Walking along the pier into the interior of Alamak Island, the scene before the visitors from the Blue Sea left them increasingly dazzled.
"Wow—this place is so fun!"
"Look quickly, that shop! It's actually floating in the air!"
"What are these houses built with? Clouds? Or bricks?"
"It doesn't seem like ordinary bricks... they feel hard to the touch, but the texture is very unique."
The Crew Members were like visitors in a grand garden, pointing at all sorts of novelties and exclaiming loudly, drawing the attention of the Sky Island residents walking by, who cast curious glances their way.
"I feel like everyone is staring at us..."
"Quick, quick, everyone calm down, don't be so embarrassing!"
"Ah, look at that shop, the things they sell have such strange shapes!"
They excitedly followed behind Sammy, yet couldn't help but be attracted by everything along the way, and the group gradually became somewhat scattered.
"Captain..."
Sammy turned back to see the starry-eyed looks on his subordinates, smiled helplessly, and shook his head.
"Alright, alright," he called out names, "Aldo, oh no, no, Marcus."
"I'm here."
"You take them around to look. Keep an eye on them. Although it seems peaceful right now, Sky Island has been known for danger for many years, so it's best to be careful and not cause trouble."
"Got it, Boss."
Sammy added, "Oh right, leave two people to look after the Old Man..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a conflicted expression instantly appear on the face of a Crew Member.
Sammy sighed, waved his hand, "Forget it, forget it, Old Barry, I'll take care of you. You guys..."
He looked at Marcus and the others, "Pay attention to what you're doing. Have fun, but don't stir up trouble."
"Thank you, Captain!"
"Captain, you're the best!"
"Hahaha!"
The crowd cheered, almost drawing more attention.
Old Barry felt a little awkward, and whispered to Sammy, standing beside him, "Sorry for causing you trouble, Captain..."
"Not at all?" Sammy smiled, squatted down, "Come on, Old Man, get up here. We'll look around too."
Saying that, he easily lifted Old Barry up and settled him steadily onto his broad shoulders.
Perhaps due to some strange age law in the pirate world, most people shrink in stature after growing old. Old Barry's height was now less than a meter.
However, the focus next was on that group of Crew Members.
"Brother Marcus! Come look! That road, it's actually in the sky! Shall we go up and see?"
Marcus glanced around. In just this short time, his subordinates had already rushed towards various shops in a radial pattern.
He immediately felt a headache coming on.
At this moment, Aldo thumped his chest forcefully.
"Marcus, why don't you just take them to have fun! Don't worry, I'll lead the team here!"
Marcus gave him an unapologetic dirty look: "Get lost, the two people I trust the least are you and that blockhead. You two must come with me."
He turned to Fitch, "Fitch, you temporarily lead the rest. Stay alert and don't spread out too far."
"Ok, leave it to me."
Fitch made a gesture and began to rally the other Crew Members.
"What is there not to trust me about? I'm telling you, I, Aldo, am the most rule-abiding!"
Aldo protested Marcus's "slander," but the protest was ineffective, and he was dragged away by Marcus without question. Sargins naturally followed silently.
On the other side, in the group supervised by Fitch, Gard and a few Crew Members gathered around a fruit stall.
"Captain Gard, you have to try this! It looks weird, but it tastes really good!"
A Crew Member handed over a blue fruit.
"Oh! It's sweet and refreshing, and it has a special fragrance!"
Behind the stall, a smiling Sky Island uncle spoke up, "Are you guests from the Blue Sea? You are truly rare visitors. It's been many years since guests from the Blue Sea visited us. It must have been quite difficult to ascend from below, right?"
"That's for sure!" Gard said unclearly and emotionally with the fruit in his mouth, "That High-speed Sky Route ride nearly blew our souls away! But Boss, there are quite a few rumors about Sky Island in the Blue Sea, but nine out of ten say this place is very dangerous. Now that we're here, it doesn't seem to be the case? Everyone seems very friendly."
The fruit stall owner chuckled, "Sky Island is actually a good place. As long as you abide by the laws established by God and do not touch those ancient taboos, life here is quite peaceful."
"Taboos?"
Gard blinked, just about to ask in detail, when his gaze was drawn to a fruit conspicuously placed in a prominent position inside the shop.
That fruit was placed alone on an exquisite soft cushion, its entire body exhibiting an irregular, strange shape, completely out of place with the other plump and juicy fruits on the stall.
"Hey, Boss, what... what kind of fruit is that?"
"Oh? You mean this one?" The owner followed his finger, and a mysterious, inscrutable smile immediately spread across his face.
"Esteemed guest, you truly have excellent taste! This is a mutated Treasure Fruit, a treasure rarely seen in a thousand years!"
"Mutated Treasure Fruit?"
Indeed! Look at its color, its shape—is it not completely different from the multitude of fruits on my stall? This is a miracle fruit born from coincidentally absorbing the essence of the Sky Island's Mist And Clouds for a thousand years!"
The Shopkeeper spoke animatedly, "Consider this: rarely seen in a thousand years, its taste must be hundreds of times fresher than ordinary fruit, right? Moreover, look, I picked it over two years ago, yet its color is like new, its shape unchanged, with no signs of spoilage whatsoever! Isn't that miraculous? Even if you don't eat it, it has great collectible value as a rare ornamental treasure!"
Gard was tempted by his words, especially the phrases 'rarely seen in a thousand years,' 'miracle,' and 'collectible value,' which constantly appealed to his busybody heart.
"Really? Then I'll buy it!"
Gard impulsively reached for his money.
"Captain!"
The nearby Crew Member quickly stopped him and whispered, "Don't be rash! This boss looks like he's bluffing; what fruit lasts two years without spoiling? He must be a swindler!"
"Wait! Esteemed guest!"
Seeing someone interfere, the Shopkeeper immediately adopted an expression of mutual understanding and leaned close to Gard.
"I feel we are kindred spirits at first sight. How about this: this treasure, originally priced at 1 billion Berries, today I'll give you an irresistible friendly price—only 100 million Berries! One-tenth the price! For just one-tenth, you can take this thousand-year opportunity home! How about it? Are you tempted?"
"O-one-tenth? Only 100 million Berries?"
Gard quickly calculated; that was equivalent to ten thousand Berries.
It sounded... not entirely unacceptable?
What if it really was a treasure?
"Captain! Don't buy it!"
"I'm buying it!"
In the end, Gard could not resist the double temptation of a thousand-year opportunity and a ten-percent discount. He took out ten thousand Berries and slapped them down proudly onto the stall.
"But Boss, we have an agreement. If I eat it and it's not even a hundred times tastier, let alone a thousand times, I'm coming back to get my money back!"
"No problem, no problem! Honest dealing!"
The Shopkeeper beamed, quickly took the money, and then shoved the mutated Treasure Fruit into Gard's hand.
Almost the second the transaction was complete, the Shopkeeper swiftly pulled out a small wooden sign, which had been prepared underneath the stall, and with a'slap,' hung it on the most conspicuous pillar of the shop.
On the wooden sign were written several clear, large characters.
[All Sales Final, No Returns or Exchanges]
Gard: "..."
All the Crew Members: "..."
The air suddenly went silent.
"C-Captain..."
A Crew Member cautiously nudged the frozen Gard.
"Did you... just get fleeced?"
The veins on Gard's forehead twitched happily a few times, and a surge of anger rushed to his head.
He abruptly turned his head and glared furiously at the fruit shop owner, who looked completely innocent.
"You Unscrupulous Merchant!!!"
"Oh my, respected guest, what are you trying to do?"
The Shopkeeper immediately stepped back half a pace and stated righteously.
"On Alamak Island, Blue Sea People resorting to violence against legal merchants violates God's Law! You will be sanctioned by the Enforcement Team!"
"You...!"
Gard clenched his fists until they cracked with anger, but remembering Captain Sammy's instructions, he forcibly swallowed the anger back down.
"Fine... fine... you scoundrel, just you wait!"
The Shopkeeper, however, leisurely continued, "Oh? Are you threatening me? According to Sky Island law, Blue Sea People threatening the personal safety of others is also an illegal act. Guest, are you sure you want to proceed?"
Gard's face completely darkened to the color of soot.
(〝▼dish▼)
He finally began to understand why the Sky Island was rumored to be so dangerous in the Blue Sea.
If this were the Blue Sea, with such local customs, that kind of Unscrupulous Merchant would have been beaten to death unless they possessed extremely high moral standards.
Moreover, aren't the legal clauses here too targeted against Blue Sea People?!
"Let's go!"
Gard squeezed three words out through gritted teeth, suppressing a belly full of fire, and turned to leave this heartbreaking place.
After walking a couple of steps, he became angrier the more he thought about it. Looking at the rotten fruit he had just bought for a heavy price, he picked it up and took a savage bite!
The next second, Gard completely petrified, his expression frozen on his face.
"Captain? What's wrong?"
Gard's complexion turned from red to green, from green to white. His cheeks bulged twice, and finally—
"Gulp—!! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!!"
An indescribable taste exploded in his mouth!
"It's so... disgusting—!!!!"
A wail mixed with pain, anger, and immense regret echoed across the quiet streets of Alamak Island.
The unscrupulous shop owner had already retreated behind his stall, pretending to tidy up the fruit, but the irrepressible smile playing on his lips betrayed his current mood.