[Chapter Size: 2853 Words.]
Third Person POV
Baratie, East Blue.
…
…
Somewhere at sea, East Blue.
“Alright, I’ll go with you guys, but I have my own objectives. I hope you don’t expect me to fulfill them! I’ll talk about them later,” Reiju said with the same serious tone and continued speaking. “Now, I’ll finish up my things and check with the old man about what I still need to do before boarding with you…” Before Luffy could even speak, she turned around and walked away from them.
[System – Crew: Reiju has joined as a member of your crew!]
“He really did it…” Nami said with unbelieving eyes.
“Luffy-Sama is so charismatic!” Shirahoshi celebrated.
“There’s no way this is just charisma!” Kuina complained.
“Brother Luffy is so cool!” The bounty hunters shouted with shining eyes.
“Tsk.” Zoro grunted.
“This is unexpected…” Usopp muttered.
“I always knew she was our future cook, so it was just a matter of time until she accepted my invitation,” Luffy declared, unconcerned with the suspicious looks he was receiving.
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[System – Crew: Reiju is now an official member of your crew!]
Luffy displayed a radiant smile as he observed the system screen in front of him.
Meanwhile, Reiju gathered her belongings at the restaurant and jumped back onto the ship, returning to the people who watched her with teary eyes. They shared a meal throughout the day, ending the night as the restaurant illuminated the part of the sea where they were, and the crowd gathered on the deck, many restaurant members crying for Reiju as she bid them farewell.
Luffy shifted his gaze from Reiju to focus on the two people in front of him, who were conversing at the moment, marking a farewell.
“So, you’re really staying here?” Luffy asked the man in front of him.
“Yes, I believe this is the best stop for us to part ways. I plan to start new businesses in Loguetown. I talked to Zeff and found out that I can form a partnership with him, providing food and supplies to the restaurant at below-market prices, given my experience from my old businesses in the South Blue,” he declared, and Luffy nodded.
“I understand. I can only wish you good luck and until next time we meet, perhaps in Loguetown when we pass through to the Grand Line. It’s a place I intend to visit before the journey.”
“Kirimvose syt everything,” the woman suddenly said.
Luffy just stared at her, wondering what the hell she said, but chose to ignore her to continue the conversation with her husband.
“Anyway, take this. I believe it will help you get back on your feet. It’ll be good motivation.” Luffy said, taking a package from his pocket and expanding its size to form a huge bag of berries, which appeared in front of the couple along with a mysterious box.
“This money?!” the man exclaimed, surprised.
“Not just that. In the box next to it, there’s a Devil Fruit, a normal Zoan of the lizard model. I think it’ll be useful in case the World Government tries to come after you again. This will provide some power to retaliate if they send someone dangerous.” Luffy explained, and the man quickly understood.
“Yes, I don’t know what to say. Thank you very much, young man. This will be quite useful, both for me and my wife. I don’t know how to thank you…” he expressed his gratitude.
“Don’t worry. I have your map, the strange key, and still 150 million of that money. It’s the least I can do,” Luffy spoke sincerely. He had already taken a lot from them as a form of reward, so returning a part wouldn’t hurt. He wasn’t that selfish, especially considering that this couple needed help after losing everything.
Thus, Luffy finally bid farewell to the strange couple, who were about to resume their journey and boarded the ship one after the other. Turning to Zeff, he expressed his gratitude.
“Hey, old man, thanks for everything and for entrusting Reiju to my crew. I’ll take care of her.” Luffy smiled at the man.
“Tsk.” Reiju grunted beside, hearing this. After saying goodbye to everyone in the restaurant, she boarded the Marine ship.
“You better take care of her, brat. Otherwise, even without a leg, I’ll kick you in the future as revenge. You’ll find out why I was once called ‘Red Leg’ Zeff.” He said calmly, and Luffy smiled at the threat.
“That’s good. Now, we better go.” Luffy declared, after everyone boarded the Marine ship and bid farewell to the remaining people in the restaurant. Thus, the ship began to sail towards the horizon of the starry night.
“It’s so beautiful…” Shirahoshi, as the only girl who had never seen a starry sky before, never ceased to murmur every time she saw this scenery since Luffy brought her to the surface.
“So, Luffy, where are we heading?” Nami asked beside, as the navigator, she needed to know.
“It’s night at the moment; I want the ship to maintain this course, and tomorrow morning, we’ll figure that out. Now, let’s rest. So rest.” Luffy said, and everyone agreed. While Luffy and the others rested, Usopp and Chouchou remained as lookouts on the mast as they volunteered.
The next day, everyone gathered in the naval kitchen with a delicious coffee that Reiju prepared for everyone, which pleased everyone with the quality of food and techniques employed by the cook.
“So tasty! Thank you, Reiju-Sama!” Shirahoshi shouted happily.
“Really, very good!” Usopp said surprised.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Reiju said proudly.
Meanwhile, Luffy was quiet in a corner with his coffee, holding out a paper he hadn’t opened in the past few days.
“Now, I need your attention here.” Luffy stopped looking at the paper and spoke so that everyone quickly looked at him.
“First, my initial plans were to go to Cocoyasi Islands, get Arlong, as he is the last member among the major pirates of this sea…” Luffy said, earning a surprised look from some, especially Nami.
Nami didn’t know what to say since this was her biggest nightmare, and they were about to face the fish-man who cold-bloodedly killed her mother when she was just a child.
“Come on, Nami, Luffy said he’d win without any problems, trust him! After everything you’ve seen, do you think Arlong is a threat to them, silly girl?” She told herself, trying to gather courage, even though an irrational fear still lingered in her.
Some looked at Nami and recognized her internal conflicts, as most knew her past with Arlong. Shirahoshi placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring look.
“However…” Luffy said and continued. “Following this treasure map, if we slightly change our route, we can reach this island faster than Nami’s village…” Luffy showed the map to everyone that he had been reading until now. “It seems to be a great adventure, and there must be many treasures there, not to mention that the destination is close to Cocoyasi Islands too, where Nami’s village is.”
“So, are we going to that island, chasing after this treasure?” Zoro asked, not as injured as yesterday, as Luffy accelerated his recovery along with Yamato’s.
“Our swordsman here got it right, since my gut feeling tells me it will be a great help for our future journeys, whatever we find there.” Luffy declared, and everyone nodded.
“Here, it might be a puzzle, but you should know where this leads us.” Luffy said and handed the map to Nami, who took it and studied it for a while, confirming the location of the treasure, even though it seemed like a puzzle.
“Yes, I know where the place is…” Nami commented, looking at where the island was with a second official map of the East Blue beside her.
“That’s amazing, now finish your meals, because right after, we’re going to train… I noticed that everyone is weak after the fight with Mihawk, so let’s go outside as soon as you finish breakfast, strengthen your foundations!”
As he spoke these words, Luffy sent a collective shiver through everyone, as they were well acquainted with this rigorous training, and Luffy seemed extremely excited to exercise after the fight with Mihawk. Only Reiju displayed a questioning look compared to the others, but that would soon change.
During the remaining time, Luffy trained them as usual, applying gravitational pressure and challenging them not to falter even as their muscles burned and begged for a break.
“What kind of training is this?” Reiju complained as she felt pain throughout her body, but Luffy didn’t allow her to give up. He subjected her to an even more intense training than the others, with heavier weights, as her legs were stronger than the others to resist gravity.
“Stop complaining and keep going, we need to get stronger!” Luffy said without showing humor.
“Luffy, please!”
“Luffy-Sama.”
“Sharky!”
“Luffy…”
“Auuu…”
“Stop complaining, all of you!”
After a few hours, the deck was covered with fallen bodies, a sight reflecting the crew’s extreme exhaustion. They could barely move, their expressions showing the intensity of the training. Luffy remained impassive in the face of his companions’ effort, steadfast in his purpose to strengthen them at any cost.
“They don’t look good…” Yamato, dressed in various weights, observed the scene beside Luffy, while the rest of the crew lay on the deck, gradually recovering from the rigorous training.
“They’ll survive. We need to get strong, I’ve said it before.” Luffy said in the same tone, emotionless, while he watched his companions crying in front of him, the larger ones at least.
“He’s a demon!” Usopp muttered.
“Did I make the right decision…?” Reiju, lying down and exhausted, internally questioned if joining the crew had been the right choice after experiencing this training.
“Luffy… Sama… So hard…” Shirahoshi murmured fragmented words about the difficulty of the training.
“Let’s take some time to rest now; we shouldn’t be far from the island on that map when I sped up the ship, right, Nami?” Luffy asked.
“Damn… Luffy… But… You’re… right… The island isn’t far… If you speed up the ship…” She said, still crying.
In the next few hours, the members rested for some more time before returning to their basic routine. Some continued training, including Zoro and Kuina; there were scouts like Usopp cleaning his weapon, Chouchou playing with Johnny and Yosaku. Shirahoshi leaned on the deck, admiring the sea beside Megalo. Nami looked at the map while sitting in a chair to relax, next to Luffy and Yamato, who were sunbathing and enjoying some refreshments that Reiju prepared in the kitchen, joining them shortly after.
‘This is everything I dreamed of.’ Luffy looked pleased at his pirate crew, as he had always imagined a crew like this, enjoying their lives at sea. He didn’t force anyone to do things or shout at them all the time; everyone was free to do what they wanted most of the time, as long as they participated in training. Luffy didn’t want a weak crew to face the challenges of the Grand Line. They were always free to pursue their hobbies.
Luffy diverted his crew’s attention to other matters. ‘I have 192 million Barries in the system after spending 50 million on that fruit, but I wish I had at least 2 billion to get the most detailed manual of the world’s six styles, which even the Marines don’t possess. This book has techniques even deeper than those used by the navy and is intended only for those training to be the elite in defending Mary Geoise, which I understand since the world government wants the most powerful as their guards.’ Luffy thought.
‘But even knowing that there are much cheaper manuals in the store, like some basics for 500 million Barries, I want this 2 billion one because I want to have an elite under my command, and this manual will save much more time than the others, not to mention that the techniques must be stronger than those learned by the Marines.’ Luffy concluded calmly.
After having these thoughts, he couldn’t help but glance at Nami beside him studying a map.
“What’s up?” Nami asked, feeling Luffy’s gaze directly on her.
“I’m beautiful, I know. But I’ll charge you if you keep staring at me like that.”
Nami quickly wanted to take advantage of the situation, while Luffy internally muttered with other thoughts.
‘I could simply destroy Arlong when we get to the island of his village… But that’s too boring… Maybe I should let Nami have her revenge by her own hands… If I get a chance to strengthen her, I won’t let it pass, as I don’t know what we might find on this island indicated by the map we’re on route to, but it’s treasure, so it could be something very good for her!’ Luffy finished thinking and looked at the woman who was shouting at him now.
“HEY, IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO PAY, AT LEAST ANSWER PEOPLE WHEN THEY WANT TO TALK TO YOU!” Nami was furious since Luffy was lost in his own thoughts, completely ignoring the thieving cat until now, just staring at her.
“Hm? Oh, yeah, you’re beautiful as always, Nami…” Luffy mumbled and looked forward again, shortly after.
“HM?”
“DON’T COMPLIMENT PEOPLE LIKE THAT AND THEN IGNORE THEM!” Nami shouted, red with the sudden compliment. But Luffy didn’t pay attention to her or Yamato, who was looking at him like a hawk.
“Don’t get jealous, Yamato; they’re all beautiful. I’m happy to be surrounded by so much beauty; I consider all of them my future wives…” Luffy said in a bored tone and didn’t even look at Yamato, but said it to provoke her, just like the other two beside him.
“Luffy, you idiot!”
“BAKA!”
“Playboy!”
Nami, Yamato, and a Reiju said immediately afterward, trying to ignore their shameless and idiotic captain.
‘Women…’ Luffy thought.
“LAND HO!”
“BARK!”
Jhonny and Chouchou’s voices interrupted him at that moment.
“Finally!” Luffy couldn’t help but celebrate.
“Great, keep going; I’ll take the helm!” Nami shouted and ran from her chair to follow the small point appearing on the horizon.
Luffy looked at the island and stood up.
“Hahahahahaha! Listen up, are you ready to find treasures and adventures?!” Luffy began with his usual ruffian laugh, catching the attention of all the members of the ship.
“TREASURES!” Nami shouted loudly on the deck.
“I’ll prove that I’m a brave warrior, facing any danger we encounter!” Usopp said, grabbing his rifle, now fixed and cleaned.
“Will there be pirates worth millions of Barries?!” Jhonny and Yosaku said simultaneously, wanting to hunt pirates, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were accompanying another pirate crew.
“I’ll see beautiful new places on the surface!” Shirahoshi said dreamily.
“Will there be powerful opponents?!” Zoro said, gripping the sword hilt with excitement.
“I’ll have adventures like Oden in his diary?!” Yamato said, grabbing his book, used as his life’s bible.
“BARK!”
“Sharky!”
“Tsk.” Reiju just sighed at everyone’s enthusiasm around her.
“Hahahahahahahaha, I don’t know, and I don’t want to know these answers. I just want to go there to be surprised and discover its mysteries!” Luffy said.
Then the boat continued at full speed, still with the increased speed from Luffy’s power. They could already see the island getting closer and closer.
“TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES! TREASURES!!”
While Nami, Yamato, Usopp, Jhonny, and Yosaku sang these words suddenly with excitement, seeing the island approaching, Luffy held the key he took from the CP5 member, hoping to find great treasures like his friends but remained silent instead of shouting like an idiot. Not that he didn’t appreciate their enthusiasm, but it wasn’t his style.
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Author’s note:
* I’m excited to write about the upcoming events.
– Treasures of the Mysterious Island.
– Arlong’s Fall in Cocoyasi Village.
– Troubles at Isshin’s Dojo in Shimotsuki Village.
– Raiding and Plundering the Goa Kingdom.
– Escaping from… I mean, Fighting with Garp.
– Sister.
– Turmoil in Loguetown.
– A Tenryūbito in the East Blue.
– Shocking the World.
– Entering the Grand Line.
I believe it’s a good list of events before entering the Grand Line. It’s already surpassed 200k words; it seems massive, but I hope it’s enjoyable to read about the events in the East Blue.
* Currently, the members of the Straw Hats are summarized in this recruitment order: Luffy, Yamato, Shirahoshi, Megalo, Zoro, Lami, Bepo, Chouchou, Usopp, Nami, Reiju. While Kuina, Jhonny, and Yosaku are not part of them. I know I’m filling the ship with more women than men at the moment, but I plan to change that in the Grand Line with the characters I’m thinking of recruiting to balance the genders.
* The crew already has 11 people so far, but I intend to limit it to a maximum of 30 members when the Straw Hats go to war against the World Government.
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