"Alright, Captain."
Luo Ta scratched the back of his head and entered the cabin, returning to his room. Luo Yan picked up the microphone again, ready for another song. Xia Tali was still very supportive, sitting on a small stool, waiting for Luo Yan to sing.
Under Mite's control, the ship gradually approached Alabasta, but it did not continue sailing around Alabasta as Luo Yan had said. Instead, it stopped less than fifty meters from the land of Alabasta.
Luo Yan, who was singing, stopped when the ship halted. He turned his head towards the cabin, and as expected, Mite came running over, a wide smile on his face.
"Hehe, Captain, didn't you say you wanted to find Luffy's Going Merry? I just used the astrology orb in the cockpit to divine a bit. If our ship stays here, we'll encounter Luffy's ship in four days."
Luo Yan nodded in sudden realization, "That's right, I completely forgot about that. In that case, let's stop here. Drop anchor."
"Aye! Alright! Um, Captain, since we've dropped anchor, can I…?"
Mite asked with a sheepish, slightly awkward look, but Luo Yan didn't refuse him this time.
"Before you go, do a divination first. Make sure there's no danger before you go. Luffy and his crew being in Alabasta means things aren't peaceful here anymore. Try not to get involved. I don't have the ability to fight in the desert."
Luo Yan warned him very seriously. Mite's eyes grew brighter, and an uncontainable smile spread across his face.
"Captain, don't worry. I already divined before coming. Landing this evening and returning before tomorrow afternoon will definitely be safe. Oh, Captain, why don't you come too? Since we're landing in the evening, there won't be any sun to cause discomfort. We can stay one night in the Pleasure Quarter and come back tomorrow morning, avoiding the hottest part of the day."
"I… I won't go."
Luo Yan refused Mite, though not very firmly. Mite was a little disappointed but didn't insist, and after a reply, he returned to the cabin.
To say Luo Yan had no thoughts at all would be absolute nonsense. After all, he was eighteen or nineteen, full of youthful vigor. But as the Captain, he had to maintain a certain dignity. Moreover, he had already clearly stated that he wouldn't go ashore. If he changed his mind for something like this, it would be too embarrassing—at least he himself would find it very embarrassing. So, even for the sake of his pride, he absolutely couldn't go.
As the sun set, Mite and Luo Ta, each carrying a huge backpack, disembarked. Mite rowed a small raft to land on Alabasta. Luo Yan stood by the ship's rail, watching the two leave joyfully, feeling a bit confused.
"Aren't these two just going to the Pleasure Quarter for a night? Why are they carrying such big bags? And they're all stuffed full. Do you need to bring so many things to a place like that?"
Although Luo Yan had never been to such a place, having lived two lives, he still had some understanding. Usually, you only needed to bring money to such places. He hadn't heard of anyone needing to bring other things.
After thinking for a moment and getting no answer, Luo Yan gave up on further thought and lay back in his deck chair, enjoying the cool evening sea breeze.
When the sun had completely set, Qiguang Bird Potter stood atop the cabin, his body glowing with golden light, illuminating the entire ship.
This was Potter's performance: at nightfall, he prayed for light, cast light, and performed his role.
Although such light was not conducive to rest, it had one advantage: mosquitoes would gather towards Potter.
"Captain, are you hungry? I made dinner."
Xia Tali came over, holding a large plate with one hand, and placed it beside the deck chair. On the plate was a large shrimp, weighing about ten catties.
Luo Yan nodded, sat up slightly, and began to eat the shrimp. For the two of them, who had little cooking skill, steamed shrimp or steamed crab were relatively good foods because these two foods tasted good on their own; they just needed to be cleaned. If it were fish, it would require complex preparation, and different types of fish had different cooking methods, which Xia Tali and Luo Yan simply couldn't handle.
"Captain, they all went out to have fun, why didn't you go?"
Xia Tali pulled up a chair and sat beside him, watching Luo Yan eat, asking casually.
Luo Yan nearly choked. He forcibly swallowed the meat in his mouth, coughed several times before recovering, then slightly raised his chin.
"Hmph! Do I look like the kind of person who would go to a place like that?"
"Hmm! I thought so too. You are our Captain, after all."
Xia Tali nodded in strong agreement, praising Luo Yan highly. Luo Yan's mouth twitched, feeling as if he had been cornered, and even a hint of regret surged in his heart.
It's over, what was I showing off for?! Now I'm cornered. How can I ever go to Happy Street again? A huge loss!
Luo Yan inwardly complained but maintained an arrogant expression.
"That's right. Oh, Xia Tali, have you eaten?"
"Yes! I've already eaten."
"Oh."
After finishing his meal and enjoying the sea breeze, Luo Yan returned to his room and went to sleep.
The next morning, as soon as Luo Yan woke up, he went into the water to catch two large shrimp and two large crabs for breakfast. For an Ocean Singer, going into deep water to catch seafood was incredibly easy.
As Luo Yan, Xia Tali, and Potter were eating breakfast on the foredeck, Mite and Luo Ta appeared on the shore, shouting from where they stood.
"Captain! Xia Tali, we're back!"
It was Luo Ta shouting; his slightly rough voice reached Luo Yan's ears without obstruction. Luo Yan turned to look and saw that both of them were still carrying their backpacks. Not only that, but behind them, they were dragging a huge wooden cart piled with things over two meters high, which made Luo Yan freeze in his tracks.
"Didn't you two go to the Pleasure Quarter? Why did you buy so many things?"
"Hehe! Captain, this time we didn't just go to have fun; we also did some big business. Uh, Captain, could you help us? There's too much stuff on this wooden cart; we're afraid it'll sink as soon as it hits the water."
Luo Yan nodded and gestured at the wooden cart from a distance. A gust of wind suddenly rose, sweeping up the items on the cart, which then dropped one by one onto the ship's deck. When two-thirds of the items on the wooden cart had been lifted away, Luo Ta and Mite pushed the cart into the water and swam to the side of the ship. Luo Yan then manipulated the water current to lift both of them and the wooden cart directly onto the ship.
"Tell me, what did you two do? What are all these things?"
Luo Yan went straight to the point. Mite chuckled, put down the large backpack on his back, and as soon as the zipper was pulled open, glittering gold coins spilled out.
"Hehe! Captain, we earned 7.4 million Berries on this trip. After deducting the things we bought for Xia Tali, there's still 4.4 million Berries left. How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"