A miracle.
Before this, the Straw Hat Pirate crew, Bell-mère, and the others had not truly understood what that word meant. They had not understood why Nami had been looking forward to this place so much.
But at that moment, in a world bright with lights despite the night, they stuck their heads out of the train windows and stared up at the sky. There, like a silver river pouring down from the heavens, the Rainbow Bridge covered the entire sky, shining with dreamlike, multicolored light. Everyone was left dumbstruck.
"Hey, hey... am I dreaming?"
Usopp rubbed his eyes, staring in disbelief at the beautiful sight before him.
The others' eyes were already filled with rainbow-colored light.
Luffy could not hold back anymore. He climbed out of the window and onto the roof of the carriage, raising his head to stare at the Rainbow Bridge above them, which shone with a dreamlike glow like a dome of stars.
Every star upon the clouds represented a ship.
"It's... It's so beautiful. It's like heaven..."
"Can we go up there next?"
Even Sanji and Zoro found it hard to stay calm at that moment.
Camie, standing to the side, looked delighted, as if everyone was praising her.
"Of course! After we arrive, you can take the city waterways to the ticket office and complete the procedures to enter the Rainbow Bridge. The ticket is very cheap too. For a ship the size of Mr. Luffy's Merry, it only costs one hundred thousand Belly."
"Only one hundred thousand Belly..."
Under normal circumstances, Nami would definitely think such an expensive toll just to cross a bridge was outrageous. But for a miraculous Rainbow Bridge like this, she actually felt it was very cheap.
That made everyone look forward to it even more.
And beneath the miraculous Rainbow Bridge was a huge island shaped like a pizza sliced into eight pieces, with countless waterways running through it.
This was the Rainbow Country's central station in the East Blue: City of Gold Station.
As the whistle sounded, the Sea Train slowly reduced its speed and entered the station.
The moment they arrived, Luffy and the others were startled, because they saw countless people rushing over.
But they soon relaxed.
"Hurry... hurry... unload the cargo!"
"Is all the cargo for transport ready? Once the cars are empty, load it up."
"Hurry up, we're short on time!"
"Is that sheep-headed ship cargo too?"
Everyone had been watching from the side, but the moment they heard the workers mention the ship, they immediately stepped forward.
"Wait, that's our ship!"
Nothing unexpected happened. With Luffy, Zoro, and the others alone, they pulled the Going Merry down and placed it onto the nearby waterway.
At that moment, Uncle Sam, the Fish-Man conductor, finally let out a sigh of relief and slowly walked over.
When Nami saw him, she quickly led everyone over to thank him.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Sam. You saved us and even brought us here..."
"Hahaha, no need to be so polite. By the way, I heard from Camie that you're planning to visit Angel Island next?"
"That's right. Speaking of which, where's Camie?"
Only then did everyone realize Camie had disappeared.
Uncle Sam smiled and said, "She went to see her father."
"Huh? Camie's family is on this island too?"
"Yes. Camie's father and mother moved to this island five years ago. It couldn't be helped. Supporting a family isn't easy, and we Fish-Men reproduce much faster than humans. We couldn't survive if we only lived on Fish-Man Island. Fortunately, Yemu-sama gave us Fish-Men these jobs, allowing us to earn money ourselves and support our families."
"No wonder."
Nami seemed to understand something. After all, it was obvious at a glance that although most of the dockworkers were human, there were quite a few Fish-Men among them too.
Just then, everyone heard Camie's voice from afar. They turned and saw Camie walking over while swaying her tail fin.
"Everyone, I'm back!"
"Oh, Camie, did you see your family?"
"Mm. Everyone is doing well, so now I can relax."
Camie looked genuinely happy. Then she looked at Luffy and the others.
"We still have some time. There's more than an hour until departure. Nami-chan, Luffy-kun, if you don't mind, I can take you to the ticket office to complete the procedures for entering the Rainbow Bridge."
"Really? Thank you so much, Camie."
"Hehe, no need. I'm happy being with you too, Nami. Then, Uncle Sam, we'll head out first."
"Mm, go on. Don't miss the departure time."
"I know!"
And so, everyone boarded the Going Merry. Under Camie's guidance, they followed the waterways that ran in all directions across City of Gold Station. First, they went to the registration office, where they registered the ship's size, had photos taken, and prepared the documents. After mooring the Going Merry in the dock, they rented a small boat and headed toward the city center.
Along the way, everyone stared at the brightly lit city and the dense, bustling crowds around them, their faces full of astonishment.
Even Nami had never seen such a prosperous, lively city in the East Blue.
On top of that, the air was filled with the scent of all kinds of delicious food. If Nami had not used her fists to warn Luffy and the others to focus on business first, they would have rushed out long ago.
"Hehe, there's no need to hurry. Once you finish the procedures to enter the Rainbow Bridge, Luffy-kun, you'll have plenty of time to walk around here!"
"Great!"
Nami, however, asked worriedly, "Um, will we really make it in time? Won't there be a lot of people?"
The ships on the distant Rainbow Bridge were as numerous as stars, making Nami a little anxious.
"Don't worry!"
Camie reassured her.
"There are very few people like you, Nami, who enter the Rainbow Bridge on short notice. Most of them, whether sightseeing ships or merchant convoys, prepare in advance. Some even have annual passes, so they don't need to come to the ticket office to buy tickets separately."
Sure enough, when everyone arrived at the Rainbow Bridge ticket office in the city center, they did not see many people.
After only four or five minutes, it was their turn.
After looking over their documents, the ticket clerk did not even raise his head.
"One ticket for a small wind-sail boat. That will be one hundred thousand Belly..."
After saying that, he held out his hand. The meaning was obvious.
Nami and the others instinctively looked toward Luffy.
Luffy looked back at them in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Idiot! To pay, of course. You're our captain!"
Nami looked utterly speechless.
Then everyone heard something that left them stunned.
"I don't have any money."
"Huh?! Where's your money? Didn't Mr. Merry give you several million Belly?"
"Oh, that."
Luffy looked like he was thinking. Then he suddenly remembered something and said, "I remember now. I didn't take it. It's still on that merchant ship!"
"!"
This time, everyone was shocked and stared at him in disbelief.
Nami seemed to realize something else and looked at the others.
"Um, Bell-mère and I definitely don't have any money on us. What about you?"
Everyone looked at one another.
Only then did they realize the seriousness of the problem.
"Is there not a single reliable person among these guys?"
At that moment, Nami could only look toward Camie.
Camie, looking extremely embarrassed, took the pocket money out of her pocket.
"Um, I do have some money, but it's only a few hundred Belly..."
This time, Nami truly hung her head in defeat.
"Looks like we can only think of another way. Seriously, I should never have placed any hope in these guys from the start!"
Just as everyone was feeling helpless, a calm, mature woman's voice suddenly reached their ears.
"Hello. I seem to have overheard that you're having some trouble with money. If you don't mind, may I ride on your ship? In exchange, I can pay the ticket fee this time..."