When human traffickers sell people, they don't check anyone's identification. Even citizens of member countries meet the same fate when they're caught by them, especially since the Shampodi Islands have a human auction.
Here, human traffickers don't just abduct; they openly rob and kidnap.
Although the Navy manages the civilian areas, it's still challenging to handle things that happen under the cover of night.
Once someone is taken into unlawful areas, even the Navy won't go to great lengths to find them unless the person has enough influence to make the World Government or Navy Headquarters issue orders.
At times, the Navy here adopts a laissez-faire attitude towards pirates, as long as they don't do anything too outrageous that would make the Navy lose face.
The store manager hadn't finished reporting on the information when Shaina returned, with no injuries except some drying marks on her pants.
"What happened?"
"Well... their ship was in such poor condition. I originally intended to kick out the 'Dragon Bone,' but I ended up plunging straight into the water."
Several flagships of the Hundred Beasts use Treasure Tree Adam for construction. Even the ones not made from Treasure Tree Adam are crafted from superior materials, while those pirates seemed like they had just been through a battle, with their battered ship barely holding together.
Then Shaina, along with some employees of Hundred Beasts Fruit, went to prepare for the auction happening in two days. Meanwhile, Olga accompanied Arceus and the others to Soap Bubble Park.
"Yamato, don't run around. All of you, stay close and don't wander off."
They landed at Red Tree #30, while Soap Bubble Park is located at Red Tree #33, requiring them to cover some distance to get there. There were other tourists on the island as well, but a common sight was parents holding their children tight, not letting them run around freely.
It's rare to see kids like Yamato and her friends running around so casually. On outings, Olga holds their Life Cards, so even if they're taken, their location can still be found, but that would cause considerable commotion.
"Got it!"
Though there was a verbal response, their actions showed they hadn't entirely taken it to heart. Yamato was poking at a resin bubble in front of her, something naturally formed by the resin of the red trees, commonly found on the Shampodi Islands, often popping up from the ground.
People occasionally glanced at Arceus's group since Elizabeth in her Inteleon form and Arceus himself naturally drew attention, and the children visiting the Shampodi Islands for the first time were overly excited.
However, those stares quickly moved away because here, bounty hunters, pirates, Navy, human traffickers, and civilians of various identities are all mixed together.
Among them are both the rash newcomers vying for a spot on a ship and the astute bounty hunters.
They make a living by hunting pirates for bounty, which necessitates them being familiar with pirates' wanted posters; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to select suitable targets.
While bounties don't completely correlate with strength, they serve as a reference for most pirates. Although high bounties are tempting, one also needs to be alive to spend the money.
"Hey kids, want a bubble car? Renting one for a day is only 500 Belly, buying one is just 10,000."
Locals are long accustomed to bubbles, but Yamato and her group were clearly first-timers here, providing the bubble car businesses an opportunity to make a sale.
Bubbles are a natural phenomenon on the Shampodi Islands; the businesses only provide a simple wooden car frame, essentially doing business with no cost. Selling just one was pure profit.
However, bubble cars can only be used within the Shampodi Islands. If bubbles drift beyond this range, they'll pop. Locals wouldn't fall for this kind of scheme, so the salesmen usually profit from first-timers here.
Moreover, with new people arriving every day, they don't worry about repeat customers, as their sales often result in one-time transactions.
Ten thousand Belly isn't very expensive, and they exploit this mentality to trick some people into buying their bubble cars.
"Hey, you've got the wrong target!"
Some employees from Hundred Beasts Fruit directly approached. Having been doing business here for a few years, they were naturally familiar with everything around.
Yet, they didn't reveal the reason since telling the truth in front of tourists would block others' sources of income.
"Are these customers locals? I'm really sorry then; how about renting four to you for 1,000 Belly?"
Since everyone does business here, mutual understanding of these unwritten rules exists among them. The Hundred Beasts Fruit personnel didn't expose the bubble car seller's scheme, so he offered a convenient discount in return.
.....
"Great Bun! Great Bun! Grand Line Buns, does anyone want some!" The Shampodi specialty bean paste bun, with a shelf life of up to three months, is abbreviated as 'Great Bun,' and has always been a popular product here.
"Soap Bubble Chocolate, chocolate that floats!"
Even before reaching Soap Bubble Park, they already had their hands full of soap bubbles, as these served as substitutes for shopping bags on the Shampodi Islands. So long as they haven't left the islands, there's no worry about being unable to carry these bags.
At this moment, they resembled balloon vendors, holding various soap bubbles with different local goods and souvenirs stuffed inside.
This was even after having sent part of it back to the Origin.
As the towering bubble Ferris wheel appeared before their eyes, they finally reached Soap Bubble Park.
.....
They played from daylight till dusk, having gone through every attraction in Soap Bubble Park more than once. The Hundred Beasts people didn't interrupt their playtime; others just kept a watchful eye on them, whereas Olga joined in the games with them.
This was a must-visit for her in Shampodi. Back when she almost went insane with boredom inside the lanternfish's belly, she developed a certain fondness for such activities.
Although their novelty hadn't worn off yet, with nightfall some attractions stopped operation. Just when they were wondering where to go, a singing voice grabbed Yamato's attention.
A man with chestnut-green hair was singing in a corner of Soap Bubble Park, a guitar case in front of him with some scattered Belly inside.
Plucking the guitar in his hand, he sang classic lyrics:
"Yo ho ho ho, yo ho ho ho,
Bring Binke's Wine to your side,
Day after day at dusk in dreams,
Never seeing the waving farewell silhouette again..."
Originally, this song was often accompanied by an accordion or violin, but he had switched it to guitar this time. Although some of the arrangements were altered, they blended well with the accompaniment.
However, the effect wasn't ideal, as most of the Belly in front were coins, with the largest amount only being 500 Belly.
The song was fine, but the location wasn't quite right. After all, 'Binke's Wine' is known as a pirate's song. But soon, he received the largest piece of Belly of the day, a gift from Yamato's allowance...