On their way to the Mansion that belonged to the City Lord, which happened to be in the central district, Sin, Hiyori, and Yamato noticed how bustling and full of life the town really was.
Well, it did take them over a mile to finally reach the main town, but then they truly enjoyed their walk the rest of their way.
There were children freely playing on the streets that were made of cobbled stone, families and lovers were out for an evening walk, and the architecture of the town was something that would mesmerise anyone.
It was an entirely planned town with several districts, and the expansion project seemed to have been clearly drawn, each district having its own unique architectural themes.
There was also a crystal clear lake towards the centre of the town, right next to the City Lord's Mansion, and Kubo informed them that all five towns have lakes and that these lakes are spring-fed.
Whatever civilization created these walls, created them around the best habitable places for people on the Island.
"There's no shortage of water inside these walls, so we don't have to go out into the Island to get it. And Districts 5 and 6 are where the vegetable, grain, and livestock farms are." He told them, and they knew he was talking about the outer rings where various crops were being raised.
Kubo informed them that their yearly yield was extremely high, and their crops were of premium quality, highly sought after by Kingdoms in the New World and some big merchant organisations.
"The town's population is only 4,756 right now. But it can comfortably house 700,000 people without taking away the farming lands. Over a million people can live here as well, but that would make the Housing Districts very congested..." The tall man enthusiastically kept telling them about his hometown and its potential, and it was quite clear to them that he was very fond of his birthplace.
Since Kubo was showing them around the place as well, it took them well over an hour to arrive in front of the City Lord's Mansion, and both Yamato and Hiyori curiously looked at the building which was unlike anything that they had seen before.
It was built with white marble, and it was a tall single-storey building that spanned over a very large area. There were two lawns and a beautiful fountain in the front, and the path that led to the house was made of red bricks.
The guards at the City Lord's mansion seemed to have been expecting them, and they saluted to him before opening the door and letting him walk inside.
"Please, excuse me, Sir. I need to return to my post." Kubo respectfully said and Sin nodded to him before he walked towards the house.
He watched a tall old man, who was in his early fifties, walk out of the house, and right behind him were two ladies, one was seemingly in her early forties, and the other was a young girl of sixteen or seventeen.
The three of them had the same shade of rose red hair and blue eyes, and considering the similarities in their features, they all belonged to the same family.
"Patrick Redfield, Sir Warlord." The tall man, who was slightly taller than him, smiled at him and drew his hand forward.
"Black D. Sin." He shook the man's hand, noticing that the man passed decently strong Haki, and then he politely nodded to the woman who was smiling at him.
The young girl, who was wearing a white shirt and jeans, was curiously looking at him and the girls by his side, and she happily shook hands with him when he greeted her.
"This is my wife, Sarah, and my daughter, Desire." Patrick introduced them.
"Hi! I am Kozuki Oden!" Yamato brightly said, and her words froze Patrick and his wife before they raised their brows at her questioningly.
"Her name is Yamato, and she's my crewmate. And this is Hiyori, my wife." He said, and they nodded to him and greeted the two girls.
Sin noticed how the two threw Hiyori a curious glance, and he had caught them looking shocked at Oden's name as well. And this got him thinking.
"I saw the flag of Whitebeard Pirates on the port." He suddenly said, remembering the two flags that he had seen on the Ports.
"This Island has been under his protection for 27 years now," Patrick told them. "We are all grateful to him for that. Given that this place is a true paradise, lots of greedy people have tried to take control of it and these Towns, but Whitebeard saved us and they no longer dare to cause trouble here."
"I see. Do they come here often?"
Patrick smiled at his words.
"No. The last time Whitebeard came here was five years ago, but his Fleet Commanders visit the Island now and then. They have their messengers on the Ports of this Island. In case anything happens, they will be contacted."
"27 years?" He smiled. "So, did Oden ever come to the Island with them?"
Patrick and Sarah curiously looked at him and then glanced at Hiyori again.
"Yes. He and his wife, together with their two children, came to this Island with the rest of the crew. Lady Toki and her two children stayed in this town with us whilst the others ventured towards the centre."
Hiyori surprisedly raised her head and instinctively squeezed Sin's hand as her heart became a little restless. But she smartly kept quiet.
"Are you by any chance their daughter?" Sarah couldn't help herself but finally ask, and Hiyori's change in expression left little to their doubts. "You have grown up into a beautiful young lady. And may I say that you are even more beautiful than your mother?"
"Thank you." She lightly replied, now wearing a light smile, and her worries were gone when she glanced at Sin and found him gently smiling at her, not mad at her for giving away her identity.
The Redfield family then invited them to have supper, and the three accepted the invitation.
Sarah chatted with Hiyori about the month that Toki had stayed with them at the Manor, and the princess listened to everything with a smile.
Yamato was happily munching on the food, and though she lacked any table manners, Patrick and his family did not seem to mind it. Perhaps, it was because she looked a little too adorable as she gobbled on the food. After all, cute people could really get away with anything.
"I would like to buy a house here." Sin finally revealed why he came to the City Lord's mansion, and Patrick seemed a little surprised at his words.
"I don't have any objection to it, but the Island is open to everyone, including Pirates who don't cause trouble here. Are you sure that your duties as a Warlord won't get in the way?" He seriously asked, and Sin smiled at his words.
"I don't go around hunting all the Pirates that I come across. It's just a beautiful place and I would like to have a home here. And given my circumstances, I might only be able to stay on the Island for a few weeks at most every year."
"You are more than welcome to make this place your home, Sir Black. I will show you a property after the meal." He promised.
As the conversations continued at the table, Sin learned some more things about the history of this place.
It turned out that around the time Star Island was discovered, there was an uprising in the Doerena Kingdom, and two of their noble families broke off and left.
Both Families ended up on the Island together with their entourage, and they decided to settle down there.
The Redfield Family, led by Patrick's father, built the town of Eretzia, investing all the money they had with them, and the Hanson Family did the same with the town of Altaria, which was now the biggest town on the Island that they had seen from the sky.
"Aligoth is the third biggest town, and it is only thirty years old. It is ruled by the Hyaden Family, who are a merchant family hailing from Dressrosa. They have settled down here now, and they create one of the best wines in the world, and their whiskey is even better."
"Really?" He sceptically asked and Patrick confidently nodded his head.
"The towns of Petra and Ebisa are only a decade old, and they are on the northern side of the Island. Petra is ruled by the Signis Family, a merchant family hailing from the Prodence Kingdom, and Ebisa is ruled by the Macius Family, the former ruling family of the Magaro Kingdom. Both the towns are still under construction."
Sin also learned that on the other side of the Calm Belt were the waters of West Blue, and that the closest Kingdom to the Star Island was the Magaro Kingdom, but it was still four days of sea journey from there.
After their meal, as promised, Patrick and Desire led them to the High-End Residential districts and showed them around a Villa that had recently been built and had all the amenities in it.
"The house was built by my younger brother for this second wife, but she took a liking to another house that he had built. It is used by our family as a guest house now, but if you wish to buy, it is yours."
"How much?" He asked.
"36 Million Berries after discount." Desire, who was clearly very serious about business, told the price.
"How much was it before the discount?" He curiously asked with a smile.
"45 Million Berries." She told him, and he could sense that she was not lying.
A 20% discount was indeed quite generous, and he did not heckle them over it. Considering how large this house was, it was indeed a fair price. And what was best was that it came with a few servants as well.
"You can pay later. It is not an issue." Patrick smiled and said, seeing that they were not carrying any briefcase with them
However, Sin shook his head before he reached into the pocket of his coat and took out a small pouch.
He opened it, and then under the curious eyes of them all, he took out six sparkling gems and smiled at Desire.
"Will these be enough?" He teasingly asked.
The girl's mouth dropped open as she looked at the sparkling diamonds, and then she dumbly nodded her head before composing herself and accepting them from his hand.
"I will return the extra amount after verifying them tomorrow." She promised, feeling that the price of the six would easily exceed 36 Million Berries.
"Thank you." He said and then saw off the pair of father and daughter. "Alright, then. You can pick your own room." He told Yamato before he picked up Hiyori in his arms. "And you will be staying with me, my dear wife. But first, let's take a bath."
Hiyori's cheeks burned up in a furious blush when she heard his words, and she started feeling a little dizzy at the thought of what might happen later.