“Usopp, tighten the lines!” The rain fell harder and harder as fierce winds howled across the sea.
The Going Merry struggled through the towering waves.
Their first challenge after leaving Loguetown was simple: Survive the storm.
A pirate’s life was spent almost entirely at sea, and very few pirates died peacefully of old age.
Some perished while searching for treasure, others fell in battles against rival pirates, and many were hunted down by the Marines.
But just as many lost their lives to the sea itself.
On the Grand Line, surviving one violent storm after another depended entirely on the skill of the ship’s navigator.
Fortunately, Nami was an exceptionally gifted Navigator.
Because the Straw Hat Pirates still had a relatively small crew, everyone had to take on their own responsibilities during the storm.
Nami calmly directed everyone.
Meanwhile, Dazai sat atop the Going Merry’s sheep figurehead with his arms spread wide, head tilted back, eyes closed as he embraced the raging storm.
“To die at the hands of nature…
wouldn’t be such a bad way to go~” “Zoro!
Drag that idiot down here!” Seeing how completely out of place Dazai looked compared to everyone else working frantically, Nami took a deep breath.
Before he could create even more trouble, she wanted him under control.
“Heh.” Zoro cracked his knuckles with a wicked grin as he walked over.
A powerful tug lifted Dazai by the back of his collar.
“Dazai, go secure the cargo.” Holding the Log Pose while checking the changing weather, Nami shot him a sideways glance.
“Yes~” Dazai tucked in his legs, raised both hands in surrender, and glanced pleadingly at Zoro, signaling for him to put him down.
After an entire day’s struggle, the storm finally passed.
“So tired…” Dazai leaned against the mast.
“Sanji, I want crab hotpot~” “Meat…” Luffy weakly raised one hand, drool already dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Sanji ran a hand through his still-damp hair, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.
“Give me a minute.
It’ll be ready soon.” He rolled up his sleeves and headed into the kitchen.
“Looks like today’s catch turned into a prize.” He intended to prepare a feast to reward everyone’s hard work.
Zoro collapsed onto a deck chair and immediately fell asleep.
Warm sunlight shone across his face, slowly driving away the chill left behind by the storm.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the deck, too exhausted to do anything except stare blankly at the endless sea.
“Luffy!
Look!
What’s that?” Usopp had been leaning against the railing when his sharp eyesight caught sight of a large black mass floating in the distance.
Instantly curious, he called Luffy over.
“Is it…
a flock of crows?” Luffy shaded his eyes and squinted toward the horizon.
“I’ve heard crows circle around freshly dead prey.” Fresh out of the bath, Nami stepped onto the deck while drying her hair with a towel.
She casually joined the conversation.
“Food!” Luffy’s eyes lit up.
Without another thought, he stretched his arm far into the distance and grabbed hold of whatever it was.
“It’s huge!” His mouth watered uncontrollably.
Seeing what was flying toward the ship, Dazai immediately ducked.
Luffy’s rubber arm snapped back from the momentum, sweeping across the deck.
It clipped Dazai…
…and sent the sleeping Zoro flying straight off his deck chair.
Zoro froze in midair for a brief second.
Splash!
He plunged into the ocean.
“AAAAAH!
Zoro fell overboard!” Usopp screamed before sprinting to grab rescue equipment.
Dazai happily ran to the railing, leaned over, and waved enthusiastically at the struggling swordsman.
“Look over here!
Say cheese!” Excellent.
Another embarrassing moment had been permanently added to Zoro’s collection of blackmail material.
“I’m going to kill all of you someday!” Grabbing the rope Usopp threw down, Zoro climbed back aboard with murderous intent radiating from him.
“…That’s not food.” Nami stared at what Luffy had reeled in.
Lying unconscious on the deck was a little girl wearing a brown floral dress and a white sunhat.
Hearing it wasn’t something edible, Luffy immediately lost all interest and collapsed face-first onto the deck.
“Usopp, carry her inside.” Nami had the still-unconscious girl taken into one of the cabins to rest.
“Dinner’s ready!” After all the commotion, Sanji finally finished preparing the meal.
When he noticed the sleeping girl, he smiled.
“Looks like we have one more guest.” He quietly returned to the kitchen to prepare an extra serving.
A meal was more than just nourishment.
When it was delicious, it fed both the body and the soul.
The dishes Sanji prepared from the legendary fish looked as though they were glowing.
For a while, everyone devoted themselves entirely to eating.
The little girl slowly opened her eyes.
Looking around at the unfamiliar room, she suddenly sat upright, startled like a frightened bird.
“You’re awake.” Nami smiled warmly and gently patted her head.
“Did the storm catch you?” “Thank you for saving me!” The girl knelt on the bed and bowed deeply.
“We originally thought you were food.” Luffy scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Eek!” The little girl shrank back in fear.
“We’re pirates.” Dazai suddenly appeared beside the bed, leaning close with an evil grin.
“We’re planning to sell you.” The girl’s face instantly turned pale.
Her body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Don’t listen to him.” Nami shoved Dazai aside before comforting the frightened girl with an awkward smile.
“We may be pirates, but we’re the good kind.” Dazai simply stretched lazily in his chair and yawned.
“How boring.” Grrrr…
The girl’s stomach growled loudly.
She instinctively clutched her aching stomach but didn’t dare say anything.
“Here.” Having noticed that she had awakened, Sanji had quietly returned to the kitchen to reheat the meal.
A steaming plate of food was placed before her.
The girl cautiously looked at him.
“You won’t have the strength to do anything on an empty stomach, mademoiselle.” Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke with his usual gentlemanly smile.
The little girl immediately began wolfing down the food.
“We’re not bad pirates.” Watching the starving child eat, Nami spoke gently.
“Good night.” None of them questioned where she had come from or why she had been drifting alone in a small boat.
Instead, they quietly cleaned up the dishes, left her some privacy, and filed out of the room one after another.
Silence returned.
Left alone, the little girl lay back on the bed, one hand resting over her now-full stomach, quietly lost in thought.
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