A group of cheerful young girls wearing hot outfits came over with drinks, "The carnival lasts for three nights, and drinks across the city will be supplied for free, please enjoy the feast!"
"Thank you."
Everyone smiled and took a cup of drink.
"Let's split up and look around."
Holding the cup, Shano said in an unusually relaxed tone, "Enjoy and unwind, let's regroup here at midnight."
"Yes, boss."
By then, the Endgame should have arrived, and the carnival lasts all night. They can enjoy the first half of the night, while Kuina and others can have fun in the second half.
Tomorrow morning, they will set off to the next destination, Water Capital, and they can reach it before nightfall, the plan is perfect.
Speaking of.
In this Spring Queen City, they could put everything aside and purely relax for a vacation, but upon arriving in Water Capital, there are duties to attend to.
It's been almost three months since setting sail.
The Endgame has accompanied them all the way, experiencing numerous impacts and storms.
Since they're heading to the city hailed as the world's shipbuilding capital, a comprehensive inspection is inevitable, and they might as well reinforce and renovate the training room.
"Oh, right, and your flame conversion thruster."
Shano looked at Smoker, "It's been a long time, how is the development progress?"
"..."
Smoker blushed, the smoke from his cigar couldn't hide his embarrassment:
"Tried several designs, all failed, making it work on a ship the size of the Endgame is far more challenging than expected."
He scratched his head, exhaling a smoke ring in frustration:
"The closest attempt, the thruster lasted only three minutes before overheating and exploding. If Nojiko hadn't been nearby to help freeze it, it almost blew a huge hole in the stern."
"Considering you are not a professional shipwright, you've done quite well."
Shano laughed and patted his shoulder, "When we get to Water Capital, we can brainstorm with the shipwrights there, probably find a solution."
"Yes."
Smoker nodded, he thought the same.
After some casual chatting, they parted ways at the street corner.
Shano walked with Ah Yin along the northern main street, enjoying various song and dance performances, occasionally stopping to gaze at the fireworks blooming in the night sky.
"Hmm?"
Shano suddenly felt something, opened the system panel, and looked at the backpack section.
He saw at this moment, the Devil Fruit detection radar had two almost overlapping small yellow dots blinking.
This implied two Devil Fruits were within a ten-kilometer radius around him, and they were close to each other.
Clearly, the radar hadn't alerted when entering the city.
This meant the Devil Fruits were moving, likely carried by tourists, just entered this city.
"Hard to find..."
Shano furrowed his brows slightly.
In the city alone, there were at least over a hundred thousand people gathered, and it was impossible to tell who might have the Devil Fruits.
Moreover, if pirates or underworld criminals possess them, it wouldn't matter much, but if ordinary people got them, he had no reason to seize them.
Let fate decide.
Shano shook his head, closing the system panel.
Just prepared to take Ah Yin to buy some snacks at the stall upfront when suddenly, a voice shrill like a child came from behind:
"Hey Jabra, those two Devil Fruits are still in your bag, haven't lost them, right? Chababa!"
Hmm?
Shano paused and turned his head to look.
He saw three figures, conspicuous for not wearing masks, squeezed at the queue of a stall selling Tamagoyaki.
The one who had just spoken, with the same hair color as Zoro, had a round, plump body like a big basketball, yet with thin limbs, somewhat resembling an owl.
The most peculiar part was his mouth, which was a yellow zipper, now open and babbling incessantly:
"The mission failed again, these two fruits are unexpected spoils we barely managed to get. Tomorrow when we return to Judicial Island, handing them in can offset some of the penalty, mustn't lose them, chababa!"
"You're so noisy! Don't say such things out on the street, and anyway, how could I make mistakes on something this simple, so annoying!"
The middle-aged man called Jabra lost patience, turned, and shouted.
His physique seemed normal, wearing a black martial arts robe with an open chest, now pinching his long handlebar mustache, frowning and pondering deeply:
"More than that, why did the plan fail this time, it doesn't make sense, escorting two government dignitaries only, kept it secret and subtle throughout, how did they still become targeted by assassins..."
"Because I leaked it again, chababa! When drinking at the pier, the bartender asked who those two were, and I told him everything loudly, chababa!"
"What??!!!"
Jabra was stunned, in grief and anger, grabbed the other's collar, shaking violently, "So it was you again, Fukurou the Silent!"
"You, when will you fix this loose-lipped habit, what's the point of the zipper, we are supposed to be confidential government agents, damn it!"
"But speaking loudly is not right too, that man walking his big dog over there is watching us, chababa!"
"Just a passerby, don't mind him." The silent man on the far right finally spoke.
He was robust, with long pinkish-white hair, face covered in thick white foundation, now drawing a short blade, his expression solemn and heavy: