"Swish!" Before the slash could reach them, it dissipated midway.
Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They couldn't withstand an attack like that; they were just ordinary people hanging around this town, here only to boast and chat about life with like-minded friends.
"Which one of you just said you knew where a log pose was? Step forward." Raiden Ei looked sharply at the group.
Even though they couldn't see Raiden Ei's eyes, they could feel the gaze that felt almost tangible. With good sense, they pushed a relatively thin man forward.
He was the one who had shouted earlier, claiming to know where the log pose Raiden Ei wanted was. Now that the danger was gone, he still trembled and dared not speak as he was pushed to the front.
"Speak! Tell me everything I want to know." Raiden Ei, beneath the black cloak, stared intently at the other, using Observation Haki to check for any trace of lies.
The thin man faced Raiden Ei's gaze, somewhat afraid to speak, yet unable not to. Looking at the demon blade flashing with cold light, he stammered a few words before beginning to divulge what he knew.
"That... well, it's like this. That day, I was eating at a restaurant and overheard a group of people talking about going to the Grand Line. They mentioned something about a compass."
"Continue!" Seeing the man stop talking and keep stealing glances at her, Raiden Ei reminded him.
"Also, I was a bit curious, so I asked around with my friends. They are the Iron Horse Pirate Crew, and they are preparing to head to the Grand Line, currently busy gathering supplies. That's all I know, please don't kill me!"
"Alright, you can go now!" Raiden Ei detected no lies from him; it should be true, she just didn't know the specifics.
Just then, the waiter led a fat man downstairs, accompanied by several burly bodyguards, each holding a flintlock pistol, looking fierce and menacing as they walked toward the tavern. Their voices reached the area before they were even seen.
"Which bastard is bold enough to cause trouble on my turf, Christine's territory? Are you tired of living?!"
Raiden Ei squinted and looked over. She sighed again, people in the world of the One Piece truly lacked decorum; almost anyone with a little ability was this aggressive.
The group soon appeared in her line of sight. They indeed looked more extravagant than ordinary people. The fat man wore at least ten pounds of gold ornaments—a big gold chain, gold rings, a gold belt, even the buttons on his clothes were made of gold. No wonder he needed so many bodyguards.
The big fat man spotted Raiden Ei at a glance and walked up arrogantly, "You're the one smashing up my place, right?"
Seeing that none of these people intended to speak to her politely, Raiden Ei decided she didn't need to be so courteous either. She raised the demon blade in her hand, took a step forward, and the tip of the blade was already pressed against the fat man's neck. Her voice came from under the cloak.
"It was me. What about it?"
The people in the tavern watched Raiden Ei in terror. They hadn't even seen her move; she had suddenly appeared in front of Christine.
The bodyguards holding guns were so startled they instinctively stepped back before snapping back to reality, quickly raising their guns to aim at her, though their hands were trembling slightly.
At this moment, everyone involuntarily held their breath, their heartbeats slowing down. The fat man was scared half to death, cold sweat instantly covering his forehead, his voice stuttering.
"You... don't do anything rash!... Let's talk this out properly. I have backing in Loguetown; you won't have an easy time if you touch me."
"You guys, put down your guns quickly! Do you want me dead? Put them down!"
Upon hearing Christine's command, the bodyguards immediately complied and placed their flintlock pistols on the ground.
Hearing the fat man's words, Raiden Ei's demon blade remained pressed against his neck; a slight exertion of force would pierce his throat.
"Heh heh! I don't want to escalate things either. If this attracts the attention of the Marines, I imagine you won't have it easy either!"
A hint of relief appeared on Christine's face, only to be interrupted by Raiden Ei's next sentence.
"I will kill you before the Marines arrive and then escape. I advise you to cooperate obediently; it will be better for everyone."
Christine's face turned pale with fright, and he quickly nodded in agreement, "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Seeing that the fat man knew how to speak to people, Raiden Ei sheathed her demon blade, though her hand remained resting on the crimson hilt.
"Good then. Do you know where a log pose for the Grand Line is?"
Christine wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead with lingering fear. Hearing Raiden Ei's question, he quickly thought hard.
He realized he had no information about a log pose. The sweat he had just wiped away reappeared. He quickly turned to look at his subordinates, saw them all shaking their heads at him, and his heart instantly turned cold.
"Ah! I... I don't have any news about a log pose."
Raiden Ei could tell from their expressions. Christine's words only confirmed what she suspected, but now she could go and rob one.
"You don't? Come out and tell him about the log pose."
She pointed at the thin man from earlier. She didn't really want to explain to Christine; it didn't quite fit her image.
The thin man repeated the information he knew to Christine.
Christine looked at a bodyguard, who nodded and leaned in to whisper in his ear. After hearing the bodyguard's account, he immediately felt more confident and told Raiden Ei about his findings.
"Miss, the Iron Horse Pirate Crew is a famous Pirate Crew in the East Blue. Their Captain, Bukia, is a great pirate with a bounty of up to thirty-two million Berries. They are preparing to head to the Grand Line recently, and we have inquired clearly about their affairs.
As for the log pose, I'm sure you know that my black market channel isn't the only one. I didn't know just now that the Iron Horse Pirate Crew had a log pose..."
Raiden Ei felt something was off as she listened. She raised her hand and interrupted Christine before he could continue.
"Stop with the nonsense. Where is the Iron Horse Pirate Crew right now? Have they headed to the Grand Line yet?"
Christine quickly looked at that bodyguard, who leaned in and whispered in his ear again. After a short while, he finished speaking. Christine said with a smile,
"Three days ago, the Iron Horse Pirate Crew was still on a nearby deserted island and hadn't set off for the Grand Line yet. However, starting yesterday, the Marines mobilized on a large scale, searching for something in this vicinity. Now, I don't know if they have headed to the Grand Line."
Raiden Ei knew they were looking for her. It seemed time was short; she needed to leave here quickly and prepare to encounter strong enemies at any moment.
She opened the system panel with her consciousness and used ten thousand energy points to upgrade Conqueror's Haki to Level Two. Learning Conquerors Haki Infusion had become the most crucial thing. She upgraded it to Level Two without hesitation, hoping to speed up the learning process.
In an instant, she felt a subtle difference, but now was not the time to experiment.
"Do you have a sea chart to that deserted island?"
Christine took a sea chart from the bodyguard and handed it to Raiden Ei.
"Yes, here it is."
She took it and looked, confirming it wasn't far from here. This way, she was confident she could leave the East Blue quickly. Once inside the Grand Line, it would be much harder for the Marines and the World Government to find her.
"Do you know the movements of the Marines?" She asked casually, unsure if they were capable enough to know the Marines' movements.
Christine looked at the bodyguard beside him, who immediately leaned in and whispered.
This made Raiden Ei a bit curious; did they really know something? She could certainly hear what the bodyguard was saying at such a close distance, but she couldn't understand their words! They were communicating in code; hearing it was useless if she couldn't understand.
They finished talking shortly after. Christine smiled, "I received news that a Navy Vice Admiral named Borsalino has arrived in Loguetown, claiming he is here to capture a pirate."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the fanfiction has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 or more chapters in advance over on my patreon: patreon.com/FTLGenBen
Also every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone, Thanks.