The island of Brul Brul was not large—in fact, it was pitifully small.
A single moderately sized town covered the entire island.
"So many snails~"
After disembarking, Perona held up a small parasol and couldn't help but exclaim at the scenery of the town.
Unlike ordinary towns, the settlement on Brul Brul Island retained much of its rustic charm.
Lush trees lined the streets, and weeds grew on the rooftops of residential buildings.
The most eye-catching feature, however, were the colorful snails crawling all over the streets.
Pedestrians deliberately avoided the slow-moving snails, some even plucking leaves from trees to feed them.
A large notice board at the town entrance displayed strict warnings:
"Snails First!!
Only walking is permitted within the town—wheeled vehicles of any kind are prohibited!!
Those who crush or intentionally harm snails will be expelled from the island!!"
To better understand the situation, Dier approached a man in a suit who looked like an official.
"This is the specialty of our Brul Brul Island," the mustachioed, bespectacled man in a suit explained proudly.
"The entire island is a breeding ground for our Snail Specialty Shop. The people here are both residents and caretakers, as well as part-time sales staff.
You can pick any snail you like—we'll weigh it and install communication or fax systems for you.
The snails here are of the finest quality," he added, stroking his mustache and squinting with pride.
"Even the North Blue Marines come here to purchase their supplies."
Robin couldn't help but voice her confusion.
"Aren't Den Den Mushi found in many places?"
After all, Den Den Mushi were just a special type of snail, present to some degree on most islands.
"NONONO!"
The official wagged his finger.
"Our Den Den Mushi are undoubtedly the healthiest, most docile, and most diverse in variety!
Standard Communication Den Den Mushi, Photographing Transponder Snails that take pictures with a button press, Projection Den Den Mushi that capture and project images with their eyes—
Not to mention the horned Signal Blocking Den Den Mushi, the black Eavesdropping Den Den Mushi, and the white Anti-Eavesdropping Den Den Mushi.
However, those are not for sale to the general public unless you have official documentation from the World Government or an affiliated nation."
"Do you have the giant snails like the ones from Germa?"
Hina asked eagerly. She had been reading Germa comics and knew that Germa was a nation built on the backs of enormous snails.
Each massive snail carried a structure on its shell, and a group of them pieced together formed the Germa Kingdom.
In a way, it was like a self-piloting ship.
The official let out an awkward chuckle—clearly, they didn't have snails of that size.
Dier smoothly redirected the conversation to their actual purpose.
"Do you sell matching Video Den Den Mushi?"
"Of course! Though the price..."
"Money isn't an issue."
Dier patted his briefcase.
In truth, it didn't contain much money—and he had no intention of making a legitimate purchase.
Guided by the official, the four of them arrived at the Snail Specialty Shop in the center of town.
The shop itself was shaped like a massive snail, its mouth gaping open.
Upon entering through the mouth, they arrived at a spacious shopping mall.
Shelves were lined with various modified Den Den Mushi for customers to choose from.
"Come try one out, guests."
The staff casually picked up a small Den Den Mushi and aimed it at Dier and the other three.
"This is a camera Den Den Mushi. Just press the button..."
Click~
A flash went off.
"This type of Den Den Mushi is small, so even with modifications, it can only print tiny photos."
As he spoke, the staff walked over to the printer.
"But with a printer, you can produce large-sized photos."
Bzzzt~
Before long, the printed photo was handed to Perona.
Dier leaned over to take a look—it was very clear, with no distortion at all.
The staff extended his hand in a businesslike manner.
"That'll be 200 Belly, please!"
You could've mentioned the price earlier.
Dier sighed inwardly as he pulled out a stack of Belly and handed it over.
"We'll take the photo and that camera Den Den Mushi. By the way, who's in charge here? The store manager?"
Since he had been traveling at sea recently, he didn't have much money left.
Buying a camera Den Den Mushi was manageable, but he probably couldn't afford the larger Video Den Den Mushi.
So he decided on another approach—negotiating with the person in charge.
Following the staff's directions, the four of them easily found the manager's office.
Dier lied about having a big deal to discuss, claiming he was there to haggle, but in reality, he activated his Hypnosis ability.
Three hours later, the manager enthusiastically handed over three complete sets of Video Den Den Mushi.
The only downside was the slow delivery method—they had to wait for the snails to crawl to the port.
Dier simply found a large wooden plank and carried them himself.
Afterward, the Storm Petrel set sail without delay, heading for the Visa Kingdom and the Lia Kingdom.
...
Meanwhile, in Flevance...
Young Law was learning medicine under his father's guidance.
He had a very happy family.
Both his parents were renowned doctors in the country, and he had a younger sister two years his junior.
Influenced by his parents, Law had dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood.
His father had short black hair, wore square-framed glasses, and had a faint stubble on his lips. Even on his day off, he wore a white medical coat.
Trafalgar D. Water Madson (Medicine).
"Water" was his hidden name, and "D" was his secret initial.
Madson didn't know the exact meaning of "D," but he understood it held special significance.
So when introducing himself publicly, he would omit the "D," calling himself Trafalgar Madson instead.
"You two, now's not the time for studying."
Law's mother pushed the door open with a gentle smile.
"Today is Law's birthday. We promised to go out, remember?"
"That's right, Brother! Dad!"
Lami, her twin pigtails bouncing, skipped over and clung to Madson's arm, pouting playfully.
"Let's go to the park! Mom said there's cake tonight too!"
Law was about to refuse—even though it was his birthday, he'd rather stay home and study than go out.
Madson seemed to guess his thoughts and ruffled his spotted hat with a warm smile.
"It's a rare day off. Let's all go out together."
In the end, Law couldn't resist his family's insistence. After changing into casual clothes, he followed them to the park.
Many children were playing around here.
After all, he was just a child, and soon joined in the fun under the cheerful atmosphere.
Madson and the other sat on a park bench, chatting with other parents about daily life.
Life in Flevance was leisurely—theft, robbery, and kidnapping rarely happened.
Most crimes were motivated by money, but Flevance had no shortage of it.
If someone ran out of money, they could just work in the Platinum Lead Mine for a few days.
Though the extracted Platinum Lead didn't belong to individuals, the miners' wages were high.
In this almost heavenly atmosphere, the parents' faces were filled with smiles.
No one noticed the man wearing sunglasses in the corner of the park, dialing a Den Den Mushi.
"The target the boss is looking for has appeared. The whole family is here."
A response quickly came from the other end.
"Understood. Keep close. We'll move tonight."
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