One Piece: Control Fruit

After a brief rest, Lorno once again set off on the journey to Enies Lobby.

The route first took him to Water 7, and from there, he would ride the Sea Train.

In Water 7, Lorno met several senior agents:

Rob Lucci, Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa.

The four of them were quite interested in Lorno. Not only was he one of only two people ever to join CP9 directly (the other being Lucci), but he was also the only one personally recruited by a top figure from CP0.

Lorno wanted to build a good relationship with Lucci and the others, but the Sea Train was about to depart.

To conceal his identity, Lorno was introduced as Lucci's cousin. Lucci even gave him some of Water 7's local specialty—Aqua Meat—to help dispel any suspicion from Iceberg, the mayor of Water 7. At this point, the CP9 members weren't yet the skilled shipwrights close to Iceburg that they would later become—they were still just rookies.

Lorno waved goodbye and boarded the Sea Train. It was packed with passengers, many of whom were first-timers, chatting excitedly in small groups.

Lorno sat shirtless, with 7 or 8 pieces of Aqua Meat slung over his shoulder, and was just about to stuff another piece into his mouth.

"Hey there, young man—what's your name?"

A shifty-looking guy with a little mustache sat down next to Lorno and struck up a conversation like an old friend.

"Lorno," he replied, pausing his eating.

"Brother Lorno, how about buying a plant? This tree I've got has quite the backstory!"

"Oh."

Lorno acknowledged him, then continued munching on his meat.

"Er—aren't you even a little curious?"

The mustached man was baffled. This guy's not playing by the usual rules.

But as a seasoned merchant, if there's no opportunity, you make one.

Lorno glanced at him, then set aside his half-eaten meat and wiped his mouth. "Alright, let's hear it. What's so special about this tree?"

Honestly, Lorno was bored out of his mind. People avoided talking to him as soon as they saw his towering height.

Ahem—"I'll tell you, this tree is amazing. I brought it back from an active volcano! Its leaves are red, and it…"

He went on and on, and Lorno started getting interested. "Bring it out and let me see."

Then he changed his mind, put down his meat, and said, "Forget it. I'll come with you. If I like it, I'll buy it."

Lorno wasn't short on money. Despite being shirtless, his bright red pants were the latest style from the famous "Criminal" brand—hugely popular among both humans and fishermen—and cost him over 100,000 Berries. His cloth shoes were also a "Criminal" brand, worth over 10,000 Berries. No wonder the mustached man approached him—money talks.

They arrived at the cargo car, where a young man smoking a cigarette was leaning against a flower pot. When he saw Lorno, he asked the mustache guy, "Found a buyer?"

"Pretty much. Brother Lorno said he wants to take a look first."

"Of course," the young man said, stepping aside to reveal a small tree with red leaves—about two meters tall. It had no flowers or fruit, a dull yellow hue to its bark, but with a faint metallic sheen.

Lorno flicked the trunk, and it made a duang duang metallic sound.

"Huh, that's pretty rare. How much are you asking?"

Lorno was intrigued by the odd-looking tree. Would look badass in the yard.

"20 million Berries," the mustache man said with a straight face.

"Oh."

Lorno turned around and started walking away.

The mustached man nearly coughed up blood. Bro, at least haggle or something—don't just walk off without saying a word! That's how you lose friends!

"Hey hey hey, don't go! We can talk about this!"

He quickly grabbed Lorno's arm.

"I may have money, but I'm not a sucker—right?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Having encountered a wild card like Lorno, who didn't follow any script, the mustache man was completely deflated.

"15 million—no lower. We were originally going to auction it at Sabaody Archipelago. It would've gone for at least 20 million. This might be the only one of its kind in the world,"

the mustache man said with a straight face.

"You do know that's an auction price. 12 million—take it or leave it."

Lorno pulled out a gold coin and flipped it in his hand.

"Deal!" the man replied instantly.

"..."

Lorno was speechless but went ahead with the purchase. He pulled out a gold card issued by the World Bank to show he wasn't writing any bad checks.

The mustached man, reassured, handed over a signed receipt and signaled to his partner to leave.

This was an unspoken rule: a gold card from the World Bank required a balance of at least 30 million Berries. If the card's funds ever dropped below 10 million, it would be downgraded to a silver card—effectively eliminating the risk of overdrafting.

Lorno ran his hand along the odd tree's trunk, then extended his bone claws and slowly increased pressure. It wasn't until he used about 90% of his strength that he managed to cut a small gash in the trunk.

"Hmm, this could make a decent target."

He retracted his claws and rubbed his chin.

Bending down, he picked up the flower pot with both hands and carried it back to his seat—completely ignoring the fact that the pot now blocked half the aisle. Then he resumed eating his Aqua Meat.

For once, the system didn't assign him any new missions—it was as if he was given a day off.

No one else approached him afterward. Lorno noticed that the mustached man and his partner had gotten off at the next stop, Water 7—probably to exchange their Berries.

Suddenly, Lorno smacked his forehead. From his luggage under the seat, he pulled out a bottle of high-end vodka, twisted the cap off, and took a swig.

"That's what was missing—alcohol!"

With the rhythmic clatter of the Sea Train in the background, Lorno tore into his meat and guzzled down his drink.

As night fell, the train gradually emptied until only Lorno remained.

Next stop: Enies Lobby.

He felt lightheaded, his upper body flushed red. Paired with his red pants and fiery red hair, he stood out like a beacon in the carriage.

"Huh? Who's this?"

A little girl with twin tails, about five or six years old, ran up and pinched his cheek and arms. It was Chimney.

"Chimney, stop fooling around,"

said Cocoro, more drunk than Lorno, as she and Chimney continued their routine cleaning of the train.

"Ungh…"

Lorno stirred at the sound, stretched, and groggily said, "Granny, could you ask the conductor when we'll arrive at Enies Lobby?"

"I am the conductor."

Cocoro took another swig of booze, burping mid-sentence.

"Oh! Is that so..."

Half the alcohol in Lorno's body seemed to evaporate instantly. "Wait, WHAT?! You're more drunk than I am! And you're the conductor?! Then who the hell is driving this train?!"

He threw up his hands in disbelief, tongue nearly falling out of his mouth.

"No one." Hic

Cocoro said it as calmly as if it were nothing.

Lorno couldn't remember the One Piece plot anymore—something about the protagonist named Luffy, a brother who was the Pirate King's son… What was his name again? And a dad who was some super OP guy, head of the Revolutionary Army, could command thousands just via Den Den Mushi...

Side characters like Cocoro were long forgotten.

Meanwhile, Chimney continued cheerfully running around, not the least bit concerned.

"NANI!?"

Lorno stuck his head out the window—sure enough, the lights in the engine room were off.

"Am I gonna die in a place like this?"

He slumped back in his seat, face full of despair.

"Kid, I've been driving this train for nearly ten years. Veteran driver—rock solid."

Cocoro gave him a big thumbs-up and a dazzling, boozy smile.