Chapter 388 - It's Great to Have a Wealthy Senior

The current state of Wood's Weapons Company wasn't looking too good. Thanks to the tea party incident, they had managed to offend both Big Mom and Kaido.

At a time like this, Robin didn't object to Wood recruiting more power to their side—they certainly needed it.

What Robin couldn't stand, however, was how easily Wood seemed to trust Perona. And the way he looked at Perona? It made Robin incredibly jealous.

"I've been with you for almost twenty years, growing from a cute loli into a mature lady, and you haven't shown the slightest interest." Robin thought, fuming.

Now, this "expired loli" shows up, and you can't take your eyes off her? How could Robin tolerate that?

As a transmigrant, Wood knew that Perona was a decent person at heart. And as for why he kept staring at her? He was trying to think about how her "Negative Hollow" might interact with the new power he'd just obtained: the "Blessing of the Sword Saint."

Everyone knew Perona was a Ghost-Human, thanks to her consumption of the Hollow-Hollow Fruit. She could leave her body as a floating spirit, immune to any physical attack. In that state, she was more invincible than even a Logia-type user—not even Armament Haki could touch her.

Since ghosts had no physical form, no one could attack them, including the ghosts Perona produced.

In a way, as long as Perona kept her real body well hidden, she could face anyone and remain undefeated. Her ability, the "Negative Hollow," was particularly effective against strong-willed fighters.

The "Blessing of the Sword Saint" gave Wood the power to cut down things that couldn't otherwise be cut. Could it work against the intangible "Negative Hollow"? Wood was genuinely curious.

"Perona, you have an ability called 'Negative Hollow,' don't you? Try using it on me," Wood said.

Everyone present froze at Wood's words. Even Perona felt waves of unease.

She started to think she had been far too naive. This man wasn't just any weapons dealer; he was the emperor of the underworld, the world's largest arms dealer.

Of course, he wanted to get her guard down, and then, after making her embarrass herself by using her power on him, he'd lash out in anger and finish her off!

"What? Does your ability need some kind of condition to activate?" Wood asked when he saw Perona hesitating. As far as he remembered, Perona's Negative Hollow could be used freely.

"Yeah, didn't you hear the Captain? Go on, use your power on him!" Robin chimed in.

Robin knew that Wood was deliberately trying to experience the effects of Perona's Negative Hollow. She eagerly pushed Perona to comply—if only to see Wood turn into a sobbing, pathetic mess, lamenting his very existence. She wanted to share in the experience of someone else turning into a slacker, after all.

"Are you sure? You want me to use my ability on you, and you promise you won't kill me afterward?" Perona stammered nervously. She didn't really have the option to refuse, though.

"If I wanted to kill you, I could do it anytime," Wood replied calmly. "Honestly, even if Gecko Moria hadn't fallen, I wouldn't think much of him. The fact that he's lost his status as a Warlord makes no difference to me.

"I just want you to use your ability so I can verify something about my new powers. After that, whether you want to stay here or leave the Dark Abyss Island is entirely up to you.

"I'm part of the underworld, sure, but I'm still a businessman. Keeping my promises is just the bare minimum of professionalism."

Trying to talk about credibility with an arms dealer wasn't something Perona could bring herself to trust. But given her circumstances, she had no choice. Reluctantly, she unleashed her Negative Hollow on Wood.

A ghost with eyes and a mouth, looking like a long, white mochi, floated out of Perona and circled around her. Upon seeing it, Robin quietly took a small step back.

Robin had developed a bit of a trauma regarding the Negative Hollow. This Devil Fruit ability was almost invincible, especially against those who were proud or confident. The stronger your ego, the more devastating the effect.

Not wanting to embarrass themselves, both Robin and Ruth kept a safe distance from Wood. They also kept their eyes glued to him, eager to see what kind of absurd phrases Wood would spout in his negativity-driven state.

But soon enough, both Ruth and Robin were left disappointed. Perona's seemingly unbeatable Negative Hollow had an unexpected reaction.

At first, the ghost with the eyes and mouth floated right towards Wood, making faces as it approached, preparing to pass through his body and turn him into a listless slacker.

But as Wood drew his cursed blade, Tenku, the Negative Hollow seemed to sense a dangerous presence. It abruptly stopped in front of him, turned around, and darted back behind Perona, using her as cover.

"Interesting," Wood said with a slight grin. "I hadn't expected these things to be more than just a product of your ability. They seem to have some intelligence—similar to Big Mom's Homies.

"Judging from its reaction, it seems my guess was correct. The 'Blessing of the Sword Saint' really can harm intangible beings like this.

"And if I can harm something as ethereal as a spirit, I doubt Logia and Mythical Zoan users would be much of a challenge."

Perona was shocked. Since she'd eaten the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, she'd never seen one of her Negative Hollows act scared.

Even the long-nosed man who had turned out to be her natural enemy hadn't made her ghosts react that way—he had merely been immune to her ability because he was already negative. But seeing her ghost avoid someone outright was a first.

Robin and Ruth were disappointed at not seeing Wood humiliated or getting any juicy blackmail material from him.

However, unlike Perona, they weren't exactly surprised. They knew their captain too well. Wood rarely did anything without being reasonably certain of the outcome.

Besides, every time Wood went into his so-called "seclusion training" in the captain's quarters, he came out stronger and armed with some new and bizarre ability.

Even Robin, who was closest to Wood, had no idea of his true strength or just how many abilities he possessed...

Meanwhile, over at the Sabaody Archipelago...

As the gateway to the New World and the final stop before Fish-Man Island, the Sabaody Archipelago was where pirates from all four seas would eventually converge.

As a result, Sabaody was undoubtedly the place in the first half of the Grand Line with the highest concentration of pirates.

The entire archipelago was composed of the roots of seventy-nine Yarukiman Mangroves, divided into six main areas.

With the New World as its next stop, and a large number of pirates gathering there, the Navy had stationed their headquarters on the nearby Red Line. Zones 60 to 69 of the archipelago housed both a Marine base and the World Government's entrance.

Because Fish-Man Island was directly below the archipelago, it wasn't unusual to see fish-men and merfolk on the islands, which also made it a prime hunting ground for slave traders.

The booming slave trade was also why the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, often visited the archipelago.

In other words, Sabaody Archipelago was perhaps the world's only island that regularly hosted pirates, Marines, civilians, and even Celestial Dragons all at once. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the most bustling island leading into the New World.

After defeating the second Warlord, Gecko Moria, the Straw Hat Pirates also made landfall at the archipelago. Through Franky's connections, they planned to find the Dark King Rayleigh to get their ship coated for the journey ahead.

Yes, it was Franky who introduced them to Rayleigh, not Hatchan as in the original timeline.

Such was the power of fate—even though Wood's actions had changed the events in Water 7, Franky still ended up joining Luffy's crew as their shipwright.

After Tom was rescued, Franky and Iceburg opened a shipbuilding business on the Sabaody Archipelago together.

But as expected, the two didn't get along very well. Due to differing ideologies, they eventually went their separate ways.

With Tom's ordeal behind him and his body now modified, Franky was confident that no one could recognize him anymore. He returned to Water 7 to start anew and prove he was better than Iceburg.

When the Going Merry finally reached Water 7 and broke down, it led to the Straw Hats meeting Franky.

In this timeline, the one who got captured by the Marines wasn't Robin, but Franky, who was recognized once again.

To get a ship built, the Straw Hats saved Franky from the Marines. Through that ordeal, Franky came to appreciate the Straw Hats, helped them build a new ship, and eventually joined their crew.

Since he and Iceburg had once spent time on Sabaody Archipelago, Franky knew the place well.

He guided the crew to Rayleigh for ship-coating while also giving them some important safety advice.

"This place might look small, but don't let that fool you. Sabaody Archipelago is no joke," Franky said, grabbing a cola from the fridge to recharge. "Every year, the top pirates from all four seas gather here. And if you run into the Celestial Dragons, those World Nobles, don't mess with them."

Worried that Luffy and his hot-headed crewmates wouldn't recognize the Celestial Dragons, Franky even described their appearance: they'd be wearing ridiculous protective suits and bubble helmets, supposedly to avoid breathing the same air as commoners.

"Franky, those colas you just grabbed cost a total of thirty million Belli. Are you planning to pay now, or shall I put it on your tab?"

The owner of the bar, Shakky, who looked thirty-something despite possibly being in her sixties, slid over a bill as she spoke.

"No way, that much for a few bottles of cola? That's daylight robbery," Franky complained, staring at the bill as he reluctantly opened up his storage compartment to put the spare colas back.

"Once something leaves my shop, it can't be returned," Shakky said with a sly smile. "I'll send the bill to Iceburg for you. You know what kind of business I'm in, so trust me, this is already the discounted price."

The moment Shakky mentioned sending the bill to Iceburg, Franky stopped hesitating. Not only did he decide to keep the colas, but he also considered taking the whole fridge. After all, if annoying Iceburg had to pay, he might as well make it count.

Franky was, of course, familiar with both Shakky and Rayleigh. Back when he and Iceburg first arrived at Sabaody, they had received quite a bit of help from them.

Rayleigh was the vice-captain of the Pirate King Roger's crew, and Roger's ship had been built by Tom, Franky's mentor. In a way, they were all part of the same extended family.

That was also why Franky knew that the thirty million Belli wasn't for the cola but for Shakky's information. The bar primarily operated as an information hub, charging high prices for intel.

The Straw Hats were considered family by both Shakky and Rayleigh, so there was no charge for sharing information.

But unfortunately for Franky, he had a wealthy senior.

Iceburg had done quite well for himself on Sabaody Archipelago. Thanks to his superb shipbuilding skills, he'd received orders from both the Navy and pirates.

The coating business on Sabaody was Rayleigh's domain, so Iceburg hadn't stepped into that market, knowing it could be a friendly gesture. Otherwise, Rayleigh would have to sell himself multiple times a day just to make ends meet.

With ships constantly needing repair before setting off for Fish-Man Island, Iceburg's shipbuilding company had thrived on Sabaody, making him quite a notable figure. He was now wealthy enough to travel with a beautiful secretary by his side, enjoying the high life.

Thirty million Belli? Shakky wasn't worried Iceburg would refuse to pay. Once the payment was secured, Shakky also provided Luffy and his crew with the latest intel about Sabaody Archipelago, filling in anything Franky had left out.

First and foremost, there were now eleven rookie pirates, each with a bounty of over one hundred million Belli, gathered on the island—including Luffy and Zoro. These rookies, hailing from all four seas, had converged here, earning the title of "Supernovas."

The term "Supernova" referred to those who, despite becoming pirates only recently, had already caused major incidents, drawing significant attention from the Navy and racking up massive bounties.

At present, eleven such figures had gathered at Sabaody Archipelago. Even after defeating two Warlords, Luffy, ranked by bounty amount, still only came in second.