I collect everything in the One Piece world.

Chapter 5, Sabaody Archipelago

Goodbye! Take care of yourselves, everyone!

Mosen stood on the makeshift pier of GR 13 in the Sabaody Archipelago, waving vigorously at the slowly departing "Pop-Pop Orange".

On deck, Captain Lyle was also waving his pipe, his face showing a mixture of relief at parting and a barely perceptible worry.

The other sailors crowded around the ship's side, shouting various blessings and jokes in their rough voices.

The setting sun stretched the sails of the "PangPang Orange" long, eventually turning it into a blurry black dot on the horizon before disappearing into the magnificent sunset.

The docks were bustling with people, but suddenly Mo Sen found himself alone.

He let out a soft breath and turned to face this long-renowned, bizarre and wonderful place.

The air was filled with the faint, sweet scent of soap bubbles, mixed with the salty smell of the sea and the aroma of food wafting from afar.

The massive mangrove tree, "Yarchiman," has a gnarled root system that acts like a natural pillar, supporting its lush canopy and the various buildings attached to it.

Countless bubbles secreted from the tree roots, rising dreamily and enveloping the entire area in an unreal, magnificent halo.

He unfolded the simple map that Lyle had given him before he left, which marked the general functions of the different mangrove numbered areas.

The Sabaody Archipelago consists of 79 main mangroves, divided into different “GRs”. The area around GR 58, where he is now located, is mainly a dock and coating factory.

"Let's go check out numbers 40 to 49 first..." Mosen pointed to the map with his finger.

The area is marked as a "tourist area" and a "souvenir shop," and it's not far from the "Soap Bubble Park."

For him, a newcomer and a collector, this was undoubtedly an excellent starting point.

Although there was still a lot of work to be done after landing, Captain Lyle took him to the naval base first and exchanged Scar Hawk's body for the bounty.

Thanks to Scar Hawke's impressive bald corpse, Captain Lyle's testimony, and some "lobbying," they eventually received the bounty at a fairly fast pace.

However, of the twelve million Berries on the bounty, only eight million were actually received.

"That's the rule, Brother Morsen," Lyle explained in a low voice on the way back, his tone tinged with helplessness and reassurance.

"The base commander needs to be bribed, and so do the people above him... If you can get 70% of it down the chain, that's already considered a success. Don't take it to heart."

After listening, Morsen simply nodded indifferently: "I understand, Captain Lyle."

He had seen plenty of this kind of thing before he transmigrated.

For a large organization to function, especially in this lawless sea, a chain of interests is an essential lubricant.

Just like in a movie clip I saw before.

If the naval commander doesn't take it, how will his superiors take it? If the superiors don't take it, how will their superiors' superiors take it? If the superiors' superiors don't take it, how will they advance in their careers?

Lyle was surprised to see his calm reaction, which even seemed to convey a sense of "it should be this way," followed by a deeper and more complex emotion.

He hadn't expected Morsen to be more... insightful? Or perhaps more adapted to the darker side of this world? He didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

Before parting, Lyle stuffed a heavy little cloth bag into Morsen's hands: "Take this. It's always good to have some extra money when you're traveling."

"Part of it is payment for your help, and part of it... is the sentiment of an old friend."

The bag contained two million Berries. Adding the eight million from the bounty, Morsen now carried a staggering ten million Berries in his pocket.

From a penniless refugee to a "rich man" with millions in his pocket, it only took a little over a month. The wonder of fate left him somewhat dazed.

"Let's start with the tourist area." Putting his thoughts aside, Mosen folded up the map and put it away, then stepped into the crowd.

He passed by the coating area marked on the map, and before he even got close, he was stunned by the sight before him.

What you see in real life is far more intuitive and impactful than what you see on a screen.

Giant soap bubbles were blown out by the craftsmen with exquisite skills, carefully enveloping the boats of various shapes.

Sunlight shines through the translucent membrane, refracting into iridescent halos that illuminate the entire area like an underwater palace.

The craftsmen shouted as they used special tools to guide, shape, and reinforce the objects. The whole process was filled with primal power and beauty, as well as a magical sense of wonder.

Mosen stood there for a long time, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "This is truly a 'unique industry of the Grand Line'..."

Along the way, he also saw many boat sales points.

From small, single-person sailboats to rather impressive medium-sized two-masted ships, the variety of vessels made his eyes water.

He longed to own his own ship, to sail freely, to explore uncharted territories, and to collect all sorts of wondrous items and states. This dream began to burn brightly in his heart.

However, this impulse only lasted for a short while before being extinguished by reason.

"One person...can't possibly sail a boat," he thought helplessly.

Sailing is not as simple as driving a car. It requires knowledge of astronomy, geography, meteorology, sail handling, and maintenance, not to mention dealing with pirates, storms, and sea monsters that may appear at any time.

For him alone, a small boat might be manageable, but on the Grand Line, a small boat is practically no different from a floating can of luncheon meat—both are just extra food for the Sea Kings.

Moreover, he is a Devil Fruit user cursed by the sea. If the ship capsizes and he falls into the sea, he will die. He won't always be lucky enough to be rescued by a merchant ship.

"It seems the most practical solution is to take a reliable merchant ship or passenger ship," Mosen thought to himself.

"Although the sailing speed is relatively slow and there are many people and distractions, it is safe and you can also experience different routes and local customs."

"It's not too late to consider building my own ship once I find a reliable partner... like a genius navigator like Nami."

Having cleared his mind, Morsen's steps became much lighter, and soon he entered the tourist area of ​​GR 40-49.

The dreamlike atmosphere here is simply unparalleled, with giant sightseeing bubble cars carrying excited tourists slowly rising into the air and touring along a fixed track.

Street vendors sell "bubble cotton candy" and "bubble balloons." The entire neighborhood is bathed in a soft, dreamlike rainbow of light, and cheerful music and children's laughter are everywhere, as if you have truly stepped into a carefree fairy tale world.

The rich, sweet scent in the air almost made people forget that this was one of the largest pirate gathering places and hotbeds of crime on the Grand Line.

Chapter 6, Antique Slate and Naked Sin

Mosen strolled around with great interest for a while, splashing the floating bubbles like any other tourist, feeling the cool touch on his fingertips, before quickly turning his attention to the dazzling array of shops lining both sides of the street.

Most of the shops here are craft souvenir shops, clothing stores, or dessert shops. He browsed through a few shops at random and bought a few brass compasses with fairly fine workmanship and Chambord-style patterns, a bar of soap that supposedly can blow colorful bubbles, and a beautifully packaged box of bubble gum.

Regardless of the results or taste, at least it looks good, so consider it an experience and a souvenir.

After browsing around for half a day, he walked into an inconspicuous antique general store with a sign that read "Old Times".

The shop was dimly lit and filled with various dusty old items, such as rusty ship lamps, tattered nautical charts, oddly shaped statues, or stacks of yellowed books...

The air was filled with the smell of old wood and a faint musty odor.

The shop owner was a thin, old man with sparse hair and wearing reading glasses. When Mosen entered the shop, he was dozing behind the counter.

Mosen didn't disturb him, but just flipped through the pages with great interest.

Many of the items here are obviously cheap imitations, but a few pieces do have a genuine sense of age.

Finally, Mosen's gaze was drawn to a stone slab leaning against a broken cabinet in the corner.

The stone slab was about the size of two books, with irregular edges, a grayish-white texture, and an unusually smooth surface, without any carvings or writing.

What's even stranger is that it looks both new and old.

It is considered new because it does not have the severe weathering, peeling, or moss erosion marks commonly found on ordinary stone antiques.

It is old because it exudes an indescribable sense of tranquility and vicissitude, as if it has undergone unimaginable erosion of time, and all external wear and tear has been "smoothed" by some force, leaving only the most essential and almost eternal state of "existence".

A faint, cold aura, seemingly out of place in this era, lingered on the surface of the stone slab, which Mosen's keen senses detected.

“This thing…” Mosen’s heart raced slightly, his collector’s spirit stirring.

The stone slab itself may not have any practical value, but its unique "state," as if "frozen in time," held a strange attraction for him.

"Oh? The guest is interested in this 'old-fashioned' piece?" The dozing old man woke up at some point, squinted, rubbed his hands together, and walked over with a shrewd businessman's smile on his face.

"You have an excellent eye! This is one of our shop's most prized possessions. According to research, it's an antique from at least five hundred years ago, originating from a lost kingdom!"

“Look at the texture, the aura… I acquired this last year from a noble family that had fallen on hard times. Their ancestors were explorers!”

"So I won't say more, just a flat price of five million Berries!" The old man spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he were introducing a rare treasure.

Mosen, upon hearing this, curled his lip without any politeness and flicked the edge of the stone slab with his finger, producing a crisp sound.

"Boss, you should at least have some credibility when you're trying to fool people. Five hundred years? I think last year was already considered too old."

"If a stone that's hundreds of years old were buried in the ground or thrown on the beach, exposed to wind, sun, and rain, would it look like this?"

"Tsk, there isn't even a decent sign of use or natural erosion? This is clearly a treated new stone slab, isn't it?"

Mosen was quite perceptive and noticed the unusual nature of the stone slab, but others, such as the boss, might not have been so keen.

The old man's smile froze for a moment; he clearly hadn't expected this seemingly young customer to be so knowledgeable.

I actually found this thing on Bubble Coast, a place in the south that few people go to. I thought it looked special, so I brought it back and displayed it as a gimmick. I never expected that someone would actually ask about it today.

"Ahem...sir, what are you saying? Antiques, well, some can be well-preserved..." The old man still tried to struggle.

"Alright, boss." Mosen interrupted him, picking up the stone slab and weighing it in his hand.

"This thing is somewhat interesting as a decoration. Five million is impossible, fifty thousand Berries, will you sell it or not? If not, I'm leaving, I still need to buy a ship ticket." He made a move to put the stone slab down.

"Fifty thousand?!" The old man almost jumped up. This bargaining was too ruthless! It went from five million to his ankles!

But he knew perfectly well that the stone slab was just a space-consuming rock to him, and no one else asked about it for more than a year.

"No! Two hundred thousand...one hundred and fifty thousand! No less than that!"

After a round of straightforward but technically unsophisticated bargaining, Mosen finally bought the "ancient" stone slab for a total price of 80,000 Berries, along with a uniquely shaped old copper pot and two handwritten books with tattered covers, the contents of which seemed to be folk tales from a certain sea area.

After paying and leaving, Mosen immediately put the stone slab into his collection catalog. Looking at the sticker on the back, which read "[A stone slab that embodies history and time - Status: Damaged and incomplete]", Mosen nodded to himself, confirming that his intuition was correct.

Outside the store, dreamy bubbles continue to rise, and children's laughter rings out.

But amidst this fairytale-like street scene, a completely different sight abruptly entered Mosen's view, shattering the dreamlike bubble.

Across the street, a middle-aged, plump woman wearing a gorgeous velvet dress and with her face heavily made up was standing with one hand on her hip and the other wielding a short-handled leather whip inlaid with small gemstones.

The whip made a sharp, whistling sound as it lashed out at her feet, striking a figure curled up on the ground.

He was a gaunt man, dressed in tattered clothes, his exposed skin covered with a mix of old and new whip marks.

He trembled all over from the beating, but dared not make a sound, only suppressing painful whimpers, like a wounded wild dog.

The obese woman's face showed no pity, only a twisted, drunken disgust and a morbid sense of control.