It was a bright and sunny afternoon, the blue sea sparkled, and a gentle breeze caressed their faces, bringing with it the unique fresh scent of the ocean.
Orochimaru lay leisurely on a beach chair, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility, holding a glass of special beauty juice in his hand; it was specially prepared for Nami-san by Sanji, but now Orochimaru was enjoying it.
How could it be called stealing when he, Orochimaru, was enjoying it? According to Sanji, this juice could make one's skin even smoother and more delicate.
Orochimaru took a small sip, savoring the coolness and sweetness of the juice, nodding in satisfaction, and continued to read the book in his hand.
This book was borrowed from Robin, titled "Rainbow Mist: A Biography."
"It's coming up!!! It's coming up!!!" Usopp's noisy voice broke the peaceful moment.
Usopp was pulling hard on his fishing rod, leaning back, trying to reel in his catch from the water.
"This one is huge! It might be the boss of this area."
Luffy and Chopper excitedly gathered around. "Really!! How amazing!!"
Usopp used all his strength, veins bulging, and finally managed to pull the thing out of the sea.
Hah... (ᄑ_ᄑ)
Luffy and Chopper looked speechless.
Only a swordfish the size of a pinky finger was flopping on Usopp's hook.
"Boss? This isn't even enough to get stuck in my teeth," Luffy grumbled.
"So noisy! Someone who hasn't even caught a single fish should stop babbling!!!" Usopp snarled at Luffy.
Orochimaru took a fish tank, happily received the small fish from Usopp, and placed it on the table beside him.
He couldn't waste it; this fish had great potential.
Luffy, having his weakness exposed by Usopp, defiantly cast his hook. "Watch me! I'm going to catch a super big fish!!"
"~Nami-san~~~" Sanji, swaying, held a drink and struck a pose, standing in front of Nami.
"I've re-mixed a beauty juice for you~"
Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp turned to look at Sanji, pouting and grumbling, trying to coax Sanji.
"That's so nice~ We want some too."
"The slippery kind," Chopper protested, holding up his small paws.
Sanji rolled his eyes, a little impatient.
"No, what do you guys need such smooth skin for? No matter how much you drink, you won't become like Orochimaru."
"We'll become kawaii," the few of them looked at Sanji with watery eyes, emitting sparkling light.
The final result, of course, was a cup for everyone.
The three finished their juice contentedly, and Luffy's bobber began to sink rapidly.
"Ah!! I caught something!" Luffy yelled excitedly, pulling hard on his fishing rod.
A splash of water flashed, and a giant conch slammed onto the deck with a clang.
Everyone gathered around the conch, examining it and tapping it.
Chopper, feeling a bit distressed, used a towel to wipe the conch and offered it some water to rehydrate.
Suddenly, a door opened on the spiral shell on the side of the conch, and a man in an orange suit crawled out.
His voice was a bit funny, and his face had oval-shaped blushes, giving off a mischievous sense of déjà vu.
"Oh~ I thought I was a goner this time~"
"Oh~ Excuse me~ Allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Lessless of Ladybug Mail Order, who can be called upon with a single phone call to deliver goods to you~"
"Please take care of me~ Uh-huh~"
"What the heck is that?" Zoro couldn't help but complain.
Orochimaru was also very curious. The predecessor of TV mail order? The Pirate World still had this kind of thing?
"To thank everyone for saving me, here is a shopping catalog for you," Lessless said, carrying a large stack of books and placing them on the deck.
Zoro flipped through the catalog and asked in surprise, "Can you deliver to the middle of the sea too?"
"No," Lessless flatly refused, tidying his clothes.
Nami: "Then why were you in the sea?"
"Heh~ While my ship, the Escargot, was transporting goods, we encountered a typhoon~"
"It blew us east (/~0~)/"
"Then it blew us west \(~0~\)"
"And then we were shipwrecked."
"Oh!" Everyone suddenly understood.
Luffy pulled out a shake-shake stick from the conch and held it up—a black stick with two iron balls on each side... holding the middle would make it shake up and down continuously.
"What is this?" ∑(´△｀)?! Luffy looked at it curiously.
The man quickly ran over and snatched it away.
"What are you doing?" The moment he held the item, he began to introduce it: "What I'm introducing to everyone today is the Play~Play~Play~ Stick, deeply loved by consumers.
It's our company's top one product... because the Play~Play~ Stick... blah blah blah... so... @##$$$$$..."
After the introduction, Orochimaru's mind was filled with "play~play~play~."
He rubbed his temples... was this stick legitimate?
On the other side, Chopper cutely pushed a pink mouse-shaped, reboundable ab roller.
Usopp lay in the middle of a constantly bumping spherical massager, being hammered back and forth... well, as long as he was happy.
Then the salesman Lessless also brought out melon juice, encyclopedias, binoculars, a knife set, etc., and said he could give his saviors a 5% discount.
Those items completely struck a chord with everyone.
In their eyes, all they saw were the words "I want."
Nami walked over, thinking of her log pose plan, and asked if there was any paper that wouldn't be damaged by the sea wind.
Lessless confidently took out Millennium Paper.
"This is Millennium Paper. This paper won't be eaten by insects, and it won't change color even if left in the sun for a thousand years.
It's most suitable for drawing treasure maps and log poses," the salesman said, holding up a piece of paper to the sun for Nami to see its texture.
"Can it be folded into paper airplanes?" came the question from the silly Luffy.
"Huh? That would be too wasteful!" Even the salesman, who wanted to make a killing, found it absurd.
After some back-and-forth haggling and Nami's bargaining, they settled on a set for 2 million Berries.
Just as Nami was still trying to cut the price further...
"Bought it!" Sanji interjected, hands on his hips, looking cool.
The group was astonished. "Do you have money?"
"Orochimaru does," Sanji said, coolly lighting a cigarette and pointing to Orochimaru, who had half his body inside the conch, pulling things out.
The rich and powerful Orochimaru didn't even turn his head, directly throwing a golden crown worth 50 million Berries to Lessless.
"This is the crown of the xx-th king of the Alabasta Kingdom.
The gold is worth 50 million, but you understand its historical value.
We'll take everything you have!!"
"!!! Thank you very much for your purchase, my God!!!" Lessless bowed excitedly, clutching the golden crown.
This was an invaluable item; his sales championship was secured.
Lessless sold everything in the conch and even gave them a VVIP membership card.
Even when he saw the Pirate Flag, he smiled brightly. "What? This is a pirate ship??? I didn't see anything! These are all my most esteemed Gods."
Lessless, with a big smile, crawled back into the conch, preparing to leave.
"My most esteemed Gods, the Ladybug Merchant Guild covers the entire Grand Line, with branches on every island.
Welcome to shop anytime, Gods.
Mention my name for a 50% discount~ 50% off~ I wish you a pleasant journey~"
The group bid farewell to Lessless and excitedly began examining their various purchases.
"Mina... I'm going to work, please be quiet," Nami said, holding one of the sets of Millennium Paper, happily going to record the log poses of this journey, to draw the log poses of the entire world.
This was her dream.
Orochimaru promised not to disturb her until she came out, even creating four clones to set up a barrier around Nami's room.
"Don't worry, even if the ship collapses, you won't be disturbed."
Orochimaru was very thoughtful today.
Orochimaru stated: "Thanks to all the lovely ones who create out of love, because the foolish Miao Sang won't send out that thank-you catalog, I will thank you on his behalf.
I will whip that foolish Miao Sang for you in your dreams."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"