Big Top was quietly moving in night, towing the ghost-like Miss Love Duck behind it.
The only sound on deck was a quiet, steady...
CLANK... CLANK... CLANK...
Zoro was on night watch. But he wasn't just sitting. He was on the deck, lifting a giant, heavy piece of Buggy's old cannon, his muscles straining.
In the shadows near the mast, Luffy was in a deck chair, his straw hat pulled low, covering his entire face. He looked like he was asleep.
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by a scream of pure, confused, biological terror.
"GYYYYAAAAAAHHHH! MY HANDS! I CAN'T... I CAN'T FEEL MY HANDS! THEY'RE NOT... MY FEET! I'M FALLING APART! MAKE IT STOP!"
It was Buggy's voice.
The scream made Zoro drop the cannon piece.
THUD!
"What the hell?!" He drew one of his swords, his eyes scanning the dark deck for an attacker.
The scream also woke everyone else.
"Are we being attacked?!" Nami yelled, running out of her cabin, her bo-staff in hand.
Alvida ran out right behind her, her mace ready.
Even Luffy snapped awake, sitting bolt upright in his chair, his hat falling into his lap. "What's going on?"
"It... it's me!" Buggy's head shrieked from the darkness. "Over here! Heeelp!"
The crew gathered around the sound. The moonlight was bright enough to show a hilarious, horrible scene. Buggy was a pile of parts in the middle of the deck.
His head was on the deck, its eyes wide with pure, babbling terror, screaming its head off. "I'M DISINTEGRATING!"
His two hands were flapping around like dying fish. Flap-flap-flap!
His two feet had tipped over and were running in place, kicking the air wildly. Literally, spinning in place.
His torso was just lying there.
"He... help... me..." his head gurgled, its eyes rolling. "I... I can't... connect!"
Nami just stared, her hand over her mouth. "What... what is this? Is he... broken? Did he eat something bad? Is he having a seizure?"
Zoro didn't say anything. His eyes snapped to the gleaming dagger on the deck... then to Luffy's deck chair right next to it. He put it all together in one second.
A small, almost invisible smirk of pure contempt touched his lips.
"Tch. This idiot."
Alvida, still holding her mace, looked at Zoro. "What idiot? What's wrong with him?"
But as she followed his sight, she saw the dagger, then saw Luffy's chair.
Her confused face... slowly... changed.
A low chuckle started in her throat. Then it got louder.
"Heh... Heh heh... BWAHAHAHA!"
She roared with laughter. It was a loud, ugly, happy laugh.
"He did it!" she howled, pointing at the pile of parts. "This little clown actually tried to betray the captain!"
She walked over and kicked Buggy's twitching torso.
"Welcome to the cursed crew, Buggy!"
Luffy, who had been watching all this with an amusement now spoke.
"I don't get it," he said out loud.
Everyone looked at him.
"I knew the contract would zap him," Luffy said, mostly to himself. "A jolt to the brain, a little pain... but this? Making him fall apart?"
He looked at the flopping pile of Buggy. whose face has turned ugly.
"Shihahaha..." A cold, dry laugh. "i like this"
The laughter and conversation finally stopped when another voice cut in, sharp and low.
"Captain."
It was Zoro. Who was standing by the ship's railing, staring forward into the darkness.
Luffy looked over.
"Land," Zoro said, his voice low. "Dead ahead."
This made Luffy stand up. The amusement was gone. He was all business again.
He walked to the railing, pulling the scope from his pocket. He looked into the darkness, focusing on the blurry shadow Zoro had spotted.
"Looks like we made it," he said, his voice calm.
His shout cut through the night.
"Ready to dock!"
Nami and Zoro instantly snapped to attention. "Aye, Captain!"
Alvida gave Buggy's torso one last kick. "Damn you ugly hag."
"Hey!" Nami yelled. "Let's go!"
"Right, right!"
The three of them ran to their posts, leaving the pile of Buggy parts alone on the moonlit deck.
"WAIT!" Buggy's head shrieked, his voice full of panic. "DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! I CAN'T PULL MYSELF TOGETHER! YOU HEARTLESS BASTARDS! HEEEEELP!"
His hands just kept flapping.
Flap-flap-flap...
__________
The Big Top docked at a small, hidden cove. The island was dark and silent. Zoro, Luffy, Nami, and Alvida all stepped onto the shore.
"Wait!" a weak, panicked voice shrieked from the ship. "You're not just leaving me here, are you?!" It was Buggy's head. He was still lying on the deck, his body lying nearby. He had mostly recovered from the contract's "zap," but he was weak, dizzy, and his parts still felt... tingly.
Nami looked back at him. "You're useless right now. Stay here and guard the ship." "Guard it?! With what?! My face?!" he shrieked. Luffy just ignored him. The crew walked into the dark jungle. "I hate you people!" Buggy's voice whimpered, growing fainter. "Damn it..."
Alvida led them down a narrow path, hidden by vines. "My old base is right here," she said. She pulled aside a curtain of thick leaves, showing a heavy, steel door built right into the cliff. It was well-hidden. "It's been a while," she said. "It might be dusty."
She opened the door. The base was just as she had left it. It was dusty, and it smelled a little like mold, but it was safe. Her old crew was still locked up in Shells Town, so no one had been there. Alvida never trusted anyone enough to leave them behind on a raid, and her raids were always quick.
It took them an hour to haul all of her hidden treasure chests back to the Big Top. When they were done, Nami sat on the deck, her ledger in her hand. Her eyes were sparkling as she counted the last of Alvida's gold.
"Okay..." she said, tapping her pencil. "30 million from Shells Town... 10 million from Buggy... and 3 million from your base, Alvida. That brings our new total to... 43 million Berries!"
"43 MILLION!" Buggy who was now whole again spoke, lying on the ground. "Gyagyagya! We're rich! We're flashily rich!"
Luffy, who was watching her count, just nodded. "Scrap that. The total is 42."
Buggy's happy face instantly fell. "Huh?" Nami's happy smile also faded. She frowned, confused. "What? Why? My math is right. 30 plus 10 plus 3 is 43. We have 43 million." "No," Luffy said, his voice flat. "We have 42."
Nami looked at him, completely confused. It was Zoro who spoke. He was leaning against the mast, his eyes closed. "He gave it to the villagers." Nami's head whipped around. Her jaw dropped. "He... he what?" "That bag of money," Zoro said, not opening his eyes. "That was 1 million Berries."
Nami's face went white. She looked at Luffy, completely horrified. "One... million?!" she shrieked. "But... but why?"
Luffy just stared at her. His face was a cold, blank mask, like a teacher explaining a simple, obvious lesson. "A threat is cheap, Nami," he said, his voice flat. "It only lasts until we're gone. Killing them is messy. It brings more Marines. It brings suspicion." He let his gaze drift to the dark ocean. "But paying them one million? That's an investment." He looked back at her. "We didn't just buy their silence. We bought them. They aren't just 'scared villagers' anymore. They're our accomplices. They won't just keep quiet... they'll lie for us."
Nami understood the cold logic. It made sense. But... "I... I get that," she stammered. "But... why? Why are we hiding our movements from the Navy so hard? We're pirates. Aren't we supposed to be fighting them?"
Luffy's eyes narrowed. "I have my reasons."
Nami's anger and confusion instantly vanished, replaced by a cold shot of fear. She shut her mouth. "...ok, Captain." "Good."
Luffy turned his back on her. "I'll move the Berries to the strongroom. We depart early in the morning. Do what you need to until then." He left, leaving Nami alone, fuming and confused.
Zoro watched Nami, who was fuming about the lost million. Alvida just shrugged. She didn't really care. "Hey," Alvida said to Nami and Zoro, a strange, ugly, knowing grin on her face. "You two. Come with me."
Nami snapped out of her angry thoughts. "Huh? Where are we going? Back to the base?" Zoro opened one eye. "What for? We got all the treasure."
"I've got a private stash," Alvida said, her grin getting wider. "Very old, very expensive booze. I'll share it... if you help me with something first." Hearing "booze," Zoro stood up. "Fine. Lead the way." Nami, hearing "expensive," also stood up. Free, expensive booze was the only thing that could make her feel better about the lost million.
Alvida led them down a narrow, hidden path near the shore, to a part of the cliff covered in vines. "The cave is in here," she said, pulling the vines back. "So you want us to help you carry the bottles?" Nami asked. "Something like that," Alvida grunted.
She led them inside. The cave was dark and damp. "Okay," Alvida said. "The booze is in the back. But first, you have to help me." "Help you with what?" Zoro asked, annoyed. Alvida pointed to the cave entrance, which opened up right onto the hidden cove. "I need your help to bring my ship here."
Zoro and Nami stared at her. "You're joking," Nami said. "Why here?" Zoro asked. "I don't want just anybody to take my ship," Alvida explained. "This place is hidden. Nobody knows about this cave, not even my old crew." Nami sighed. "So you want your ship to just... rot here? Fine. Let's get this over with." "Okay, let's go bring it here," Zoro agreed.
It was an hour of pure, hard work. They used logs as rollers and thick ropes to pull. They pushed and dragged the heavy Miss Love Duck over the sand, through the water of the cove, and into the dark, hidden cave. When they were done, the three of them collapsed on the cave floor. "Ha... hah... hah." "It was... quite a lot of work... ha," Alvida panted, her face red. Nami, also drenched in sweat, nodded. "You can say that. If only that idiot clown could have helped."
"I'm glad he refused," Alvida said. She was taking deep breaths, trying to get up. She slowly walked toward the back of the cave. "If he had helped... we would have had to share this with him." "Oh? What do we have here?" Zoro said, finally getting interested. Alvida reached into an old, dusty crate. "Fine-aged whiskey. Only have... a bottle and a half left of it, though." Hearing this, Zoro smiled. Whiskey. Now this is a reward. "I'll go find some cups." Nami just rested, waiting.
As Alvida took the last of her stash from the old crate, her hand hit something else. It was small, round, and... weird. She pulled it out. It was a strange-looking fruit. It was pink, shaped like a peach, and covered in odd swirls. "Is... is this a Devil Fruit?" she whispered. She stared at it. "How did it get here?" This was her private place.
A decision had to be made. Should I tell them? Or just eat it? She looked at the fruit. She didn't know what it did. If it's useless, they'll just mock me. If it's good, they'll find out anyway. In the end, she decided to tell them.
The three gathered around a small lantern, passing around a cup of whiskey. After a shot or two, Alvida brought up the topic. "I found this," she said, and slammed the weird, pink fruit on the crate between them.
Nami just stared at it. Her hands were trembling. "A... a Devil Fruit..." she whispered. She looked at Alvida, her face pale with a sudden, frantic energy. "Alvida... do you know what this is?" "A Devil Fruit. So?" Alvida grunted.
"So?!" Nami's voice cracked. She jumped to her feet. "Alvida, that's not just 'a fruit'! That's... that's a fortune! They sell for a minimum of 100 million Berries!"
"One... one hundred... million?" Alvida whispered, her own greed making her face pale. Nami was almost hyperventilating. "We sell this! We sell this now! 100 million... that's... that's my village! Right there! In one fruit!"
"You should eat it," Zoro said, his voice flat.
Nami and Alvida both snapped their heads to look at him, as if he'd just grown a second one. "ARE YOU INSANE?!" Nami shrieked. "That's 100 million Berries! That's my life!" "Why?!" Alvida demanded, her eyes narrowed at Zoro.
"Well," Zoro said, taking a sip of his whiskey, "first, that money... it wouldn't be your 100 million. It'd be the crew's. And your 'half the money' deal is only for what's on the ship. That's a loophole, right?" Nami's face fell. He was right. "And second," Zoro continued, looking right at Alvida, "right now, on this ship, you are the most useless one."
"Why you little—" Alvida started, her face turning purple. "Think about it," Zoro interrupted, his voice cold. "I can't cut the clown. You can't hurt him. You're just a slow, tough brawler. You're a liability. This might make you an asset."
Alvida, hearing this, fell quiet. Useless? A liability? She hated him. But she knew he was right. She looked at the strange, pink fruit, her anger now mixed with real fear.
"But... I don't even know what it does," she said, her voice low. This was the real problem. "I've heard the stories. What if it's a stupid power? What if I end up... as a jacket? Or... or I can only make... bubbles? And I'll be a freak who can't even swim."
She was hesitating. The 100 million Nami was crying about was one thing. This was her body. This was a gamble.
Zoro just snorted. "Being a 'bubble person' is still better than being a 'useless person'. At least you'd be a distraction."
That did it. The insult was the final push. Fine. She snatched the fruit. "Hand me the bottle." She stuffed the whole, disgusting fruit in her mouth and swallowed it in one go. Her face turned green. "Blergh! Tastes like..." She grabbed the full bottle of whiskey from Zoro's hand and downed the entire thing to wash it down.
"And there goes... 100 million Berries," Nami sighed, slumping against the cave wall. She looked completely defeated. "One hundred million... I could have... I could have negotiated for half..."
"Hey!" Zoro shouted, his face shocked. "We were supposed to drink that slowly!" He then remembered the half-bottle at his side. He glanced at Nami. She was in her own world, muttering about "100 million...". Zoro hastily picked the half-bottle up and drank it all in one breath. "Hah! Buuuurp. That hit the spot."
SMACK! Nami hit him. "You take me for a fool?! I was mourning!" As they started to argue, they heard a new sound. A low, wet groan.
It was Alvida. She was on the ground, her hands grabbing her stomach. "Nngh... what's... happening..." She started to groan, louder and louder, as if a pig was being butchered. She was rolling on the cave floor, her body spasming in pain. "AAAAAH! IT BURNS! IT HURTS!"
Seeing this horrifying sight, Zoro and Nami both went on high alert. Nami, clearly frightened, scrambled to her feet. "You stay here!" she yelled at Zoro. "I'll get the captain!" "Okay," Zoro answered, his hand on his sword, quite taken aback by what was happening. He had no idea what to do.
___________
Author here :
Hello and I am very sorry!
forget to comment the image in last chapter
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