Ferris wheels, roller coasters, pirate ships, drop towers, a towering castle, flamboyantly dressed marching bands, and a continuous stream of laughter and screams...
This was the amusement park of Hannabal.
Just as Sherlock had expected, once the idiot trio of the Straw Hat Pirates found out that this island actually had such recreational facilities, there was no way they could contain themselves. As for Napo, seeing his newly acknowledged idol, the master sniper Usopp, heading to the amusement park, he naturally tagged along eagerly.
In response, Madame Emily could only shake her head helplessly and dispatch her capable assistant, Shuraiya, to protect her precious son and serve as a tour guide for Luffy and the others.
In front of a shooting stall inside the amusement park.
"Here, these are the prizes you won."
The owner of the shooting stall handed over a large bag of snacks with a sullen, pale face, drawing frequent side-glances from the other tourists around them.
"Wow! We won so much!" Seeing the delicious treats, a certain foodie captain immediately grew excited.
"Usopp is amazing!"
"His score is actually higher than mine! As expected of Big Brother Usopp!"
Chopper and Napo both had little stars sparkling in their eyes, their faces filled with admiration.
Ever since they defeated the Ursa Pirates, a certain long-nosed guy had gained another little fanboy right after Chopper, leaving Shuraiya, who was accompanying them on the side, completely speechless.
"Hmph! I might not boast about other things, but when it comes to bragging and shooting, this great master is extremely confident!" A certain long-nosed man grinned, speaking with immense pride.
After the group laughed and joked for a while, they left under the tearful gaze of the stall owner. The latter let out a long sigh and silently began packing up his stall.
After all, all the prizes he had here had been won...
(What a massive loss! Are these two guys monsters?)
Usopp, the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates, went without saying, but even the little boy Napo possessed top-tier shooting talent. With these two around, it was more than enough to make the unlucky stall owner question his life choices.
On the other side, Luffy and the others, who had been playing like crazy all afternoon, were getting a bit tired. They found a bench, and while eating the snacks they had won, they began to chat.
A child's mind is always simple. After playing together for a while, Napo had long dropped his guard against this group of pirates. As for Luffy and the others' previous adventures, this little boy, who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, was incredibly curious and full of yearning.
"Huh? You guys actually went to Skypeia? Isn't that just a legend?" Napo widened his mouth in shock and hurriedly asked, "What exactly does Skypeia look like?"
"Skypeia... the entire island there is made of clouds. It's a vast expanse of white and very beautiful. It feels soft to the touch, just like, just like..." Chopper couldn't think of a suitable adjective for a moment, until he saw the half-eaten cotton candy in his hand, and a flash of inspiration hit him. "Just like cotton candy!"
"Wow... That sounds so interesting."
Stars sparkled in Napo's large, sky-blue eyes. Then, leaning against the back of the bench, he gazed at the drifting white clouds in the sky and said softly, "I really envy you guys, having been to so many fun places."
"What is there to envy?" Luffy swallowed the food in his mouth. "If you want to go on an adventure too, won't it be fine if you just set out to sea on your own when you grow up?"
Doing whatever he wanted—this single-minded idiot had always thought this way, and he indeed acted upon it.
"Set out to sea?!" Hearing this phrase, the little boy's heart instantly raced, but after thinking about it carefully, he became a bit hesitant. "C-Can I?"
"Yeah, of course you can." The dense captain nodded without the slightest hesitation. "This sea is incredibly vast, you know? Wouldn't it be such a waste not to go out and see it?"
Chopper and Usopp nodded deeply in agreement.
At this moment, Luffy himself didn't realize that he had inadvertently planted a seed called "dreams" in a young boy's heart, just like what Shanks had done for him when he was a child.
Napo swallowed hard. He quietly stared at the black-haired boy wearing the straw hat in front of him, then glanced at his idol and the little reindeer, as if seeking confirmation.
The two humans and one reindeer didn't say a word, only offering a big smile in return.
"Alright, I've decided." The little boy smiled, then took a deep breath and said seriously, "When I grow up, I'm also going out to sea to become a pirate!"
"Pfft!"
Shuraiya was so shocked that he spat out all the potato chips in his mouth. After coughing violently for a moment, he said anxiously, "Young Master Napo, you absolutely must not say those words in front of your mother!"
Darting an extremely resentful glance at the Straw Hat trio, Shuraiya sighed. "Otherwise, President Emily will definitely be furious."
Actually, Shuraiya somewhat agreed with a part of Luffy's philosophy, but as a former bounty hunter, it would be a cold day in hell before he agreed with his own young master becoming a pirate in the future!
Napo pouted in dissatisfaction, but just as he was about to argue back, a sudden commotion erupted in the amusement park.
"The betting pools are open! The betting pools are open!"
"Has the Penguin finally opened the book? Let's go, hurry up and place our bets!"
"Man, I really wonder which pirate crew will be this year's winner."
Under the astonished gazes of Luffy and his companions, the vast majority of tourists in the amusement park rushed out in a hurry, and the once bustling amusement park instantly became deserted.
"W-What happened?" The little reindeer's brain still hadn't registered what was going on.
"Strange, why did everyone leave?" Luffy pouted. Loving lively crowds as he did, seeing that the tourists were almost all gone took away his interest in continuing to play.
Usopp rubbed his long nose and asked Shuraiya, "What exactly did they mean by 'the betting pools are open'? Horse racing?"
"Horse racing? No, no, no, it's far more intense than horse racing." Shuraiya pressed down on the fedora on his head and shook his head with a smile. "To think I completely forgot about such a major event. It seems it really has been a bit too long since I last set out to sea."
After being sentimental for a moment, Shuraiya continued, "What they are talking about should be Hannabal's quadrennial Dead End Race!"
"The Dead End Race?!" the trio echoed simultaneously.
The two humans and one reindeer exclaimed in confusion. However, compared to the dense captain whose curiosity had already been piqued, the long-nosed fellow and the little reindeer were thoroughly intimidated by this rather terrifying name.
"Yes, it can be considered a tradition here in Hannabal—a competition exclusive to pirates." Shuraiya nodded and explained patiently. "The event is very simple: it's a race at sea. The organizers will provide each participating pirate crew with an Eternal Pose pointing to the finish line. Whoever reaches the finish line first is the winner. The rules of the competition are even simpler: aside from having to depart from Hannabal at the exact same time, any and all means are permitted."
"The winner will receive an extremely handsome sum of prize money, and the Oswald Family will also provide additional items as prizes. But as for what they specifically are, we probably won't find out until the gathering the day before the race begins."
"Oh? That sounds so fun!" Luffy blinked, his smile incredibly bright.
Without a doubt, this guy had already developed an immense interest in this competition that sounded "so fun."
"Can we still sign up now?"
"Luffy!!!" Usopp wailed in agony, because he knew all too well in his heart that this idiot captain was about to pull off yet another incredibly troublesome stunt.
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