Too crazy! Usopp was dumbfounded, staring at the sea.
Massive amounts of steam were rising, covering the water in a thick white fog, all from the blazing sunlike fireball that had evaporated the surface.
Rainer just waved his hand casually and said to the shocked crew, "Eh, keep it low-key, low-key."
The next moment, in front of the Mage Undead, a swirl of sand gathered, spiraling rapidly around the staff before vibrating at high speed.
"Wait a second, isn't that Crocodile's move?!" Nami's eyes widened, staring hard at the small figure on the Merry's railing.
The girl raised her staff high, then swung it down. The buzzing sand lashed out like a whip, striking the sea and exploding into a massive splash!
But the water swallowed it whole. The sand scattered, unrecoverable.
Rainer's face darkened. So it didn't inherit the water-absorption or sandification abilities, but it did keep the weakness to water—perfect.
"Your undead can actually do something like that?"
The crew turned to him, stunned, their eyes glued to the mage-like figure on the railing.
Rainer's own body was already monstrously strong—on the ship, he was without a doubt the number one in raw physique, even if his fighting style was still messy and unrefined.
But everyone knew Rainer's true combat power came from his undead. Until now, Oni Blue and Oni Red were the top fighters aboard.
Now, he had a new undead capable of unleashing terrifying moves like this. For someone like Zoro, who always pursued strength, it hit like a punch to the gut.
He couldn't help but remember when he first met Rainer at Branch 153—back then, Zoro had been confident he wouldn't even need three swords to beat him.
But now? Even with nine swords, he might not scratch him.
Rainer, satisfied with the reactions, leaned against the railing beside the Mage Undead, his blue shirt fluttering as he explained:
"My Devil Fruit has awakened. That means my undead can now use the hidden abilities of their templates. For example, if I modeled one after Zoro, even the smaller blades could reach the level of cutting iron."
In contrast, Luffy's template didn't change much. That shattered Rainer's earlier theory—that all Devil Fruit powers could be partially replicated.
The Chainsaw Devil template only became faster and more agile in combat. Nothing else had changed.
Rainer thought through it carefully. There were two likely reasons:
Devil Fruit type—Luffy's Zoan might be harder to replicate, unlike Logias like Crocodile's and Ace's.
Development depth—the user's mastery of their Fruit.
The second made more sense. Crocodile's mastery over his Suna Suna no Mi was already advanced—he had techniques that were practically touching awakening, like that Reincarnation Erosion move that could sandify other matter.
Ace, too, had developed his Mera Mera no Mi to an impressive degree, especially with Whitebeard's guidance.
Luffy, by comparison, wasn't even close. Forget awakening—he hadn't even reached Gear Fourth yet.
Shaking off his thoughts, Rainer dismissed the Mage Undead and waved the others back to their routines. The two girls headed back into the cabin.
Zoro stared at the barbell he'd just put down. Gritting his teeth, he picked it back up, increasing his training load on the spot.
"You're pushing too hard. Today's training was already intense. Keep going and you'll just wear your body down."
Seeing Zoro's torso still bandaged from his Alabasta wounds, Rainer couldn't help but warn him. Training could speed up growth—but overstraining only left hidden injuries, much like Luffy's Gear Second.
Especially with wounds still healing, this was just self-destruction.
"Doesn't matter." Zoro strained under the weight, sweat rolling down his face as he forced a squat.
"If I don't get stronger now, who knows if I'll even live long enough to worry about the future."
Rainer sighed, turned away, and opened the cabin door. If he couldn't stop him, someone else could.
He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted inside:
"Chopper! Zoro's overtraining again!"
"Nani!!"
A furious, childish voice answered instantly, followed by heavy hoofsteps.
"You idiot, I already told you—your body isn't ready for overtraining yet!"
Chopper burst out onto the deck, transformed into his heavy point, charging at Zoro without hesitation.
"You got injured so badly in Alabasta! Listen to your doctor, damn it!"
The little reindeer's two medical creeds:
A doctor must save lives—taught by Doctor Hiriluk.
A patient must obey their doctor—or get beaten until they do—taught by Doctor Kureha.
On that point, Chopper wouldn't back down, even against Zoro himself.
"Drop it right now!" Chopper roared, swinging a massive elbow.
"Wait, wait, I get it!" Zoro panicked, tossing the weights aside before the blow could land.
Thud!
Only then did Chopper stop, sighing as he returned to his small form. He looked up at Zoro and said firmly:
"That's better. You're still healing. Overdoing it now will leave you with lasting damage."
"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Zoro grumbled, scratching at his green hair and glaring at Rainer.
"Damn four-eyes, tattling on me."
"Rainer only did it for your sake."
"Yeah, whatever." Zoro sat down cross-legged, leaning against the railing and closing his eyes.
"Go on, Chopper. I'm sleeping."
"Fine, but remember—you can't hide from me." Chopper waddled away, reminding Rainer to put the equipment back before disappearing inside.
The little scuffle at the stern hadn't gone unnoticed.
From the second-floor lounge, Nico Robin quietly watched, her dark eyes lingering on the warmth of the crew's interactions.
The room was cozy—blue sofas in the corner, yellow wooden walls decorated with photos.
At the bottom hung one taken at Twin Cape: Luffy sitting cross-legged on the ground, laughing, flanked by Zoro with his three swords and Sanji with a cigarette. Rainer, in his blue shirt, stood behind with a smile. Nami and Usopp stood beside him.
Behind them loomed the Merry and a massive black whale, Laboon.
Rainer had bought a disposable camera at Loguetown—that shot had been taken by Crocus himself.
Another photo showed them in the desert, beneath a giant cactus. The same group, plus Chopper and Vivi.
More snapshots filled the wall—memories of their Grand Line journey.
Robin, in a white blouse, short black hair brushing her shoulders, stood silently before them, lips curving faintly. She turned and sat down, resuming her book.
A flash of orange hair came over—Nami sat down beside her, peeking curiously.
"What're you reading, big sis?"
Having been bribed with Robin's money earlier, Nami had started calling her "big sister." She was slightly younger than Robin, after all.
"It's a history record of Jaya Island," Robin replied warmly, then tilted her head with a smile.
"Mm, that's a lovely scent. Is it the canola flower perfume from Alabasta?"
"Huh? You can tell just by smelling?" Nami sniffed her own arm in surprise.
"I lived in Alabasta for years. Rapeseed City is famous for its perfumes. You have good taste."
"Heh, it wasn't me. Rainer bought it," Nami said sheepishly.
"As expected of the logistics officer. That doesn't surprise me." Robin placed her book on the table, glancing at the photo wall.
"Would you tell me more about everyone aboard, Miss Navigator?"
Nami followed her gaze, a smile tugging at her lips as she looked at the photos.
Before she could begin, a flamboyant voice rang from the galley:
"Nami-swan, Robin-chwaaaan~~ lunch is ready! Please taste the passion in my cuisine!"
"Let's go. We can talk while we eat," Nami said, rising.
Sanji set down the last dish and called out toward the deck:
"Dinner's served, everyone!"
"Wahaha, food!" Luffy shouted back, as enthusiastic as always.
On the Merry's lookout, Rainer dismissed his falcon-undead modeled after Pell, jumped down onto the second deck, flicked his cigarette butt into the sea (bad habit, but oh well), and strolled inside.
He sat beside Nami and asked:
"At this pace, how long till we reach Gaya Island?"
According to the log pose, after Alabasta, the next stop was Gaya, near the dangerous Mock Town where the needle would spin upward toward the sky.
"Should be by the day after tomorrow, around noon," Nami said after a moment's thought.
"If the weather holds. But you know how unpredictable it is on the Grand Line."
"True enough." Rainer nodded. Only near islands did the climate stabilize—until then, magnetic interference made the sea wildly unstable.
After the mess at Little Garden, where their log needed a whole year to reset, Rainer had made a habit of gathering information about the next island in advance.
He and Nami kept that intel between themselves. No way was he spoiling things for Luffy.
Rainer liked adventure, but knowing details never ruined it for him—if anything, it heightened the anticipation.
Luffy, on the other hand, thrived on pure unpredictability.
"Whoa, this meat is amazing, Sanji!" Luffy shouted, cheeks bulging as he stuffed in more.
"Of course it is. That's prime camel meat I picked up in Alabasta!"
"What about booze, shitty cook?!" Zoro barked.
"Go buy your own!" Sanji snapped back.
"Don't worry, I stocked up." Rainer nodded toward the hold.
"Left corner barrels, all yours."
Alabasta's famous wines were mostly fruit-based, plus tequila. Rainer had chosen stronger spirits, knowing Zoro's taste.
"By the way, Zoro, where'd you vanish that day we resupplied?" Rainer asked curiously.
Zoro's face turned pale—he remembered wandering all the way to the palace gates, chased around by dancers.
"Cough—don't worry about it," he muttered, bolting for the hold like an escape route.
Three days later, on the sunny deck of the Merry.
Rainer spotted a lively harbor in the distance, bustling with life.
"Land ahead!" he called down.
Immediately, voices rang out as the crew scrambled up from below deck, shouting back in unison:
We're coming!!