At the amusement park, the group played nonstop from morning until afternoon, finally managing to experience every ride worth riding.
When they stepped off the pirate ship, everyone's face was still glowing with excitement.
"Enel-sama, Enel-sama! What are we playing next? What's next?"
Baby-5 showed no sign of being tired at all. She bounced around, grabbed Enel's hand, and shook it eagerly as she spoke.
Enel glanced at Yemu. In response, Yemu reached out and gently pressed a hand on Baby-5's head.
"Next, we're eating. We've been playing all morning, so it's time to rest a bit. After that, we'll go shopping. I wonder what interesting things the shopping streets of the Sabaody Archipelago have."
Flare's eyes immediately lit up, and she began listing things as if reciting them from memory.
"Clothes, accessories, food… spices and fruit need restocking too…"
"Then let's head out. As for the amusement park, if we haven't had enough, we can always come back later. The coating process won't be finished in just a day or two anyway."
"That's awesome!!!"
Baby-5, who had still been feeling reluctant to leave, finally reined in her excitement. She patted her stomach and nodded seriously.
"I really am kind of hungry now. Eating, eating!!!"
Seeing Baby-5's innocent and adorable reaction, everyone smiled knowingly.
"Are we heading back to the ship, then?"
Flare asked.
Yemu shook his head.
"It's time to give our head chef a day off. You train every day and still cook for everyone. That's already a lot of work. Today, let's eat on the island's food street. I heard the food there is pretty good, and it's close to the shopping district too."
Flare shot Yemu a playful sideways glance.
"You're not saying you're tired of my cooking, are you?"
Maybe it was the amusement park earlier, but Flare seemed to have fully let her girlish side out today. She looked both cuter and more alluring than usual.
"How could I be? I could eat your cooking for a lifetime and never get tired of it. Right, everyone?"
At that, everyone quickly nodded in agreement. When it came to Flare, the unquestioned big sister of the group, no one dared disagree.
Flare looked at Yemu, completely speechless for a moment.
"Fine, you pass. Then let's go!!!"
...
The Sabaody Archipelago was enormous. Although the distance wasn't much for them, they still rented several bubble cars to better experience the island's unique atmosphere.
Everyone was fascinated by the bubble cars and eagerly competed to be the driver.
In the end, with Flare, Enel, and the Kuro Brothers taking the lead as drivers, they rented a total of five.
Yemu shamelessly tried to hop onto Flare's personal ride, only to be kicked off with no mercy. Left with no choice, he climbed onto Kuromi's bubble car instead.
Enel rode together with Baby-5. Kurota paired up with Ayala. Kuromu rode with Tiger, and Kuroli with Erik.
Since they had only been playing all morning, no one was in any rush. They pedaled leisurely, admiring the scenery around them as they slowly drifted toward Island 73.
But as they went on, Flare at the front began to sense that something was wrong.
The island itself still looked the same, yet there were fewer and fewer people.
Or rather, fewer normal people.
What appeared instead were figures gripping weapons, their faces fierce and their eyes filled with undisguised greed.
They hid everywhere. Some lurked between tree trunks, some in the shadows, and others concealed themselves high above.
"What's going on? Did we take a wrong turn?"
"No."
Tiger swept his gaze over the people lurking around them, the disgust in his eyes impossible to hide.
"The road's fine. But if you want to get to Islands 70 through 79, you have to pass through here. This is the part of the Sabaody Archipelago known as the illegal zone."
"Illegal zone…"
The words made Flare jolt.
"Mhm."
Tiger continued, voice heavy.
"In the Sabaody Archipelago, Islands 1 through 29 are all considered the illegal zone. Even the Marines and the World Government can't keep this place under control. Human trafficking, assassinations, robbery… anything you can think of can happen here. And because this is the last stop on the first half of the Grand Line, the most vicious scum from all over the world end up gathering here."
"Is it really that scary?"
Flare's face went pale, fear written all over her.
Yemu saw it and chuckled.
"Don't let a few bugs get to you. Besides, if we're talking 'vicious' in the eyes of the Marines and the World Government, who's worse than us? Even you have a ten-million Belly bounty."
That didn't comfort Flare in the slightest.
"Some idiots really have a death wish."
Right then, Enel spoke, his gaze lifting toward the sky.
Three men with greedy faces dropped down from above, brandishing a massive blade and an axe.
"We'll be taking the Sky Pirates' leader!"
But before the shout even finished, Yemu's group hadn't done a thing. The three men rolled their eyes back as if they'd been struck in the head by something huge, then passed out on the spot. They fell straight down and slammed into the ground.
It was more than enough to shock the criminals who'd been ready to make a move nearby.
"What just happened!?"
"Why'd they pass out?"
"Did the Sky Pirates do something?"
"Is it a Devil Fruit ability?"
Some of the more experienced onlookers figured it out immediately.
"So that's Conqueror's Haki?!!!"
Enel sounded almost delighted.
"Yeah, that's ridiculously useful. No wonder you liked using it back on Skypiea to scare people. It's even handier than my Goro Goro no Mi."
Yemu's expression darkened.
"Conqueror's Haki isn't for scaring people. That's part of why we came to the Sabaody Archipelago in the first place. Not just to learn advanced Armament Haki techniques. Conqueror's Haki is also a power you have to control and coat with. If we can learn Conqueror's Haki coating, then even if we run into Marine Admirals, we won't have to flinch."
"Really?"
Enel's eyes lit with anticipation.
Just then, as if they sensed something at the same time, both Yemu and Enel looked toward the distance.
Dust began to spread through the air in rolling waves, and a massive crescent-shaped sand slash came tearing toward them.
Neither Yemu nor Enel moved. Instead, Erik, who had been wiping down his twin blades, sprang off the bubble car. He stared down the incoming attack and swung.
"Shinto Sword Style: Cross Slash!"
Two slashes flew out and collided with the sand slash, shattering it instantly. Sand and dust exploded outward in every direction.
But the assault didn't end there.
A pitch-black figure shot out of the dust, lunging straight at Yemu and the others.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't even get close.
Erik's figure flickered into place as if he'd teleported, and he drove a kick into the attacker, sending the man flying.
Only then did Yemu focus on the figure landing steadily ahead of them. Familiar. All too familiar.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Crocodile… are you ready to leave your life here?"