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On the vast, boundless ocean, a Marine warship glided through the waves on a routine patrol. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a shout from the bow.
"Commodore Corun! Suspicious vessel spotted!"
A man with a sharp, disciplined gaze looked over. "What kind of vessel? Is it a pirate ship?"
The soldier lowered his binoculars, shaking his head. "No, sir. It has no pirate flag, nor any identifiable markings. We can't determine its origin."
In these waters, ships are either legal or illegal. Pirates fly the Jolly Roger, while merchant and passenger ships fly their respective house flags. Anything else is a "suspicious vessel," often belonging to smugglers or undocumented fishermen. For Commodore Corun, a man of duty, such a ship required an immediate boarding and inspection.
On the Dream Chaser, Sun Wukong was diligently performing his daily cleaning training while wearing his 60 kg turtle shell. The deck was so spotless it shimmered with a lustrous, antique glow. After emptying a bucket of dirty water into the sea and refilling it, Wukong scrambled up the mast to clean the top. It was then that he spotted the warship.
"Nami! Sanji! Someone's coming!" he shouted down.
Nami rushed out of the cabin, her face tight with tension. "Where?! Is it pirates?" She worried about a naval battle; they only had two cannons, which wouldn't stand up against a well-armed pirate crew.
"No, it's the Marines," Wukong clarified as the ship drew closer.
"Marines? Why are they bothering us?" Sanji asked, lighting a cigarette.
Nami paused, then a look of triumph crossed her face as she pulled a document from her chest. "What's there to be afraid of? We have our authorization! We are legal Pirate Hunters!" She held up the paper Smoker had given them, their shield against official harassment.
The warship pulled alongside, and a voice boomed through a loudspeaker: "Stop your vessel and submit to inspection! Resistance will be met with force!"
Wukong furled the sails, and Commodore Corun leaped onto the deck with a squad of armed soldiers. His gaze swept over the trio. "State your business."
Nami stepped forward with a practiced smile. "Officer, we are Pirate Hunters. Here is our legal authorization."
Corun took the paper, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the official seal of the Grand Line. "Are you Nami?"
"Yes, that's me!" she chirped.
"And who is Sun Wukong?" Corun's eyes landed on the boy with the tail. He looked skeptical. Could a child really be a licensed hunter?
"That's me!" Wukong raised his hand, grinning.
After verifying Sanji's identity and seeing no reason to doubt the genuine document, Corun handed it back. "Very well. Everything is in order." He led his men back to their ship, silently noting that while the boy was young, his reactions were too natural to be a lie.
As the warship vanished, Nami kissed the authorization paper. "This truly is a treasure! Without it, we'd be running from every patrol in the Grand Line." She tucked it back into her clothes with extreme care.
Everything returned to a peaceful rhythm—until the sky suddenly died.
The clear blue was swallowed by inky clouds. The sea, previously calm, transformed into a churning nightmare of giant waves.
"Wukong! Furl the sails! Sanji! The rudder!" Nami shrieked, clinging to the railing. She couldn't believe it; she had just checked the weather! Then she remembered the warning in the pirate diary: The weather of the Grand Line changes in an instant.
Thunder roared as lightning cut through the dark sky like silver swords. Rain lashed the deck like hail. The trio worked like madmen, fighting the elements to keep the Dream Chaser upright. When the storm finally vanished as quickly as it had arrived, all three were collapsed on the deck, gasping for air.
Nami lay sprawled like a starfish; Sanji leaned against the rail, too exhausted to even reach for a cigarette. Wukong, still wearing his turtle shell, lay splayed on his back with his tongue lolling out.
"Ha... so tired," Wukong panted. "But that was great training! I feel like I did a whole day's workout in ten minutes. I hope that happens a few more times today!"
A heavy silence followed. Slowly, two pairs of "hellish" eyes fixed on him.
"What... did... you... say?" Nami growled, her fists clenching as a sudden surge of "anger-strength" filled her.
"You shouldn't say such terrifying things, Wukong," Sanji added, a dark aura radiating from his body as they both surrounded the boy.
Wukong blinked, his tail twitching as he sensed a danger far greater than the storm. The next second, Nami and Sanji pounced on him, giving him a round of "loving" correction for his reckless wish.
"Waaahhh! What are you doing?!"