After greeting them one by one, Leo instead asked for the name of that big-bearded merchant first.
"M-My name is Basca," he introduced himself excitedly.
"How much is each of these fruits?" Leo asked him again, as though he and Ace had arranged it beforehand.
Basca glanced at Ace. If Ace had not asked him before, he could naturally have named any price he wanted. Whether it meant currying favor with the Revolutionary Army or making a fortune for himself, either would have been a fine choice.
But Ace had already asked him once, and he had already answered. Any discrepancy could raise suspicions and bring disaster upon him.
He did not dare exaggerate. He gave Leo the exact same price he had told Ace before, prompting Leo to nod lightly. Leo picked up one of the fruits for his daughter to play with. The little girl, delicate as a porcelain doll, had never seen such a fruit before and was immediately fascinated. After fiddling with it for a moment, she impatiently took a huge bite.
The result came as no surprise. Her little face instantly scrunched up, a look of agony spreading across it. Yet even with her face all twisted up, she did not cry. She only spat frantically, with more than half of it aimed at the big-bearded merchant. She felt he had bad intentions.
Ace burst out laughing beside them. The moment he saw Leo pick up the fruit, he had folded his arms across his chest and waited for the show. He had not expected little Zoya to eat it instead. His laughter earned him a vicious glare from Hancock, who took Zoya from Leo's arms. With a slight movement of her finger, an ice cube appeared in her hand, which she slipped into Zoya's