At five in the evening, the agreed gathering time for everyone.
The location was set at the central square of the town.
Under the glow of the setting sun, Robin walked out of the museum with a book tucked under her arm, her steps light and a satisfied smile on her lips.
It had been quiet—no one disturbed her the entire time, and the museum was nearly empty, allowing her to enjoy a fulfilling and pleasant afternoon.
Such a life had once been almost unimaginable for her.
But since joining the Falling Stars Adventure Crew, it had become the norm... Robin squinted at the sky, recalling that day on the turtle's back when the boy had laughed and reached out his hand to her. The sunset had been the same warm shade of orange-red, hadn't it?
Why did she keep thinking about that day? She chuckled to herself, shaking off the memories.
As soon as she arrived at the central square, she heard Nami's tearful voice—
"Waaahhh!"
"Why?! Why am I the only one who's so unlucky?!!"
Robin looked over in surprise to see Nami sobbing miserably on Xiano's shoulder, her short orange hair trembling with each hiccup:
"Kuina was just sitting by the fountain, and none of them even dared to look at her! Nojiko was drinking coffee right above me on the second floor, and barely anyone bothered her! But every single Pirate on this island—one after another—came straight for me!"
"That's really too much."
Xiano patted her back gently, his expression serious, as if sharing her indignation.
But when Robin moved to the side, she clearly noticed their Captain's lips twitching—he was clearly struggling to hold back laughter and about to lose it.
What was going on?
Curious, she lowered her voice and quietly asked Nojiko, who was sitting on a nearby bench.
Nojiko was also fighting back laughter. Hearing Robin's question, she leaned in and whispered an explanation.
"Bro, do you know what else those jerks said to hurt me?"
Nami, unaware of Robin's approach, suddenly straightened up and imitated the Pirates' rough voices:
"That's her! That's the 80,000 Berries mascot!"
"Remember to go easy on her—she's Captain Xiano's little sister. Don't offend her!"
"Don't offend her my ass! Coming after me in the first place is already offensive enough!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she got, sparks practically flying from her hair. "How dare they call me a mascot! What's wrong with 80,000 Berries?! Did 80,000 Berries eat their rice or something?!"
"That really is too much."
Robin, now understanding the situation, couldn't help but laugh softly. "But there's no need to be so upset, Nami. Think of it this way—it's a great chance to show them your real skills. Plus, you can take out your frustration by beating them up."
"If only it were that easy!!!"
Nami grew even more irritated, scanning the area. "Where is that little brat? He was just here a second ago."
"Meow?"
A fluffy, pale yellow ball popped out from the top of her head. Mochi blinked its big round eyes, tilting its head to peer down at Nami.
Looking for me?
"How the heck do you hide in my hair when you're this fat?!"
Nami yanked it down and vigorously rubbed its chubby little face. "It's all your fault, you know! I was just about to make my move, and then you had to jump out. The moment you opened your mouth, those cowards all ran away screaming!"
"They were shouting something like, 'Oh no, that monster's going to set us all on fire!'..."
"Meow!"
Mochi proudly raised its tail, its tiny expression brimming with smugness.
See how awesome I am!
"Awesome my foot! You're just riding on someone else's coattails, you know that?!"
Fuming, Nami immediately started whacking it. "Until you pay back my bounty money, don't even think about tagging along on my next shopping trip! And definitely not during fights! From now on, stop lounging on top of my head all the time!!"
"Meow..."
Nuomici wobbled dizzily before collapsing backward, its head now sporting several steaming lumps.
Watching this familiar scene unfold, everyone burst into laughter, filling the square with a lively atmosphere.
"Looks like everyone's here now."
Once Nami had vented enough and the laughter had died down, Xiano composed himself again and cleared his throat before speaking:
"I've reserved seats at the most famous restaurant in the northern part of the city. Later, we'll all gather for a good meal and drink to our hearts' content!"
"As for tonight, I doubt any Pirates will dare to disturb us. So let's all relax and rest up properly. We'll set sail tomorrow morning for our next destination."
"Huh?"
Now it was Nami's turn to be surprised. "We're leaving tomorrow morning?"
"What, can't bear to leave this place?"
Nojiko teased with a grin. "Really? Just a moment ago, someone was complaining about how boring shopping on this island was."
"That's not the point!"
Nami shot her sister an annoyed glare and raised her slender, pale wrist. "It's the Log Pose. If we leave tomorrow morning, the magnetic charge won't be fully stored yet."
She was, after all, a professional navigator.
When the group had split up that morning, her first task had been to confirm how long it would take to record this island's magnetic field.
After several inquiries, she'd learned it would take a full five days.
"Normally, that would be the case, but not for this island."
Xiano pinched Nami's cheek. "You're usually so sharp—did crying earlier make you forget what we saw from the tower this morning?"
"Huh?"
Nami blinked in confusion before her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! The Sea Train! We can follow its tracks straight to the next island!"
"Bingo."
Xiano snapped his fingers.
Currently, the Sea Train had five stations connecting five islands.
From south to north, they were Carnival Town, Gourmet City, Spring Queen City, City of Seven Waters, and Enies Lobby.
Xiano's crew was currently at the second stop.
Their next destination was Spring Queen City, also known as Saint Poplar, famous for its annual grand carnival and thriving underground industry.
Xiano didn't have much of an impression of this city.
It had never appeared in the main story of the original manga, only being mentioned in the cover serials.
After the CP9 members were hunted by the World Government, they had used this city as a hideout, living under assumed names for a while and using various means to scrape together medical funds for Rob Lucci.
"Actually, we could just take the train to the next stop."
Xiano chuckled again, "I'm guessing none of you have tried it before? I'd really like to give it a go. What about you?"
"Me, me, me!" Nami was the first to raise her hand enthusiastically. "I want to see what it feels like too!"
"Same here," Nojiko nodded in agreement.
The others reacted similarly—clearly, everyone was intrigued by this novelty that had only begun trial operations in the Grand Line a few years ago.
"This is tricky..." Xiano rubbed his chin.
Everyone wanted to ride the Sea Train.
But who would sail the ship?
They exchanged glances, their eyes gradually turning in the same direction.
Awoo?
Agin widened his eyes, staring at them in disbelief.
Me? Sail the ship?
Seriously?
"Just kidding, that obviously wouldn't work."
Xiano laughed and ruffled Agin's head:
"Never mind, let's go for dinner first. We can draw lots tomorrow morning—half take the ship, half take the train. There'll be more chances to ride the train later anyway, so we can switch then."
This was indeed a fair solution, and everyone nodded in agreement without objection.
The streetlights flickered on.
Following Xiano, the group headed toward the restaurant where they had reserved seats in the northern district.
Along the way, they passed through a garden, where the surroundings were pleasantly serene.
On benches lining the path, couples could occasionally be seen nestled together, whispering sweet nothings, while a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.
Only one bench stood out.
A tall, scruffy man lay sprawled across it in an undignified sleeping posture, snoring loudly, with a white coat draped haphazardly over his head.
The group initially paid him no mind and walked past as usual—but just then, the man's snoring abruptly stopped.
"Ara ara, quite the lively crowd..."
A lazy voice sounded from behind them.
While the others barely reacted, Xiano, Robin, and Smoker simultaneously halted mid-step, their expressions shifting slightly as they turned around.
"So many familiar faces."
Aokiji pulled on his coat, removed his eye mask, and yawned drowsily before speaking calmly: "What a coincidence, running into all of you here."