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While the port wasn’t in very good shape, neither was the town, itself. Homes and businesses were run-down in equal measure. Fades signs hung from shops and shutters hung on their hinges or not at all. The few people Luna saw out and about walked with slumped shoulders and spoke in hushed tones, as if they were worried they might be caught saying something they shouldn’t. What struck Luna the most, however, was that the town still bore signs of the vibrance it once had. Cracked planters were overgrown with weeds, but also vibrant flowers that were native to the island, left to grow as wild as the weeds they shared space with. Faded murals adorned the sides of abandoned buildings, some depicting the island from its heyday, when vineyards were numerous and the people were happy. The reminders that things used to be good soured Luna’s mood, but she did her best to keep a lid on her temper.

She and Rufus soon found the bar. Similar to the rest of the town, the bar was run-down and virtually empty, the only occupants being the bartender and a couple of patrons who couldn’t wait until later to start drinking. Luna couldn’t blame them, given what she already knew about the island and the people who now ran it. She and Rufus sat at the bar and the bartender approached them. As they took their seat, Luna felt Rufus nudge her with his elbow and followed his gaze to a poster on the wall. Her eyes met her own as she saw her own wanted poster: “‘Waning Moon’ Luna Nox. Wanted: Dead or Alive.”

[color=lightblue]“Only sixty million?” she muttered when she saw the number at the bottom of her poster. “That’s kinda disappointing.”[/color]

“The point is, they know you’re alive,” Rufus replied in a hushed tone, “so we need to be careful.” A moment later, a thought occurred to him. “Actually…" he muttered thoughtfully. "We play our cards right, we might be able to use that.”

Luna was about to ask how when the bartender approached. He gave Luna a cursory glance, as if curious why she was wearing a cloak, but then seemed to decide asking about it wasn’t worth the trouble. “What’ll it be?”

“A beer for my companion and some water for me,” Rufus replied. As the bartender got to work fulfilling the order, Rufus then said, “My crew and I just pulled into port a little while ago. We heard a lot about this island and the wine you guys made on our voyage, so we were hoping to buy some casks to take home with us, but it looks like you’ve hit some hard times.”

The bartender scoffed as he filled the glasses. “Guess I’m not surprised you haven’t heard. After the government turned Eclipsis to glass, it’s been hard for us to reclaim our old glory,” he muttered sullenly. “A few years ago, these pirates showed up and decided to make themselves at home. They booted the governor from his home and put any naysayers to the sword. Their captain, Sam Clay, is a power user, a damn strong one, at that, so there wasn’t much any of us could do.”

He set the filled glasses on the bar and leaned against it. As Luna picked up her beer and brought it to her lips, the bartender said, “The empire never would’ve let this happen to us. If any pirates tried this fifteen years ago, the Legion would’ve had the captain’s head within hours.”

Luna shared a glance with Rufus before the latter turned back to the bartender. He placed some money on the bar, along with a little extra, and said, “Thanks for the info. We’ll let our captain know what’s going on and get out of your hair.”

The bartender looked at the money before sliding it into his hand. “Yeah, sure,” he said. “Just do yourselves a favor and get out of here as soon as you can. If the bastard’s men or his golems catch wind that there’s new prey in the harbor, you might not make it out of here in one piece.”

A little while later, the pair finished their drinks and left the bar. [color=lightblue]”Well, that told us jack-shit,”[/color] Luna said as she stretched her arms over her head. [color=lightblue]”All he did was tell us what we already knew.”[/color]

“You weren’t listening very well, then,” Rufus replied teasingly. “At least we know that the pirate captain has a Devil Fruit power. As for which one, I’m pretty sure I’ve read about it, but I’ll need to head back to the ship to double check.”

[color=lightblue]”You do that,”[/color] Luna said, already several paces away. [color=lightblue]”I’m gonna take a walk around.”[/color]

Rufus opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it with a sigh. He may not have known Luna very long, but he already knew that trying to persuade her to do anything else when she already had her mind set on something was pointless. “Just don’t get into too much trouble!” he called after her, which Luna responded to with a raised hand.