After the Freewill docked at the port, Allen gave the order, and the crew members leaped off the ship with eager anticipation, rushing out like a pack of starving wolves.
Sanji's eyes popped with hearts, his legs spinning like blazing wheels as he sprinted straight toward the water park resort teeming with bikini-clad beauties, followed closely by a large group of equally perverted subordinates.
Allen stood on the bow deck and glanced in that direction. Surprisingly, the female pirates didn't seem repulsed by this at all.
Instead, they looked on with keen interest, as if ready to devour these men who were willingly walking into the tiger's den.
Allen couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. His gaze swept past the scantily clad female pirates and finally landed on a figure deeper within the crowd.
She had smooth, flowing black hair and fair skin. A sexy, high-slit cheongsam accentuated her alluring, perfect figure, and her face was nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful.
"..."
It was Boa Hancock.
"No wonder there are so many female pirates. It's the Kuja Pirates."
Allen glanced at Sanji and silently prayed for him for a second.
Although Amazon Lily rejected men, the female pirates who had sailed the seas and experienced men did not—or rather, their bodies did not.
Much like men visiting red-light districts, those female pirates were ruthless predators who would chew a man up and spit out his bones.
The strange thing was, no matter how they got pregnant, the babies born were invariably girls. Even Allen didn't know what secret lay behind this phenomenon.
'It's pretty bizarre,' Allen couldn't help but muse. 'Maybe there's something like a Mother and Child River on Amazon Lily, and drinking from it long-term affects the reproductive outcome. Otherwise, it can't just be that they kill off any boys that are born.'
...
Jumping off the ship, Allen led the remaining crew members up a staircase heading toward the town above.
The moment they went ashore, the Nyaban Brothers took their men and bolted toward the various entertainment and dining venues.
Since it was a pirate festival held in a place with a booming tourism industry, there was naturally no shortage of entertainment on the island.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the first thing that caught Allen's eye was the unique, modern-style architecture surrounding them, evoking an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The landmasses in this world were isolated from one another, resulting in uneven cultural and technological development. It was rare to see a city with such a modern aesthetic.
"The festival doesn't officially start until noon. We still have two hours, so let's find a place to rest first," Nami suggested. Her gaze swept the area before landing on a relatively quiet open-air barbecue camp. She smiled faintly and added, "Hehe, how about that place, Allen?"
"Looks good. Let's go," Allen replied.
He led the group over.
The camp was spacious and situated in an excellent location. From the edge, they had a perfect bird's-eye view of the entire ocean enclosed by the ring-shaped island.
There were also several small shops inside the camp—a cafe, an inn, and a tavern were all readily available. The decor was simple yet luxurious, and the outdoor courtyard boasted a beautiful environment.
The moment they stepped inside, Nami's face darkened, and she instantly regretted her choice.
At a glance, it was obvious this wasn't a place poor pirates could afford, but Allen loved it.
Seeing such a large group of customers enter, the proprietress immediately came over to greet them enthusiastically. Throwing money around like dirt, Allen waved his hand and dropped three hundred million Berries to rent out the entire venue for the day.
There were two other groups currently in the camp. Upon witnessing Allen's overbearing behavior, their expressions immediately soured with displeasure.
Allen cast a glance at them.
One group was dressed extravagantly, dripping in gold and silver. Their pretentious mannerisms made them look less like pirates and more like wealthy merchants or nobles from some kingdom.
The black-suited bodyguards stationed all around the courtyard further cemented Allen's certainty that they were not pirates.
Allen recognized the other group. Gathered near the western restaurant in the camp, they were all dressed in sharp suits with cold, stern faces, looking exactly like the mafia.
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up in amusement as he walked over. "My, my, if it isn't Capone 'Gang' Bege. Long time no see."
"Hm?"
Bege shot him a puzzled look and replied flatly, "I don't believe we've ever met."
"..."
Allen paused his steps, fell silent for a moment, and then continued walking forward. His expression shifted as he said coldly, "Did I remember wrong? Well, then there's no need for pleasantries. We've booked this entire place, so pack your things and get out."
"What did you say?!"
"How dare you disrespect the Godfather!"
Hearing this, two of Bege's subordinates furiously stepped forward.
[Monster Gun] Vito and [Assassin] Gotti directly aimed their guns at Allen's head, shouting angrily, "Don't you know what 'first come, first served' means, you mannerless punk?!"
"Arrogant bastard! Don't think we're afraid of you just because you're a Warlord of the Sea!"
Seeing this, Gin and the others in the back immediately grabbed their weapons, ready to charge forward.
Allen waved his hand, signaling them to stop. His face remained completely unfazed as he kept his hands in his pockets and continued walking forward.
Watching him steadily approach, Vito and Gotti grew tense. Cold sweat quietly beaded on their foreheads, their fingers resting on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment.
But right at that moment.
"Put the guns down," Bege suddenly spoke up. He glared coldly at Allen, paused, and then said in a deep voice, "I've lost my appetite anyway. Let them have the place."
"But Godfather...!"
The hulking Gotti turned back, wanting to argue, but Bege ruthlessly cut him off.
"I said we're leaving."
"Yes, sir..." Gotti replied reluctantly.
Soon, Bege led his men out of the camp.
Once outside, Gotti grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Godfather, why did we have to yield to him? At worst, we could have just fought them. It's not like we're scared of them."
"Stop spouting such nonsense, you idiot. We've encountered plenty of powerful opponents in the past. When have you ever seen me afraid?" Bege shot him a disdainful look and said flatly, "Those guys all ended up as dead souls under our guns because we relied on calmness and planning. He's just a Warlord of the Sea. We'll cross paths again someday."
"Yes, Godfather."
...
After Bege and his men left, the other group in the camp was also chased out by Allen's subordinates.
Then, with the power of money taking effect, the proprietress immediately hung up a closed sign.
Excluding those who had gone off to explore the island, the remaining hundred or so crew members spread out and relaxed around the camp.
A row of sofas was arranged on the observation deck at the front of the camp. Allen lay back on one of them while waiters brought over barbecue and fine wine, even arranging for a few busty blondes to massage his shoulders and legs.
This continued until noon.
"Bwahahaha! The world's greatest pirate treasure hunt festival is about to begin! Welcome, everyone who has traveled from afar, to the Pirate Expo!!"
A broadcast suddenly echoed from mid-air, the voice resounding throughout the entire ring-shaped island venue.
Everyone looked up to see a colorfully painted airship slowly flying overhead.
On the airship, a middle-aged man with an afro, dressed in extravagant clothing, stepped into the spotlight holding a microphone. He shouted down with an excited expression, "I am Buena Festa, Captain of the Festa Pirates! I'm sure you all can't wait any longer, so without further ado, I declare!"
"The pirates' carnival, the Pirate Expo, officially begins!!"
"Whoa!!!"
"Aooo!!!"
The pirates below erupted into massive cheers, the echoes ringing throughout the island.
"As a grand pirate treasure hunt held once every few years! This event has naturally prepared sufficiently rich prizes for everyone!"
"And that is what appeared in the recent Summit War! The power of Blackbeard Teach, the special Logia-type, the Dark-Dark Fruit!!"
Festa shouted passionately while gesturing toward the screen behind him, which displayed a photo of the fruit. He loudly explained, "This is no ordinary Logia fruit! It is known as the most evil ability in history, and its special trait is that it can absorb all damage for the user!"
"That's right! This means that as long as you eat this fruit, it's equivalent to having an immortal body in battle!"
"What?!"
"What an insane ability!!"
"The darkness of the Logia class? That sounds super cool!"
Hearing one of the Dark-Dark Fruit's abilities, the pirates in the venue immediately boiled over with excitement.
Meanwhile, Festa continued his speech, detailing the Dark-Dark Fruit's various powers one by one, including its absorption ability, gravitational pull, and the power to seal other Devil Fruit users.
This drove the pirates in the crowd into an even greater frenzy.
Allen lay lazily on the sofa and sighed, "Originally, there were some people who didn't come for the Dark-Dark Fruit. Now, hasn't the difficulty just increased again? What a pain."