Chapter 206: New Straw Hat Pirates
Having glowed and burned all day, the sun had also reached its time to clock out, with the remaining afterglow dyeing the sea of clouds on the horizon red.
“Nami!!!”
On the dock,
The boy looked up at the sky, his pitch-black eyes tinged with the sunset’s afterglow, as if flames were burning within.
Nami had been kidnapped. The red-haired woman in the maid outfit had taken Nami and flown into the sky, along with Luffy’s Straw Hat and Zoro’s Wado Ichimonji. They could do nothing but stand on the ground, powerlessly watching the departing figures. Luffy’s father had also been held up by Prince Elus and couldn’t lend a hand to help them retrieve their kidnapped partner.
In the wind, only the boy’s roar of extreme unwillingness remained.
Watching helplessly as a companion was kidnapped, yet unable to even resist.
Sanji hung his head, guilt tearing at his heart like a venomous snake. He had boasted in front of the captain that he would protect Miss Nami with his life, but in the end… it was completely useless. Miss Nami had been snatched from his arms…
Zoro closed his eyes, silent.
At his waist, only the two newly acquired swords remained: Sandai Kitetsu and Yuki.
Usopp, having woken up and learned of the current situation, scratched his head and ears trying to console everyone, but every time the words reached his mouth, they involuntarily stopped. He didn’t know what to say at a time like this; it felt like nothing would be appropriate.
After a while,
“Zoro, Sanji, Usopp…”
Luffy habitually reached out his hand, but the feedback from his right hand on his head was not the familiar woven texture; the hard, somewhat prickly hair reminded him of the fact that his treasured possession had been stolen. His face showed little change, and with resolute eyes, he looked at his partners in front of him. “Time to set off! We’re going to that Alabasta to take back Nami and everything that belongs to us.”
“Luffy, this won’t do!”
The one who spoke up to stop Luffy was Robin.
“Setting sail without a navigator—you should understand what kind of consequences that would have, right? The weather on the Grand Line is more than ten times harsher than in the East Blue. Charging recklessly into the Grand Line like this… forget reaching Alabasta; whether you can last even a week is unknown.”
The bluntly straightforward words pierced deeply into the hearts of the Straw Hat Pirates.
“Luffy, this woman is right. We need a navigator.” Zoro still held some wariness toward Robin, but he admitted she was correct.
Without a navigator, they couldn’t set sail just with the few of them.
This was something Zoro, who had operated alone as a pirate hunter for a time, knew better than anyone.
“…Navigator.”
Luffy clenched his fist. “…I understand. But a navigator… can we hire one in Loguetown?”
“Of course!”
“600,000 Beli a month, and I can temporarily serve as your navigator. Once we reach Alabasta, you go save Nami, and I can look for new business there. Alabasta is said to be one of the rare superpowers on the Grand Line—there are definitely big money-making opportunities.”
The one who appeared before everyone was a beauty.
She had playful short hair the color of fresh snow, beautiful features like a fox’s, and a stunning figure that wasn’t inferior to Nami’s at all. It made Sanji’s eyes go straight. If it were any other time, Sanji would have long since fallen at her short skirt.
“Hello everyone! I’m Nami’s good friend. You can call me Carina.”
The beautiful woman introduced herself boldly and confidently.
“Nami’s friend?”
Zoro eyed the suddenly appearing woman with suspicion.
“That’s right! Nami and I are very close sisters!” Carina smiled radiantly. “We teamed up and stole from half the pirates in the East Blue. Honestly, I didn’t expect Nami, who hates pirates the most, to join a pirate crew. But… now it looks like Nami has good taste!”
“…Another thieving fox!”
Zoro’s eye twitched.
However, his wariness diminished considerably. Currently, only Luffy among the Straw Hat Pirates was on a bounty poster; news of Nami hadn’t spread widely yet. Not many people knew she had stolen from East Blue pirates. Either enemies of Nami or friends.
And Carina had an extremely similar… feeling to Nami?
Zoro couldn’t accurately describe this feeling; he just thought Carina and Nami were somewhat alike—not in appearance… though their figures were indeed equally impressive, cough cough. If anything, the first impressions they gave were strikingly similar.
“Carina… are you a navigator?” Luffy looked at Carina expectantly. Without overthinking like Zoro, his intuition told him this woman before them meant no harm, and when she mentioned Nami, she wasn’t lying.
That was enough.
As long as she could help them reach that Alabasta, Carina’s other motives didn’t matter.
“Of course. My navigation skills are in no way inferior to Nami’s.”
Carina was full of confidence.
“But it’s agreed! 600,000 Beli a month. Less than a month is calculated at 20,000 Beli per day. If injured in battle along the way, it’s counted as work injury. Contributions in battle get corresponding bonuses, and any treasure I acquire is my personal property…”
Listening to Carina’s long list of conditions, Luffy and Sanji didn’t care—one had no concept of money, the other only had eyes for beauties.
Zoro and Usopp turned pale.
But… this was definitely someone close to Nami. Her greed was carved from the same mold. Though a bit worried about whether their finances could handle it, their hearts were much more at ease.
With a navigator found, the Straw Hat Pirates didn’t dare linger in Loguetown. Although Luffy’s father had blocked that Black Prince, and the town’s Navy hadn’t appeared for some reason, for safety’s sake, it was better to set off for the Grand Line as soon as possible.
Although,
They still hadn’t figured out exactly how to rescue Nami from the Black Prince’s hands.
Regarding the Black Prince’s prowess, Robin was giving the Straw Hat Pirates a briefing.
“…This is the current state of the Grand Line: the Navy, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords coexist as the three major powers. The Black Prince’s full name is Sokachio Elus. He is the prince of a country called the Eckmond Kingdom in the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line, and also one of the Seven Warlords of the King. He can be said to be one of the strongest on this sea.”
“Everyone witnessed the battle between the Black Prince and the Golden Lion firsthand. I won’t go into detail about the Golden Lion—just one thing: the Golden Lion was a great pirate as renowned as the Pirate King back then. For someone like that to be killed by the Black Prince… how exactly to save Nami will require careful planning.”
The storm in Loguetown had been artificially dispersed.
The storm on the sea, however, was still majestic.
In the restaurant inside the cabin,
The Straw Hat Pirates, with some changes in personnel, were holding a meeting.
“We get how terrifying the Black Prince is, but the problem now is… why are you here?” Zoro looked at Robin, who was naturally sitting in a chair sipping hot coffee, veins bulging on his forehead. He completely didn’t understand when this woman had boarded the ship.
“Oh? Is there a problem?”
“Problems galore, okay?”
Zoro’s head throbbed with pain. “First, state your intentions. What are you scheming by sneaking onto our ship?”
“Scheming? Nothing like that. Simply put… let me join your pirate crew.”
“…What did you say?”
Zoro blinked, incredulous as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp all widened their eyes.
“It’s a done deal!”
“Hey, I don’t remember inviting you aboard.” Luffy crossed his arms, his face showing a “who do you think you’re fooling?” expression.
“This is an agreement with your father, Mister Dragon. He let me freely choose my future path… I don’t really like staying with the Revolutionary Army. Through observations in Loguetown, I think you all are interesting, so… let me become your companion!”
“So casual? And Luffy’s father?”
Usopp’s mouth gaped wide.
“Luffy?”
Zoro looked toward the captain.
“Yeah… alright!”
Luffy agreed.
“Yay!”
Sanji cheered excitedly. If Miss Nami hadn’t been kidnapped, he might have fainted from excitement right now.
Zoro frowned, but… this woman had mentioned Luffy’s father. From the previous circumstances, it might be true.
“Hey hey, is that okay? Letting a woman of unknown background join so casually—you’ll get scammed out of your pants!” Carina, who had watched the spectacle for a while, chimed in with a grin.
“You’re the least qualified to say that, aren’t you?”
Zoro felt like his head was about to explode.
Mysteriously, two unfamiliar companions had joined the ship, which really didn’t sit well.
“Everyone, don’t worry. Robin isn’t a bad person. She even showed me the way in Loguetown!” After Nami’s kidnapping, a smile appeared on Luffy’s face for the first time. “Robin, you said you have an agreement with my old man… can you contact him now?”
“Of course, but… Captain, are you planning to ask Mister Dragon for help?” Robin asked with a smile.
“That Black Prince… we’re not his match yet. That’s a fact. And the gap between us can’t be closed in a short time. As long as it helps save Nami, asking my old man for aid is nothing—even if it means kneeling. Nothing is more precious than companions.”
His smile fleeting like an epiphyllum, Luffy’s face tightened as he said gravely.
Anyone could feel Luffy’s determination from his serious attitude.
“I understand. I’ll contact Mister Dragon right away.” Robin pulled a small Den Den Mushi from her chest.
————
A little earlier in time,
Just before the sunset fully sank into the sea, the Straw Hat Pirates’ Going Merry had just sailed out of Loguetown’s port.
“Oh! This is… truly astonishing! It’s only been this short time, and a navigator has already come knocking… Mister Dragon, your son has ridiculously good luck!” Prince Elus stood atop a building in Loguetown’s commercial street that resembled an archway. From here, he could overlook the pirate flag hanging on the Going Merry’s main mast.
“Prince Elus, what exactly… are you planning to do?”
Dragon stood beside Prince Elus.
There was none of the fierce battle Luffy and the others had imagined.
“Nothing much, just finding a reason to shut up those old ghosts blocking the Holy Land, and incidentally helping Mister Dragon train your child. Luffy’s foundation is solidly built, but… he lacks real combat experience! Especially experience against true strong persons… fighting wild beasts for a hundred years only hones basics. For greater improvement, he needs real combat with true experts.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Simple. I’m preparing to send some subordinates to Alabasta. If they can defeat my subordinates, I’ll return the person and items I took from Luffy… Of course, I won’t intervene—not just me, Fran and the others won’t either. I’ll arrange suitable opponents for Luffy and them!”
Prince Elus stroked his chin, speaking with keen interest.
This villainous big boss feeling was really great! Like playing a game of chess, but compared to a cold, rigid chessboard where players and pieces are clearly divided, reality was far more vivid and dynamic. Players might become pieces, pieces might rise to become players… filled with unpredictable unknowns… a hundred times more thrilling than ordinary board games!
“…Don’t go overboard.”
Dragon warned.
“Don’t worry, we’re allies at least. Scheming against allies is something I wouldn’t do.” Prince Elus nodded with a smile. “But Mister Dragon, I didn’t expect you to send Nico Robin to Luffy’s side… Is that okay? If the World Government and Navy find out, Luffy will be in big trouble!”
“Without wind and rain, how can one grow? This is an obstacle Luffy must overcome. And… Robin joining the Straw Hat Pirates wasn’t forced by me; it was her own choice.”
“I see.”
Prince Elus didn’t doubt Dragon’s character. If he said so, it must have been Robin’s own decision. However… was this destiny too? The Grand Line had already been thrown into chaos by Prince Elus, far from its original state, yet Nico Robin had circled around and still joined the Straw Hat Pirates—and much earlier than expected.
Was it because of me? Prince Elus pondered silently.
At that moment,
The Den Den Mushi in Dragon’s pocket rang.
“Robin? What’s the matter…”
“…Tell Luffy, I’ve got the Black Prince under watch. He won’t act personally. They just need to defeat the subordinates the Black Prince left in Alabasta. That’s all I can do—don’t expect more from me. The rest… you’ll have to handle with your own effort.”
“Eh? She even knows to ask for aid—not the stubborn type who insists on solving everything alone!”
Having heard the entire call, Prince Elus immediately praised.
“Prince Elus, as I said before, please don’t go overboard.” Dragon emphasized once more.
