Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Garrison Area No. 60.
The Whale Slayer docked to rest, and Conrad and the other four disembarked.
Kujaku had been here before. Since childhood, her grandmother and Sister Cuckoo had often brought her here to play. Now, faced with several country bumpkins looking around at the bubbles in the sky—
She raised her chin like a host and said, "Come on! I'll take you to rent bubble bikes, then we can ride to the amusement park."
Conrad picked up the Den Den Mushi case and led Baby-5 farther in. All sorts of people passed by, dressed in strange and varied outfits. There were vendors selling balloons and cotton candy, making it seem like they had entered a peaceful marketplace.
But he knew it was divided into districts. Tree No. 60 was close to the Marines, so pirates appeared less often.
Trees No. 1 through 29, meanwhile, were lawless territory.
In a row of shops displaying bubbles alongside wheels, a shopkeeper pitched to Drake, "Five hundred Beli for a day's rental! Ten thousand Beli to buy one outright! Twenty days' rent is enough to buy a whole bike!"
Drake was still counting on his fingers.
Kujaku had already pulled a strawberry wallet from her cleavage, taken out 2,500 Beli, and stuffed it into the shopkeeper's hand. "Rent five!"
She turned back to explain, "The bubbles here can only exist because of the mangrove climate of the Sabaody Archipelago. They'll burst if they leave the area! I got scammed twice when I was little!"
Baby-5 tugged on Conrad's hand, blushing as she pointed at a two-seater bike. "I want to ride that one."
Conrad nodded. After paying extra, he took out a tandem bubble bike and bought a map. Once he had checked the direction, he hung the Den