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A few hours later—
Orange Town—
The late afternoon sun cast long, twisted shadows across the crumbling dock as the trio finally guided their small boat ashore. The wood creaked beneath their feet, a lonely sound that seemed to echo into nothingness.
"Finally, we're here!!" Luffy's voice exploded across the silent harbor, shattering the stillness like a rock through glass. He stretched his arms high above his head, his straw hat tilting back as he grinned at the sky.
Zoro rolled his shoulder, the joint popping as he scanned the dock with narrowed eyes. His hand drifted toward the white grip of Wado Ichimonji. "Something's not right."
Yuji quickly tied the rope and stood beside them. His pink hair caught the fading light as he surveyed the empty storefronts, abandoned fishing nets, and the complete absence of people. "Yeah... definitely not right." The knowledge of what he knew settled in his mind, Buggy the Clown had torn this place apart.
Luffy tilted his head like a confused puppy. "What!? Is something wrong with this place?" He looked around, as if expecting a sign to explain it.
"Yeah," Zoro muttered in a low voice, "it's too quiet."
Luffy simply shrugged and began walking toward the town as if he were out for a leisurely stroll.
As they ventured deeper, the damage became impossible to ignore—buildings with doors torn off, market stalls shattered, and overturned carts completely emptied. Yet, there was not a single person in sight. Not even a cat or a stray dog.
"Something's definitely wrong here." Zoro's eyes sharpening.
Yuji inhaled deeply, catching faint traces of gunpowder and cheap rum on the breeze. "Smells like pirates."
At that word, Luffy's entire mood shifted. His eyes lit up, and a grin spread across his face. "Pirates, huh!?"
He sped up, nearly bouncing past the wreckage.
"Yoi, Luffy... calm down. What's gotten into you?" Zoro said, sounding annoyed.
Luffy glanced back, his grin softening. "Well, if they are pirates, then this will be our first real fight as an official pirate crew."
"Tch... of course, that's what you're thinking." Zoro shook his head, though there was no real anger in it.
Yuji patted Zoro's shoulder and followed Luffy. Zoro grumbled under his breath but complied, his hand never leaving his sword.
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Minutes passed as they walked through the ghost town, until suddenly, a sound cut through the silence like a blade—
"STOP, THIEF!!"
"GIVE US BACK THAT MAP!"
The trio turned toward the noise. A girl with orange hair was running toward them, her legs pumping hard. Three men chased her, swords raised, their faces twisted with rage.
As the girl approached, a flicker of inspiration sparked in her eyes. They brightened suddenly, and a sly grin curved her lips.
"BOSS... you finally came to rescue me!" she exclaimed, trying to dart past them, her voice dripping with feigned relief. "I'll let you handle those guys!"
But before she could slip away, Yuji's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist like a steel cuff.
"Wha—" She jerked back, staring at Yuji with genuine shock, then at the approaching swordsmen. Her expression shifted from triumph to grim understanding. "H-Hey, what are you—"
The three men skidded to a stop in front of them, their chests heaving. One of them, a stocky man with a broken nose and a missing ear, pointed his sword at Luffy.
"So you're her boss, huh!?" Spit flew from his mouth.
Luffy blinked, completely confused. He pointed at himself and exclaimed, "Me!?"
Zoro's hand tightened on his sword. "Damn it, she set us up..." He glanced at the orange-haired girl, who was now struggling in Yuji's grip. "...good catch, Yuji."
"Let me go!" She sank her teeth into Yuji's hand, then jerked back with a yelp. "Argh... what are you made of? It's like biting a rock!"
Yuji sighed, more annoyed than hurt. "Hey, cut it out. I'm not trying to hurt you... and stop biting me!!" But the girl had already wrapped herself around his arm like an angry cat, biting whatever skin she could reach.
Luffy watched and laughed. "She's funny."
The three swordsmen, realizing they were being ignored, felt their faces flush with anger as veins bulged on their foreheads.
"DAMN YOU... STOP IGNORING US!!!"
One of them, a lanky man with a scar on his cheek, swung his sword at Luffy's head. Luffy ducked easily, but the blade caught the edge of his straw hat, sending it tumbling to the dusty ground.
The world seemed to freeze.
Yuji and Zoro exchanged a look, then glanced at the fallen hat and the man who had hit it. Their expressions said it all: 'Well, he's dead.'
And sure enough, Luffy's cheerful mood vanished. His face darkened, and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Without even looking at the man, his fist shot forward, striking his jaw with a punch that sent him flying like a ragdoll.
"Don't touch my hat."
"T-Tony...?" The second man stared at his unconscious friend, then back at Luffy. Rage quickly replaced shock. "YOU... ROTTEN BRAT!!"
He and the last man charged, swords raised. Luffy met them with two clean punches, one to each face, and they crumpled beside their friend.
"W-Wow!!" The orange-haired girl, still hanging onto Yuji's arm, stared with wide eyes.
Yuji dropped her to the ground.
"Ow... hey—" She rubbed her sore back and glared up at him. "—don't you know how to treat girls? You brute!!"
Yuji's expression remained flat. "Girl, you have no sense of danger."
She huffed, then her eyes landed on Luffy. As if a switch had flipped, her annoyance vanished, replaced by bright energy. She scrambled up and ran to him, grabbing his hands.
"You're pretty tough! You defeated those sword-wielding guys with your bare hands!"
Luffy blinked down at her. "Uh... who are you?"
She flipped her orange hair with practiced flair. "The name's Nami! I specialize in robbing pirates." She winked. "Wanna team up with me?"
Luffy frowned. "Robbing pirates?"
Nami nodded eagerly. "That's right! I steal treasure from pirates. Together, we could make a fortune!"
Zoro stepped forward, his voice dripping with suspicion. "Hey, Luffy... don't listen to her. She's a money-hungry witch trying to trick you."
Luffy's eyes widened with understanding. He pointed at Nami and exclaimed, "So you're a bad girl!!"
Yuji's lips twitched as he held back a smile.
Nami's expression soured as she turned to Zoro. "You... stop calling me that!" Then her eyes caught the three swords at his waist. Recognition dawned. "Wait... three swords, green hair, scary face... Y-You're the famous bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro!!" She gasped, then looked at Yuji, and back at Luffy. "No way! Are you here for the pirates on this island!?"
Luffy, hearing only the word 'pirate,' nodded happily. "Yeah, we're here to fight the pirates."
Nami's eyes sparkled. "Then we should definitely team up! You handle the pirates, and I'll steal their treasure. It's a win-win! What do you say?"
"No," Zoro said flatly.
"Okay," Luffy agreed.
"Okay," Yuji shrugged.
Zoro whipped his head toward them. "What!? You two for real!?"
Yuji spread his hands. "We were already going to fight the pirates... if there were any—which this orange cat just confirmed there are."
"Mm hm. What Yuji said." Luffy nodded wisely.
"I'm not a cat, you brute!" Nami yelled at Yuji, who remained completely unfazed.
Zoro looked between them, saw Luffy's excitement and Yuji's calm acceptance, and let out a long sigh. "Fine. Whatever."
"YEAH..." Luffy pumped his fist. "Our first pirate fight. Let's go—"
His stomach roared like a wounded beast as he crumpled to the ground.
Nami's eyes widened with panic. "Ahhh... what happened? Is he dead!?"
"Ugh... I'm hungry..." Luffy's voice came from the dirt.
"What?" Nami's panic turned to stunned confusion.
Yuji stepped forward and hoisted Luffy onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Yeah, he's just hungry."
Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Didn't he eat our last supplies? How is he still hungry!?"
Nami shook off her confusion. "Well, there's a restaurant nearby, but it's probably empty."
Yuji thought for a moment. "If there are any ingredients left, I can make something."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You're a cook?"
"Not professionally, but I know enough to feed anyone." Yuji said, adjusting Luffy on his shoulder. "Lead the way, orange cat."
"HEY, stop calling me that..." Nami's eye twitched, but she turned and led them toward the restaurant.
Zoro allowed himself a small, approving smirk at the nickname.
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The restaurant was indeed empty, with tables overturned and chairs scattered. However, the kitchen surprisingly still contained a decent amount of ingredients. Whoever had looted the place had either missed them or simply didn't care about the food.
Yuji got to work while Luffy and Zoro sat at a table near the window. Nami sat across from them, her eyes scanning the empty room.
"This town is practically deserted," she began. "Everyone wants to stay as far away as possible from Buggy and his pirate crew."
Luffy rubbed his chin. "Buggy? I think I've heard that name before."
"'Buggy the Clown.' That's what everyone calls him. They say that once, some kids in a village made fun of his nose. Buggy got so angry that he blew the whole village to pieces with his famous Buggy Cannon. And what's more..." She leaned in, lowering her voice. "I've heard Buggy has some mysterious powers."
Zoro's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I've heard about him. Apparently, he has a 15 million berry bounty on his head."
Luffy's eyes widened. "Really!?"
Just then, Yuji emerged from the kitchen carrying a large tray with four plates. The aroma alone made even Nami's stomach growl.
Luffy practically vibrated in his seat. "Yes, food!"
Yuji set down the tray, revealing plates of pasta in a rich red sauce. "Well, there wasn't much in the kitchen. Looks like someone already raided this place. Using whatever fresh ingredients were left, I made this. Hope you don't mind." He pulled a bottle from his pocket. "I only found this one bottle left. Here—"
He tossed it to Zoro, who caught it with one hand, uncorked it, and took a long drink. A satisfied sigh escaped him. "Thanks."
Yuji nodded and served the pasta.
Luffy attacked his plate like a wild animal. "Mmm... good..." he managed to say through a mouthful.
Yuji smiled softly at their reactions, then glanced at Zoro and Nami.
Zoro took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and hummed in approval.
Nami, more hesitant, twirled some pasta on her fork and took a small bite. Her eyes widened. "T-This is... delicious." She looked at Yuji with a newfound respect. "Thanks for the food."
Yuji nodded and finally sat down with his own serving.
Silence reigned for several minutes as they ate. Then Nami spoke up, her tone deliberately casual.
"So I was thinking... After you guys take care of the Buggy Pirates, we could team up again, take down more pirates, and I could loot their treasures. What do you all say?"
Zoro took another swig of his drink. "What's with the treasure? Do you have some secret obsession or something?"
Nami sighed, shaking her head. "No. It's just... I need to get 100 million berries. Once I collect all the money, I'm going to buy a certain village."
Zoro's expression shifted slightly. "100 million, huh? That's a lot. Even if you plundered pirates from the entire East Blue, it still wouldn't be enough—unless you robbed some nobles."
"I know." Nami said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "That's why I've got a plan..." She lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. "I have a map of the Grand Line that I just stole from Buggy." She leaned back, a smug grin spreading across her face. "I'm thinking of entering the Grand Line and stealing treasures from bigger pirates. If you want, I could take you three with me. We could make a fortune."
At her words, both Zoro and Luffy instinctively looked at Yuji. Since Yuji's world-shaking revelations, they had come to trust his judgment regarding the dangers ahead.
Yuji set down his fork with a soft clink. He met Nami's gaze, seeing the ambition, the desperation, and the carefully hidden pain behind her eyes. He sighed.
"I think you should know something, Nami. The Grand Line is a very dangerous place—filled with people so powerful you can't even imagine. Moreover, sailing its waters is incredibly difficult. One small mistake, and you're dead."
Nami's expression flickered—surprise, then defensiveness, followed by something harder. "Are you trying to scare me?" Her voice dropped, becoming cold. "First of all, I've seen strength you can't comprehend—monsters a hundred times stronger than any human." Her fists clenched on the table, knuckles white. "And as for sailing the Grand Line? I'm the best navigator in the entire East Blue."
Luffy perked up immediately. "Wait... really!? You're a navigator!?" He jumped to his feet, arms thrown wide. "WOW! That's great! Then we're heading for the Grand Line!!"
Nami's smile returned, triumphant. "Really?" She glanced at Yuji with barely concealed smugness. "Well, it looks like your friend here is much smarter than you."
Zoro frowned at Yuji, who simply shook his head with a small, knowing smile.
"Hell yeah!" Luffy was practically bouncing. "See this, Yuji, Zoro? Now we've got a navigator too. That makes three crew members."
Nami's smile froze. "Yea—wait, what crew member?"
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