"So… what's next?"
Ignoring Luffy, who was practically radiating goofiness, Zoro turned his questioning gaze toward Red.
"What's our next move?"
"Next move?" Red's eyes gleamed as he instinctively glanced at Helmeppo. "Isn't it obvious?"
"We rob the Marine captain stationed here and fire the very first shot of the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
"Since when do pirates go to sea without stirring up some trouble!"
"You two…" Zoro curled his lips into a grin, openly praising them. "You really are insanely bold."
"Targeting a Marine base right after setting sail… I honestly don't know if there's anything you wouldn't dare to do."
"Hahahaha~ Thanks for the compliment!"
"But let me correct one thing…"
Red slung one arm around Luffy's shoulders and planted his other hand on Zoro's.
"You should say… the three of us."
"Yeah! The three of us!!!"
Luffy shot his fist high into the air, laughing loudly.
Seeing the sincerity in both Red's and Luffy's eyes, Zoro's expression softened slightly. Still, he let out a quiet sigh.
"Hopefully, I can last a bit longer."
"I'm not ready to go crazy just yet."
"Luffy, our new crewmate seems a little rude," Red said calmly. "He actually called you crazy."
"Huh?" Luffy blinked. "But doesn't it sound like he's talking about you and me?"
Smack!
"…You don't need to be that sharp right now."
Red smacked the back of Luffy's head and said flatly, "Anyway, listen to me. Find some time to teach the newbie a lesson. He needs to understand why you're the captain."
And while we're at it, let Zoro understand something too…
The reason you've gotten this strong is all thanks to me, your trainer!
"Uh… okay?" Luffy nodded innocently, still confused about why he'd just been hit.
"Oh, right." Red turned back to Helmeppo. "Where's Morgan's office?"
"Ah!?"
Helmeppo, who had been trying his best to stay invisible, nearly jumped. He quickly raised a trembling finger and pointed at the ceiling.
"It's… it's directly above my room."
"Is that so? That makes things easy."
Red nodded.
"Luffy. Punch through the ceiling. Let's go loot Morgan's treasure."
"We're short just a tiny bit of startup funds."
"Steal from Morgan to save ourselves."
"Treasure!"
The moment Luffy heard that word, his eyes instantly lit up.
To him, treasure and pirates were a perfect match!
"Leave it to me!"
Ever reliable, Luffy clenched his fist and, under Zoro's and Helmeppo's shocked gazes, violently swung it upward.
His arm stretched out suddenly, slamming into the ceiling with terrifying force.
"His… his arm stretched!!!" Zoro was stunned yet again.
Then—
BOOM!!!
With a deafening crash, the ceiling instantly blew open.
But what Red didn't expect was that…
Along with rubble and dust falling from above, a young orange-haired girl came crashing down as well.
"Ahhh—!!!"
THUD!
Dust billowed throughout the room.
From within the haze came a girl's pained yelp and angry muttering.
"Ow, ow, ow—damn it!"
"Seriously!? Even the Marines are skimming their own guys now?! How can the floor be this poorly built?!"
Nami cursed nonstop as she scrambled up from the ground.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the room.
Red, standing by the window, had pushed it open.
The airflow drove the dust outside, and the haze quickly dissipated.
And then—
Nami clearly saw that in what should have been an empty room, four men were now standing there, each staring at her with completely different expressions.
One was a straw-hat-wearing idiot, eyes filled with a strange mix of wisdom and pure innocence…
One had his hand on a sword hilt, watching her warily…
One was so scared he'd wet himself, crying silently in the corner…
And the last was a boy who looked mildly surprised—as if he knew her.
"Uh… um…"
Caught completely off guard, Nami swallowed and raised a trembling hand in greeting.
"H-Hello…"
"I think I walked into the wrong room. Sorry to bother you!"
The moment she finished speaking, she spun around and bolted for the door.
She had no idea why, with all the Marines gathered on the rooftop for Captain Morgan's statue unveiling, this room would be full of people…
But no matter what, running first was never wrong!
After all these years, Nami was very confident in her instincts.
However—
Just as she thought she could slip away in the chaos, a boy's voice rang out from behind her.
The boy by the window!
"Don't let her go, Zoro!"
"Got it!"
Already near the door, Zoro moved instantly. His foot slammed forward, reaching the doorway far faster than Nami ever could, and stomped down hard.
BANG!
Even without using Shave, Zoro's raw explosive power had long surpassed normal humans.
Her escape route was completely sealed off.
"W-What are you doing!? I really just walked into the wrong room!"
Seeing Zoro's fierce expression, Nami choked up. She turned nervously and adopted the posture of a helpless girl, directing all her effort toward Red.
She could tell—
He was the one giving orders here.
"So… so please don't bully a helpless girl~"
Her eyes shimmered, her voice softened, and her delicate, pitiful expression emerged flawlessly.
With her smooth, flawless face, most people would have lowered their guard instantly.
But Red, who knew Nami far too well, wasn't fooled in the slightest.
"This kid… she really is a natural actress."
"Too bad—you're still a bit green."
Watching her performance with amusement, Red couldn't help recalling her breathtaking figure two years later.
Who would've thought he'd run into this little thief cat here?
Unplanned or not, since she was already here—she wasn't leaving.
With that thought, Red casually called out her name.
"No need to panic, Miss Nami."
!!!
Nami's pupils shrank sharply.
"Y-You know me!?"
Oh no—an old victim!?
Her first thought was that she'd stolen something from Red in the past.
"More or less," Red said with a smile, ignoring her inner panic.
To be honest, even he was surprised to see Nami here.
After all, to avoid whirlpools, he and Luffy had deliberately delayed setting sail. They skipped Alvida and Koby entirely and went straight to Shells Town.
Yet somehow, they still ran into Nami stealing a Grand Line sea chart from Marine Branch 153.
And in this way, no less.
"Meeting a member of the infamous East Blue 'beautiful girl thief' duo here—looks like today's our lucky day."
"Luffy, I think we've found our fourth crewmate!"
"Huh!? What?"
Completely lost, Luffy froze for a second before lighting up with excitement. He shaded his eyes and scanned around wildly.
"Really!? Where is he!? Where!?"
"Idiot~"
Red walked up, pressed Luffy's head, and forcibly turned it toward Nami.
"Our fourth crewmate is obviously this cute young lady right here."
"Eh—!?"
But instead of excitement, Luffy immediately looked disappointed.
"But… she looks really weak."
With his beginner-level Observation Haki, Luffy could easily judge a person's strength.
And Nami's was clearly far below Zoro's beast-like presence.
"Weak?" Red widened his eyes slightly, then laughed.
"You're mistaken this time, Luffy."
"The girl in front of you is the most talented navigator in the world!"
"Unlike Zoro, who'll become the world's greatest swordsman in the future—"
"Her navigation skills are already ranked among the very top in the world!!!"
"We've hit the jackpot!!!"
"—Sugoi!!!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled instantly. The way he looked at Nami now was filled with pure respect.
Even Zoro, guarding the door, glanced over in surprise.
He didn't believe Red would talk nonsense.
And oddly enough, hearing himself used as a comparison felt… strange.
He wasn't saying I'm inferior to this kid, right?…Right?
Luffy slammed his fist into his palm.
"Alright! Red, I've decided! She'll be our navigator!!!"
"A wise decision."
Red smiled calmly and turned back to Nami.
"You heard him, Miss Nami."
"So you'd better be prepared."
"Anyone chosen by our captain…"
"Has no escaping their fate."
(End of Chapter)