Chapter 102 Gold for a Huge Sum: First Arrival in Water City"It's going to flip belly-up in a minute!"
Vivi pointed at the giant frog struggling in the sea, stamping her feet anxiously.
"Thirty-round Flower Bloom!!"
Robin's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Instantly, countless arms sprouted from the sea surface, connecting like a chain, forcefully pulling the giant Yokozuna out of the water.
"Amazing! Robin-neechan, this Devil Fruit ability is so convenient!"
Vivi watched enviously, her eyes sparkling.
"Is that so?" Robin forced a smile, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
"What's wrong? Ever since Admiral Aokiji joined the crew, you seem completely distracted."
Vivi keenly sensed something was amiss and asked with concern.
Robin simply shook her head slightly, biting her lip without speaking.
"What a pity. Since it's an owner's pet, we can't make it into a dry-pot bullfrog."
Sanji looked at the Yokozuna who had fainted on the deck and shook his head regretfully.
Nami instantly bristled, roaring at Sanji, "I don't want to eat frogs! They're disgusting!"
"Yes, sir~ Nami-san~"
...
The Going Merry sailed through the waves, having traveled for less than half a day.
A magnificent and spectacular floating city, composed of countless giant fountains, slowly emerged from everyone's view.
Even having witnessed the dreamlike sea of clouds of Skypiea before, everyone was still deeply shocked by this Water Seven completely shrouded in fountains.
"Amazing! This is so beautiful!"
Nami and Vivi leaned on the railing, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
Girls are always powerless against such beautiful and romantic things.
"This is amazing! No wonder it's a legendary shipbuilding city!" Usopp was so excited his jaw almost dropped to the deck.
Just then, a sea train roared past, spewing steam across the water.
This unprecedented steam technology instantly dazzled the group of country bumpkins.
Since Luffy and his crew had legitimate Navy status and weren't wanted criminals,
the Going Merry swaggered into Water 7 through its main gate.
"Wow! The whole city is submerged! It looks like the buildings are about to sink!"
Chopper clung to the ship's edge, his eyes shining as he looked around.
The others also looked on with childlike curiosity, glancing left and right.
Luffy, however, seemed somewhat uninterested for the first time.
This place was practically a carbon copy of Venice, the one he'd visited in his previous life. Aside from the unique terraced architecture, it was pretty much the same.
"First! We need to find a place where we can exchange gold for Berries!"
Nami's eyes instantly lit up with Berries, scanning the surroundings like radar for any bank signs.
For Nami, the biggest gain from this trip to the Skypiea was the pile of gold ornaments that took up half the Going Merry's cargo capacity.
After everyone had huffed and puffed as they hauled ten cartloads of gold off the Going Merry,
Aokiji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He turned to Luffy, completely bewildered, and asked.
"Which country's treasury did you rob? Have you become bandits?"
"What are you talking about? We're the righteous Navy."
"This is a thank-you gift from refugees we rescued from their misery, don't you understand?"
Luffy scoffed at Aokiji, his face full of disdain.
The group quickly found the largest bank and hauled all the gold in.
With Nami's textbook-level bargaining skills and Luffy's powerful background as a second-generation Navy officer,
the ten truckloads of gold yielded a whopping 31 billion Berries!
According to the obsequious bank manager, the extra 100 million was specifically for Luffy, this "big shot."
Nami was overjoyed, cupping Luffy's face and giving him a big kiss, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.
"How about it? Want me to take you to experience the 'massage service' of Venice... ugh! I mean, the Seven Waters City?"
"I'm a big shot now, you poor, government-paid admiral can't compare."
Luffy patted the thirty-one large suitcases filled with cash beside him, grinning mischievously at Aokiji.
"Ah, well... since you guys are busy repairing the ship, I won't bother you."
"I just ran into a few old acquaintances, gotta go."
Aokiji, hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely off the Going Merry, waving goodbye to Luffy.
Luffy rolled his eyes at Aokiji's retreating figure, speechless.
What happened to escorting me back to Marine Headquarters? We've barely gotten there and you're already running off?
Luffy knew perfectly well that this guy had probably seen the ship pulled by the giant snake in the river, with the CP organization members on board, and used that as an excuse to leave.
"Hahaha! I even ran into such a sucker while repairing a ship!"
"You're the idiot who was pushing around ten cartloads of gold to exchange for money, right? Hand over all your Berries right now!"
Just then, a pirate with boar tusks, leading a group of strangely shaped henchmen, stormed out from the sidewalk.
One of the henchmen trembled with excitement, pointing at the large boxes next to Luffy and shouting.
"Boss! I saw it! There are thirty-one boxes! They're stuffed full of money!"
"Really? Hahahaha! Hand over the money! I'm Moonlight Magical Dragon, with a bounty of 36 million Berries!"
"Ice Age!"
Suddenly, a chilling aura swept over.
The pirates, who had been so arrogant just moments before, didn't even have a chance to beg for mercy before being instantly frozen into lifelike human-shaped icicles.
The surrounding crowd screamed and scattered in terror.
"I'll settle your fare for the journey. See you later."
Aokiji didn't even turn his head, waved his hand, and his tall figure disappeared into the bustling crowd.
"Damn it, he really has a personality that's hard to dislike."
Luffy scratched his head helplessly, a smile playing on his lips.
With this guy's lazy and arrogant temperament, recruiting him as a crew member would be incredibly difficult.
Luffy shook his head, turned to look at Robin who was still trembling behind him, and laughed.
"Alright, stop shaking, let's go."
"Don't be so nervous, she's just showing concern for you indirectly."
"Such a smart woman, can't you see through this little trick? Looks like that Buster Call scared you so much your IQ dropped."
Robin looked confused, lowered her head, and followed Luffy silently, looking exactly like a wronged little wife.