"Get moving, everyone, get moving!"
As sunlight streamed into the abandoned auction house, a beautiful day began. Ryuuto stood at the highest point, shouting down to the energetic crew below.
Everyone was wearing masks and holding brooms, standing in neat rows. At Ryuuto's command, the brooms instantly flew into action, kicking up clouds of accumulated dust that billowed toward him.
"Whoa, this place is filthy." Seeing the wall of dust rushing at him, Ryuuto flickered and vanished from the spot.
"Captain, what are we going to use this place for later?" Nami asked as she ran out after him, covered head to toe in grime. She coughed into her hand as she reached his side.
"Look at you, you're a dirty little kitten!" Ryuuto said with a laugh, patting her on the head.
"Meow~" Nami played along, raising her hands to her chest like paws and letting out a soft meow.
"Hahahaha..." Ryuuto couldn't help but laugh. Nami was just too much fun.
"Wind, come!" With a soft command from Ryuuto, a strong gust of wind swirled around Nami, lifting her into the air before setting her gently back down. When she looked, all the dust on her body was gone.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Nami exclaimed, touching her clean clothes in disbelief.
"Let's leave them to the cleaning. Nami, how about we go for a walk?" Ryuuto asked, extending a date invitation.
"Okay!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Nami grabbed his right arm and hugged it tightly, pressing her entire body against his side.
"Let's go, Captain!"
Feeling the softness against his arm, Ryuuto's mood soared. The two of them then made their way toward the neighboring Grove 17.
They walked quietly under the shade of the mangroves, stepping on the grassy earth as a gentle sea breeze blew past, carrying the faint scent of soap bubbles. It was a perfect, beautiful moment made real.
"What's that?" Nami suddenly spotted something new, letting go of Ryuuto's arm and running toward it.
"Captain, come quick! Look what I found!" she called out, waving to him from the top of a small hill where she was fiddling with her discovery.
With a whoosh of air, Ryuuto appeared beside her.
"Captain!! Let's ride this!" Nami shouted excitedly.
Next to her was a messy pile of a dozen or so floating bicycles—some single-seaters, some for multiple people.
"Aren't these the special vehicles of the Sabaody Archipelago?" Ryuuto stroked his chin, considering them for a moment before deciding to go along with Nami's idea and give them a try.
"How many are you renting? And for how long?" The voice of the rental shop owner arrived before the man himself. He was a character, with a bubble perched on his bowl-cut hair, wearing a floral shirt and beach shorts. He stood with his arms crossed, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked at the pair.
"We'll take one!" Nami yelled, rushing up to the owner.
"One vehicle is 5,000 Berries," the owner said flatly, blowing a smoke ring.
"What? 5,000 Berries? I'll give you 1,000!" Nami, the little miser, couldn't possibly accept that price. She immediately held up one finger and started haggling, her eyes sparkling in anticipation of a good, hard-fought bargain.
"Alright, deal. Pick one out yourself," the owner agreed instantly with a smug grin.
"500 Berries!!" Nami immediately realized her price was still too high and tried to lower it again.
But the owner just kept smiling at her without saying a word.
"Here!" Nami finally admitted defeat. Looking like a dejected soldier, she sulked as she pulled 1,000 Berries from her pocket and handed them over. Then she picked out a long, tandem Bubble Cycle.
Ryuuto watched the scene with a knowing smile. Nami was just so adorable.
The Bubble Cycles of the Sabaody Archipelago were truly magical. They used the natural buoyancy of the soap bubbles, attaching them underneath the bikes to achieve a floating effect.
"Let's go, Captain, gogogo!" Nami hopped onto the bike and called out to Ryuuto.
On the lush green grass, Ryuuto pedaled effortlessly while Nami lay back on the rear seat, her pale legs kicking playfully in the air. She was dressed in her usual tank top and denim shorts, looking the very picture of youthful beauty.
"Captain, I see you've got a shiny ring on your hand," Nami said suddenly, changing the topic of their idle chat.
"Ah!! This..." The sudden question made Ryuuto's mind go blank. Nami had noticed the diamond ring that had appeared on his hand some time ago and already had her own suspicions. She had waited until now to bring it up, just to catch him off guard and see his reaction.
As Ryuuto's brain spun furiously, Nami leaned in close. The impressive softness of her chest pressed firmly against his back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.
"Nami, you might not believe this, but where I'm from, it's a custom to give your girlfriend a ring after you make your relationship official," Ryuuto blurted out, pulling an explanation out of thin air. "I got one for you, too!"
"So you're saying... really!?" Hearing the first half of his sentence, Nami's suspicions flared, and she was about to get angry. But when she heard he had one for her, her expression instantly brightened into excitement.
"Of course!" Ryuuto nodded frantically.
In his mind, he was desperately scrolling through an exchange list.
'Damn it, scroll faster!!'
'There!'
Suddenly, a glittering item caught his eye.
[Custom Gold Ring: 100 Reputation]
[Forged by a master craftsman from the City of Gold, this is the top choice for newlyweds. What is passed down is not just the art, but the heart of true love!]
[Engravings of your names available for an extra fee!]
'I choose you! Exchange!!' Ryuuto thought.
[Please enter both names!]
A system prompt appeared.
'As expected of a custom ring!' Ryuuto thought, quickly feeding his and Nami's names to the system.
With a soft chime, two rustic gold rings materialized in his system inventory.
'Retrieve, retrieve!' he mentally shouted.
A golden light flashed, and two brilliant gold rings appeared in Ryuuto's hand. They were crafted from pure gold, covered in a delicate pattern of tiny hearts. The two rings were identical in style, with the only difference being that the man's was slightly larger. On the inside of the bands, the names "Ryuuto" and "Nami" were engraved.
"Nami, this is for you!" After a frantic rush, Ryuuto finally managed to present the ring to her.