Loguetown.
The scorching sun hung high in the sky as noon approached. A dark red pirate ship parted the waves, slowly drawing near.
"We still have plenty of supplies left on board. We just need to restock our food, so Sanji will be in charge of that."
"Leave it to me."
"Gin, make a trip to contact the black market merchants. See if there are any channels to acquire the new type of South Blue munitions."
"Understood."
Inside the captain's cabin, several people sat in a circle around the sofas.
About to land in Loguetown, Allen began assigning tasks to the various divisions. After finishing, he shifted his gaze to the Nyaban Brothers.
"You two go find the ship dealers. Gather information on all the ship models available for purchase on the island, and meet back at the ship before sunset."
"Got it, Boss."
"Hehe, leave the ship business to us."
Buchi and Sham agreed with full confidence.
Allen looked outside. The port of Loguetown was already clearly visible. He stood up and gave one more instruction.
"Once on the island, keep your subordinates in check. Don't cause any trouble for me before we get our hands on the new ship. Other than that, they can eat, drink, and play however they want."
"Hehehe, don't worry, Boss. If anyone dares to delay us from boarding our new ship, I absolutely won't forgive them."
Buchi patted his chest and laughed, guaranteeing it.
Nami shifted her gaze to Allen and asked, "What about me? Don't you have anything for me to take charge of?"
"As for you..."
Allen looked her up and down, pondering for a moment.
They had already looted plenty of navigational tools from Fullbody's warship previously, even acquiring two Eternal Poses from Marine Headquarters. They lacked absolutely nothing.
If there was really anything else that needed to be purchased, he actually wanted to buy some furniture. Now that they had money, the new ship needed to be decorated with some high-end goods.
"How about you take a stroll down the furniture street? Prepare some new furniture for the new ship."
"Hehehe, sure. How much budget are you preparing to give me?"
Nami giggled and held her palm out toward him.
Allen was instantly left speechless. *'No wonder you're so enthusiastic,'* he thought.
"You and Sanji can cover your own expenses first. Bring the receipts back and we'll reimburse you from the ship's public funds."
"Tch, stingy."
Nami rolled her eyes at him with a look of disdain.
Allen ignored her.
From the money they had previously harvested from Arlong, he had already taken out 400 million Berries and distributed it.
According to their previous distribution system, the public funds and he himself each took a quarter, Sanji and the other major and minor officers divided a quarter, and the ordinary members shared the final quarter.
Now, the ship's public funds had reached 150 million Berries, the same amount as his personal pocket.
The remaining 3 billion in cash, plus what they harvested from Nezumi, along with some uncashed treasure from Don Krieg's ship, totaling 3.3 billion Berries, had all been allocated into the development fund by him.
Aside from the 1 billion budgeted for purchasing and furnishing the new ship, he planned to invest all the remaining money into upgrading their combat power.
Devil Fruits were something you could only encounter by chance and not actively seek out, but as long as you found the right channels and had a little bit of luck, they could actually be obtained through purchase.
Although the actual transaction price was far higher than the supposed 100 million Berries, it didn't matter because he had plenty of money. If 100 million Berries couldn't buy one, was he afraid 300 or 500 million wouldn't?
Another way to enhance the crew's combat power was through weapons.
Although most Marine soldiers were still using single-shot rifled muskets, automatic rifles, submachine guns, and machine guns actually already existed.
Equipping everyone with a laser cannon was a dream, but arming everyone with a submachine gun was a goal with a chance of realization.
Set up ten Gatling guns, and even a dinosaur would be turned into mincemeat. Aside from a very small number of ability users, few in the first half of the Grand Line could withstand that kind of firepower.
...
Soon, the ship slowly docked at a relatively secluded stretch of the coast.
"All divisions! Arrange your ship guards, and the rest of you prepare to disembark!"
"Yeah!!"
At Allen's command, all the pirates on the deck cheered and shouted.
"Let's go drink, boys!"
"Casino! Casino!"
"Red-light district!"
"Who's open at this hour, you idiot! You must be crazy for women. Come with me to the casino and play a few rounds!"
Amidst the fanatical cheers, the pirates poured off the ship in droves, excitedly rushing toward the town.
"Anyone who didn't know better would think they were here to pillage. Honestly."
Nami sighed helplessly.
So much for keeping a low profile. These idiots probably forgot about that the moment they turned around.
Before long, Sanji and the others disembarked, carrying out their respective missions.
Nami looked at Allen again and asked curiously, "What about you? What do you plan to do in town?"
"I'm free, so I'll just wander around. Why?"
Allen looked at her with a strange expression.
Nami stared back at him with a questioning gaze.
"Nothing. I just suspect you might go and stir up some trouble."
"Do I look like the kind of person who can't behave?" Allen retorted in annoyance.
Nami placed her hands on her hips, looking him up and down as she shot back, "Do you think you're some sort of law-abiding citizen?"
Allen once again did not disappoint her, flashing a toothy grin.
"Of course not."
*Bonk!!*
...
On the wide and bustling street, both sides were crowded with all sorts of shops and street vendors.
"First, we'll find a gold exchange to convert this treasure into cash. Then, after lunch, we'll go shopping for some furniture."
With one hand on her hip and a heavy sack of treasure slung over her back, Nami walked happily through the lively street.
"I know, I know. Whatever you say."
Allen, walking beside her, replied absentmindedly as his gaze swept left and right over the various stalls.
The moment she heard Allen was going to wander around town alone, Nami felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. Thus, she dragged him along with her, acting as if she wanted to keep an eye on him around the clock.
"I mean, really, why do you have to wear such a conspicuous pirate coat? It's like you're afraid people won't know who you are."
Noticing the constant stares coming from both sides of the street, Nami couldn't help but complain.
Hearing this question, Allen was left speechless. He replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Nonsense. It's because it looks cool, obviously. Besides, if I don't wear a captain's coat, who's going to know I'm a pirate captain?"
"That's exactly my point! Why are you so obsessed with letting everyone know... Ugh, never mind. There's no reasoning with you."
Nami sighed, ultimately choosing to drop the subject.
Passing through the central avenue, they found a gold exchange right around the corner. The two entered and converted all the treasure into cash.
The value of this treasure had already been estimated by an accountant beforehand, so there wasn't much to haggle over during the exchange process. However, Nami still fought tooth and nail for every penny, eventually settling the transaction at 112 million Berries.
After walking out, Allen generously waved his hand and rewarded Nami with the extra 2 million Berries she had managed to negotiate.
"Hehehe, thank you for the generous reward, Captain."
Catching the stack of Berries tossed her way, Nami playfully stuck out her tongue and giggled.
Allen rolled his eyes at her. "It takes two million Berries just to hear you call me Captain. That kind of money could get a hundred beauties to serve me for a night."
"In your dreams. This beautiful maiden's precious body isn't something that can be bought with mere money."
Nami held up an index finger toward him and smiled.
"It would take at least a hundred million Berries."
"Deal!"
Allen replied with a wide grin, reaching out to hook his finger around hers, causing her to pause.
Nami froze for a second before her face instantly flushed red. She ruthlessly slapped his hand away, turned around, and walked off.
"Get lost. You can't."
"Huh??"
"Because you actually have a hundred million Berries."
Nami replied in exasperation.
Allen was speechless.
*'Can't even take a joke. Pfft.'*
Nami walked on without looking back, gradually calming her nerves as her red ears returned to their normal color.
Spending a hundred million Berries to get a woman to sleep with him—she fully believed Allen was capable of doing something that stupid.
A while later, the two found a nice-looking, high-end restaurant and had lunch.
The bill came to forty thousand Berries for the two of them, and as usual, Allen paid.
As the captain of the Third Division, she had clearly just received eighteen million Berries from the distribution, yet Nami still maintained her habit of being an absolute cheapskate, refusing to part with a single cent.
After finishing lunch, the two finally prepared to get down to business.
—Purchasing furniture for their soon-to-be-acquired new ship.
Then, while passing through the clothing district and spotting a "Doskoi Panda" specialty store, Nami naturally took a detour and walked right in.
...
"This shirt looks pretty nice. I wonder if it goes well with a short skirt."
Picking up a sky-blue short-sleeved shirt, Nami examined it with delight.
*'Heh, women.'*
Allen casually sat down on a sofa in the lobby, looking at her with a disdainful gaze.
Nami picked up a small black camisole, held it up against herself, and turned back to ask him with a smile, "What do you think? Which one looks better?"
"Whichever one has less fabric looks better."
Allen said without a second thought.
Nami was speechless.
"Take this seriously."
"Then try them on and show me."
Allen shrugged. He then waved over an idle store clerk and handed him a banknote.
"Go next door and buy me a glass of juice. Keep the change."
"Hehe, please wait a moment, sir."
The clerk grinned, taking the money and jogging out, afraid that moving too slowly would make him wait too long.
Nami shot a disdainful look at Allen's money-wasting behavior, grabbed the clothes, and tossed her head as she walked toward the fitting room.
Allen lit a cigar, clamped it between his teeth, and leaned back on the sofa, beginning to enjoy his leisurely afternoon.
The warm sunlight fell quietly upon him through the glass, the swirling smoke tangling with the dust dancing in the beams of light.
*'Relaxing like this occasionally isn't too bad.'*
*'No need to think about how to recruit crew members, or where to go plunder treasure.'*
*'Just emptying my mind, lying quietly on a soft sofa, basking in the warm sun while watching all sorts of pedestrians come and go on the street.'*
*'It's only been about a week since I set sail, so why does it feel like it's been a long time...'*
Allen slowed his breathing and slowly closed his eyes.
A while later.
Nami walked out having changed her clothes. The sky-blue short-sleeved shirt paired with a beige pleated skirt gave her the pure aura of the girl next door.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with her pinky, Nami was just about to step forward and ask how the outfit looked when she realized Allen had already fallen asleep on the sofa.
"Honestly, you have no appreciation for a good view."
Nami didn't wake him. She merely muttered a complaint, then stepped forward, took the cigar from Allen's mouth, and stubbed it out.
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