As they walked inland from the dock into Aramuk Island, the sights before the visitors from the Blue Sea became increasingly overwhelming.
"Wow—this place is amazing!"
"Look at that shop! It's floating in the air!"
"What are these houses made of? Clouds too? Or bricks?"
"Doesn't feel like normal brick… it's hard, but the texture is strange."
The crew stared at everything like tourists in a grand exhibition, pointing and shouting about every new discovery.
Their excitement drew curious glances from passing Sky Islanders.
"I feel like everyone's staring at us…"
"Hey, keep it down! Don't embarrass ourselves!"
"Whoa, check out that shop! The stuff they sell looks so weird!"
They followed behind Sami, but every few steps someone would get distracted by something new.
Before long, the group began to spread out.
"Captain…"
Sami turned around and saw the starry-eyed expressions on his crew's faces.
He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
"Alright, alright."
He called out, "Aldo—no, wait. Marcus."
"Here."
"Take them around and let them explore. Keep an eye on them though. It looks peaceful here, but Sky Islands have been famous for danger for years. Stay careful and don't cause trouble."
"Got it, boss."
Sami added,
"Oh, and leave two people to take care of the old man—"
Before he finished speaking, the crew immediately looked conflicted.
Sami sighed and waved his hand.
"Forget it."
"I'll take care of the old man."
Then he looked at Marcus and the others.
"You guys go have fun—but don't cause trouble."
"Thanks, Captain!"
"You're the best, Captain!"
"Hahaha!"
The group cheered loudly again, nearly drawing even more attention.
Old Barry looked embarrassed and said quietly,
"I'm causing trouble for you, Captain…"
"Not at all."
Sami smiled and crouched down.
"Come on, old man. Climb up. Let's take a look around too."
He easily lifted Barry and set him comfortably on his shoulders.
Perhaps due to some strange law of aging in the pirate world, many people shrank in size when they grew old.
Barry was now less than a meter tall.
Meanwhile, attention shifted to the rest of the crew.
"Marcus! Look!"
"That road is floating in the air!"
"Let's go check it out!"
Marcus glanced around.
In just a short moment, his subordinates had already scattered toward different shops like fireworks.
He felt a headache coming.
At that moment, Aldo thumped his chest proudly.
"Marcus, just take them to play!"
"Don't worry! I'll lead the group here!"
Marcus rolled his eyes.
"Get lost."
"The two people I trust least are you and that blockhead."
"You're both coming with me."
He turned to Feiqi.
"Feiqi, the rest of them are under your command for now. Stay alert and don't let them spread too far."
"Okay."
Feiqi gave a quick gesture and began organizing the crew.
"What do you mean you don't trust me?!"
"I'm the most law-abiding guy there is!"
Aldo protested loudly.
But Marcus ignored him and dragged him away.
Sakins silently followed behind them.
Meanwhile, in Feiqi's group, Gade and a few sailors stopped at a fruit stall.
"Captain Gade, try this!"
"It looks weird but tastes great!"
A sailor handed him a blue fruit.
"Oh!"
"It's sweet! Really sweet!"
"And there's a special fragrance too!"
Behind the stall, a smiling Sky Island shopkeeper spoke up.
"You gentlemen are visitors from the Blue Sea, right?"
"Rare guests indeed."
"It's been many years since people from below came here."
"It must have been difficult coming up."
"You're telling me!"
Gade said while chewing.
"That High-Speed Air Current almost knocked our souls out of our bodies!"
"But boss, we've heard plenty of rumors about Sky Islands down in the Blue Sea."
"Most say this place is extremely dangerous."
"But now that we're here… everyone seems pretty friendly."
The fruit vendor chuckled.
"Sky Islands are actually very peaceful."
"As long as you obey the laws set by God and don't touch the ancient taboos, life here is quite safe."
"Taboos?"
Gade blinked.
He was about to ask more when something in the stall caught his attention.
A single fruit sat on an elegant cushion.
It had a strange irregular shape, completely different from the other fresh fruits.
"Hey boss, what's that fruit?"
"Oh?"
"You mean this?"
The shopkeeper smiled mysteriously.
"Sir, you have excellent taste."
"This is the Mutated Treasure Fruit, a rare miracle that appears only once every thousand years!"
"A thousand-year fruit?"
"Exactly!"
"Look at its color! Its shape!"
"Completely different from the ordinary fruits around it!"
"It absorbed the essence of Sky Island clouds for a thousand years before finally appearing!"
The vendor became more animated as he spoke.
"Think about it!"
"If it appears only once every thousand years, the taste must be hundreds—no, thousands of times better than normal fruit!"
"And look!"
"It's been over two years since I picked it."
"The color hasn't faded."
"The shape hasn't changed."
"No sign of rot at all!"
"Amazing, isn't it?"
"Even if you don't eat it, it would make a valuable collector's item!"
Gade felt his heart waver.
The phrases thousand-year miracle, rare treasure, and collector's value kept echoing in his mind.
"Really?"
"Then I'll buy it!"
He impulsively reached for his money.
"Captain!"
A sailor quickly grabbed his arm.
"Don't do it!"
"This guy's obviously exaggerating!"
"What fruit lasts two years without rotting?"
"It's definitely a scam!"
"Wait! Honored guest!"
Seeing someone trying to stop the deal, the vendor immediately leaned toward Gade.
"I feel we are destined to meet!"
"The original price of this treasure is 1 billion Extol."
"But today, I'll give you a special friendship discount."
"Only 100 million Extol!"
"Just 10% of the price!"
"Take home a thousand-year miracle!"
"How about it?"
"Tempting, right?"
"Just… 100 million Extol?"
Gade quickly converted the amount.
That was only about 10,000 Beli.
…Actually not that bad.
What if it really was a treasure?
"Captain! Don't buy it!"
"I'm buying it!"
Gade couldn't resist the double temptation of a thousand-year miracle and a massive discount.
He slammed 10,000 Beli onto the table.
"But listen, boss."
"If this doesn't taste at least a hundred times better than normal fruit…"
"I'm coming back for a refund!"
"Of course!"
"Fair business!"
The vendor grinned widely.
He swiftly took the money and stuffed the Mutated Treasure Fruit into Gade's hands.
The moment the deal was finished—
The vendor instantly pulled out a wooden sign and hung it on the pillar.
"ALL SALES FINAL – NO RETURNS."
Gade: "..."
Crew: "..."
Silence fell over the stall.
"C-Captain…"
One sailor carefully poked Gade.
"I think…"
"…you got scammed."
Veins bulged on Gade's forehead.
He slowly turned toward the smiling vendor.
"You crooked merchant!!!"
"Oh dear, respected customer."
The vendor stepped back calmly.
"Using violence against legal merchants on Aramuk Island violates the laws of God."
"The enforcement team will punish you."
"You—!"
Gade clenched his fists.
But remembering Sami's warning, he forced himself to swallow the anger.
"Fine."
"Fine!"
"You just wait!"
The merchant calmly replied,
"Oh?"
"Is that a threat?"
"Threatening others is also illegal under Sky Island law."
"Are you sure you want to continue?"
Gade's face turned completely black.
(▼皿▼)
Now he finally understood why Sky Islands had such a dangerous reputation in the Blue Sea.
If this were the Blue Sea—
With merchants like this—
They would've been beaten to death already.
And why did these laws seem specifically designed against Blue Sea people?!
"Let's go!"
Gade squeezed the words out through his teeth and turned away in fury.
But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Looking at the fruit he had just bought for a fortune—
He angrily took a huge bite.
The next second—
He froze.
"Captain? What's wrong?"
His face changed colors rapidly.
Red.
Green.
White.
His cheeks twitched.
Finally—
"Gulp—!"
"PTOO! PTOO!!"
A horrifying taste exploded in his mouth.
"IT'S SOOO DISGUSTING—!!!!!"
A miserable scream filled the peaceful streets of Aramuk Island.
Meanwhile, the crooked merchant had already ducked behind his stall, pretending to organize fruits.
But the uncontrollable smile on his lips betrayed his satisfaction.
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