One Piece: Shadow monarch? I'm Just Logistics!

Chapter 223: Reiner: It's My Turn to Awaken Haki!

The next morning.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the streets were sparsely populated, seeming somewhat deserted.

"Come again soon, we'd love to have you two."

At the shop's entrance, the madam waved goodbye with great enthusiasm.

"Ugh..."

"So tired~~."

An old man and a young man both had dark circles under their eyes.

"The massage technique was really something else."

Rayleigh straightened his back, stretched his arms out long, and the air he exhaled instantly condensed into frosty mist. "—Phew. Are you leaving today?"

"Yeah. I'll leave after I buy an Eternal Pose for Weatheria."

Reiner took a deep breath, rubbed his face, and exhaled long. "I still have to buy some food for the road. I'll leave Luffy in your care."

"You can rest assured with me."

Rayleigh patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "If he doesn't learn Conqueror's Coating, I won't let him leave the mountain. For these two years, you should practice well what big brother taught you last night."

Reiner: "..."

The persona has been led a bit astray. It's probably not my fault. Oh well.

"I still have to make a trip to the marine supply store. I'm off."

Reiner put on his cloak, waved his hand, and left directly. "See you again in two years if fate allows."

Rayleigh smiled faintly. "In such a hurry to see your little girlfriend? Still too young."

Go back and wait to get skinned alive. Reiner rolled his eyes at him internally.

The air was a bit cold. He was the only one on the entire street, making it seem extremely desolate.

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 60. This was the base established by the Marines. Several warships slowly docked by the shore.

The gangplank was lowered, and soldiers disembarked in an orderly fashion.

Before the war, the families from headquarters were all arranged to take refuge here.

Now that everything was over, Marineford was shattered and faced reconstruction.

There was no way to take people back in a short time, so they could only arrange for some soldiers to come over. They were basically all soldiers whose families had been placed here for refuge.

A soldier with long, curly blond hair and a tall, straight figure stepped onto the lawn.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air.

The fragrance of grass and soil, mixed with the faint salty taste of the sea breeze.

"How refreshing! It's just a bit cold."

The curly-haired blond man's face was joyful. He blew a puff of hot air into his palms and rubbed them together quickly, then smiled at the figure beside him. "I didn't expect to really come back, big brother."

The man he called big brother was a man with short, cropped hair. A bandage was stuck on the bridge of his nose, and his unsmiling face looked somewhat melancholic.

The two young men were tall and well-built, with bandages wrapped around various parts of their bodies. From their clean white color, it was not difficult to see that the injuries were recent.

"This is a bit of an abuse of power," the slightly older, melancholic man said, ignoring the other and walking straight towards the inner part of the Sabaody Archipelago.

"What abuse of power? Our family was originally stationed on the island. I also greeted the higher-ups, and they agreed to transfer us back."

The blond man muttered, unconcerned.

"Although our home was originally on the island, it's all the same. You have to know how to be flexible, big brother. Flexible."

He quickened his pace to catch up and slapped his brother on the back with a smile. "Mom will be overjoyed when she sees us later."

Slap!

"—Hiss! You hit my wound!" The melancholic man gritted his teeth in pain.

You bastard!

What an annoying little brother.

His marksmanship is better than mine.

His promotion speed is also faster than mine.

He does everything better than me.

Every time people talk about us, it's always the younger brother who gets praised, and he's the one who gets looked down upon.

The man sighed. How frustrating.

"Ah, sorry."

The younger brother gave a sheepish smile. "Speaking of which, yesterday was really dangerous. We almost died on the battlefield."

"Mm."

"Don't look so grim, big brother. We managed to come back alive. You should be happy."

"Mm."

"You're being too cold! I saved your life, you know!"

"Mm."

The two left the main unit and walked into the island amidst their bickering.

At this time, the streets were gradually getting more crowded. Breakfast shops had all put out their tables.

People who were up early looking for food, or diners who had been up all night, were whispering to each other with smiles, all discussing yesterday's great war.

"To actually become the topic of idle gossip after tea. That cruel war..."

Looking at the nonchalant expressions of the people around him, the short-haired, melancholic man's expression was complicated.

He looked at the flintlock in his hand, which was covered in scratches and rust spots. Because the strap had broken during the battle and he hadn't had time to replace it, he could only carry it in his hand.

Yesterday's experiences, one terrifying scene after another, flashed through his mind.

He and his brother had both been conscripted by headquarters to participate in the war at Marineford.

At the very beginning, he still held a glimmer of illusion that he might defeat some famous pirate and achieve meritorious service.

Even if he was lucky, what if he cut down one of Whitebeard's commanders...

Everyone had fantasized like this, at the beginning.

Until the war broke out...

Whitebeard waved his hand and with a tremor, a tsunami that could engulf the entire island descended, blotting out the sun!

At that moment.

His legs were trembling. Fear spread and occupied his mind, and his entire body was fixed in place, unable to move.

In just an instant.

The world in everyone's eyes became different.

The charge of tens of thousands of pirates made even the earth tremble.

His gun barrel shook nonstop. He couldn't tell if it was because of the earth's tremor or if his hands were trembling in fear.

His mind went blank. Before he could calm down and think, he had jumped into the battlefield under the command of his superior officer.

As far as the eye could see, there was fighting between his comrades and the pirates.

He also began to fight bravely, continuously raising his gun and firing.

He raised the barrel of his gun to block swords and used the butt of his gun to smash the heads of his enemies.

He kept repeating the same actions, fighting numbly.

He didn't know how much time had passed. The roars in his ears had all disappeared. Even the fatigue of his body had been blocked out by his brain.

His consciousness was completely submerged, constantly fighting, fighting.

Even thinking back now, he had no memory of the scene at that time...

Until the Straw Hat crew descended from the sky, and the tide of battle was suddenly reversed.

It was also at this time.

He had come back to his senses, only to find that he was unknowingly already at the center of the battlefield...

Looking around, the field was littered with corpses. Blood had dyed the earth red, and the sky was filled with the smoke of burning embers.

The heart-wrenching wails were incessant.

The smell of blood from severed limbs, mixed with the smoke of cannon fire, rushed into his nostrils.

He felt as if he were in a human hell!

And this was just the beginning of the nightmare.

"Hey! What are you spacing out for, big brother!"

Slap!

The blond man patted his brother's shoulder and gestured to a fruit and vegetable shop that had just opened and set up its stall at the end of the street. He grinned.

"We're home! Hehe, there are customers so early in the morning."

A figure wearing a brown cloak stood in front of the fruit and vegetable stall. Opposite was a middle-aged woman, smiling as she introduced the seasonal vegetables.

"Looks like the family business is doing alright. Watch me go give Mom a surprise!" With that, the younger brother ran forward excitedly.

"Boring," the older brother said, expressionless, but his steps couldn't help but quicken a little.

"Just these will be fine."

Reiner selected some fruits, placed them in a plastic basket, and handed it over. "Help me weigh them. You're open quite early."

"Sigh, it's all because of yesterday's war."

Speaking of this, the woman sighed, took the basket, and placed the different fruits on the scale one after another, while complaining to him like she was grumbling.

"My two sons are both in the Marines. They were conscripted to headquarters to participate in the war. Although they won the war, I don't know how they are."

"I hope they are both safe."

"I tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep, so I just got up to busy myself with the business. You're up quite early too..."

The woman rambled on and on.

Reiner's ears were about to grow calluses. He raised his hand and cleaned his ear with his pinky.

"Alright, that will be one thousand two hundred Berries in total."

Before long, the woman had packed all the fruits and handed them over. Her face showed some embarrassment as she said with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, sorry, I seem to have talked too much. When people get to this age, they tend to be more chatty. Sorry for making you wait."

"Well, it's fine."

Reiner replied nonchalantly, took out his wallet, opened it, and pulled out two one-thousand-Berri notes and handed them over.

"I believe they will both be safe."

Although he said that, as someone who had participated in the war, Reiner knew what a desperate scene that war was for ordinary people.

Her sons might have died at his hands. Perhaps they were crushed by the beast army, or perhaps one of the undead casually launched a move, and an aftershock blasted them to pieces.

Who knows? Probably no one's gaze would have lingered on them.

"I'll take your good words. Wait a moment, I'll get you your change."

The woman took the two Berri notes with a chuckle, holding them crumped in her hand as she began to rummage through the pocket of her apron for change.

And at this moment.

A figure in a Marine uniform suddenly pounced over.

"Hey, Mom!!"

"Waaah!!"

This commotion startled the woman so much she jumped up, and the two Berri notes in her hand flew out!

Looking closely, she recognized the familiar face of the newcomer. She was stunned for two seconds, then jumped up excitedly!

"You scared me to death, you bastard son!"

The woman hugged the newcomer tightly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Why are you back! Where's your brother? How is he!"

"Wait, ow, ow, ow! You're hitting my wound, Mom! He's fine! Big brother is back too!" The blond Marine sucked in a sharp breath in pain.

Reiner was speechless. Are you going to do business or not?

Forget it, they're having a touching moment. I shouldn't spoil the mood.

"Um, you can keep the change. Consider it a celebration of your sons' safe return." With that, Reiner turned to leave.

But just then, a Marine with an unsmiling face walked up and bent down to pick up the two Berri notes.

"That won't do. With pirates so rampant these days, life isn't easy for everyone. As a Marine, I can't take advantage of civilians."

The melancholic man reached out to stop him, handed over one Berri note, and said with a blank expression, "I'll round it down for you. A thousand Berries will be fine. This one, you..."

"Just..."

He was halfway through his sentence when his pupils constricted, and his whole body froze, unable to move.

"B-Black Snake..."

Looking at the face under the cloak and glasses, the Marine's calm face turned to one of extreme terror. At this moment, his heart had turned to ice.

Why is he here!

Why is he right at my doorstep!

The hand he held out began to tremble, and that one-thousand-Berri note slipped from his hand, fluttering away with a cold breeze.

Black Snake Reiner!

He was all too familiar with this face!

The older soldier's memory was instantly triggered!

It was when the Birdcage had just fallen. The Straw Hat crew had rescued Ace from the execution platform and were about to rush out of the plaza.

Under the repeated orders of his superior officer to pursue, he had charged towards the Straw Hat crew, becoming one of the thousands of soldiers in the siege.

Dozens of comrades were sent flying before his very eyes, just because the Okama King had blinked an eye.

Dozens more comrades were repelled, this time by a single punch from Knight of the Sea Jinbe.

One of the soldiers was sent flying over, crashing heavily into him and knocking him to the ground.

He felt a spasm in his abdomen and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Lying on the ground, looking at the dark sky, countless bolts of lightning rained down densely.

Volcanoes erupted, and molten rock that could destroy a warship flew everywhere.

Golden light bullets comparable to cannonballs... Admiral Kizaru had fired hundreds, even thousands, of them with a wave of his hand.

Rumble!

He found the earth shaking, and a canyon-like abyss cracked open. A large number of Marines screamed in terror as they fell into it.

Sword energy flew everywhere, and laser beams bombarded randomly.

At that moment, he despaired.

He realized that whether he could survive this battle had nothing to do with how hard he tried or how desperately he fought.

On this battlefield, he didn't even have the strength to resist the aftershock of a single move from any of the powerhouses.

Perhaps in the next second, he would be blasted to bits by an inexplicable explosion, or split in two by a sudden slash.

If his luck was bad, maybe the whole island would be overturned by Whitebeard later, and everyone would be buried at the bottom of the sea.

He had thought so at the time.

He coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, pushed himself up from the ground with difficulty. In front of him was the Straw Hat crew, who could take on ten thousand. Behind him were the supervising officers.

He did not hesitate and prepared to charge forward.

But he found that he couldn't move. A bone-chilling cold came from under his feet.

Looking down, he found that his legs had been frozen on the spot at some point. It was Admiral Aokiji chasing the Straw Hat crew.

Wherever he passed, everything turned into a world of ice and snow. He was just standing far away and was affected.

The Birdcage was shrinking, cutting through everything in its path, approaching his position bit by bit.

He desperately rubbed the ice on his legs with his hands, trying to melt it quickly so he could escape.

"Damn it! Melt faster, damn it!"

The movement of his hands became faster and faster, and his palms were cut by the ice shards, seeping blood!

But it still wasn't enough. The Birdcage was less than a meter away from him!

"Big brother!!"

His younger brother ran over desperately, kneeling at his feet to help rub the ice with his palms.

Still not enough. The Birdcage was less than thirty centimeters away from him!

"Why! Why is it useless!!"

Facing the impending fate of being sliced into pieces, he roared loudly. Fear completely occupied his heart, and he couldn't help but squeeze out tears from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, big brother! It's better than dying!!"

His younger brother held his gun in a reverse grip and cried out, preparing to smash his legs directly.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, already prepared to accept a life of despair with a paralyzed lower body, in case he didn't die on the battlefield.

Just then.

The Birdcage stopped, turning into thin threads and scattering in the air.

Everyone looked towards the execution platform.

He and his brother also looked over.

It was Black Snake Reiner.

His golden hair danced in the wind, his cold face adorned with glasses that reflected a chilling light.

An undead stood by his side, holding Doflamingo's head in its hand...

"I-I'm saved."

He was still in shock, panting heavily.

Never before had he felt so blessed by the goddess of luck.

The scene from his memory flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

He came back to his senses and looked at the man in the cloak before him. That face was once again reflected in his eyes.

"Hey, big brother, what's wrong with you?"

Noticing his brother's abnormality, the blond Marine couldn't help but walk over.

However, he had just taken a step when he glanced at Reiner and was instantly stunned!

This face... he and his brother were all too familiar with it!

The two brothers came to their senses and simultaneously raised their guns to aim at the man before them.

Their eyes were full of apprehension. They held their breath, as if they could hear their own heartbeats.

Just then, they finally heard the other speak.

"Aren't you guys on leave today to visit family?"

"If you're on leave, you could actually pretend you didn't see me. Even an Admiral can slack off. There's no need for you to try so hard."

Reiner's expression was calm as he glanced at the somewhat bewildered middle-aged woman.

Don't. The mother-and-son reunion was so touching just now. Wouldn't it make me seem a bit inhuman to make a move?

"Don't let your hands shake, little brother. If the gun accidentally goes off, you might die here."

A corner of Reiner's mouth lifted. He picked up the fruits and strolled forward. Before the terrified eyes of the older Marine, he plucked the one-thousand-Berri note from his hand.

"Since you rounded it down, you can find the one that flew away yourself. I'll take this one back. Thanks."

He pinched the money between two fingers, straightened it, and put it back in his wallet before leaving directly.

"Just pretend we didn't see him..."

"Are you kidding me..."

The two brothers stood there stunned, murmuring. They turned their heads and looked at each other for a second, a resolute look flashing in both their eyes!

"Are you kidding me!!"

"We're Marines!!"

The two suddenly erupted, simultaneously turning and aiming their guns at Reiner, pulling the triggers!

"How could we pretend we didn't see!!"

"Mom, get away quickly!!"

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out! Two bullets shot out, whistling through the air!

Reiner didn't turn back, didn't dodge, and didn't stop walking, nor did he summon an undead.

In that instant, all the surrounding sounds became quiet.

He heard strong inner voices.

He heard the two Marines shouting at him that the bullets would miss, that they were aimed at his ears.

As if it were a reminder, and also a request for him to just leave directly.

Firing was their duty.

Missing was their repayment.

Repayment for unintentionally saving them during the war?

Or repayment for the mercy of not killing them just now?

Who knew?

Perhaps these two shots would anger Reiner and get them both killed. They hadn't considered this problem.

Clang!

Clang!

The bullets whizzed past his ears without incident. He didn't pause for a moment, until he disappeared around the street corner.

"My Armament Haki didn't awaken, but my Observation Haki awakened first instead. Hmmm, could it be related to my personality?"

Reiner murmured to himself. After thinking for a moment and not figuring it out, a corner of his mouth lifted.

Who cares? As long as it's useful.

Until Reiner left, the two brothers finally let out a sigh of relief, their hearts still pounding.

It was as if all their strength had been drained in an instant. They slumped to the ground.

"—Phew. I'll go find that Berri note."

The older brother patted his bottom and stood up, looked around, and then cluelessly walked off in a random direction.

"The wind is blowing that way, that way."

The younger brother pointed in a direction and shouted with disgust, then lowered his head and sighed helplessly. "Honestly, you need to be a little smarter, big brother."

"Shut up!" the older brother shouted back angrily and ran back.

As expected, I hate my little brother the most.

(End of chapter)

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