Most people readily accepted Zoro and Law's statements.
Conis and Pagaya might view the Sky Island "gods" as powerful, but those from the Blue Sea considered the Four Emperors, the Marines, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea far more formidable.
"You mustn't speak ill of the gods behind their backs! They might hear you!" Pagaya exclaimed hastily.
Zoro and Law simply smiled, choosing not to prolong the conversation and further agitate the worried father and daughter.
However, the thought of Nami possibly being in such a perilous place made everyone restless. They were determined to head to Upper Yard. Luffy, ever the gourmand, stretched his rubbery arms and shoveled all the remaining food into his mouth.
The sudden movement startled Pagaya and Conis, causing them to jump back.
Fortunately, they seemed to be aware of Devil Fruits, so they weren't overly surprised.
The group returned to the beach.
Unfortunately, the wind was against them, meaning the Going Merry would take a considerable amount of time to reach Upper Yard. They decided to split into two teams: one would proceed ahead using the submarine, while the other would wait for the wind to change direction before following.
The submarine's power source wasn't the wind, making it a convenient option for this situation.
Just as Luffy was excitedly demanding to board the submarine, a group of peculiar individuals approached. They were clad in white clothing and wore white hats. Upon reaching the group, they stood tall, formed rabbit ears with their hands atop their heads, and greeted them.
"Heso! You two are causing quite a commotion!"
"It's the White Berets, Captain McKinley. What's the matter?" Pagaya asked nervously.
The burly figure leading the group, Captain McKinley, addressed Pagaya and Conis, "Please don't worry. We have received a mission to apprehend those who have entered the country illegally!"
"Eh? Illegal entry?"
Pagaya and Conis exchanged a look, their gazes then shifting towards the Straw Hat Crew.
Zoro reacted immediately, "Illegal entry? Are you talking about us?"
Law nodded in agreement. "It's clearly us. But the old woman at the Gate of Heaven explicitly said we could enter. Now they're calling it illegal entry. What's going on?"
Usopp and Chopper chimed in hastily, "Yeah! The old lady said it was fine to enter!"
Robin calmly analyzed the situation. "Technically, we didn't pay the entry fee, so labeling our entry as illegal isn't entirely wrong."
"But it's still strange, isn't it?"
Tashigi couldn't help but interject, "If you say we can't enter without paying the fee, then we should simply pay it. But the old lady said it was okay not to, and now they're here to arrest us. There's definitely something wrong here!"
While there was indeed an issue, everyone was slightly taken aback by Tashigi's straightforwardness.
Even if the rule was that entry required a fee, the Straw Hats would likely force their way in rather than pay.
After all, despite their recent treasure hauls, the ship's expenses were substantial, leaving little in savings. Coupled with Nami's notoriously stingy nature, paying such a fee was improbable.
Besides, the entry fee was in units of 100 million, a sum that disgusted even the ship's doctor.
McKinley stated with a stern expression, "Your excuses are irrelevant. The monitors at the Gate of Heaven have already transmitted your photos. Your illegal entry is an eleventh-degree offense."
"However, don't fret. If you pay ten times the entry fee, you can still tour Sky Island as tourists."
"What? This should have been mentioned earlier... Nani?! Ten times the entry fee?!"
Everyone who was about to sigh in relief was suddenly thunderstruck.
The entry fee was one billion Berries per person, totaling roughly thirty billion Berries for the entire crew. Multiplying that by ten resulted in an astronomical three hundred billion Berries!
Wait, what was the conversion rate between Berries and Ikes again?
"Berry is the currency of the Blue Sea, correct? One Berry is equivalent to 10,000 Ike. Therefore, you must pay three hundred billion Ike, which translates to thirty million Berries!" McKinley calculated calmly.
"Thirty million Berries! How could we possibly have that much money?!" the crew exclaimed in unison.
Even with all their earnings since setting sail, the Straw Hats likely didn't possess such a vast sum, and Starfish's expenses had already depleted their reserves significantly. Nami certainly wouldn't be able to afford that much, unless she offered a Devil Fruit.
But even a low-grade Devil Fruit was worth at least one hundred million Berries. Handing over the entire fruit wouldn't likely result in change.
McKinley continued, "No money? Not having money is also an eleventh-degree offense! Furthermore, you stayed at Angel Beach and polluted the sacred beach. This violates the Environmental Protection Law, a level-one offense!"
"This is blatant false accusation! Don't we even have the right to stand on the beach?!"
"Disrespecting law enforcement officers is a crime of intimidation, a seventh-degree offense!"
...begging for flowers...
"I think you're just looking for a fight! I'm going to blow you away!"
"Smack me into the air? Hahahaha, that is a second-degree crime and will be sanctioned by the high priest himself! I warn you, the law enforcement of our White Beret Army is the most peaceful. Punishment by the high priest will undoubtedly result in death! Heso!"
As the confrontation between the Straw Hats and McKinley escalated, the list of charges grew increasingly absurd.
Even the usually composed Law couldn't suppress the veins throbbing on his forehead.
"Everyone, calm down. Let's not cause unnecessary trouble!"
Tashigi stepped forward quickly and declared loudly, "Captain, your country's laws are utterly unreasonable! Even if we entered illegally, we should simply be able to pay a fine according to standard regulations.
Why are you escalating the charges like this? It's clearly intentional.
Does Sky Island have no justice? Will you not face condemnation for such actions?!"
McKinley chuckled. "Hehe, condemnation? Sky Island's laws are determined by God. Who dares to condemn them?!"
"But..."
"Hey! Counterfeit! Back off!"
Zoro bluntly cut off Tashigi's words. "Don't you understand? They're doing this on purpose. Even if we peacefully pay one fine, more charges will just keep piling up."
Robin elaborated, "To put it plainly, they see people from the Blue Sea as easy targets to exploit."
The others nodded in agreement. At this point, no matter what they said, the other party's intentions were clear. They were shamelessly using their power to bully outsiders. Even innocent actions like breathing would likely be deemed a crime.
Reasoning with such people was futile.
Pagaya and Conis desperately tried to intercede. "Wait a moment, Captain McKinley! Although we don't know the full situation, they really don't seem like bad people!"
But McKinley waved his hand dismissively. "They clearly have no intention of paying the fee and are attempting to resist. White Berets, enforce the law and arrest them!"
"But..."
"Conis! Uncle! Stop talking!"
Luffy interrupted the kind father and daughter, his expression hardening. "We aren't good people. We're pirates! Being pushed around like this... if we don't fight back, we're just cowards. You two stand aside. We're going to send these guys flying!"
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