Adventure in the City on the Water

Walking toward the city, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp judge it wiser to hit the exchange before lugging their gold cart any further. A rental shop catches their eye, and the proprietor lays out three kinds of bull: the Yagara, the Rabuka, and the King. Once he learns the trio simply trailed the Log Pose here, he describes how the bulls fill the role of horses in daily life, ferrying citizens about and strong enough to haul nearly any cargo, gold included. Realizing they truly carry a fortune, he comically jacks up his fee, then steers them toward the better-funded exchange in the center of town.

Handed a map, the three send their Yagara Bulls racing uphill and through clever shortcuts that show off the animals' intelligence. At the market they pass a bigger bull ferrying masked riders, and Luffy's mount steers him to a stall of soft Mizu Mizu Meat, of which he buys ten servings. Nami clocks the many masked locals but turns back to the map as they ride into the Aquatic Elevator, where rising water carries them up toward the city's core. Meanwhile, back at the Going Merry, Zoro tells Sanji that Robin and Chopper left to shop, so Sanji heads off for food as well, leaving Zoro on his own to watch the ship.

Stepping off the elevator, the three notice a crowd swelling beside one of the docks and wander over to look. The onlookers cheer Galley-La workers by name, among them "Lue-chan" Rob Lucci, the absent Paulie, Lulu, and Tilestone, and a bystander tells Luffy these craftsmen are the city's pride, prized as both brawlers and shipbuilders. Aboard the Going Merry, a group of assailants, later identified as the Franky Family, swarms Zoro, who demands to learn who they are. The cover shows Gedatsu digging flat to the ground until his pickaxe meets something far harder than soil.