The sword came down fast, but Luffy casually leaned aside, just enough to dodge it. Still, the blade scraped the edge of his straw hat. He paused, took the hat off his head, and stared at the slight tear like someone had kicked his puppy.
His whole vibe changed.
He socked the sword guy straight into the dirt like he was planting crops. Coldly, he muttered, "Don't touch my hat."
[Honestly, I've seen people get decked for less, but this? This was a near-death sentence. And this guy? Head-first into concrete like a lawn dart. Somehow not dead. One Piece durability is insane. And this was just a grunt. If that's the baseline, I don't even wanna think about Kaido.]
I stood off to the side with Zoro, watching Luffy casually wipe the floor with these Buggy weirdos. Not much need to jump in. Luffy was mopping them up just fine.
Then a voice called out from the second-floor balcony.
"Wow, you're so strong… How about cooperating with me? I'm Nami. I steal from pirates."
I looked up—and nearly lost my cool.
[Okay. Time out. I didn't feel it in the anime. But real-world Nami? She's my type. Like, dangerously so. This is gonna be a problem.]
Luffy, still clearly pissed about the hat, replied flatly, "I'm a pirate. Not interested." And then he just… walked away.
Me and Zoro looked at each other. Shrugged. Followed him.
But Nami wasn't giving up. She kept pestering Luffy as we walked around town. I tried not to look too obvious, but yeah… I was watching her out of the corner of my eye.
"What are you guys even looking for?" she groaned, out of breath. "Treasure?"
"I want a restaurant," I said. "But this whole place is a ghost town."
"You could've said that earlier," Nami muttered, facepalming. "Everyone evacuated because of Buggy."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Buggy's that scary?"
"It's said a little girl laughed at his nose once, and he blasted the whole town with a cannonball," Nami said, leading us into a random house like she owned it. "His bounty's 15 million Berries."
"Is this your place?" Luffy asked, eyeing the couch.
"Do I look like I own property? I'm a pirate thief. This family left to avoid Buggy—I'm just borrowing it."
She brought out some fast food, and the three of us inhaled it like animals. We hadn't eaten all day.
"My goal is to save 100 million Berries… and buy a village," Nami said, watching us with a strange little sigh.
Luffy's cheeks were bulging. He tried to talk and immediately failed.
I swallowed and tilted my head. "…You sure no one's scamming you?"
Nami smiled with way too much confidence. "Don't be silly. You three are way easier to scam."
I turned and saw Luffy and Zoro still wrestling over dumplings like toddlers. …She wasn't wrong.
Then Nami pulled out a rolled-up map. "If you're pirates, you're headed for the Grand Line, right? This is the sea chart to get there. Work with me and I'll take you."
She spread the map on the table like she was showing us buried treasure. I leaned in, pretended to study it… but it was just squiggles and circles to me. Looked to the other two—Zoro hadn't moved. Luffy was chewing paper.
[Yep. We're idiots. Scam-bait deluxe. Love that for us.]
"Ahem," I said, clearing my throat. "We'll cooperate with you."
Nami beamed, eyes curving like crescent moons. My heart did a weird little skip.
"Perfect. First, we take Buggy's treasure. Then we sail. Deal?"
Next thing I knew, Luffy was tied up like a rice dumpling, squirming on the floor.
His mouth was moving nonstop, like an angry hamster.
I facepalmed. "Miss Nami… Just let him go. We'll get Buggy's treasure for you, alright? In return, you get us to the Grand Line. No pressure to become a pirate. We keep you safe."
"But Lock, she's a navigator," Luffy finally managed to swallow and shout.
(ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
I sighed, walked over, and started untying him. "We're not here to force people, Luffy. If she wants to join us, she'll do it on her own. We just need her help getting there. That's it."
He grumbled but didn't argue.
Nami looked unsure. She inched toward the door like a cat about to bolt.
I glanced at her. "So? Deal or not?"
She took a breath. "If you get Buggy's treasure for me… I'll take you to the Grand Line."
I snapped my fingers. "Deal. Captain, let's go earn our map."
Nami blinked at me, then at Luffy. "You act more like a captain."
I shrugged and walked out. [Please no. I have zero interest in running a ship. Luffy's got the third-gear fists—he can take the captain headaches too.]
As we walked, Zoro gave me a look. "Why're we helping that thief rob a clown?"
"Because she's good—" I bit back the rest. "—at navigating. Can you find the Grand Line?"
Zoro shook his head.
"Think Luffy can?"
Another shake.
"Exactly. If stealing from a psycho clown gets us a competent navigator, I say we rob the guy blind."
Zoro nodded. Reasonable logic, apparently.
Luffy wandered over and said, "She's cool. I want her to be my navigator. Lock~ Think of something!"
[Don't whine, Captain. You're supposed to be the reliable one.]
I sighed. "She will be. Trust me."
Luffy immediately perked up and dragged Zoro toward the bar Buggy was holed up in.
I turned—and saw Nami following us.
"…Miss Nami. You're still here?"
"I want to help," she said quietly. "I'm just… tired of pirates ruining everything."
I gave her a small smile. "I used to be a bounty hunter, you know. And Luffy? He's not like them. What he wants… is freedom. Same as me. You'll get it eventually. For now, just stay safe. If I'm gonna be your bodyguard, might as well show off a little."
With that, I turned and jogged after Luffy and Zoro.
Nami didn't move for a long while.
But eventually, I heard the quiet steps behind me.
She was following.