Chaos

On the streets of Water 7.

Freya bought a large barrel of fine sea salt for 200,000 Beli.

In a world where even a newspaper cost 100 Beli, 200,000 Beli was hardly a fortune, especially compared with pirate bounties that routinely ran into the tens or hundreds of millions. But for an ordinary family in Water 7, it could amount to a full year's income.

Ordinary families in the pirate world rarely lived well. After all, when famous fighters spoke of their childhoods, most had grown up in poverty.

Compared with the countless islands still living in primitive conditions, Water 7, renowned for its shipbuilding industry, was already prosperous.

The barrel of highly concentrated crystalline salt was naturally heavy, but to Scarl, carrying it was nothing.

Scarl might have been a gorilla, but he was far from stupid.

To honor Boss Shiki's final wish, Scarl and Dr. Indigo had joined the Sky Pirate Crew. At first, they had worried the crew might never accept them as its own. But after Dr. Indigo became Ayala's teacher, they quickly found their place.

Naturally, the two of them understood whose favor they needed to win, and they paid even more attention to Ayala.

Scarl might have been a gorilla, but he was a formidable fighter. He had not become a crewmember aboard the legendary pirate Golden Lion's ship merely by being a pet.

So when the others could not show themselves, he made the perfect bodyguard.

Scarl noticed the pirates behind them the moment they appeared. He barely reacted, though. This was part of the plan, and petty pirates like them were hardly worth his trouble!

He kept walking down the street with the group.

Just then, sounds of fighting came from nearby, bringing everyone to a halt.

The combatants were not pirates,