Ever since Raiden Ei determined which route was the seventh one, she used the log pose to navigate and hurried through the sky using Geppo, wanting to reach Whiskey Peak before nightfall.
Although she did not fear the darkness, she also wanted to hurry her journey. She shot across the sky like an afterimage at an extremely high speed, even blasting through extreme weather.
She did not encounter any ships along the way. Finally, she arrived at Whiskey Peak before dark. It was also an island, with peaks stacked together like several spheres, and the trees growing on top greatly resembled the spherical cacti she had seen before.
"So this is Whiskey Peak? No one lives here, but there are quite a few traces left by humans." Raiden Ei descended from the air and surveyed her surroundings.
"That's right. Where is that Sand Crocodile Crocodile now? Is he male or female? It's the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar. If I meet him, I should know then."
Raiden Ei saw nothing more to explore here. She did not plan to spend the night on this flat land covered in traces. It looked like countless pirates had left things here. It was no wonder Baroque Works set up here; pirates were practically delivering goods to their doorstep.
As she walked toward the sphere-like peaks, she looked at the log pose in her hand: "I need to stay here until the log pose fills with magnetism. So troublesome. I hope it happens quickly!" She put the log pose away in the small bag at her waist and stepped into the forest.
The reason Raiden Ei chose to spend the night in the forest was not because of mysophobia; it was because the open area was too filthy, full of garbage. Since she had a choice, she would naturally pick the better option.
Finding a relatively large open space at random, she began taking out the tent she had purchased from her system backpack. The one she bought was quite large, so she needed to set it up herself.
However, since she had assembled it once before, she quickly put up the tent. After arranging some of the items she needed, she looked at the tent she had set up and mused, "Indeed! You can mistreat anyone but yourself.
I should take a bath first! I rolled in the dirt today and swam in the sea. My clothes got wet and dried again. If I don't wash, they might even mold!"
Raiden Ei's backpack contained plenty of supplies, so she wasn't afraid of wasting a little. After showering inside the tent, she immediately changed into her pajamas and lay down on the prepared bed to sleep.
She hadn't rested these past two days, constantly maneuvering around the Marines and even using up her Elemental Power. She needed to rest well, but she still kept a sliver of her mind attentive to the surrounding environment so she could react immediately to any unexpected events.
The night passed without incident. Did Raiden Ei sleep until she woke up naturally? She thought too much. She was woken up by hunger. Due to old habits, she had forgotten to eat last night.
Uh... it seems she didn't have any food either.
Raiden Ei changed her clothes, took out some fruit from her backpack, and ate while checking the log pose. She discovered it had already filled with magnetism, meaning she could continue her journey.
"Since it's full of magnetism, I'll set off again shortly.
However, constantly waiting for the magnetism to fill up isn't a solution. This island fills up quickly, but not all islands are this fast. If it takes months to fill, should I wait that long?
I can't get a permanent log pose right now. I need to think of a way, otherwise, when will I ever reach Jaya Island?"
Raiden Ei sat by the bed and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any useful solution. She could only take things one step at a time. She started packing up the tent; she would need it again later. She wasn't so extravagant as to throw things away after one use.
The sky outside was just beginning to lighten. Raiden Ei, fully rested after the night, stood on the open ground, stretching her body.
"Hoo, I've almost fully recovered. Time to keep moving!" After observing her surroundings and confirming she hadn't left anything behind, she stepped on the air with Geppo and advanced rapidly in the direction indicated by the log pose.
...
Raiden Ei, traveling by Geppo, was far faster than any ship sailing on the sea. In less than two hours, she reached the island pointed out by the log pose.
She entered the town directly from the sky. Due to her high speed, she didn't attract anyone's attention. After observing the town's layout, she landed in an empty alley.
"I haven't found any Marines stationed in this town, but I should conceal myself just in case. It wouldn't be good if CP found me again." She took out the cloak she had worn before from her backpack, put it on, pulled up the hood to cover her features.
Only the lower half of her face, her mouth, moved slightly: "It still feels like something is missing. Hmm? It should be a mask. With a mask, it would be perfect."
Raiden Ei walked out of the alley. Dressed entirely in a black robe, she immediately drew the attention of those who saw her. She walked through the street as if nothing was wrong, drawing even more stares.
She paid them no mind and continued toward the bar she had spotted earlier. She figured that instead of waiting on every island for the log pose to fill with magnetism, it would be better to look around to see if anyone had a log pose pointing directly to Jaya Island.
As for where to look? She only thought of pirates and merchants sailing the seas. Where would the most pirates gather? A tavern, of course.
These people, being pirates, must live a life of freedom and excitement. They wear their lives on the line, so what would they do with the Berries they robbed? To be a pirate meant having the mindset of living one day at a time.
There were many shops lining both sides of the street. Most of the pedestrians were sturdy men, and the women were agile in their movements, which showed how they defended against invading pirates.
Raiden Ei walked and looked around. Finally, in a general store selling sundries, she spotted the mask she wanted right now. She bypassed the crowd and walked over.
Raiden Ei walked to the rack where masks were hanging. She casually picked up a fox mask that caught her eye and played with it in her hand: "Not bad. The boss probably made them all himself."
The boss, who had already seen her approaching, finally spoke up, a grin on his face: "How is it? Not bad, right!"
Raiden Ei looked at him—an old man with graying hair: "It is good. It's one I like. How much?"
The boss maintained his grin and held up two fingers: "Fixed price. I made this by hand; it took quite a bit of time."
Raiden Ei squeezed the mask with appropriate force. The material alone should be worth twenty thousand Berries. She took out two ten-thousand Berries notes from her system backpack and handed them over: "Fine, here are twenty thousand Berries."
The smile on the boss's face immediately vanished, and he didn't take the money she offered: "It's two hundred thousand Berries, not twenty thousand. I'm selling it cheap to you as is. Looking at your attire, you must really need this mask."
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