"I don't know what's going on, but these toys really do look interesting," Merry said, tilting her head as she looked into the distance. "I wonder if I can buy a few to take back."
If she could buy a few and take them away, it would surely be fun.
"You must be joking, guest."
A toy soldier lying on the ground spoke up. "The toys of this country are not for sale to outsiders."
After all... that would carry the risk of exposing the truth of this country!
To prevent such a thing from happening, the King had issued this order long ago.
"They're not for sale...?" Merry wore a disappointed expression. "Then never mind."
She had originally thought this country specialized in selling toys, but it turned out they weren't for sale.
Seeing Merry looking a bit downcast, Perona reached out and rubbed the little girl's head. "At worst, we'll just snatch a few when we leave."
Toy Soldier: ??
What do you mean 'snatch a few'?
Does this woman even know what she's saying?
Just then, a man's exclamation drifted over from the distance.
"Hey, a man's been stabbed!" a robot cried out. "How tragic!"
"Ah... another one."
Zoro: ??
Glancing at the toy soldier who had climbed up from the ground, several question marks immediately popped up over Zoro's head.
"What do you mean 'another one'?"
"Is there a serial killer here?"
"It's not that."
The robot shook its head and said, "It's just that the women of this country are extremely devoted to love. Once they discover their man has abandoned them to love someone else, they will take revenge and wound them."
"That terrifying?"
Zoro stared at the soldier robot, dumbfounded; he clearly hadn't expected such a thing.
"Yes, indeed~"
The soldier robot said with a giggle, "The more beautiful the woman, the harder she stabs~"
Zoro: ...
What a terrifying country.
"I didn't expect the women here to be like this." Perona glanced at the women in the distance and muttered, "It is a bit harsh."
"However... if the man really is a heartbreaker, there's nothing wrong with taking revenge."
Having said that, Perona casually glanced at the back of a certain someone.
Zoro: !!
Why did he suddenly feel a chill down his spine?
Unaware of Perona's gaze, Zoro subconsciously looked around, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes.
What was going on?
"Even though I don't know what's up with these toys, let's go eat first," Luffy spoke up. "I'm hungry!"
"I want to eat!!"
"Haha, you guests certainly are energetic~" the toy soldier said with a chuckle. "Would you like me to lead the way?"
He felt these people were quite interesting.
"No need for that," Meiser said with a wave of his hand. "We can just wander around on our own."
Although he didn't know what the deal was with this toy, he figured it was better not to let the guy follow them, just in case he was one of Doflamingo's eyes and ears.
Seeing that Meiser had said so, the toy soldier tactfully picked up his things and left.
However, before leaving, he still offered a playful warning.
"Everyone, don't go provoking the women of this country lightly~"
With that, he turned and walked away.
"Who would provoke the women of this country?" Zoro grumbled.
Wouldn't that just be looking for trouble?
"No, I think we still need to pay attention to that," Meiser said.
Zoro froze for a moment, then noticed Meiser's gaze.
He was looking straight at Sanji.
Zoro: ...
Thinking about it carefully, this shitty cook really might do something like that.
At this thought, Zoro spoke up, "Hey, shitty cook, keep yourself in check."
Sanji, who was observing the beautiful women in the distance, froze upon hearing this, then looked at Zoro with annoyance. "Why are you being so nosy, Moss Head!"
"Who are you calling Moss Head?"
"Then who are you calling a shitty cook?!"
"You..."
"..."
"Negative Spirit!"
Vroom~
Two Negative Spirits floated past, causing the two men who were about to start a fight to slump honestly onto the ground.
"I... I'm just a piece of trash..."
"I'm sorry for being born..."
"..."
"You two behave yourselves."
Looking at the two men slumped on the ground, Perona said with some disdain, "Don't forget where we are right now."
If they started a fight here, the enemy might notice something was wrong, so she had to make these two behave.
Understanding what Perona meant, the two didn't argue back, only casting annoyed glances at each other.
If it weren't for this bastard, how could I have been taken down by Perona? x2
In that moment, the desire to beat the other up rose in their hearts once again, but they planned to wait until they got back to make their move.
"Hey, you guys, hurry up and follow me!"
Luffy, who had already run into a small alley ahead, turned back and waved his arms at the group, shouting, "I already smell meat!"
As he spoke, Luffy sniffed hard, and saliva began to flow uncontrollably.
Yes, that's the smell!
"Coming, coming!"
Meiser quickly followed, and soon led everyone into the alley where Luffy was.
Then, they noticed a restaurant in the alley.
"A restaurant?"
Meiser said in surprise, "There's actually a restaurant here?"
Isn't the location of this restaurant a bit too ridiculous?
Would people actually come here?
Or was it a case of 'good food needs no advertisement'?
"I don't know why this restaurant is here, but the smell is definitely coming from inside," Sanji said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Franky said with a grand wave of his hand. "I'm hungry too."
With that, he quickly walked toward the restaurant ahead.
Luffy was already at the door.
The others smiled and followed, but Zoro and Meiser, who were at the back, seemed to hear something and stopped simultaneously.
"Hmm?"
Glancing at the blind man walking down the side stairs, Meiser subconsciously narrowed his eyes.
This feeling...
This man is definitely not simple!
Zoro had sensed this as well, so his gaze became solemn, and his hand slowly hovered over his sword hilt.
Once he determined this man was here to cause trouble, then... he would not hesitate to strike and take him out!
Thus, the two stood in place, silently watching as Fujitora walked down step by step and slowly passed by them.
Just then, Fujitora stopped and spoke, "Could I ask you two for some information?"
Zoro and Meiser exchanged a glance, the thought in their minds reaffirmed.
This person is indeed not simple.
At the very least, his Observation Haki is quite good!
Meiser then said, "Go ahead, what is it?"
"I heard there's a casino nearby." Fujitora showed a slightly sheepish smile and asked, "Do you know where it is?"
"Sorry, old man," Meiser said. "We're not interested in that, so we don't really know if there's one here."
"You could try asking somewhere else," Zoro added.
"I see..."
Fujitora rubbed his head and said, "Alright, I understand. Thank you both."
With that, Fujitora turned and walked away with a smile, appearing completely unassuming.
Watching him leave, the expressions on the two men's faces gradually tightened.
"That guy isn't simple," Zoro said.
"Yeah."
Meiser nodded and said, "Based on his aura, his strength is very high."
He just didn't know which side the man belonged to; he hoped he wasn't with the Marines.
Shaking his head, Meiser turned toward the restaurant behind them, saying, "Let's go. We need to go 'drain the radiator' first."
Although they didn't know who he was, as long as the man didn't move against them, there was no need to provoke a powerhouse.
Recklessly making enemies was not something a wise man would do.
This time, Zoro didn't argue, but honestly followed Meiser away.
That's right, he also needed to go 'drain the radiator'.
Once Meiser and Zoro had taken care of their personal business, they returned to the restaurant and found Luffy and the others.
"Already ordered?" Meiser asked as he pulled out a chair.
"Yeah, all ordered."
Merry, sitting in her seat with her chin in her hands, said, "We ordered one of every dish!"
"That certainly sounds like Luffy's style," Meiser teased.
However, given their appetites, they weren't worried about leftovers, so Meiser didn't say anything more.
Picking up a glass of ice water from the table and taking a sip, Meiser leaned back in his chair, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
"What were you two doing just now?" Perona asked curiously.
"Ah, we ran into an interesting old man," Zoro said.
"Interesting old man?"
Confusion appeared in Perona's eyes. What interesting old man?
"A blind old man."
Meiser picked up the conversation and said softly, "But based on his aura, his strength is very high."
"I just don't know if he's..."
Although Meiser didn't finish his sentence, the few clever people present understood what he meant.
The man could be a Marine!
Understanding this, Sanji subconsciously frowned and said, "Did he notice something wrong?"
But their disguises were fine.
"Not sure."
Meiser shook his head and said, "But he didn't seem to have any ill intent, so the two of us just left."
Even though they didn't know exactly how strong that blind old man was, he indeed hadn't released any hostility toward them, so the two of them didn't do anything unnecessary.
This time, Sanji just nodded and said no more.
Even if the man was a Marine, since he had no ill intent for now, there was no need to pay him any mind.
"The food is coming so slowly..." Luffy said with a pout. "I'm starving."
"Aren't you just being picky?" Meiser rolled his eyes. "Do you think a table full of gourmet food is that easy to prepare?"
He expected the food to be served right after ordering?
That was a bit unrealistic.
After all... there were no pre-packaged meals in this world.
"Alright..." Luffy slumped onto the table as if discouraged. "I hope they bring it out soon, or I'll starve to death."
After speaking, Luffy picked up the water on the table and started drinking, clearly planning to fill up on water first.
Just then, Kin'emon slammed his fist onto the table, startling Luffy so much that the water sprayed from his mouth.
"What are you doing?!"
Why did you suddenly hit the table?
That was completely uncalled for!
"Is it really alright for us to waste time here like this?" Kin'emon said, gripping the table tightly. "Don't forget what we have to do."
"Also, Kanjuro is waiting for me to save him..."
If they continued to waste time here, would Kanjuro die?
And would their plan succeed?
"Alright, alright, calm down first," Franky said. "Even though time is tight, we can't just skip meals."
"Besides, running around aimlessly is pointless. We might as well gather information first."
Only by getting enough information could they complete the mission as soon as possible.
Then, Franky glanced at Meiser, his eyes seemingly asking: Have you sent your clones out to gather intel?
"Don't worry, I'm already on it," Meiser said.
Hearing this, Franky immediately showed a relieved expression. Meiser truly was reliable.
"Now it's fine." Franky patted Kin'emon on the shoulder and said, "Let's eat first."
Seeing both of them say so, Kin'emon temporarily set aside his agitation and gradually calmed down.
Meanwhile, a meme popped into Meiser's mind.
(Things have come to this, let's eat first.)
One had to say, it was very fitting.
Thinking of this, Meiser began to laugh.
"Speaking of which..." Sanji glanced at the tables in the distance and said, "Don't you find it strange?"
"What's strange?"
"The King of this country just announced his abdication this morning," Sanji said with a frown. "I was worried this place would be in a panic."
"Maybe they don't even know about it yet," Zoro suggested.
"How is that possible?"
Franky set down his cola and said, "For such a major event, how could they not know?"
This was something that concerned the fate of the entire country; how could they not know?
"Maybe for the people of this country, the King's existence isn't as important as one might think," Meiser speculated. "After all, for ordinary people, life goes on as usual."
As for the King?
If the King changes, wouldn't their lives still be the same?
So, not caring was actually quite normal.
"Why obsess over this?" Luffy said with a grand wave of his hand. "I'll just ask and find out."
With that, Luffy turned toward the distant tables and shouted, "Hey, old man, you—"
Thud!
After giving Luffy a kick, Sanji said, "Shut up, you idiot!!"
"Did you forget who we are?!"