The sun beat down on us as the little boat rocked gently over the waves.
"So… are we lost?" I asked for the third time that morning.
Zoro grunted, hands on the oars. "We're heading west."
"Is Orange town west?"
He paused. "...No clue."
Luffy was lying at the front of the boat, arms spread like he was sunbathing, a half-eaten apple rolling beside him. "Don't worry! We'll get there! My gut says we're going the right way!"
"Your gut is also the reason we stopped at an empty island yesterday thinking it was Orange town," I reminded him.
"Yeah, but that was a good island. They had coconuts."
I sighed and leaned back. "We really need a navigator. No offense, Zoro, but I don't trust you with directions."
"You want to row?" he shot back.
"Fair point."
We drifted in silence for a while. Seagulls flew overhead. The ocean was calm today—almost suspiciously so. No marines, no storms, no sea kings.
"You think Koby's doing okay?" Luffy asked suddenly, sitting up.
"He'll be fine," I said. "He's got guts. I think he'll make a good marine."
"As long as he doesn't end up chasing us," Zoro muttered.
I cracked a small smile. "I doubt it. He's more the 'justice and fairness' type. He'd probably be the guy arguing against attacking us."
Luffy grinned. "Then he's a good guy."
We all agreed on that.
Still, as the hours passed, boredom crept in like fog. The vast blue sea was beautiful—but it was also vast. And empty. With no landmarks in sight, we had no idea if we were even heading toward Orange Town, or just into the middle of nowhere.
"Seriously, though," I said aloud, mostly to the sky, "where the hell is Nami when you need her?"
"Who's Nami?" Luffy asked.
I paused.
What Nami?
Right—he hadn't met her yet.
I glanced at him and chuckled. "What Nami? You must've heard it wrong."
Luffy blinked a few times, scratching the side of his cheek. "Hmm... I guess I did."
Zoro side-eyed me from the oars, narrowing one eye. "You're weird, you know that?"
"I've been told," I replied casually, waving him off.
I leaned back against the edge of the boat, letting the sea breeze brush across my face. That was close. I really needed to watch my mouth—blurting out future names like that wasn't part of the plan.
But damn, I missed having someone who could read a map.
And money. And tangerines.
"Still," Luffy said, lying flat on his back again, "a girl named Nami does sound cool."
I smiled faintly. "Yeah. She is."
•••
We'd been drifting for what felt like hours. Zoro was still rowing—probably regretting his life decisions—and I was lounging in the back of the boat, staring at the sky with half-closed eyes. The waves gently rocked us, the sun was high, and things were… relatively peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"My stomach is crying," Luffy groaned, lying on his back with both hands on his belly.
Zoro didn't even look at him. "You just ate an hour ago."
"Yeah, but that was an hour ago!" Luffy sat up dramatically, hands waving in the air. "I need meat! Real meat!"
"I don't think the ocean takes requests," I muttered.
Luffy ignored me completely as his eyes darted upward. "Ah!"
He pointed at a giant bird flying overhead—massive, with wings that spanned at least twice the length of our tiny boat. It soared majestically against the clear blue sky.
"There! That bird! I'll catch it and eat it!" Luffy shouted.
"Don't be stupid," Zoro said, but he was already too late.
Luffy wound his arms back like a slingshot. "Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"
Before I could say anything, his stretched fists shot upward—grabbing the bird's legs as it passed overhead. For a split second, the bird dipped slightly under the sudden weight.
Then, with one strong flap of its wings, it lifted off—taking Luffy with it.
"Luffy!!" I called out, shielding my eyes from the sun.
"WOOOOAAAHHHH!!" his voice trailed off as he soared away like a kite in the wind.
Zoro sighed, setting the oars down. "That idiot's going to get himself killed."
I leaned back and crossed my arms. "Probably. But I bet he'll be fine."
Zoro shot me a sideways glance. "You're oddly calm."
"He's made of rubber. He's survived worse. He'll bounce back." I closed my eyes. "Literally."
Still, as the dot that was Luffy vanished into the distance, I couldn't help but wonder if this was the part where things really started moving forward—when the crew would slowly come together, chaos would unfold, and adventure would truly begin.
"Guess we're heading to Orange Town after all," I murmured.
~~~
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