Roughly half an hour later, the Chris finally arrived at the port.
The massive crescent-shaped harbor was crowded with vessels of all shapes and sizes, a hive of maritime activity. Ships came and went in constant flow—it was a bustling spectacle.
This was Hewdon Port City, one of the two major harbor cities of the Kingdom of Sasardo. The port boasted nineteen large piers, split into freight and passenger docks. Docks 1 through 11 handled cargo, while docks 12 through 19 were reserved for passengers. Each dock had eight berths—152 berths in total.
Hewdon had a population of over 800,000 and was divided into three districts: Coastal City, Central City, and the Outer City. The Coastal City encompassed the entire sweeping harbor and wharf area, spanning 8,300 meters along the pierline and extending 2,000 meters inland—home to around 300,000 residents.
The Central City was the city's heart, containing the City Lord's estate, the nobles' quarter, and the prestigious commercial district. It measured roughly 4,800 meters across and 3,500 meters deep, housing another 200,000. Towering cliffs surrounded both the Coastal and Central Cities, forming a natural barrier.
The Outer City lay furthest inland, closest to Sasardo Island's dense interior. It included residential zones, lower-income neighborhoods, and standard shopping streets, stretching 7,200 meters by 6,300 meters and housing the remaining 300,000. Encircling it all was dense forest.
"Whoa, check out all these ships!" Arlan leaned over the railing, his eyes wide with excitement as he surveyed the port—especially the few pirate ships brazenly cruising through the harbor.
"This place is huge—and way more lively than Shiga Island," Gorbo added, clearly fascinated. It was his first time seeing such a bustling port.
"Hey, Dimitri," Oliver called out lazily, arms draped over the railing, twin katanas hanging from his belt. "You look awfully familiar with this place. You been here before?"
"Yeah, wasn't it Captain Jaron who brought you?" asked Aeridar, lounging near the prow with an arm around Millie and Mina's slender waists. Having seen modern coastal cities in his past life, this place didn't impress him much—though the exotic atmosphere, reminiscent of Earth's 16th or 17th century, was a refreshing twist.
Dimitri nodded with a smile. "Twice, with Sensei Jaron."
Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he added, "The second time, I saw a pirate crew with a bounty in the millions pick a fight with a merchant—right here in port. They opened fire on the guy's cargo ship... and got the Navy on their backs. Twelve warships showed up and wiped them off the map. And not just them—every pirate crew within fifty nautical miles got caught up in it. Over ten crews were annihilated, seven or eight crippled, more than twenty ships sunk, and over a thousand pirates killed. Five or six hundred captured."
Aeridar burst out laughing. "Hahaha! What a bunch of morons! Stirring up trouble this close to the East Blue Naval Fortress? They were asking for it—and they got it! Serves the idiots right!"
There are always reckless fools in the world—people who don't know their limits. It's like someone with a hundred million bounty attacking Marine HQ in the Grand Line with a rowboat and a cannon. That's not guts—that's suicide.
Just like that clown back in Sabaody Archipelago who tried to kill Admiral Kizaru with a musket. Kizaru wasn't even interested in dealing with that trash—until the idiot asked for it. Then, well, no one blamed Kizaru for sending him straight to hell.
"Guess the Navy really went all out to make an example of them," Arlan muttered, hitting the nail on the head.
"Tch. Dumbasses," Oliver scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Idiots," Gorbo added flatly, shaking his head.
Dimitri chuckled, remembering how some of the surviving pirates were ranting about it in the bars. "Yeah... a lot of them were furious. I remember some guys who barely escaped were cursing that crew to hell."
Soon after, the Chris eased into Dock 16, slipping into Berth 8. The deckhands got to work: anchors dropped, sails furled, and thick mooring ropes secured the ship to the massive dockside bollards.
The gangplank dropped. Aeridar was the first down, swaggering onto solid ground. Oliver and the others followed, laughing and chatting as the crew descended onto the stone pier, arms slung over each other's shoulders.
"No wonder this is the East Blue's busiest island. It's wild out here!" one crewmate exclaimed.
"This is just one section of the coastal district, and it already outnumbers the entire population of Shiga Island!"
"Man, it feels so good to be on land again!"
Having survived last night's brutal storm, the crew stomped the granite beneath their boots, breathing in the smells and sounds of civilization like it was a dream.
"Alright!" Aeridar called, opening a wooden chest. "Everyone else, here's 10,000 Berries each. You're free to explore—but be back on the ship by 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow. Got it?"
"Long live the captain!"
"You got it, Captain!"
The crew lined up eagerly to collect their spending money.
Suddenly remembering something, Aeridar raised his voice. "Wait! Each team, leave five guys on ship watch. We don't want anyone sneaking off with the Chris!"
"No need, Captain," Oliver interrupted lazily. "I'll stay. Just bring me back some good booze from the island."
Aeridar gave him a long look... then nodded. "Alright. It's in your hands."
"No problem," Oliver replied, lifting his bottle in salute.
"Gorbo, you're Head Chef. Take Millie and Mina with you to handle the supply run—fresh water, food, all that. Grab funds from Dimitri," Arlan ordered after a moment of thought.
Then he turned to Aeridar and Dimitri. "Captain, Dimitri—we should hit the black market. We need to restock our ammunition. We lost six cannons in that storm last night."
"Sounds good to me," Aeridar replied with a shrug. "Glad I've got a smart first mate so I don't have to think too hard."
"No problem. 500,000 Berries enough for you, Gorbo?" Dimitri grinned, handing over five thick wads of bills.
Gorbo's scarred face lit up. "Plenty! Leave supplies and water to me."
"Thanks, First Mate!" Millie and Mina chimed in with beaming smiles.
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