Just as Rosinante was lost in thought, several massive bubble cars rolled up in front of him and his group.
These vehicles were quite unique—similar in some ways to Sabaody's famous bubbles, yet with distinct differences. Their shape resembled the cars Rosinante had seen in his previous life, but the chassis was embedded inside an enormous soap bubble.
At that moment, three people stepped down from the cars.
"Seventh Seat of the Bloodsworn Guard, Raijin Kisu, reporting to Your Majesty!" The leader of the trio struck his chest with a clenched fist in salute.
The Bloodsworn Guard's salute involved clenching a fist and striking it against the chest, signifying loyalty unto death. In truth, the gesture was copied from the anime Attack on Titan.
Of course, it wasn't an exact copy. In Attack on Titan, the salute required a straight posture, one hand behind the back, and the other over the heart. The Bloodsworn Guard instead struck their chest with a fist while bowing slightly—somewhat reminiscent of a Western butler's bow.
Like Ryan, all three men wore tailcoat suits. Perhaps because Rosinante preferred this butler-like attire, almost all Bloodsworn Guards dressed in such fashion now.
"It's you, Kisu," Rosinante said, looking at the newcomer.
Rosinante knew all the members of the Blood Oath Guard personally. Back on Skypiea, he often instructed them in training, gave them combat advice, and even trained alongside them. Naturally, he was very familiar with each one.
Kisu—full name Raijin Kisu—was the Seventh Seat of the Blood Oath Guard.
Ever since the seat system had been implemented, the major divisions held combat trials to select officers, appointing dozens—sometimes hundreds—of seated positions to ensure smooth battlefield command.
The Bloodsworn Guard, however, was different. They had only seven seats, from the Third Seat to the Ninth.
Their numbers had grown to over three hundred now, with a wide range of talent and more than a thousand reserve members—the very elite of the Gray Kingdom.
Among them were over a hundred battle-hardened warriors, each with strength on par with a bounty of at least one hundred million berries.
For Raijin Kisu to stand out among such elite and claim the Seventh Seat meant his strength was easily at the level of a Marine Rear Admiral.
"Your Majesty, I've prepared your residence. Please, follow me," Kisu said respectfully, giving Ryan a small nod before turning to Rosinante.
"Alright, since we're here, let's take a good look around Sabaody. Truly a magnificent sight," Rosinante said, gazing at the bubbles floating through the sky.
"Rosinante-nii, these bubbles are so beautiful!" Robin exclaimed with delight as she looked around.
"They seem surprisingly sturdy—they won't pop!" Raqi said curiously, poking at one.
"Yes, it really won't pop. How amazing," Shaxia added.
"These bubbles are formed from the resin of the Yarukiman Mangrove. As long as you're on Sabaody, they won't burst. Pirates heading for the New World coat their ships with this resin to travel undersea to Fish-Man Island before entering the New World," Kisu expRyand.
"Wow, so there really are fish-men! Kisu-nii, is there truly a Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters below the sea? Can humans live there?" Robin asked in wonder.
"Of course. The Yarukiman Mangrove also grows at those depths. Fish-Man Island rests inside an enormous bubble, and humans can live there just fine," Raijin Kisu replied.
"Wow, what's this?" Robin asked curiously, pointing to the vehicles they had brought.
"These are Sabaody's famous bubble cars. We've modified them a bit. The locals usually pedal them like bicycles, but we've installed wind dials—think of them as land versions of the Waver," Kisu said with a smile.
"Not bad—you guys are full of ideas," Rosinante said, his eyes lighting up. It was just like a modern car.
Rosinante stepped onto the bubble platform and entered the car. Robin and the other two followed, while Raine and the rest took the other bubble cars.
The vehicles started up, swiftly carrying them deeper into Sabaody Archipelago.
"So fast!" Robin said excitedly as she watched the scenery flash by outside the window.
"Your Majesty, Sabaody Archipelago consists of seventy-nine massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove. Each root forms a district. Districts 1 to 29 are lawless zones; 30 to 39 are mainly home to Bubble Park and similar attractions; 40 to 49 are sightseeing and specialty shopping districts; 50 to 59 are shipyards; 60 to 69 are Navy bases and government facilities; and 70 to 79 are hotel streets. We've arranged your lodging in District 38—close to both Bubble Park and the tourist shopping areas," Kisu expRyand from the passenger seat.
"Not bad. I'm satisfied. You're getting more reliable, Kisu," Rosinante praised.
"Y-Your Majesty flatters me," Raijin Kisu said, a little embarrassed.
"By the way, I heard you didn't find Shakky's Rip-off Bar?" Rosinante asked.
"That's correct, Your Majesty. As per your orders, after arranging your lodging, we searched the archipelago for it. Given the name, it should be well-known and easy to find, but we asked many people and no one had heard of it," Kisu said with a bow.
"Then… you didn't search the lawless zone, did you?" Rosinante suddenly asked.
"The… lawless zone?" Kisu froze for a moment.
"I knew it—you didn't check the lawless zone," Rosinante said with a smile.
When Kisu had been told to find a bar on Sabaody, he and his men had scoured the entire archipelago.
They had been thorough in the tourist areas—Districts 30 to 39 with Bubble Park, Districts 40 to 49 with sightseeing and shopping, and Districts 70 to 79 with hotels.
They had even sent men covertly into the Navy and government sectors of Districts 60 to 69. Still, they had found no bar named Rip-off Bar.
They assumed that since it was a bar—especially one with such an audacious name—it would naturally be located in a bustling, tourist-heavy area.
Thus, they had focused their search on Districts 40 to 49 and 70 to 79.
As for Districts 1 to 29, the lawless zone, they had only briefly checked a few busy spots. In their minds, no bar—let alone one with such a brazen name—could possibly survive there without being destroyed by pirates or thugs.
So they hadn't seriously searched that area. After all, Sabaody was huge, they had limited manpower, and their time was short, so they'd concentrated on the most crowded districts.