On one of the most bustling commercial streets within the affluent district of Hannabal's Eastern Island.
Accompanied by the shop owner's utterly listless parting words, a beautiful young girl with short orange hair strode out of the entrance, her head held so high and proud that she looked exactly like a general who had just returned in triumphant glory.
"Hmph, that shop owner really got off easy," Nami snorted disdainfully, running a hand through her hair. "If I hadn't made a neat little fortune recently, I could have haggled that price down even lower."
Of course, our greedy navigator remained entirely oblivious to the fact that her haggling method just now had been infinitely close to outright robbery...
"Oh right, Robin, what exactly is that black card in your hand?" Nami turned her head to ask Robin. "Why did those guards just let us straight in the moment you pulled it out? Didn't they say that non-registered pirates aren't allowed to disembark on this side of the island?"
"That is a Penguin membership card," Robin explained with a gentle smile. "To become a member of the Oswald Family, aside from agreeing to their regulations and paying membership dues on time, one must become a major client of theirs."
"Back then, in order to support the Alabasta Rebel Army, Crocodile ordered a massive shipment of munitions from the Oswald Family. However, because his status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was quite sensitive at the time, the order was placed under my name, so that membership card has remained with me ever since."
Saying this, Robin extracted a black card from her pocket. It was stamped with a penguin insignia—identical to the flag of the registered trading company—alongside a crescent moon pattern.
"This particular type of membership from the Penguins is known as a 'Crescent Moon Membership,' and it represents a privileged class among members."
"Wow, that sounds incredibly impressive," Nami nodded, profoundly awed despite not entirely understanding. "Let's not worry about that for now. It looks like there are still several shops over there, let's go check them out together."
Robin readily agreed.
On the other side, the curly-browed cook—clutching large bags and small cases in his hands—stood rooted to the spot. Looking at the thoroughly love-struck expression on his face, heaven only knew what sort of strange and bizarre scenarios this fellow was daydreaming about in his mind.
Ever since they separated from Luffy and the others who had headed off to the amusement park, Sanji had been acting exceedingly strange. This was because the guy had joyfully discovered that the wish he had always anticipated had finally come true!
(Oh, hehehehe... Am I dreaming? A sweet date with just Nami-san and Robin-chan!) Sanji wore a thoroughly lecherous look.
Although a very large part of the reason Nami had asked Sanji along was to have him help carry her bags, this love-struck cook didn't care in the slightest. To him, being able to go shopping with two great beauties was already a matter of supreme happiness.
(A world of just the three of us is the absolute best! But then again, is it a little bad for me to be 'embracing both left and right' like this?)
"Meow~~~" A familiar cat cry dragged Sanji back from his delusions.
"Alright, it should be three people and one cat. Speaking of which, Bestia, why didn't you stay behind with that marimo to watch the ship?"
Sanji peered down at the small black cat with red eyes on the ground, raising an eyebrow. Then, he discovered to his absolute horror that Nami and Robin had already walked a great distance away while laughing and chatting, causing him to hurriedly chase after them.
"Nami-san~~ Robin-chan~ Wait for me~~~~~~"
The excellent state of public security and the various benefits provided by the Oswald Family had attracted numerous merchants to this place. Through the collective efforts of these trading companies, the commercial streets on the island of Hannabal were exceptionally prosperous.
The three people and one cat strolled along the wide street, high heels and leather shoes making crisp clicking sounds against the clean stone pavement.
"There are so many people. It's really lively here, is there a festival going on?"
Nami held the small black cat in her arms as she gazed at the pedestrians on the street, each dressed in glamorous, radiant clothing, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
The Straw Hat Pirates had passed through quite a few islands by now, but in the orange-haired navigator's memory, only the streets of Loguetown in the East Blue could hold a candle to this place.
After all, Loguetown was the headquarters of The Goldglint Trading Company.
"More or less," Robin paced elegantly. "Counting the days, that athletic event held only once every four years seems to be taking place in the near future. We really arrived at the perfect time."
Over twenty years of living life on the run had allowed this beautiful woman, known as the Devil Child, to cultivate an excellent habit: paying close attention to her surroundings at any time and in any place.
Through snippets of conversation dropped by the nearby pedestrians, a certain dark-humored woman had naturally harvested the exact intelligence she desired.
Robin smiled, intending to say something more, when a sensation of being watched suddenly welled up within her heart, causing her expression to abruptly shift.
(Am I being monitored?!) Robin glanced left and right, and the sensation of being spied upon instantly diminished significantly.
Yet this also indicated that their group was indeed being secretly monitored by someone in the shadows!
(Could it be people from the World Government?)
Thinking of how Madam Emily was specifically here to conduct a trade with people from the World Government, it was highly probable that secret agents of the World Government were present on this island. Robin lowered the brim of her cowboy hat slightly.
At that moment, Robin suddenly noticed that a certain curly-browed cook was also scanning the surrounding pedestrians with a deadly serious expression, his gaze exceptionally focused. Consequently, she stepped up to Sanji's side and quietly inquired:
"Have you noticed it too, Mr. Cook?"
"Yes, I noticed it long ago, Robin-chan." Sanji nodded with an air of absolute gravity, stating solemnly, "There are simply far too many beautiful women on this street!"
The muscles near the corner of Robin's eye twitched imperceptibly. Even with a temperament as calm and aloof as hers, a sudden urge rose in her heart at this moment to snap this guy's bones to make him sober up.
Walking at the very front, Nami paid absolutely no heed to the conversation between her two companions, still taking in the surrounding streets with great interest.
Turning a street corner, a tall, magnificently decorated building filled her field of vision. Judging from the sign above, it appeared to be a casino.
Large groups of people were streaming into this casino, and they were all passionately discussing something—words like "betting," "race," and "champion" echoed out, leaving the orange-haired navigator entirely bewildered.
"What's this betting they're talking about? Are they referring to that race held once every four years?" Nami became intensely curious.
Just as she was planning to step into the casino to investigate the truth and try her luck today on the side, a sudden commotion erupted from within the nearby crowd.
"This is..." Nami's pupils shrank violently, her body instinctively taking a step backward.
Sanji and Robin also looked over upon hearing the sound, only to see a gang of towering fellows clad in uniform marching aggressively toward the casino. Upon seeing this group, the vast majority of the surrounding pedestrians yielded a path with expressions full of wariness.
Through the distinct facial features that set them apart from ordinary humans, the gills on both sides of their necks, the webbing between their fingers, and their bizarre, multi-colored skin tones, it was not difficult to deduce their race.
Fish-Men!
Not only that, but Sanji also keenly observed that these Fish-Men all bore a red tattoo shaped like a sun on their bodies. He vaguely recalled that Arlong's crew back in the East Blue had been tattooed with the exact same mark!
(What is the connection between these Fish-Men and Arlong?) Sanji's eyes narrowed slightly.
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