“Wait!” Luffy stretched his arm out and blocked her path.
“Won’t you at least think about it?
We need a navigator!”
“Not interested!” Nami swatted his arm away.
“I don’t have time to play pirate games with you.”
“Goodbye,” Nami said, yanking off her bandana and letting her short orange hair gleam brilliantly under the sun.
She dashed for the bulwark, ready to leap onto the escape boat she had prepared well in advance.
But just as she was about to vault over the railing, an ashen-gray hand clamped down hard on the bundle on her back, holding it fast.
“Our spoils of war,” Lucian stated flatly, his hollow eyes staring straight at Nami.
“Oh yeah!” Luffy smacked his fist into his palm in sudden realization.
“We’re the ones who beat these pirates!”
Not far away, Captain Dikara was directing his sailors as they cleared the battlefield.
Koby timidly raised a hand.
“Um…
what Miss Nami has on her back is probably Captain Alvida’s treasure…”
Nami spun around and planted her hands on her hips.
“I stole it with my own skills—so it’s mine!”
Lucian raised his hand slightly, and the zombie pirates promptly and roughly tore the bundle off her back.
Nami lunged forward to snatch it back, only to be surrounded by three more zombies.
She backed off with an awkward, forced smile, raising both hands in surrender.
When the zombies handed the bundle to Lucian, Luffy eagerly crowded in and opened it.
Under the sunlight, gold and jewels glittered with an intoxicating, mesmerizing gleam.
“Whoa!
So much treasure!” Luffy picked up a crown encrusted with gems and spun it around on his finger.
Lucian, meanwhile, carefully ran his fingertips over a gold coin, feeling the cool chill of the metal against his skin.
These sparkling, gleaming things were more beautiful than anything he had ever laid eyes on.
“This is bad!
Straw Hat kid!” Captain Dikara’s alarmed shout suddenly rang out, accompanied by the boom of cannon fire.
“The Navy is here!”
Luffy dashed to the side of the ship in a single bound.
In the distance, three warships were slicing through the waves, charging straight toward them, white smoke still trailing from the muzzles of their bow cannons.
“This isn’t good—we’ve gotta go, now!” He turned and shouted to Lucian.
Lucian swiftly secured the bundle.
But Koby suddenly tugged at the hem of Luffy’s shirt.
“Um…
C-Can I come with you?” His voice trembled.
“I’ve been stuck on a pirate ship for three years…
if the Navy catches me…”
Luffy stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly broke into a wide grin.
“Then take me too!” Nami had somehow sidled up beside them.
“You’re still here?” Luffy scratched his head.
“Only because your friend trapped me here!” Nami huffed, pointing an accusing finger at Lucian.
Lucian silently shifted his gaze away.
“I didn’t.”
“Then what are these?” Nami pointed at the zombies still lingering around her.
With a wave of Lucian’s hand, the zombies swayed and shuffled away.
But Nami showed no sign of leaving.
Instead, she drew closer to Luffy.
“Listen, I’m the best navigator in the East Blue.
I can take you anywhere you want to go.
So, can I come with you now?”
“Really?
That’s awesome!” Luffy clutched his straw hat in excitement.
“Straw Hat kid!” Dikara shouted from the railing of the merchant ship.
“Your boat’s all ready!
What do we do about these pirates?”
“Are they dead?” Luffy asked.
Lucian shook his head.
“No.” As he spoke, he withdrew the gray mist, and the zombified pirates collapsed to the deck in a series of heavy thuds.
“Then leave them for the Navy!” Luffy turned and waved at his companions.
“Let’s go!”
The four of them ran toward the small boat Dikara had prepared at the stern.
On board, Koby, his eyes red-rimmed, offered his thanks.
“I really can’t thank you enough, Luffy-san.” Nami’s gaze, however, remained stubbornly glued to the treasure cradled in Lucian’s arms.
“Goodbye, Mister!” Luffy and Lucian stood at the bow of the little skiff, waving vigorously at the merchant ship.
Dikara, with his entire crew lined up along the bulwark, called back, “Take care!
Make it somewhere safe, you hear!”
As the little boat dropped into the sea, Luffy threw both arms high into the air.
“We’re off—!”
….
The wooden oars cut through the sea, sending crystalline spray flying.
Koby and Nami rowed with all their might, one at the bow and one at the stern, sweat trickling down from Nami’s short orange hair.
“Hold it!” Nami suddenly stopped rowing and rounded on the two of them lounging at ease.
“Why exactly are we the ones rowing?”
Luffy, chewing on the food Dikara had given him, blinked at the question.
“Because this little boat belongs to us.”
Lucian did not join the conversation.
He was fully absorbed, cradling the bundle of treasure, his fingers lightly tracing the outlines of the jewels protruding beneath the cloth.
Nami narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting back and forth between Lucian and the treasure.
“Hey, where are you two planning to go next?”
“No idea,” Luffy said, swallowing his jerky in one gulp.
“Let’s just head to the nearest island.”
Koby wiped his sweat and looked up.
“If we’re talking about the nearest island…
that would be Shells Town on the Yotsuba Island, somewhere in these waters.”
“Perfect, that’s where we’re going!” Luffy sprang up in excitement, making the little boat rock violently.
Koby hastily grabbed the gunwale in fright.
Nami seized the chance to scoot closer to Lucian.
“You seem to really like this treasure, huh?”
Lucian nodded gently.
With careful, cautious movements, he lifted a corner of the bundle.
The glow of gold spilled out at once, illuminating an expression on his face that was rarely so soft.
“Pretty…
sparkly…”
“Right, right?!” Nami’s eyes instantly transformed into Berry symbols, her hand already creeping onto the bundle.
“Treasure is the most wonderful thing in the world!”
Lucian, with rare agreement, showed an approving look.
The two of them stared at the treasure from either side, and under the sunlight, it was not just the jewels that sparkled—it was their identical expressions of sheer infatuation.
Luffy tilted his head, watching this uncanny scene unfold.
“Something about this…
those two just got really in sync all of a sudden…”
Koby forced a dry laugh and kept rowing.
The little boat, carrying this strange new crew, slowly made its way toward Shells Town.
“Hey, Koby,” Luffy said, having finished his food and flopped lazily over the side of the boat.
“How come you ended up doing chores on a pirate ship like that?”
Koby’s hands, still gripping the oar, suddenly froze, the blade carving a crooked trail across the water.
He lowered his head, and his voice was as soft as a sigh.
“Three years ago…
when I was out fishing, I accidentally got on the wrong boat…”
“Man, you’re such an idiot!” Luffy laughed without a shred of mercy.
“They…
they said I had a small build and was suited for working down in the hold…” Koby ignored Luffy’s teasing and carried on, his glasses fogging over with moisture.
“These three years, every single day, I’ve had to scrub the decks, clean the toilets, prepare the meals…” His voice grew smaller and smaller until it was almost a whimper.
“Those bastards—I knew it.
Pirates are all scum,” Nami cursed through gritted teeth.
“But it’s all right now.
You’ve been rescued,” Luffy said, slapping Koby heavily on the back and making him stagger.
Koby jerked his head up, tears and snot smeared all over his face.
“L-Luffy-san!”