Oh no! This is the feeling of a crush...

Junkyard Island.

After Sephiroth finished discussing business with Mr. Tom, he brought the three women to the entrance of the City of Water.

"RENTAL BULL SHOP..."

Hancock murmured softly, somewhat puzzled.

"Why is the entrance to the City of Water a shop?"

Sephiroth immediately smiled and explained.

"Well... it has to do with the City of Water's architectural style.

In the City of Water, there are far more waterways than land streets, and traveling by water is more convenient instead.

That's why people here use certain special fish-like animals for transportation.

The fish I keep at home are still boarded elsewhere, and our ship is gone, so we can't enter directly by water. We can only rent some first."

As they spoke, the four of them had already entered the shop.

At the counter, a plump young man wearing glasses and reading a newspaper immediately greeted them.

"Welcome! Are you four here to rent BULLs?"

"Yes. Please get us two Arrowfish that can seat two people each."

"Sure thing!"

The chubby shop owner nodded. He first dragged two small wooden boats with only two seats each out of the warehouse, then selected two blue Arrowfish from the fishpond. After fitting the boats onto their backs and fastening the reins, he released them into the waterway.

"So these are BULLs?"

Hancock looked at the creatures. Above the neck, they looked much like horses, but their lower bodies were those of fish.

Curiosity appeared on her face as she reached out to stroke one. The Arrowfish immediately snorted and kept rubbing against her hand.

"Hahaha! Looks like it really likes you!... Renting one Arrowfish costs 250 Beli per day. How long would you like to rent them for?" the chubby owner asked with a broad smile.

"One day will be enough."

As he spoke, Sephiroth took out a five-hundred-Beli bill from his pocket and handed it to the chubby owner.

"Please come again!"

Once the four of them had boarded the Arrowfish one after another, the chubby owner cheerfully waved them off.

Hancock, who was riding the same Arrowfish as Sephiroth, tugged at his sleeve with an expectant look.

"Let's go to Commercial Street first! I want to buy some clothes..."

He turned to glance at the red short top and skirt she was wearing, then nodded in understanding.

Recently, Sephiroth had also noticed that Hancock seemed to have a mild cleanliness obsession. She did not like using things that had been used by others.

Because of that, the girl had even used needle, thread, and scissors to turn her own white cape into a white short top and skirt...

After receiving their instructions, the two Arrowfish did not need to be urged along with the reins. Being quite intelligent, they consciously swam toward the City of Water's Commercial Street.

"Sephiroth, why are there so many buildings beneath the water?"

Boa Marigold leaned over the edge of the wooden boat and looked through the crystal-clear water below.

Rows of houses submerged in seawater came into view.

"That?... Every year, the City of Water is hit by enormous tsunamis. They are terrifying enough to flood more than half the city's buildings.

Even after the seawater recedes, the water level remains somewhat higher than before."

"Over time, the island's land has been continuously swallowed by the sea.

Because the water level became too high, the residents of the City of Water had no choice but to build new houses atop the original buildings.

That's why the structures you see beneath the sea are actually the City of Water from decades ago..."

"Then won't this island be submerged sooner or later?" Sandersonia asked in surprise.

"Mm, that's true...

But if Mr. Tom manages to build the Sea Train, this island will be saved and regain its vitality..."

The four chatted intermittently. Most of the time, however, the three women asked questions while Sephiroth answered them.

City of Water, Commercial Street.

After tying up the two Arrowfish, the four of them went ashore.

There were not many pedestrians on the somewhat desolate streets. From time to time, they could see several people dressed like shipwrights gathered together, drinking away their sorrows.

"This city... feels kind of lifeless!" Boa Marigold murmured softly.

"There's nothing to be done about it... With the land being swallowed by the sea, and pirates running rampant and robbing people on the ocean...

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead! Maybe it was simply renamed!

The city's economy has been getting worse and worse..."

As he spoke, Sephiroth's voice gradually sank, and his eyes grew distant and unfocused.

The original owner's father had been a purchasing manager and shareholder of a company called Hughes Shipbuilding Company. He had died while taking Sephiroth to negotiate a deal for iron and lumber, when they were attacked at sea by the Beasts Pirates... He had sacrificed himself to save Sephiroth.

As the Great Pirate Era grew ever more intense, incidents like this would only become increasingly common.

In this chaotic age, without absolute strength, sometimes even staying alive was a luxury!

Hancock keenly noticed the shift in Sephiroth's mood.

At once, she reached out with her right hand and grabbed his left, giggling as she changed the subject:

"Come on! I have so many things to buy!

There's no time for you to keep spacing out."

"Okay!"

Sephiroth immediately snapped out of it and nodded, casting the strange emotions in his heart aside instead of dwelling on them.

Soon, the four of them entered a clothing store and began picking out outfits...

Hancock pulled open the fitting room curtain and showed him the purple crop top and white denim shorts she was wearing.

"Sephiroth, how do I look in this outfit?"

"Pretty..."

"Sephiroth, how do I look in this outfit?"

"Very nice..."

"Sephiroth..."

"Uh, uh, uh! Very good..."

Sephiroth sat in one of the chairs provided by the clothing store, answering absentmindedly.

His gaze, however, was fixed on two gorgeous young women in the store. They were trying on various cool and sexy swimsuits, discussing which ones suited them best.

It had to be said, the gap between the upper and lower limits of girls' looks in the world of Pirate King was enormous. The ugly ones could be ugly beyond belief, while some of the beautiful ones could be breathtakingly beautiful...

Suddenly!

He found his appraising gaze blocked by an adorable face.

The girl's face was very close, so close that the boy could even see himself reflected in her eyes.

Boa Hancock: (ㅇㅅㅇ❀)

Stare~!

Sephiroth: (^~^;)ゞ

"Ahem!... Hancock, why are you looking at me like that?"

Sephiroth turned his head slightly, feeling somewhat guilty and not daring to keep looking into her eyes.

Seeing this, Marigold instinctively pressed both hands against her chest and teased him with a giggle:

"Hehehe...! So Sephiroth likes them big?"

"Ahem! You've all finished buying clothes, right?

If you're done, then let's go!"

Sephiroth coughed lightly, trying to forcefully change the subject.

"Hmph!"

At that, Hancock gave a soft snort, turned around, and walked straight toward the swimwear section.

After looking through the options, she finally chose a white bikini and entered the fitting room, pulling the curtain shut behind her...

A moment later, Hancock emerged in the white bikini, her pretty face faintly flushed as she drew back the curtain.

"H-how... how is it?"

There was a faint shyness in the girl's eyes. She lowered her head slightly, her index fingers constantly twisting around each other before her.

It had to be said, Hancock had already begun to possess the bearing of the future Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, like a flower bud on the verge of blooming.

Her skin was tender and dewy, her legs long and fair. Higher up were a smooth little belly and a slender waist that could be held in one hand. Her modestly developing breasts looked even more alluring against the white bikini. Several strands of her long black hair draped over her delicate, fragile collarbones, while her snowy neck resembled white jade. The features on her pretty face were exquisite and flawless; whether she was pouting, angry, or shy, she was equally lovable.

"Uh!? It... it looks really good."

After taking a few glances, Sephiroth turned his head and looked elsewhere, secretly muttering to himself:

Oh no! This is what it feels like to have my heart race...