"Sin..."
"He will come." He looked at the pink-haired girl and squeezed her hand again, assuring her that her father would come to see them.
The two of them had just landed in one of the central Mangroves of the Sabaody Archipelago. This was where Sin had sensed Hancock's presence, and right now, it was coming from the bar in front of them, which was in the middle of nowhere.
Shakky's Rip-Off Bar
"That's the place Hachi told us about." The sign on the bar caught Bonney's attention, and Sin nodded to her.
"We are in District 13." He said and walked forward, still holding her hand.
There was no one inside except Hancock and a tall woman, who was presumably the owner of this place, and the two stopped talking and looked their way when they entered.
"Hey!" He brightly smiled and waved his hand before he approached them and took his seat on top of a stool, right next time her.
On the table, the two swords that he had entrusted her with were resting, and he picked the Blood Sword up and wore it on his back.
"How did the meeting go?" Hancock smiled and asked, and then curiously looked at Bonney, who was sulking a little.
"It was interesting." He told her and then met the eyes of the woman who was smoking a cigarette and smiling at him. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon." She greeted him back. "Would you like to have a drink?"
"Sure. Give me your best." He said and saw her smile some more.
"That will cost you 30 Million Berries, Sir Warlord." She warned, and both Sin and Bonney deadpanned at her.
"You are joking, right?" The pink-head asked, and her reaction made the woman laugh.
"Of course, I wouldn't charge anything from Hatchan's friends, and you also happen to be Hancock's family."
Bonney curiously looked at her friend, and Hancock smiled at her.
"Shakky is a former Empress of Amazon Lily."
"Ohhh..." her words promoted Bonney to surprisedly look at the woman again, and she narrowed her eyes a little. "You look much younger than hour age." She said and watched the woman ignore her words as she went into the back room and came out carrying a bottle of Whiskey.
"You will like this." She confidently said and poured him a glass.
"Where's the Dark King?" He asked as he picked up the glass and sipped the whiskey, quite surprised by its taste. "I must say, it's unique and it is good."
Shakky smiled at his words and poured him some more from the bottle.
"Are you here to fight my husband?" She inquired.
"Not today. I have an appointment later."
"Oh." She interestedly looked at him. "Should we be concerned about our safety?"
"It's a friendly duel."
"Hawk-Eye?" Hancock guessed.
"That doesn't sound like a friendly duel." Shakky laughed when she saw Sin nod his head. "I hope you won't fight here."
"We won't." He assured her.
"Thank you. My husband is coating a ship for a customer right now. He will be here by evening."
"I see." Sin nodded and then looked at the papers that Hancock pushed to him. They contained the lists of some valuable things that were being sold or auctioned on the Island today.
She had already marked some things that they could safely acquire without getting into a confrontation with the Celestial Dragons, and he carefully went through them.
Hancock and Shakky smiled when they saw him interestedly look at the picture of a sword, an Odachi that was the same size as his Blood Sword.
"My, my, you really are interested in swords a little too much. You have these two, and you still want more?" Shakky laughed, and Hancock giggled at her words.
"He's obsessed with them," Bonney said and then reached forward to pour herself some Whiskey.
"Careful, it's strong." The woman warned her, and she listened, only pouring a little before trying it.
They all laughed when she made a disgusted face.
"That's too butter! How can you even drink it?" She scrunched up her nose but finished what she poured into the glass before putting it aside. "Do you serve Pizza here?" She curiously asked, and Shakky smiled at her.
"I can make one for you." She nodded before looking at Sin. "The sword you are looking at is called Kikoku, the wailing of a restless Ghost, and it is a Cursed Blade."
"Oh." Sin smiled some more as he stared at the picture and made up his mind.
"We are getting it." He nodded and then looked at the Devil Fruit that Hancock had highlighted in one of the lists.
Saru Saru no Mi, Model: Gorilla
"I think it will suit Barrel," Hancock said, and he nodded to her.
Cobra had asked them to buy a Devil Fruit if they thought it would suit Barrel, the fourth Tsumegiri Guard, and this fruit did look perfect for him.
"I think we can get it in 300 Million," Bonney said, and both Sin and Hancock nodded their heads.
"Its auction starts in thirty-seven minutes." His Vice-Captain reminded him, and he drank another glass of whiskey before standing up.
"We will be back in an hour." He told Bonney, who smiled to him and then asked him to bring some snacks for her on his return.
Sin and Hancock then put their cloaks on, the ones that bore their Jolly Roger on their backs, but they did not bother covering their faces under the hoods.
The first stop they made was at the Treasure House that was selling the Cursed Sword.
It was situated in District 45, which was a tourist and shopping District, and given the security of this place, it was likely linked to some World Noble.
Needless to say, their arrival alarmed the people who were outside and inside the building, and the Marine Guards immediately became very nervous.
People cleared their way as they walked forward, and the security did not dare to stop them either.
The manager of the place immediately ran up to them, already pale, fearing the worst, but when they expressed their desire to buy the Cursed Sword, he was immensely relieved.
In fact, he was so relieved that he did not even dare to charge them anything for it, and Sin still generously paid him 100,000 Berries for a 17,000,000 Berries sword.
When they exited the Treasure House, both Hancock and Sin looked at each other and laughed at what had transpired inside.
Sensing that both his swords were displeased at the new blade, he handed Kikoku to Hancock, who wore it on her back.
He was likely never going to wield it, but it was indeed a good sword for a collection.
There were still 20 minutes before the start of the auction for the Devil Fruit they were after, so they spent that time inside a bakery, buying snacks for their pink-haired friend.
Sin made a quick run back to the bar, handing Bonney her snacks, before he returned and took Hancock to District 5, where the Devil Fruit was now up for auction.
When they entered the hall, its price was already up to 180 Million, and by the time they took the empty seat in the back row, it had shot up to 225 Million.
The people after it were mostly Pirates, but there were some Nobles too, and even a Marine Officer, who was bidding for it.
"250 Million from Mr. Gilden." The auctioneer announced. "Would anyone like to bid 255 Million?" He asked. "250 Million, once!..."
"260." Sin said before he could finish the countdown, and his bid caught everyone's attention.
The auctioneer was shocked at his presence inside the hall, and even the people became silent when they saw him.
"260 Million from Mr. Black." Regaining his bearings, the old man immediately spoke into the microphone and then asked the audience if they would like to bid 265 Million.
Funnily enough, no one followed the bid, and Hancock giggled again.
"This is too convenient."
He chuckled at her words and then stood up, walking out of the hall with her.
An attendant led them to the room where the deals were finalised, and after they confirmed that it was the same Fruit that was auctioned, Hancock opened the briefcase she was carrying and handed 260 Million Berries to the lady who was here to collect it.
"Congratulations on your purchase!" The lady courteously bowed to them after counting the cash, and then respectfully escorted them out of the Auction House.
Sin briefly closed his eyes as he scanned the entire Island with his Observation Haki, and sure enough, he sensed the presence of Mihawk and Jinbe, who had arrived.
"They are here." He smiled and told Hancock before wrapping his arm around her waist and disappearing, leaving the people in awe of his power.
"Good luck, Sir Warlord!" Shakky wished him when he dropped Hancock at the bar, and he smiled at her before rushing to the 17th Grove.
"Lunch first? Or duel?" He asked as soon as he arrived and laughed when he saw the bodies of the Pirates that were littered on the ground.
Some people were running away from the place, and a ship was on its way, sinking into the sea, having been cleft into two pieces.
"Do you fight better on an empty stomach or a full?" Mihawk asked, and Sin chuckled at his question.
"Empty." He replied and pulled the Seven Star Sword from its scabbard.
Jinbe wisely walked away, took a seat under a tree, and then curiously looked at the beautiful sword that Sin was holding in his hands.
One thing Jinbe became sure of when the two swords clashed and powerful bursts of Conqueror's Haki rippled from them was that this was not a friendly duel.
And he now understood why the Fleet Admiral was alarmed when he heard that the two of them were going to duel on this Island.
They were clearly intending to cause some trouble here.