“Zhuyun, you’re going out to sea too?”
After learning that Zhuyun was about to leave Windmill Village and sail around the world, Luffy hurried over from a distance.
“Who’s going to tell me stories after you leave?”
“You little brat.
Don’t you have any feelings about saying goodbye?
I’m about to set sail, and who knows when we’ll see each other again.
We’ve spent more than ten days together, yet all you care about are my stories?”
“Of course!
The stories!
The stories!
Why don’t you come with me?
You can be the storyteller on my ship.”
“Not a chance, you little brat.
Come back and talk to me after you’ve grown up.”
With that, Zhuyun stopped paying attention to Luffy.
He and Drake each carried a crate of wine and headed toward the shore.
“Hey, Zhuyun!
Who’s she?
Is she your partner?”
Luffy quickly followed them, pointing at Drake.
“Yeah.
She’s incredibly strong.
And with her around, we don’t have to worry about navigation at all.
Her sailing skills are excellent too.”
Drake smiled.
In an instant, two glowing circles appeared behind her, and two cannons extended from them.
“That’s amazing!”
Luffy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Right?
Right?
Drake is super amazing.”
Zhuyun puffed out his chest, looking extremely proud.
“Wait!
You said she’s Drake, the Francis Drake from your story.
Didn’t you say she’d already sailed around the world?
Then why are you two setting out to sail around the world again?
I knew it!
Everything in your story was a lie!
You’re only setting out now!”
“Little one, my Master didn’t lie to you.
I really did sail around the world before.”
Drake smiled, seemingly finding Luffy quite amusing.
“And I was the first person to sail around the world and return alive.”
“But that’s impossible!
If you sailed around the world before, why has nobody on the sea heard of you?
And why are you sailing around the world again now?”
“Because the world I sailed around before wasn’t this world, little one.”
Drake burst out laughing as she and Zhuyun quickened their pace.
“Damn it!
What do you mean, it wasn’t this world?
You’re lying to me too!”
***
At the shore, the sun shone brightly as seagulls soared through the sky.
A gentle breeze carried white clouds across the heavens.
Zhuyun and Drake leisurely made their way to the shore, with Luffy following close behind.
“Where’s your ship?
I want to see your ship too!”
Luffy was puzzled.
There wasn’t a single ship on the shore, yet Zhuyun had said he was going out to sea.
“Heh.”
Zhuyun’s lips curved upward.
“Captain Drake, show this kid what you’ve got!”
Drake smiled and stepped forward.
She raised her hand.
“Come forth, my companion that sailed around the world with me.
Now, show your glory in this world!”
As Drake’s voice fell, the sea in the distance suddenly began to churn violently.
With a thunderous boom, a sailing ship with a long horn at its bow and a red-and-black hull burst straight out of the sea.
Water trickled down its sides as it emerged.
“How about it, kid?
This is my ship, the Golden Hind.”
Drake’s face was filled with pride.
“Amazing!
A ship!
The ship came right out of the sea!”
Luffy stared at the Golden Hind with shining eyes, completely thrilled.
The commotion caused by the Golden Hind bursting from the sea was considerable, and quite a few residents of Windmill Village were nearby.
They were all stunned.
“What is that?
A ship just came out of the sea!”
“How is that possible?
How can a ship come out of the sea?”
“But…
but it really did come out of the sea!”
***
The villagers began discussing the spectacle among themselves.
“Take a good look at the Golden Hind.
One day, it will reach the One Piece and help us claim Roger’s great treasure.”
Zhuyun spoke with absolute confidence.
“That won’t happen!
Just wait and see.
When I grow up, I’ll go out to sea too.
I’ll be the one who gets the great treasure.
I’m definitely going to become the Pirate King!”
“Hahaha.
Then you’d better grow up quickly.
Good luck.”
Zhuyun smiled and gently touched the straw hat on Luffy’s head before boarding the Golden Hind with Drake.
“Then goodbye, Luffy.
I’ll be looking forward to the day you set sail.”
Zhuyun leaned against the ship’s railing and waved at Luffy.
“Interesting little brat.
I look forward to meeting you again.”
Drake leaned against the railing and spoke to Luffy.
“Just you wait!
I’ll set sail as soon as I can and catch up with you!”
Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Goodbye, Zhuyun!
Drake!
We’ll meet again out at sea!”
Zhuyun waved at Luffy once more.
The Golden Hind slowly cut through the waves and sailed toward the horizon.
The sky was clear, with blue skies and white clouds.
It was perfect weather for setting out to sea.
***
Golden sunlight pierced through the white clouds and spilled across the sea and the Golden Hind, bathing the two people aboard in a soft radiance.
“Master, where are we heading next?”
Drake held the ship’s wheel, her gaze falling on Zhuyun, who was lounging beside her on a deck chair.
“Hmm.
Let’s head to Syrup Village.
There might be a wanted pirate there.
We can capture him and sell him.”
Zhuyun held a simple sea chart purchased in Windmill Village and spoke leisurely.
“Oh?
So we’re pirates who go around capturing other pirates and selling them?
You certainly have an interesting way of doing things, Master.”
“After all, we’re not wanted by the Marines yet.
If we capture pirates and sell them to the Marines, I don’t think they’ll object.”
“So, the pirate hunter approaches.
Hmm, not bad.”
“You agree?”
“Although I’m the captain, you’re my beloved Master.
Your orders determine the course of this ship.”
Drake gave him a hearty smile.
“And don’t let appearances fool you.
I’m a merchant too, after all, and I’m very enthusiastic about making money.
Besides, we really do need to earn some.”
“Exactly.
If some foolish pirate hadn’t come to Garp’s protected Windmill Village and practically delivered his money to us, we wouldn’t even have been able to afford all the supplies for our voyage.”
Zhuyun wore an exasperated expression.
“After all, I don’t want to rob ordinary civilians.
But those pirates didn’t have much money on them.
After buying all our supplies, we don’t have much left.”
“Yeah.
And because of that, I couldn’t even buy much rum.”
“Hey, hey!
Isn’t what we bought already enough?
We spent most of our money on alcohol.
We’ve got more than ten barrels!”
“Hahaha, Master, alcohol doesn’t last very long.
We might have some today, only to find it all gone tomorrow.”
“Suit yourself.
I don’t like drinking anyway.
I’ll leave all that alcohol to you.”
“Master, as a man, refusing to drink will cost you some charm.”
“If I don’t drink, will your opinion of me go down?”
“Of course not.”
Drake’s cheeks turned slightly red.
“The moment I was summoned into this world and saw you, I knew you were my harbor.”
“My affection for my Master is already at full marks.
It’s true that I didn’t have much luck with men during my lifetime, but that’s all in the past now.”
“Thank you, Drake.”
Zhuyun stood up and pulled Drake tightly into his embrace.