Under the clear blue sky and gentle breeze, the going merry slowly sailed across the calm sea.
Everyone was still immersed in the thrilling and dangerous events they had just experienced.
The shock brought by the train speeding across the sea still lingered in their minds.
"Hey, everyone! Look over there!"
Usopp suddenly pointed excitedly at the sea ahead and shouted loudly.
Everyone looked in that direction, only to see a solitary building standing not far off on the sea.
It swayed gently with the sea breeze, accompanied by a tall lighthouse that stood out prominently in the ocean.
"Wahahaha! There's a house in the middle of the sea!"
Luffy's eyes instantly lit up, and he waved his hands excitedly:
"Let's go, let's go check it out!"
Nami sighed helplessly, but seeing that the going merry was already heading towards the building, she could only let Luffy indulge his excitement.
As the ship approached, a tender child's voice suddenly drifted over on the sea breeze—
"Grandma! Grandma! Pirates are here!!"
Before the words even faded, a rapid sound came from inside the house.
Immediately after, an old but somewhat drunken voice emerged from the house:
"What? Really? Chimney, quickly bring the den den mushi..."
The next second, a figure appeared in the house's corridor—
It was a plump old woman, clutching a wine bottle.
She stumbled out, her face flushed with intoxication, seemingly not yet fully sober.
Zoro folded his arms, frowning slightly, and said:
"Oh? Someone came out... But it looks like she's planning to call for reinforcements."
Indeed, the little girl obediently handed the den den mushi to the plump grandma, saying crisply:
"Here you go, Grandma!"
The plump grandma took the den den mushi, the alcohol going to her head.
She half-closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and said in a muddled tone:
"Hello, hello... that... uh... what was I going to say..."
Three seconds of silence—
...Forgot."
Everyone: "..."
Usopp's temple throbbed, his face full of dark lines, and he couldn't help but retort:
"So she's drunk!!"
The atmosphere instantly became subtle.
Despite the somewhat chaotic start, as the going merry docked in front of the house,
Everyone finally began to converse with the two mysterious homeowners.
Nami displayed her usual social skills, and before long, through the Paille cuisine Sanji prepared,
She successfully made the two lower their guard, and the atmosphere became harmonious.
"Hehe, it's so delicious! Big Brother Sanji, what you make is amazing!"
The little girl Chimney, holding a fluffy cat,
Bit into a Paille, her face full of satisfied smiles.
"My name is Chimney, and this little cat is Gonbe!"
Chimney introduced herself to everyone with a cheerful smile.
Then she pointed to the plump old woman beside her and said seriously:
"And this is Kokoro!"
Kokoro let out a burp, waved her hand lazily, and said with hazy eyes:
"You... you're not train robbers, are you?"
Upon hearing this, Luffy excitedly patted his chest and shouted loudly:
"I am Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!"
Chimney blinked, looking at him in surprise:
"Really?!"
"Of course!"
Luffy nodded solemnly.
Kokoro laughed heartily, tilted her head back, and took another swig of wine:
"Haha! You're quite an interesting fellow!"
Nami, meanwhile, looked at Chimney and asked seriously:
"Chimney, that was a steamship just now, wasn't it?
But... with that shape, can it really sail on the sea like a normal ship?"
Chimney proudly puffed out her chest and said with a smile:
"Of course! You've never seen it before, have you?
Even if you search the whole world, you'll only find it here!"
She extended her small hand, pointing to the distant sea, her voice tinged with pride:
"That is—the Sea Train, Puffing Tom!"
"Sea Train?"
Nami frowned, as if wanting to confirm that her ears hadn't deceived her.
"Puffing Tom?"
"No, no!" Chimney waved her hand with a cheerful smile, explaining:
"It runs on steam power and travels along tracks on the sea!"
Lin Ning showed an interested expression, narrowing his eyes slightly:
"Tracks? Are they laid beneath the sea surface?"
"Exactly!" Chimney nodded excitedly, pointing to the water beneath the going merry:
"Just a little below the surface!
Every day, the Sea Train travels back and forth between various islands along a fixed route.
It can transport not only passengers but also ships and express deliveries!"
Upon hearing this, Luffy stared intently at the sea, then his eyes suddenly lit up:
"It's true! There really are tracks down there!"
Kokoro squinted, shook her wine bottle, and said casually:
"Speaking of which... where are you brats planning to go?"
She squinted at everyone and said slowly:
"If you take the Sea Train from here, the places you can go are—
'Spring Queen's Capital' St. Poplar,
'City of Cuisine' Pucci,
'Carnival Town' St. Falter!"
She tilted her head back, took a big gulp of wine, wiped her mouth heartily, and said with a laugh:
"These places are all quite nice! But..."
Her smile suddenly became mysterious, her voice paused, and her eyes narrowed slightly:
"If you are government personnel... there's also a 'special train'."
Lin Ning had just heard the words "City of Cuisine · Pucci."
He paused slightly, then repeated in a low voice:
"City of Cuisine?"
No sooner had Lin Ning finished speaking than Luffy, standing beside him, instantly perked up.
He suddenly jumped up, his eyes sparkling, and shouted excitedly, his face full of glee:
"Then let's go to the City of Cuisine!!"
He was just about to imagine himself feasting in a culinary paradise when suddenly—
"Whack!"
Nami delivered an iron fist squarely to the back of Luffy's head!
"Stop messing around!!" she said, hands on her hips, annoyed.
Luffy squatted on the deck, clutching his head, looking at Nami with a face full of grievance.
He silently accused her of ruthlessly crushing his gourmet dreams.
Nami completely ignored Luffy's resentful gaze, turned to Kokoro, and said in a firm tone:
"We have our own ship—the 'going merry'—we don't need to take the Sea Train. We just need to follow the log pose."
Chimney, standing nearby, tilted her head curiously and asked:
"So, where is your log pose pointing now?"
Nami looked down at the log pose on her wrist, carefully confirmed the direction, then looked up and said:
"East from here."
Kokoro narrowed her eyes slightly, nodded, and said slowly:
"Oh~ In that case, your next destination is 'Water Seven'."