Shopping

Carrying an empty suitcase, Zhou Qi said, "Let's go, Tashigi!"

"Can I bring this book?" Tashigi raised her hand and asked.

It had only been a short while, and she was already completely absorbed in it!

"It's a gift. You can read it later. Don't you want to see my country?" Zhou Qi asked.

"Huh?" Tashigi had thought he gave her the book to keep her from paying attention to the outside world. She hadn't expected it to really be for passing the time!

"Of course I do!" Tashigi hurriedly said. "But I want to read too."

"You can read anytime. If you miss seeing the country today, who knows when you'll get another chance..." Zhou Qi said.

"Alright!" That made sense, so Tashigi obediently put the book down.

"Put the sword down too. We don't allow people to carry blades on the street here!" Zhou Qi said.

"What if we run into danger?" Tashigi asked.

"Then I'll get it back out for you. Don't forget my ability!" Zhou Qi said with a smile. "Besides, I brought this. With your skills, this will be enough!"

He pulled out a transparent acrylic ruler fifty centimeters long and nearly one centimeter thick. He had bought it from Teacher Chen, Chen HeGao's shop.

"Oh..." Tashigi hurriedly placed Small Night Rain on the table, took the ruler, and gave it an experimental swing. It felt a little strange in her hand, but it wouldn't affect her much.

"Wait..." Zhou Qi noticed Tashigi's clothes again.

A purple printed shirt and tight blue pants. The outfit was actually fairly modern.

But the problem was that it was just too Tashigi!

What if they ran into some hardcore fan of One Piece on the street? Wouldn't they recognize her at a glance?

"You should change clothes!" Zhou Qi went back into the bedroom, searched around, and found a white button-up shirt.

This kind of shirt didn't really distinguish between men and women. Anyone could wear it.

There was no need to change the blue pants. The material was similar to denim, and people wore that sort of thing everywhere!

"Huh?" Tashigi blinked, once again having no idea why.

Had her outfit violated some kind of taboo?

Because she didn't understand, that inexplicable sense of awe made her go along with him again.

A little later, Tashigi came out of the bedroom after getting changed. She shyly adjusted her glasses. "H-how do I look?"

"Mm... very pretty!" Zhou Qi gave her a thumbs-up.

White shirts were standard workwear at plenty of companies. With one on, along with her red-framed glasses, Tashigi actually gave off the impression of a fledgling urban beauty.

And because she had served in the military and practiced swordsmanship, Tashigi possessed a sharpness rarely seen in modern women. She looked valiant and dashing.

"If you walked down the street three years ago looking like this, you'd definitely turn a lot of heads!" Zhou Qi praised.

"Three years ago?" Tashigi blinked. "Can't I now?"

"Probably still can!" Zhou Qi shook his head. "Maybe some old perverts have trained the skill of judging looks through masks!"

As he spoke, he handed Tashigi a mask.

"Copy me and put it on..."

"I have to cover my face too..." There were so many strange rules.

Tashigi put on the mask and took a small breath. She could adapt to it well enough.

"Alright, let's go!" Carrying the suitcase, Zhou Qi opened the door.

"Should I carry it for you?" Tashigi quickly reached out to take it.

"It's empty, empty!" Zhou Qi hurriedly said. "It's not heavy. I'll carry it!"

If he made a girl drag his suitcase, even someone as famous as Lang Lang would get roasted for it.

"Oh..." Tashigi nodded and followed Zhou Qi out. They arrived at the elevator and got in once it came.

One Piece World had these things too, so there was no need for him to explain them.

A girl in a pink T-shirt with SpongeBob printed on the chest was also riding the elevator downstairs, leading a dog on a leash. She ignored Zhou Qi completely, but when she saw Tashigi, she immediately covered her mouth!

"Fuck!" Zhou Qi was startled. No way, could the very first person they met recognize Tashigi? She had changed clothes and was wearing a mask!

The girl first lowered her head to look at Tashigi's flats, then spoke with a shocked expression.

It was already too late for Zhou Qi to stop her, and he didn't dare stop her either.

"You're so tall!" the girl finally said.

"Fuck!" Zhou Qi clutched his chest. That scared the life out of me!

Still, honestly speaking, Tashigi's height of 1.70 meters was indeed considered quite tall on Earth, especially when the girl in pink was only around 1.55 meters.

"What did she say?" Tashigi hadn't understood.

"She said you're tall!" Zhou Qi translated.

"Huh? You're Japanese too?" The girl was even more surprised. Weren't Japanese people supposed to be short? Japanese girls should be even shorter, logically speaking!

"She's from Okinawa. Okinawan girls aren't short. My wife Aragaki Yui is also 1.70 meters tall!" Zhou Qi said.

"Oh, oh!" The girl nodded repeatedly. She had learned something new!

But she quickly came back to her senses and glared at Zhou Qi. You already have such a pretty, tall girlfriend, yet you're still thinking about Aragaki Yui!

"What did she say this time?" Tashigi asked curiously.

"She thought you were from Wano Country and said Wano Country people are all short..." Zhou Qi translated.

"Wano Country?" Tashigi shook her head. "I'm not from Wano Country. I'm from the East Blue!"

"That's what I told her!" Zhou Qi said.

Wasn't Okinawa in the East Blue? Nothing wrong with that!

"Mm-hmm!" Tashigi was rather happy. This was the first Chinese person she had met besides Zhou Qi!

She was half curious and half excited. How enthusiastic! The first thing the girl did was compliment her!

"Let's go!" Zhou Qi waved, and Tashigi hurriedly followed him. She curiously looked around at the residential complex, the trees, then tapped her feet against the marble floor with a clack-clack-clack.

Children ran and played, old men gathered beneath the trees to play chess, and little dogs rolled around together. Everything felt so novel.

Zhou Qi went to the small convenience shop in the residential complex, bought two Choco Crisps, and handed one to Tashigi, who was waiting at the entrance.

"What's this?" Tashigi curiously tore open the wrapper and recognized it at once.

"Ice cream?"

"This is called an ice pop. Ice cream is round! But they're basically the same!" Zhou Qi said. "Remember this packaging and brand. If you buy one yourself later, get this kind. Don't ever buy anything you don't recognize!"

"Mm-hmm!" Tashigi wore a mask and still didn't know how to eat it, but she noticed that not everyone wore masks.

So she cautiously lifted it a little, took a bite, then hurriedly covered up again, afraid Zhou Qi would notice.

But Zhou Qi never turned around, and she immediately grew much bolder. Just as she lifted her mask to take a big bite, Zhou Qi turned around.

"Ah, I like eating Choco Crisps that way too..." Zhou Qi commented, then pointed at the pillar ahead. "That thing is the access control system. You need this to open it. When we come back, I'll get one made for you, or..."

He wondered whether they would even need to come back once he had a factory.

He would think about that later.

"Mm-hmm!" Tashigi nodded repeatedly.

Once they left the residential complex, they found themselves on a broad road. Cars streamed back and forth, leaving Tashigi utterly stunned.

It wasn't as if she had never seen cars before. Smoker had a motorcycle.

But there were pitifully few vehicles in Loguetown. Yet here...

The number of vehicles passing along this road in one minute was enough to match all of Loguetown!

Even Mary Geoise probably wasn't any more impressive than this!

For some reason, she grew nervous. Seeing that Zhou Qi had finished his ice pop and freed up one hand, she quickly took it.

Zhou Qi paused and turned around, only to see Tashigi looking down uneasily.

Like a cat that had just arrived in a new environment, she was filled with fear of the unfamiliar.

"Don't be afraid!" Zhou Qi comforted her. "Those things are called cars. They're just a means of transportation. We're going to buy one later too, and you can sit inside one!"

"Mm-hmm!" Tashigi nodded, finally relaxing a little.

"And roads have rules too. They can't just drive however they want. Look at that light—it's called a traffic light. When it's red, passing is forbidden. When it's green, you can go. When cars aren't allowed through, we can cross the road!"

Although there were many cars at this intersection, it was near a residential complex and there were lots of pedestrians. Drivers knew to slow down, so there hadn't been any traffic accidents here in recent years.

It was quite safe.

Zhou Qi pointed at the traffic police officer standing at the intersection. "Look at that hat and uniform. They're police officers, responsible for maintaining public order in the city. If you have any problems, you can go to them—for example, if you get lost, lose your money, or get scammed..."

"Police have to do so many things?" Tashigi was curious. There were police in One Piece World too. Orange Town had one named Gen, didn't it?

But the police over there didn't really do much!

"I don't know about police elsewhere, but in our country, they handle everything from fights and brawls to disputes between neighbors!" Zhou Qi said.

"I see!" Tashigi carefully looked at the police officer working diligently on duty, a large patch on his back already soaked through with sweat, and inexplicably felt a little envious.

It seemed Loguetown didn't have police. The Marines only dealt with pirates, and they couldn't take on the town's public safety as well. More often than not, residents had to maintain order themselves.

After crossing the road, they reached a commercial street. Right in front of them was a convenience store, and a customer came out holding a cup of milk tea.

"Want a cup of milk tea?" Zhou Qi asked. "It's one of our specialty drinks!"

"You shouldn't spend more money on me!" Tashigi hurriedly waved her hands.

"Not at all. Since you came all this way, I have to treat you properly. Otherwise, people will say, 'A foreigner finally comes here, and you can't even buy her a cup of milk tea?'" Zhou Qi said.

"Huh?" Tashigi blinked. "Is it that serious?"

"It's even more serious than you think. Some people's fists can grind even the Great Way into nothing!" As he spoke, Zhou Qi walked past the convenience store.

"Huh?" Tashigi blinked. Weren't they buying milk tea? I actually kind of wanted some.

"This place is too expensive. There's a Mixue Bingcheng up ahead. It's a shop from my hometown—cheap and good value. Let's go there!" Zhou Qi said.

"Mm-hmm!"

Five minutes later, Tashigi had a cup of shaken milkshake in her hands.