Ghost Shark, but in the world of One Piece

Page 23

"Wow, things have changed so much!" Tina said, leading the way off the boat.

Tina

"School, haven't you been here before?" Alice followed closely behind.

"The last time I came here was five years ago, when the king was still Yusta's father."

Tina recalled her first visit. Back then, Latavia was only two-thirds the size it is now. In just five years, it has expanded to this size, and its development speed is astonishing.

“Yes,” Alice said with pride, “it was Queen Yusta who brought Latavia to its current heights.”

The warship docked, and Laurentina and her group went ashore. As soon as they left the port, they were greeted by round-headed robots responsible for welcoming them.

Robots move along designated routes on the streets, directing traffic, cleaning, and some even give directions to tourists.

The pedestrians on the street were dressed in all sorts of ways: there were old gentlemen carrying walking sticks, great pirates wearing captain's hats, and of course, there were also marines like Laurentina.

As new tourists arrived on the island, a round-headed robot quickly came over to greet them: "It's Navy sir, welcome to the world's number one gambling city, Latania Aru!"

As he spoke, a map appeared inside the robot's body and was handed to Tina.

Laurentina took a closer look and saw that it detailed the locations of various entertainment venues in Latavia, such as slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and even Pai Gow from the Flower Kingdom.

Besides casinos, Latavia also features a giant opera house, a water park, an artificial ski resort, and other attractions.

"Wait, we have this." Tina stopped the robot and swiped the black gold card on the magnetic strip.

"Dear Black Gold Card customers, here is a chip, worth fifty million Berries, presented to you by Queen Yusta."

Fifty million Berries?

The Black Prison Fleet has a full complement of only one hundred people, and each person has an average of 500,000 Berries!

The navy men instantly became agitated.

Tina was very generous, distributing all her money to her subordinates, and she had enough savings for her own expenses.

“Report, Colonel Tina.” Alice saluted and spoke first, “Then I’ll go home first.”

"Approved!" Tina swiped her card at the machine port, and the money allocated to Alice was deposited into her brand-new personal card.

Dang Dang Dang!

Just then, the street ahead was suddenly cleared, and an incredibly luxurious mobile platform appeared out of nowhere.

"It's Queen Yusta, Aru!"

The round-headed robot quickly led everyone to the roadside.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Lynx Cart and the Wheat Cake Shop (Please support!)

Queen Yusta?

The cleared streets were occupied by a troop of soldiers marching in perfect formation, their silver metal armor seemingly visible in the distance.

"It's the Queen's Iron Legion!" Alice exclaimed, her heart pounding with excitement.

The tourists on both sides lowered their heads as the disciplined army advanced. On the luxurious mobile platform stood the queen's throne, her graceful figure hidden behind a folding fan, her face obscured, yet exuding a captivating aristocratic aura.

The elegant floor-length evening gown looked sexy and graceful on her body. The exaggerated V-neckline accentuated her slender waist, which was sculpted by the weight of her body, and her two snow-white thighs were made even more alluring by the high slit of the gown.

Cold and elegant, graceful and sexy.

This is everyone's first impression.

Oh! The navy of the Black Prison Fleet couldn't help but squeeze into the crowd to admire it.

While she may not be as good as Captain Laurentina, she has a unique charisma.

As the crowd grew increasingly excited, Laurentina suddenly felt bored.

"Let's go, Ain, let's go to the opera house."

Laurentina, holding the map, pulled Ain toward the other side.

"Why not stay and see Queen Yusta?" The force of the hand puzzled Ain.

"Seeing this scene, I can't help but think of the Celestial Dragons of Sabaody Archipelago. It's strange."

After they finished speaking, they both fell silent for a moment, at which point the round-faced robot stopped them.

"What, can't we leave?" Laurentina frowned.

"No, you are the esteemed Black Gold Card customer, Aru, and also the famous Navy Empress Aru of the sea." The robot led the two to another street.

"Therefore, we have prepared a Latavia specialty for you two - the lynx chaaru."

"A lynx cart?!"

Laurentina's eyes lit up, and interest appeared on her face.

Besides the strange and wonderful Devil Fruits, the world of One Piece also features a variety of different modes of transportation.

Examples include the Skypiea's Waver and Ark Maxim, Sabaody's Bubble Car, Fishman Island's Fish Bus and Fish Taxi, Germa 66's Cat Car and Mouse Car, and Future Gran Tesoro's Turtle Car, etc.

Laurentina was well aware of lynxes; many pirate crews kept them as ship pets.

As the world's number one gambling city, Latavia's mode of transportation is the lynx car.

Soon, the robot led Laurentina and her companion to the Royal Car Dealership, where, on the recommendation of a Mediterranean-looking man, the girl received a Lynx car.

They chose a gentle female lynx, but as soon as they left the car dealership, the big cat bared its teeth at the two of them, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

"Sorry, we'll replace it for you right away!"

"No need!"

Before she finished speaking, Laurentina flashed back to the scene, already gripping the lynx by the neck and lifting it up, her expression as relaxed as if she were using a grip strength meter.

You're so vulnerable, you old lynx!

"whimper..."

Meeting the girl's cold gaze, tears slowly welled up in the big cat's eyes. Finally, it pitifully lowered its head and obediently pulled the cart for the two of them.

Ha, you and your attempts make me feel ridiculous.

Meanwhile, after the Queen's procession ended, Alice continued walking in another direction of the city.

Latavia Lower Town, Wheat Cake Shop.

Jingle Bell!

"Welcome..." An elderly woman with gray hair turned around from the front desk, her words abruptly stopping. "Is that Alice?!"

Alice's face lit up with a bright smile. She went home, gave her father some money, and then rushed over.

"Grandma Susan, I'm back." Alice walked in with a smile and sat on the high stool at the front desk.

"It's been a year! Little Alice has changed so much." Old Susan's face was full of nostalgia, and her face, with its wrinkles around her eyes, radiated a soft glow. "So, you've saved enough money?"

"Hmph, of course!" Alice pouted smugly. "The Navy's diligence allowance, plus the bonus for being among the top ten elites, plus the salary I've saved and the bounty for catching pirates, it's easy to reach my goal."

"Oh? That's unbelievable." Old Susan chuckled and brought out a stack of chiffon cakes, pushing them in front of Alice. "I never thought that poor little thing would become so capable."

“Of course!” Alice reached for her wallet, but Susan slapped her hand away.

"Don't do that." Susan glared at her, displeased. "You've been an apprentice in this shop for years, and you're going to haggle over a piece of cake with an old man like me?"

"But..."

"Don't do things that make people unhappy."

The cake was stubbornly shoved into Alice's hands.

"Thank you, Grandma Susan." Alice looked down at her, and the old woman opposite her smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

The girl ate the cake in small bites, the sweet cake filling her with a comforting warmth.

The people living in the downtown area were barely surviving; this chiffon cake cost as much as two meals for Grandma Susan.

When she was a child, Alice always had problems with her medical skills and couldn't see any hope, so she followed her father to learn baking.

It was originally a happy family, until the father was lured into drinking, then tricked into a casino, and ended up with a huge gambling debt...

While his parents were working several jobs, he also came here to learn baking skills and earn a meager salary.

My life only started to change after I officially joined the Navy last year.

As evening fell, residents of the downtown area finished their busy work, and the cake shop became busier.

"Two loaves of black bread, Aunt Susan." A middle-aged man pushed open the shop door, habitually looking up. "Hmm? Little Alice? You got fired from the Navy?"

Alice, who was working at the cake shop, instantly turned red with anger: "I'm just on vacation! On vacation! Uncle Neil, no one will think you're mute if you don't speak!"

Alice was not to be outdone and even became a little aggressive.

"Hahaha, this atmosphere really brings back memories." A disheveled young man walked towards us and lazily remarked, "Little Alice still explodes at the slightest provocation."

"Give me a plain jam bread, that's not very flavorful."

“Be content, Brother Huck.” Alice glanced at the newcomer. “There’s hardly any profit to be made on jam bread at this price.”

Both are regular customers of Wheat Cake Shop, Neil is heavily in debt from gambling, Hack is a decadent young man who has completely given up on life, and there are many other people like him who are living in poverty, which constitute another face of Latavia.

However, Alice did not harbor resentment towards the city; instead, she felt that her misfortune had brought misfortune to her family.

She greatly admired Yusta, the ruler of Latavia, and hoped that she could lead her family to prosperity like the queen.

In the distance, several dirty children ran towards the street, their eyes devoid of any light.

The children only became happy when they saw Alice appear.

"It's Alice!" a thin, pale little girl cheered.

"It's you guys." Alice turned around, took a few slices of cheesecake from the cake shop, and handed them over.

Of course, the money is yours to keep.

Alice smiled as she watched the children eat with genuine relish.

The rusty streetlights lit up, and in the dim light, her face looked soft, and her smile was unbelievably beautiful.

The future shines brightly in her eyes, radiating the seven colors of a rainbow.

Chapter Thirty-Six: A Smile (Please support and add to your favorites)

"How come I don't know what's so great about opera?"

Ayn rubbed her sleepy eyes, ordered a drink, and gave a sharp review of the recently concluded adventure-themed opera "Augustus".

"Oh, Ain." Laurentina looked the blue-haired girl over seriously and teased, "Has your head been so full of scientific knowledge that you've lost your appreciation for art?"

“I admit that the round-headed robots on the street are much more interesting than the heavily made-up actors in the opera house,” Ayn nodded, sipping her drink.

“Although this opera is indeed not outstanding,” Laurentina said seriously, “their dedication to art deserves our respect.”

"Ah, okay." Ain showed no interest whatsoever, letting the girl pull her along.

At a record store on the street, Laurentina picked out some records from Latavia's glorious era, paid for them, and the two drove down to the city center in a lynx car.

It has to be said that this big cat has really good stamina. It didn't seem tired at all, even while pulling two people. Of course, it might also be related to the paw prints on its butt.

The old lynx pulled the cart, maintaining a steady speed.

Just then, Laurentina suddenly noticed that a lynx-car was about to collide with the little girl who was running out from around the corner.

"careful!"

Laurentina vanished from the spot and activated Shave.

The next moment, the girl reached out her hand in front of the lynx cart, and the swift big cat stopped its momentum under the iron block.

Sure enough, the iron block is invincible.

"Are you trying to die?!" a portly man on the bus yelled, but then...

He was immediately attracted by Laurentina's beauty, but was scared away by the girl's glare.

"Are you OK?"

Laurentina, undeterred by the dirt, helped the little girl up, her eyes filled with concern.

The little girl looked to be under ten years old, with a weak expression, wearing a ripped long dress, and holding a few pieces of bread in her arms.

The sudden sound made her tremble, and she broke free from Laurentina like a startled bird, then fled into the distance.

Is he a thief?