As the merchant ship docked, the Marines aboard the battleship began murmuring to one another.
"Five Seas Chamber of Commerce? That name sounds familiar…"
"Of course it does. That's the group that wiped out a bunch of pirate crews in the North Blue not long ago. They're famous over there. Did you already forget? We just got back from North Blue."
"Yeah, I heard tons of companies and guilds in the North Blue are trying to partner with them for protection."
"So that masked guy is the president of the Five Seas Chamber? Damn… look at all those hot secretaries! Short skirts, long legs… tsk tsk, I'm jealous."
"…"
Because Sora and the others had altered their appearances, the Marines didn't recognize any of them.
More importantly, since he had boldly docked beside a Marine warship, they instinctively dismissed the idea that he could be a criminal. Coupled with the Five Seas Chamber name, their suspicions never arose.
This was the classic "hidden in plain sight" tactic—and one of the main reasons Sora dared to pull this off.
Hearing the Marines talk, Nami, Robin, and Vivi were dumbfounded, staring at Sora in shock.
They couldn't believe how famous the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce had become. Even the Navy knew about it.
And more incredibly—they were actually getting away with this.
"W-was all of that true?" Miss Valentine (Mikita) asked in disbelief.
"I'm from the North Blue. Of course it's true," Sora replied casually. "Anyway, you're all off for half a day. Go shopping. Each of you gets one million Berries—collect it from Makino."
"Stick to groups of three or more, and stay safe."
With a shrug, Sora disembarked from the Divine Slave.
He hadn't expected the Marines to recognize the name, but seeing the stunned expressions on Nami and the others made him grin.
Pulling off a bluff like this… it felt amazing.
"Yay!!"
Nami and Mikita cheered and rushed to Makino to grab their allowance. It was time for a serious shopping spree.
"Aren't we supposed to watch the ship?" Reiju, dressed in a sleek black blazer and short white skirt, asked as she approached Sora.
"No need."
Sora smiled, then tossed several stacks of Berries to the Marines on the nearby warship.
"Gentlemen of the Navy, I'm the president of the Five Seas Chamber. Would you be so kind as to watch our ship for a while? This is just a little something for your drinks."
The Marines' eyes sparkled at the sight of over 100,000 Berries lying on the deck. None of them expected such generosity.
A sergeant stepped forward, clutching the cash and saluted Sora.
"You can count on us, sir. We'll keep your ship safe!"
Hearing the Marines' enthusiastic promise, Nami, Robin, Mikita, and the others all rolled their eyes.
Hopeless… Jessica thought silently.
Given Sora's terrifying power, she no longer harbored any thoughts of escape. And even if she wanted to, she couldn't get away with everyone else around.
"Thanks, fellas."
Sora grinned, stepping off the ship.
Reiju laughed softly and took his arm as they walked away. Anna and Shalria followed close behind.
Robin glanced at the others on the ship and then followed Sora as well.
After they left, the rest split into two shopping groups:
Nami, Vivi, Nojiko, Makino, Kaya, and Laki in one.
Mikita, Sara, Golden Week, Conis, and Jessica in the other.
Since Sora had handed out spending money, they were determined to shop till they dropped.
…
After disembarking, Sora rented a six-seater Bull—a common water taxi in Water 7's canal-filled city—for 3,000 Berries.
"Robin, not joining them on the shopping trip?" Sora asked as he sat in the back row with Reiju in his arms.
Anna and Shalria sat in the front, piloting the Bull. Robin sat alone in the middle, facing him.
Since Sora planned to stir up trouble with CP9, he hadn't invited Robin along—he didn't want her to be haunted by bad memories.
"I figured you were up to something and came to watch the show," Robin said, crossing her legs and resting her chin on one hand, smiling at him.
"Oh yeah?"
"Then come sit by me," he offered with a grin, shifting with Reiju to make room.
Robin smiled faintly, then got up and joined them.
Sora let out a chuckle, holding Reiju by the waist and wrapping his other arm around Robin's shoulder, fully enjoying his blissful moment of having two beauties at his side.
Soon, under the jealous gazes of the townsfolk, Sora arrived at his destination—
The Franky House.
This was the base of operations for Franky and his gang, where they dismantled ships for money.
And when needed, they mugged pirates—just like they had done to Usopp in the original story.
Sora's plan was to locate Franky first and get the Pluton blueprints before dealing with CP9.
BANG!
With one solid kick, Sora blasted open the doors of the dismantling house, walking in with Reiju, Robin, Anna, and Shalria in tow.
They were now dressed like mafia members—white shirts, black suits, sunglasses.
"Who the hell are you?! You dare break into the Franky Family's turf?!"
Zambai, one of the gang's squad leaders, shouted furiously.
Sora looked at the chaos inside and calmly ordered,
"Knock them out."
"Yes, Master," Anna and Shalria replied in unison, charging into the group.
Like wolves among sheep, the two cut through Franky's men with ease, quickly incapacitating them.
"AHHHH!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
Amid the screams, Sora strolled over to a sofa and sat down.
Seeing that Anna and Shalria had things under control, Reiju and Robin didn't bother helping. They simply walked over and leaned into Sora's arms.
A short while later, Anna and Shalria—both bloodied from the fight—dragged the unconscious Zambai before Sora.
Just as Sora was about to question him about Franky's whereabouts—
A near-naked, mask-wearing man walked through the door.
It was Franky—having returned after learning that Akainu and the Navy had finally left Water 7.
Looking around at his fallen subordinates, Franky glared at Sora and coldly said,
"Oi... what the hell did you do to my adorable little brothers?"
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to 30+ chapters and receive daily updates at [email protected]/Betek (@->a).