After riding the bubble bike back to the rental shop and returning the sightseeing vehicle to the owner, Riberra Sami headed straight back to the Flame Fang.
The moment he stepped onto the deck, he heard a burst of noisy excitement.
Marcus's procurement team had already returned and was currently surrounded by the crew staying aboard, enthusiastically recounting everything they had seen on the island.
"It's true, seriously! The area where we docked is basically one gigantic sightseeing island!"
"The streets are full of shops, and there are flying bubble bikes everywhere!"
"Yeah, those things!"
Following the direction the crew pointed, Riberra Sami looked over and saw several brand-new bubble bikes parked neatly in one corner of the deck.
"Oh? Marcus," Riberra Sami walked over, "you guys rented bubble bikes too?"
"Captain!" Marcus grinned smugly.
"Not rented—bought! They were dirt cheap too. Only 4,000 Beli each!"
"Yeah, Captain!"
One of the crewmen jumped onto a bike and skillfully pedaled.
The bubble bike immediately floated lightly into the air.
"See? You can ride around hovering like this! It's super fun!"
"Whoa—! I'm buying one too later!"
"Take me with you!"
"I want one too!"
The deck instantly erupted into a chorus of excited shouting and envy.
Watching the overly excited group, Riberra Sami rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"When you bought them…" he said slowly, amusement creeping into his voice, "did none of you ask about how these things actually work?"
"Huh?"
Marcus and the crewmen who had bought the bikes froze simultaneously.
Riberra Sami explained,
"These bubble bikes rely on the resin bubbles secreted by the roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves unique to Sabaody."
"Once they leave the island's range, the bubbles quickly burst."
"In other words…"
"These things become piles of useless scrap wood the moment they leave the island."
The deck instantly fell silent.
"N-Nani?!"
Marcus's eyes widened so far they almost bulged out.
Then he exploded in outrage.
"That scamming bastard! He never mentioned that part!"
"Forget it. Treat it as a lesson learned."
Riberra Sami waved it off before turning to the others.
"The rest of you heading ashore later—don't get tricked too."
He paused before looking back at Marcus.
"What about the coating craftsmen? Did you find out anything?"
At the mention of business, Marcus immediately straightened his expression.
"I asked around. For a ship our size, coating prices range anywhere from 20 million to 50 million Beli."
"The difference is that huge?" Feiqi looked surprised from nearby.
"Can't be helped."
Marcus shrugged.
"The skill gap between ordinary craftsmen and top-tier ones is enormous."
"And if the coating job is poor, both the ship and crew could suffer catastrophic damage underwater. Survival rates are practically zero."
"So if people can afford it, they all fight to hire the best craftsmen available."
"And once demand rises, prices naturally skyrocket."
"Plus…"
"The really skilled craftsmen already have schedules booked out one or even two weeks ahead."
Riberra Sami nodded.
The price was honestly within his expectations.
"In that case, Marcus, contact the best coating craftsman on the island and book us a slot."
"Money isn't an issue, but quality absolutely is."
"Understood!"
After settling the important matters, Riberra Sami glanced around at the eager crew members gathered across the deck.
"The rest of you can head ashore in rotating batches."
"But remember—Marine Headquarters is nearby."
"To avoid unnecessary trouble…"
"Everyone with a bounty on their head must disguise themselves before leaving the ship."
"Make sure you won't be easily recognized."
A brief period of chaotic preparation followed.
The officers and main combatants all changed their appearances in various ways.
Only after carefully inspecting them and confirming they looked noticeably different from their wanted posters did Riberra Sami finally nod in satisfaction.
"Alright. Stay safe and keep in contact."
"And have fun."
"OHHHHH—!!"
The crew immediately burst into cheers.
Aside from Marcus, who needed to contact coating craftsmen immediately, and Aldo, whom Riberra Sami had specifically ordered to stay aboard and guard the ship—
The remaining officers instantly became highly sought-after targets.
Different groups of crew members enthusiastically fought to recruit them as escorts.
"Brother Isaac!"
One crewman shoved through the crowd and rushed into the training room.
Inside, Isaac was sweating profusely while relentlessly hammering away at a wooden practice post.
"The captain approved free time on the island!"
"But we need an officer leading the group…"
"So how about it? Come with us! Let's go look around!"
Isaac didn't even turn his head.
He slammed another punch into the wooden post with a heavy thud.
"Not going."
He spat out the two words stiffly, his tone filled with obvious irritation.
"You guys go have fun yourselves."
"Ahhhh—?"
The crewman dragged out the sound in disappointment.
But seeing Isaac completely unwilling to engage, he could only retreat dejectedly.
Outside the training room, an entire group of waiting companions immediately crowded around him.
"Well? Well?! Did Brother Isaac agree?"
"Is he taking us with him or not?"
The crewman shook his head bitterly.
"Brother Isaac said he's not going. Told us to enjoy ourselves."
"Eh?! Then what do we do now?"
Everyone instantly froze in despair.
"The captain said an officer has to lead us…"
"And Brother Isaac was always the one who took us to those places before…"
"But now he's completely obsessed with training."
"And all the other officers already got dragged off by other groups…"
"So who's going to lead us now?"
The group stared blankly at one another.
The previously excited atmosphere cooled dramatically.
…
Inside the captain's cabin, Riberra Sami was writing in the ship's logbook when he looked up at the awkwardly fidgeting group before him.
A helpless expression spread across his face.
"You guys…"
"You want me to take you to that kind of place?"
The crewmen shuffled awkwardly and spoke with embarrassed expressions.
"Well, Captain, we can't help it…"
"Back in the past, whenever you said officers had to lead us, Brother Isaac usually took us there…"
"But now his entire mind is stuck inside the training room."
"And all the other officers already got claimed by other groups…"
"So… we could only come ask you…"
"..."
Riberra Sami fell silent.
Looking at the crewmen before him, he genuinely didn't know what to say for a moment.
Normal physiological needs.
Nothing wrong with that.
He understood perfectly well.
But understanding didn't mean he personally wanted to go to places like that.
What, was he supposed to stand outside waiting while they enjoyed themselves?
What kind of NTR plot development is this?
Scratching his head, Riberra Sami ultimately decided to dump this headache onto someone else.
"Ahem. In that case…"
He cleared his throat.
"Go ask Aldo."
"He's still on deck standing watch."
"Just tell him… I approved it."
"And ask whether he's interested in leading the group."
"Remember—safety first. Don't cause trouble."
"Really?! Thank you, Captain! Long live the Captain!"
The sudden reversal instantly filled the crewmen with joy.
They dashed out of the cabin in a blur.
Soon, cheerful voices echoed faintly from outside:
"Brother Aldo! The captain said—!"
Listening to the increasingly distant footsteps and excited shouting, Riberra Sami shook his head helplessly with a laugh before picking up his pen once more.
These idiots…
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