...
Meanwhile, Luffy was paddling the small boat with all his might.
There's no need to worry about not finding that place called Cocolia Town; after all, just follow the direction of the sea rail, and you'll arrive.
In the blink of an eye, a few hours passed.
The sun was setting, and it was already dusk.
Luffy felt a bit tired, so he paused for a moment, stretched his arms, and moved his legs.
Just then, the sea breeze blew, opening up the folded newspaper, revealing the front-page headline inside.
The large color photo on the front page caught his eye instantly.
"Eh?"
Luffy was surprised. Isn't this Shano?
In the photo, Shano was wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, with a bright smile. Beside him, five beautiful brides in white wedding dresses stood shoulder to shoulder.
The whole page was filled with a festive and blessing atmosphere.
"Wow!!!"
Luffy's eyes widened, his mouth forming an O shape.
"Shano is getting married?! And with five girls all at once?!"
He scratched his head, though it seemed a bit over the top, thinking about it again, it's Shano, and it didn't seem strange at all.
For someone as incredible as Shano, having five or even fifty to a hundred is very normal!
Luffy tilted his head, looking left and right. He couldn't tell who was beautiful or not, but...
Among these five girls, there were two with black shoulder-length hair, looking more mature, who he didn't recognize at all.
But the other three girls, one had a high black ponytail, one with blue hair, one with orange hair...
Uh.
He couldn't shake off the feeling that these three looked very familiar, like he'd seen them somewhere before.
Luffy pinched his chin, racking his brain, but still couldn't remember.
Perhaps it was too long since they last met, and their appearance changed too much. Even Shano, if it weren't for being too handsome, almost unforgettable, he might not have recognized him.
Looking down, there was still a large banquet report below, accompanied by several photos.
Overall, it was a detailed description of this world-renowned wedding being held at the newly constructed Peace Plaza on the site of old Mary Geoise.
Invitees from all over the world, from all races, gathered here to witness the creator of the new era and his five companions starting a new chapter in life.
"The banquet... it must be super grand! With lots of meat!"
Luffy giggled foolishly, only caring about that part.
However.
Thinking about it, his mouth started watering again, and his stomach cooperated by growling twice.
Indeed, he hadn't eaten enough at noon.
After paddling all afternoon, his energy was long gone, and now he was so hungry his stomach was sticking to his back.
"Gotta find something to eat somewhere."
Luffy looked distressedly at the vast sea ahead; the kind people at the station told him it was just two stops, so he didn't think much of it.
He thought he'd arrive in just a few hours of paddling.
But now, it seemed far from it!
Just as he thought of this.
Bang!
The sea surface ahead suddenly rose, and a massive shadow emerged from the water!
It appeared to come up for air, and upon seeing Luffy, it froze for a moment, seeming to find him familiar.
But it didn't bother much and was about to dive back into the sea.
"Don't go! You're just in time!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, yelling excitedly, as his rubber arm rapidly extended, "I recognize you! Hey, you are the King of the Near Sea that bit off Shanks' arm back then, right? No changes at all, hey! Lend me some meat, Rubber Rubber—Pistol!"
His fist punched the King of the Near Sea's head hard, the giant beast roared in pain, but its tough skin didn't fall, instead becoming aggressive, its tail whipping up a huge wave.
Luffy's small boat rocked violently, and he quickly steadied himself, preparing to attack again.
For this level of Sea Beast, he didn't even need to use Armament Haki, just a few more punches to take it down completely!
"Stop!"
As Luffy raised his fist, ready to deliver another Rubber Pistol, a crisp shout came from the air.
Luffy was startled, looking up.
He saw a sleek white flying craft hovering in the air, its cabin door open, and a tall young beauty with long pink hair standing there.
She wore a dark blue uniform, with the "Marine Environmental Protection Department" badge on her shoulder, frowning at Luffy and the King of the Near Sea.
"You little brat, how dare you openly violate Marine Article Twelve in front of Tina!"
The pink-haired beauty said coldly, and then leaped from the craft, landing steadily on the sea surface.
Huh?
Luffy then noticed she was standing on a surfboard-like device, emitting a faint blue glow, holding her up steadily.
"What are you looking at!"
Tina spoke sternly, "Answer Tina's question, you little brat, don't you know that two years ago, through the princess of Fish-Man Island, we made an agreement with all wise marine creatures in the world?"
"Sea King Species and large Sea Beasts worldwide won't attack ships, trains, or eat humans, and in return, humans cannot hunt wise marine creatures! This is a treaty written into the New World's Basic Laws, don't you know any of it?"
Luffy listened, dumbfounded. What treaty? What Basic Law? He had no concept of it at all.