Mox leaned against the railing, looking at the figure wearing a Straw Hat standing at the bow.
Luffy stood against the sea breeze, his mouth stretched wide as he made some strange noises, both arms spread as though he were about to take flight.
“Hey, Luffy, where exactly are we going?”
The Three-Sword Style swordsman Zoro impatiently tapped the deck with the hilt of his sword.
“We’re out of booze.
If we keep sailing around this stretch of sea, my swords are going to rust.”
Luffy abruptly turned around, his eyes shining beneath the brim of his Straw Hat.
“Of course we’re going to the Grand Line!
We’ll sail around it once and find the One Piece!
“Then we’ll defeat all the powerful pirates and become the freest pirates on the sea!”
“The Grand Line… I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about it.”
Zoro frowned.
“Before this, all I cared about was improving my swordsmanship.”
“The title of ‘Pirate Hunter’ was only because I caught a few pirates for their bounties so I could afford booze!”
“The Grand Line, huh…”
Mox stroked his chin and cleared his throat.
“It’s known as ‘the most dangerous sea in the world’ and is the ultimate stage every pirate dreams of reaching.
“It runs around the world along the Red Line, dividing the world’s oceans into distinct regions.
“There are two ways people talk about entering it.
One is through Reverse Mountain, while the other… supposedly requires a special method.”
He paused.
Seeing the increasingly excited expressions on Luffy and Zoro’s faces, he continued.
“The weather there is completely unpredictable.
One moment, the sky could be perfectly clear; the next, you’d be caught in a blizzard or a thunderstorm.
“The ocean currents are just as bizarre.
Ordinary compasses are useless there, and apparently, you need a Log Pose to navigate.
“And there are powerful pirates everywhere, mysterious islands, and elite Marine forces…
“In short, it’s a place where only the truly strong can survive.”
“The strong?”
Zoro tightened his grip on the swords at his waist, a grin appearing on his face.
“Perfect!
Then I want to see just how powerful these so-called strong guys really are!”
He suddenly pointed in a direction.
“Then let’s head for the Grand Line at full speed!”
“Yeah!”
Luffy and Mox answered simultaneously.
Three seconds later, an awkward silence descended over the sea.
The smile on Zoro’s face slowly froze.
He looked at Luffy.
Then at Mox.
Finally, his gaze settled on the completely motionless sails.
“Wait…”
“You two don’t happen to know which direction the Grand Line is in, do you?”
Luffy and Mox exchanged a glance.
Then, in perfect unison, they shook their heads.
“Then you at least have a nautical chart, right?”
A vein bulged on Zoro’s forehead.
His hand was already resting on the hilt of his sword.
“You’ve been at sea this long and you didn’t even prepare a nautical chart?”
Luffy scratched his head.
“A nautical chart?
What’s that?
Can you eat it?”
Mox coughed awkwardly.
“Uh… apparently, we know absolutely nothing about navigation.”
Zoro took a deep breath.
He could feel his patience being slowly worn away by these two complete landlubbers.
He stared at the two clueless idiots before him.
One thought occupied his mind:
Can I still jump overboard and swim back?
“Don’t worry!”
Mox suddenly slapped his chest and raised his chin arrogantly, waiting for the other two to look at him with admiration.
“I already have a solution!”
Luffy and Zoro raised their eyebrows simultaneously.
“What solution?”
“Zoro,” Mox said solemnly.
“Use your instincts.
Which direction is the Grand Line?”
Zoro froze.
Nevertheless, he seriously closed his eyes and felt the direction of the sea breeze and the movement of the currents.
A minute later, he opened his eyes and confidently pointed to the left.
“It should be that way.”
“Absolutely not!”
Luffy immediately waved his hands.
“There’s a Marine base over there!
We just came from there yesterday!”
Mox snapped his fingers.
“Then it’s settled!
Turn the rudder right and go straight!”
“Hey!
Mox!
What do you mean?”
Zoro stared at him in confusion.
“Don’t ask.
If you ask, the answer is… mysticism.”
Mox rolled his eyes internally.
You’re a world-class directionally challenged idiot.
Do you really need me to explain it?
This is exactly how Zoro should be used—a reverse compass!
Just then, Luffy suddenly pointed toward the sky.
“Whoa!
That’s a huge bird!
It looks delicious!”
Before Zoro and Mox could react, he had already launched himself into the air like a cannonball.
He accurately grabbed the leg of a massive bird with a wingspan of nearly three meters.
The bird cried out in pain.
It suddenly clamped its talons onto Luffy’s clothes and shot straight into the sky, dragging him along.
“Luffy!”
Zoro and Mox shouted simultaneously.
But all they could do was watch helplessly as Luffy was carried farther and farther away until he became a tiny black speck in the distance.
Meanwhile, in an alley in Orange Town, a young woman with short orange hair was running for her life.
Nami.
Behind her came the rough shouts and curses of pirates.
“Catch that little thief!”
“Don’t let her get away!
Captain Buggy said whoever catches her gets a reward of 100,000 Berries!”
Nami gritted her teeth and ran even faster.
She turned into a dead-end alley.
A tall wall stood directly in front of her.
Her heart sank.
Damn it.
I’m trapped.
The pirates’ footsteps grew closer.
A pirate wearing a red headscarf blocked the entrance to the alley, grinning viciously.
“Kitten, let’s see where you run now!”
Nami clenched the chart hidden inside her clothes.
A trace of despair flashed through her eyes.
Just then—
THUD!
Something suddenly fell from the sky and crashed directly into the ground in front of her.
Its head was buried straight into the dirt.
Only a Straw Hat-wearing backside and two wildly kicking legs remained visible.
Nami stared blankly.
“…What kind of strange creature is this?”
Even with his head buried in the ground, that ridiculous aura of sheer misfortune was impossible to conceal.
A flash of inspiration crossed Nami’s mind.
She immediately came up with an idea.
Luffy finally managed to pull his head free.
He looked around in confusion.
Nami rushed over and enthusiastically dusted him off.
“Boss!
You finally came to rescue me!
Look at these people!
They’ve been bullying me terribly!”
She turned toward the pirates, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted:
“Watch yourselves!
This is my boss!
Now that my boss is here, let’s see how he deals with you!”
Luffy scratched his head in confusion.
“Who are you?
Do we know each other?”
Nami smiled brightly.
“Then, Boss, I’ll leave this place to you!”
While Luffy and the pirates were still stunned, Nami turned around and ran.
In the blink of an eye, she had disappeared.
The red-headscarf pirate finally came to his senses.
He glared at Luffy.
“You’re this little brat’s boss?”
“Tsk, tsk.
With a body like yours, I’ve already cut down fifty-eight guys tougher than you!”
He swung his sword down.
Luffy’s eyes sharpened.
He sidestepped effortlessly and punched the pirate squarely in the jaw.
Crack!
Teeth went flying everywhere.
The pirate was sent backward like a broken kite and crashed into the wall, knocked unconscious.
The remaining pirates exchanged glances.
“He’s only one guy!
Let’s get him together!”
Luffy took two steps back and inhaled deeply.
His legs suddenly stretched out.
“Gum-Gum… Whip!”
His elongated leg lashed toward the pirates’ waists.
The pirates screamed as they were swept away and piled into a small mountain.
A genuine whipping kick.
Nami, who had run away only to quietly sneak back, was hiding on a rooftop.
She had been a little worried that the Straw Hat-wearing idiot she’d tricked might actually get himself killed.
Then she witnessed the scene.
Her eyes widened.
This guy is actually that strong?!
She jumped down from the roof and approached Luffy.
“My name is Nami.
I didn’t expect you to be this strong.”
“How about we work together?”
“Who are you?
No.”
Luffy immediately turned around and walked away.
Unfortunately, his stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly.
“I’m hungry…”
“I wonder when Mox and Zoro are going to get here.”
Nami’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll buy you food!”
Luffy spun around.
His eyes sparkled.
“Really?
You’re such a nice person!”
Inside a private dining room, Luffy rubbed his round belly and let out a satisfied burp.
“Ah!
I’m stuffed!”
He looked across the table at Nami.
“By the way, why were those guys chasing you?”
Nami hesitated.
Then she pulled a chart from inside her clothes.
“Because of this.”
Luffy leaned over.
His eyes widened.
“Is that… a nautical chart?”
“My name is Nami.
I’m a thief who specializes in stealing from pirates.”
Nami put the chart away.
A complicated emotion flashed across her eyes.
“I need to save up 100 million Berries.”
“The exact reason… I can’t tell you.”
“With this chart, I can go to the Grand Line and make a fortune.
I’ll be able to save the money much faster.”
“A nautical chart?”
Luffy looked at her.
“Are you a navigator?”
“I’m much better than an ordinary navigator.”
Nami raised her chin proudly.
Luffy suddenly stood up, planted his hands on his hips, and shouted:
“I’m Luffy!
I’m the man who’s going to become the Pirate King!”
“Come be my crewmate!”
Nami’s expression instantly turned sour.
“A pirate?
Forget it.
I hate pirates more than anything.”
“Nami, become the navigator of my ship!”
Luffy wasn’t discouraged in the slightest.
“I already have two crewmates!
One swordsman and one logistics guy.
They’re both really strong!”
“No!”
Nami rejected him without hesitation.
“All right.”
Luffy didn’t force the matter.
He turned around and prepared to leave.
Just then, rough pirate shouts came from downstairs.
“Don’t let that little thief get away!”
“If we don’t recover the chart, Captain Buggy will kill us all!”
Nami’s heart tightened.
Buggy?
That immortal clown Buggy?
There was no way she could escape the Buggy Pirates by herself.
What should I do?
Staying alive comes first…
She looked at Luffy.
A calculating glint flashed in her eyes.
“But…”
Nami suddenly changed her expression and smiled sweetly.
“Luffy, I think you’re pretty strong.
We could work together.”
“Here.
I’ll give you this chart of the Grand Line.”
She handed the chart to him.
Luffy took it excitedly.
“This is a nautical chart of the Grand Line?
You’re really giving it to me?!
Awesome!”
“Come on.
I’ll take you to see Buggy.”
Nami grabbed Luffy’s hand and dragged him outside.
“Take me to Buggy?”
Luffy looked suspiciously at the rope Nami had pulled out.
“Why are you tying me up?”
“Oh, come on.
For someone as strong as you, a little rope like this is nothing.”
Nami brushed him off.
Luffy thought about it.
“That makes sense.”
“All right.”
Inside Buggy’s tent, the atmosphere was suffocating.
“What?!
You’re telling me you didn’t catch that little thief?!”
Buggy kicked over the table in front of him.
His heavy makeup twisted with rage.
“Are you people trying to die in style?!”
The pirates around him trembled.
“What do we do?
Captain Buggy is angry…”
“Captain Buggy!
We’ll definitely catch the thief who stole the chart!”
Just as Buggy was raging, one of his men rushed into the tent in a panic.
“Captain Buggy!
The thief who stole the chart is here!
And she’s brought a man who’s tied up!”
Buggy froze.
Then a vicious grin spread across his face.
“What?
She stole my chart and still has the nerve to come here?”
“I’d like to see what gave her that kind of courage!”
He strode out of the tent.
There stood Nami and the bound Luffy.
Buggy’s expression darkened.
“You stole my chart and actually came here voluntarily?”
“I don’t know whether you’re admirably brave or unbelievably stupid!”
Nami immediately put on a flattering smile.
“Great Captain Buggy, you’ve misunderstood.”
“This is my former boss.
I don’t want to work for him anymore, so I’ve returned your chart.”
“And I’ve always admired the Buggy Pirates.
I’d love to join you!”
“As for my former boss, please spare his life.
After all, he used to be my boss.
We simply had a disagreement.”
Buggy nodded approvingly.
“At least you’ve got some sense.”
But inwardly, Nami was laughing coldly.
Once I get comfortable around you, I’ll clean out your treasure too!
Luffy suddenly understood.
“Oh!
So that’s why you’re rescuing me!”
“You didn’t need to go that far.”
He pulled against the ropes.
Snap!
The ropes instantly broke into several pieces.
“This big red nose isn’t even a match for me.”
After a year of brutal training with Mox, Luffy’s strength had increased by countless levels.
Ordinary rope was no different from paper to him.
The entire camp fell silent.
Buggy’s face slowly turned livid.
His voice trembled.
“Who did you just call…”
“Red…”
“Nose…?”
Luffy pointed at his nose with genuine curiosity.
“You.”
“Your nose is really big and red.
It’s pretty funny.”
“AAAAAAAAAH!”
Buggy completely exploded.
“Bring out the Buggy Ball!”
“I’ll blow this brat into pieces!”
He pointed at Luffy and roared:
“You and that Straw Hat make me sick!”
Luffy froze.
“You know this Straw Hat?”
“You know Shanks?”
The moment Shanks’ name was mentioned, Buggy’s fury intensified.
There were even tears in his eyes.
“If it weren’t for that bastard Shanks, I would have gotten the treasure beneath the sea!”
“It’s all his fault!
He made me eat a Devil Fruit and turned me into a landlubber!”
He wiped his face.
His expression became vicious once more.
“Light it!”
The cannon was aimed directly at Luffy.
For the first time, Luffy felt a trace of unease.
His awakened Observation Haki clearly sensed the terrifying power contained within the cannonball.
Dodging it himself would be easy.
But if the cannonball landed in the town behind him, the damage would be enormous.
“Fire!”
BOOOOM!
The cannonball shot through the air with a shrill whistle.
Luffy had no time to think.
He immediately inhaled deeply, causing his body to rapidly inflate like a balloon.
“Gum-Gum… Balloon!”
His inflated body blocked the cannonball’s path, absorbing it into his body.
The enormous impact forced a muffled grunt from Luffy.
Even the incompletely awakened Armament Haki within his body was instinctively drawn upon, allowing him to barely maintain his balance.
He then bounced the cannonball high into the sky.
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted overhead.
Flames shot into the sky.
The entire Orange Town shook violently.
Even after taking the cannon blast head-on, Luffy felt his blood and energy churning violently.
A thin trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
The Buggy Ball was far more powerful than he’d expected.
On the shore of Orange Town, Mox and Zoro had just stepped onto land when they saw the enormous mushroom cloud rising into the sky.
They also felt the ground shaking beneath their feet.
The two exchanged a glance.
Then spoke simultaneously:
“Luffy must be over there!”
“Let’s go check it out!”
In front of Buggy’s camp, Nami and Buggy stared in disbelief at what had just happened.
Their mouths were hanging open.
“What… what was that?”
Nami muttered.
She had never imagined that Luffy could take a direct hit from a Buggy Ball and bounce it into the sky.
Buggy the Clown’s eyes widened.
He shouted in disbelief:
“You’ve got to be kidding me!
Kid, this is the East Blue!”
“How can someone as strong as you even exist here?!”
Luffy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His gaze was firm.
“Of course I can!”
“I’m the man who’s going to become the Pirate King.”
“And I’m going to become even stronger!”
Buggy had no desire to continue fighting Luffy.
His gaze shifted toward Nami.
A venomous glint appeared in his eyes.
It’s all this woman’s fault.
She stole my chart and brought this monster here.
She deserves to die!
He secretly activated his Devil Fruit ability.
Both hands gripped short knives beneath his clothes.
The instant nobody was paying attention, he suddenly attacked Nami!
The hand holding the knife detached from his body like an arrow released from a bow and shot straight toward Nami’s heart.
It happened too suddenly.
Even Luffy hadn’t expected Buggy to be a split-body Devil Fruit user who would suddenly attack Nami.
For a moment, he was caught off guard.
Nami froze.
The gleaming blade drew closer and closer.
Her mind went completely blank.
It’s over.
I can’t dodge it…
I’m sorry, everyone.
Is this really where my life ends?
Clang!
A crisp metallic impact rang out.
At the critical moment, a man with green hair appeared.
The Three-Sword Style swordsman Zoro had somehow already arrived in front of Nami.
With one sword, he precisely knocked Buggy’s knife away.
He glared at Luffy.
“You idiot!
Could you stop acting so recklessly?!”
Nami finally came back to her senses.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, her face pale with fright.
She stared at Zoro’s back.
So this is that guy’s crewmate?
He’s seriously strong…
Mox leisurely walked over.
Seeing the blood at the corner of Luffy’s mouth, he couldn’t help laughing.
“Well, well.
Isn’t this our future Pirate King?”
“How did you end up getting hurt?
Hahaha!
That shouldn’t happen!”
Luffy rubbed his nose awkwardly.
“I let my guard down.”
“That red-nosed guy’s cannon was really powerful.”
Buggy glared at Zoro.
Then he heard Luffy call him “red nose” yet again.
His teeth ground together in fury.
“You bastard!
Who are you calling red nose?!”
The hand holding the knife shot toward Luffy again.
Luffy tilted his head and dodged it.
Zoro slashed at Buggy.
But Buggy didn’t dodge.
He allowed the sword to cut straight through his body.
To everyone’s surprise, his body split cleanly in two.
His upper body floated in midair.
Buggy laughed viciously.
“Pirate Hunter Zoro!
Did you come for my head?”
“Too bad!
I’m the natural enemy of you sword-swinging fools!
Hahaha!”
Zoro frowned as he stared at Buggy’s floating upper body.
“Splitting apart, huh?”
“This is going to be troublesome.”
“It’s not that the Chop-Chop Fruit makes you invincible.”
Mox suddenly spoke.
“It’s that you’re immune to attacks that cut or slash.”
He shook his fist.
“But if you don’t cut him, what’s the problem?”
“Use your fists.”
“Or… the back of a sword.”
Buggy roared:
“D-Don’t talk nonsense!”
“I’m the immortal Buggy!”
“Even if you use your fists, my Devil Fruit can disperse the force of the attack!”
“Is that so?”
Mox rolled his wrist.
“Then I’ll give it a try.”
“Wait, Mox.”
Luffy stopped him.
“If fists can hurt him, leave this one to me.”
“He’s got the chart and the treasure.”
“You two handle those.”
Mox shrugged.
“If that’s the captain’s order, I’ll complete the mission properly.”
Zoro grinned.
His eyes locked onto a man riding a unicycle in the distance, his hair flowing dramatically.
“There’s a guy over there who uses swords.”
“I’ll go play with him!”
Mox glanced at the unicycle-riding man.
The guy looked strangely familiar, but he couldn’t remember his name.
He sighed.
“All right.
Time to complete the mission.”
The poor logistics guy never gets a break.
Buggy looked at Luffy.
Then at Zoro and Mox.
“Don’t touch my treasure!”
“Your opponent is me!”
Luffy threw a punch, cutting off his words and launching the first attack.
At the same time, Zoro charged toward the unicycle-riding swordsman.
Blades flashed as the two crossed swords.
Nami’s eyes immediately lit up when she heard the word “treasure.”
She grabbed the hem of Mox’s clothes and deployed her usual charm offensive.
“Big Brother, I’m just a helpless young woman.
I’m really scared here.”
“I’m currently your captain’s business partner.”
“Why don’t you take me to the treasure?”
“I know the way.
I’ll lead you there.”
Mox secretly laughed.
If I hadn’t watched the anime, I might actually have been fooled by this “helpless young woman” who just happens to be capable of punching the future Pirate King and kicking around the future World’s Strongest Swordsman.
Outwardly, he remained calm.
“If you know the way, lead on.”
A smug glint flashed through Nami’s eyes.
But she maintained her sweet smile.
“Sure, Big Brother.
Once we find the treasure, I’ll help you carry it.”
“After all, I have to contribute too if I want to deserve being your business partner!”
“Don’t call me Big Brother.”
Mox replied calmly.
“My name is Mox.
I’m sixteen.”
“Okay, little brother Mox.
This way!”
Nami immediately changed how she addressed him and enthusiastically led the way.
But inwardly, she was already calculating.
Once we find that treasure, just wait and see how I run circles around all of you!