fall into the hands of anyone outside the World Government," she said coldly.
"Didn't they already divide it into three pieces? The intel says only one part will appear at the auction. Isn't this a bit much?"
"And besides," he hesitated, "didn't they say that part's a fake?"
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"And who do you think cares most about whether it's real or not?"
"…The other two who hold the remaining pieces."
"Exactly."
"Enough questions. Just do your job," she said without looking up, still flipping through her booklet.
The agent turned to leave.
But just as he reached the door, a gunshot cracked through the room.
Smoke curled from the barrel in the woman's hand.