Luffy smiled down at the dog in front of him as he crouched down and held out his hand. "Shake," he said. The dog looked up at him assessingly, and then surprisingly, held out his paw. Luffy grabbed it and shook his hand up and down and the dog just looked at him passively as if this was a strange occurrence for him.
"Hey, you kids!" The group of three turned to the voice, two out of three recognizing him as the mayor of Orange Town. The man stopped in front of them and looked at them curiously. "Do you know what's going on? I saw those blasted pirates destroying the town again with that cursed cannon of theirs. I came to investigate and saw you three running away from their base. You're not hurt are you?" He looked absently at Chouchou. The dog didn't get along with people he didn't know. His behavior was borderline aggressive towards strangers, but he acted civil with this teenager. Strange...
"Nah," Luffy replied cheerfully. "We kicked their asses." The mayor was taken aback by this statement, and looked at him disbelievingly. These pirates had been terrorizing their town for a while. Luffy, seeing his skepticism, added, "You might wanna call the Marines while they're still unconscious. They'll wake up after a while."
Nami, who'd been staring at the ground ever since they left the plaza, not wanting to meet Luffy's eyes, looked up at the new arrival. "Are you in charge here?"
The man nodded. "I'm the mayor. But I hardly deserve the title at this point. I can't even protect my town from pillaging." Luffy thought that this was hardly his job to begin with, but didn't comment.
"Well, we'll be on our way then," Luffy said. "Remember to mention that the Buggy Pirates are incapacitated when you call them. They'll be much more likely to send a retrieval ship that way." Nami agreed wholeheartedly with the cynical logic.
The mayor looked at them with interest. "Are you three sailors?"
Luffy nodded. "Pirates. We just recruited a navigator," he said, pointing at Nami, who looked down again. Luffy frowned. She was acting pretty strange, and he could sense the guilt she was feeling. She had almost forgotten their original objective when they were about to leave, but Luffy had made sure to grab the treasure and the map.
"I'll have to confirm your story myself," the mayor said after some thought. "If what you say is true, then you have my sincerest thanks." Luffy nodded at him, and the three of them headed out towards the coast where their ships were docked. As they walked, Nami finally looked up at Luffy and spoke,
"Do you really still want me as your navigator?" He turned to her and nodded eagerly in response to the question. "I tricked you," she reminded him. "I almost got you killed." Luffy thought about telling her that there was no way he ever would have died at the hands of Buggy, or anyone in East Blue for that matter, but decided to be subtler than that.
"I'm alive, aren't I?" he said. Nami just stared at him, wondering not for the first time how his mind worked.
"You're not mad?" she asked quietly. Luffy smiled widely.
"Nah, don't worry about it," he replied. Nami let a small smile grace her lips but still felt guilty. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she couldn't join his crew permanently. She was so close. Sadness welled up inside her. She was really starting to like Luffy despite his affiliation as a pirate, but this couldn't last.
"I know this is really late, but my name is Nami," she told him.
Luffy's smile grew wider. "Welcome to the crew, Nami," he responded.
"Where do you want to go next, then?" If she couldn't stay in the crew, then she'd be damn sure to do her job well while she was here.
"Our next destination is Syrup Village," he replied. Nami looked thoughtful. She knew where it was. It was a small village on the Gecko Islands southwest of here. What did Luffy plan on doing there? She doubted there was anything of significance.
They tied their two boats together and set sail. As the island grew more distant, Nami noticed with slight panic that there was only one bag of treasure on the boat. They had separated everything into two. "Um, Luffy? Where's the other bag of gold?" she asked nervously.
"Ah, I left in on the shore for the townspeople." It took a moment for this statement to register in Nami's mind.
"You left it? That was worth at least 5 million Belly!" She yelled in frustration. Luffy just nodded.
"They're not a very wealthy town. They'll need it for repairs. Besides, you said we'd split the profits. I just gave them my share." Nami gave up and her head sagged. She had said that, and she didn't feel very deserving of that extra 10% right about now...
Luffy observed Nami out of the corner of his eye. She was definitely getting more comfortable around the two of them, but she was still slightly disconcerted after everything she'd witnessed them do. Nami was used to using her cunning to manipulate circumstances to her advantage, and she felt way out of her comfort zone when she didn't feel in control of a situation. But that was kind of the point. Luffy wanted her to feel completely at ease around them not because she could control everything, but because she trusted them to watch her back so that she wouldn't have to constantly look over her shoulder. It was still a work in progress.
On the way to the next island, Luffy and Zoro quickly got bored. They left the navigation to Nami (not that they could have helped much), and started playing rock-paper-scissors of all things. The dull game was made even blander by Zoro's unyielding belief that rock was the strongest, no matter how many times it lost to paper.
They eventually passed by a small, uninhabited island, and Luffy suggested they stop there to take a stretch. It was by far the strangest island Nami had ever seen. The animals were all odd hybrids of different land mammals, and a small man stuck in a chest who claimed he was the god of the island confronted them. He had been stranded there ever since his crew left without him after searching the island for treasure. Luffy later found what they'd been looking for, but revealed that there hadn't actually been anything in the chests. Gaimon, as he told them his name was, decided to stay on the island and look after the animals there.
After that, it wasn't long before they reached their destination. As the island came into sight, both Luffy and Zoro felt waves of nostalgia upon sensing the familiar presence on the coast. Soon, three other auras joined him. They stretched their arms and legs as they walked onto the shore, and it wasn't long before Nami noticed them. "Hey, we're being watched." They all turned toward their observers, and three of them instantly ran back towards the town.
"Hey! Don't run away before it even begins!" the fourth one shouted. He nervously turned back to the newcomers and raised a green slingshot. "Stop right there! I am Captain Usopp, the great protector of this village! State your business here, otherwise my 80 million followers will chase you to the ends of Hell!"
Luffy and Zoro exchanged an amused glance as Nami looked at the eccentric villager with disinterest. "Damn," Luffy said. "He's got over a tenth of the world's population as followers."
"That is pretty impressive. Maybe we should run," Zoro added. Usopp gulped, doing the math in his head. He hadn't really thought that one through, but it looked like they were buying it. Maybe this would work...
"He's lying," Nami stated in a bored tone.
"Crap! I've been found out," Usopp exclaimed as Luffy burst out laughing. Usopp swayed back and forth comically as he wondered out loud what he was to do now that he'd been discovered. Nami almost looked guilty for what she'd reduced him to. He quickly recovered though.
"Don't you dare laugh," he said firmly with his slingshot raised. "I am a man of intense pride! I don't take well to being laughed at! That's why everyone calls me Usopp the Proud!" This was another lie. No one called him that, but they didn't have any proof of that, did they?
"Hey, calm down," Luffy managed as his laughter subsided. "You're Yasopp's son, right? Let's just talk about things over food. We're not here to pillage or anything."
Usopp lost his balance and fell off the hill he was standing on, landing face first in the dirt. He got up with an embarrassed expression. "It's true that I'm Yasopp's son...but how did you know?"
Luffy smiled genuinely. "You remind me of him. Even the way you gloat is the same." Usopp's chest swelled up with pride upon hearing this, and he agreed to talk things over as a restaurant town. He even went as far as to offer to treat them.
Nami noted that the restaurant they were eating at had a sign that simply said "Food." This suggested that it was basically the only restaurant in the area. This really was a small village. As they ate, Luffy told Usopp stories of the boy's father and his incredible marksmanship, and Usopp listened eagerly. His eyes bulged out when Luffy mentioned that he was the sniper for the crew of Red-Haired Shanks. He always knew his father was amazing, but it felt good to hear someone confirm it.
He soon excused himself from the restaurant, though, saying that he had somewhere to be soon. They continued eating after Usopp left until the three kids from earlier rushed into the restaurant, almost falling over each other. "We're here to defend the village Captain!" one shouted with newfound resolve. He then looked around confused.
"Where's Captain Usopp?" another demanded, holding up a wooden toy dagger in what he hoped to be a menacing manner.
"Ah, that was some good meat," Luffy sighed, patting his stomach in satisfaction. The three kids looked at him in horror.
"What? No way! Don't tell me you ate the Captain!" the third one shouted indignantly. Luffy looked at him in obvious amusement. Nami giggled.
"About your Captain," Zoro said, catching their attention. He put on his best evil grin. "He was delicious." Once Nami managed to calm them down enough to convince them it was a joke, Luffy asked if they knew why Usopp took off in such a hurry. One of them, who introduced himself as Carrot, replied that he usually went up to the mansion on the hill to recite his farfetched stories to the girl that lived there. They explained that she was always sick and isolated, and that Usopp's lies cheered her up.
Luffy got up. "All right, let's go then." Carrot looked up at him.
"We're actually not allowed to go there," he said disappointedly.
"Captain gets in through a secret entrance," the boy that had introduced himself as Pepper added proudly.
"All the more reason why we should go," Luffy said casually. Nami wanted to protest the logic, but the three boys cheered and took off in the direction of the hill, led by the boy who had introduced himself as Onion. Luffy laughed and trailed after them while Zoro followed wordlessly. Nami sighed as she was outvoted.
A tall gate surrounded the mansion, stretching around the full perimeter. The vegetable trio was wondering if they could find the Captain's way in when something wrapped tightly around the waists of Zoro, Nami, Pepper, Carrot, and Onion. "Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy said jovially. The entire group, minus Zoro, looked in shock from Luffy to what was wrapped around them and back to Luffy. It was his arm. It was coiled around them like a snake. His other arm was also stretched out and had grabbed the top of the gate.
Before anyone could question the absurdity of what was currently happening, Luffy shouted, "Sorry to intrude!" They tried to avoid the inevitable, but were pulled along with him as he launched himself past the gate and high into the air. Luffy just enjoyed the breeze as the rest of them, minus Zoro, screamed their lungs out. Before they landed, Zoro pulled free of his grip, knowing this would only be painful if his landing was dependent on his Captain, who wasn't exactly worried about him dying from a fall like this.
He landed on his feet and skidded in a long line before finally coming to a stop. Luffy stuck the landing with his knees bent and one arm wrapped around his captive passengers, which were dangling above his head, gasping for breath. He promptly let go of them, his arm snapping back to his side as they fell to the ground in a thud. "Infiltration successful," he said formally.
"Like hell it was!" Nami shouted, wondering how they were still alive. She was about to ask what the hell he just did, but was trying to find the right words, and the veggie trio beat her to it.
"That was awesome!" Pepper shouted.
"Can we do that again!?" Carrot pleaded.
"How did you do that!?" Onion demanded.
Luffy addressed them in order as he turned to each of them. "Yes it was. Maybe later. I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. I'm a rubber man."
"Rubber man..." Nami repeated helplessly, and her head sagged. Of all the ridiculous things in the world. Zoro looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"How could you not know by now?" he asked disbelievingly.
Nami rounded on him with her fists raised. "I've never seen him do that before!" she said defensively. "I assumed that you were just superhumans or something! The Devil Fruits are supposed to be a legend! Don't tell me you ate one too!"
"No, not me," Zoro said. "Buggy ate one, though." Nami's eyes widened in realization. Come to think of it, he had shot his hand off of his arm! How had she not questioned that event further? Was hanging around these guys numbing her reactions to things like this? Would she soon be taking it in stride every time her conceptions of reality were skewed? The thought dismayed her.
"Hey! What the hell are you guys doing here?" Nami turned to the familiar voice. She hadn't noticed Usopp up in the tree until now. He was on a branch level with an open window that a young girl was leaning out of. Nami opened her mouth to respond, but paused. What were they doing here?
Luffy grinned widely and pointed at Usopp. "We're here to recruit you!" Usopp's eyes widened to epic proportions. Recruit him? Weren't they pirates? Excitement welled up inside him but we quickly composed himself. He pointed to himself confidently.
"Finally, someone recognizes my talent. Tell you what. Let me be the captain and I'll join you," he said with his arms crossed and a confident smirk on his face.
"No way!" Luffy shouted, still smiling. This caused Usopp to lose his balance and almost fall out of the tree. "You can be the sniper, though. I'll bet you have really good marksmanship," he added.
This caught Usopp's attention and he almost forgot about being captain. "You bet I do! You won't find a better sniper in all of East Blue!" They all looked at the bold statement with mixed reactions. Nami was wondering what kind of sniper used a slingshot, Zoro was wondering how he could know that when he'd never left his island, and Luffy was thinking that despite Usopp's nature for blatant lies, his statement might actually be true.
The girl leaning out the window, who had been silent up until now, spoke up, "Are these friends of yours, Usopp?" Usopp looked at her and waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh, them? They're just fans of mine. They wanted to join my awesome pirate crew." Nami felt embarrassed for the guy. Did he have no humility? Luffy had just invited him. Come to think of it, he hadn't really given an answer yet, but Luffy seemed complacent as if he had already said yes.
"Hey, you delinquents! What do you think you're doing?" Everyone, minus Luffy and Zoro, turned to the new voice. It was a tall man with slick black hair and round glasses. He wore a formal suit and tie and walked with rigidity. Usopp and Kaya stilled upon seeing him. He stopped in front of the tree and looked at everyone other than Kaya with distaste. "You are all trespassing on private property. I suggest you leave now."
"Klahadore! It's OK...we were just talking. You don't need to kick them out," Kaya said pleadingly. The caretaker looked at Kaya and shook his head.
"I cannot allow this, Miss Kaya. Your condition is bad enough without that ruffian's influence. I will not allow him to poison your mind with his ridiculous fabrications." Usopp was trying his best to take the not so subtle insults in stride, but everyone could tell he was having trouble. Kaya looked angry but held her tongue. Nami was confused. Kaya did look pale, but not letting her have visitors wouldn't help at all. If anything, Usopp's visits should aid her mental wellbeing. What she needed was social interaction, not isolation from her peers. Didn't this Klahadore realize that he could very well be making her condition worse by insisting on her seclusion?
She looked at Luffy and Zoro to see their reactions. They were staring at each other intensely as if they were having a conversation...minus the conversation. Nami grew annoyed as Zoro nodded at Luffy and they both turned back to observe the scene before them. How did they do that anyway? How did that even work?
Usopp, although disgruntled, decided to ignore the insult and try to reason with the caretaker. "Listen, I'm sorry I trespassed, and I don't want any trouble or anything. I just thought Kaya could use the company. She never sees anyone and..."
"And?" Klahadore interrupted. "Do you presume to insinuate that you know what would best aid in Miss Kaya's recovery better than her own caretaker? What could a person of your upbringing possibly know about her needs?" Usopp was really having a hard time composing himself now. Upbringing? What did he mean by that? Kaya was looking at her caretaker in horror.
Either Klahadore didn't notice that he had offended or didn't care. He continued, "Of course, I suppose I shouldn't set such high standards from the son of a filthy pirate. Breaking and entering must be a second nature to you, but I'm afraid I must ask that you not come back..."
He was forcefully interrupted as Usopp's fist collided with his face. He fell back onto the ground and glared up at him in annoyance. "Don't worry," Usopp said quietly. "I was just leaving." He turned around and stomped out of the compound, the infuriated scowl never leaving his face. Kaya had covered her mouth and was watching him leave with regret.
The veggie trio shouted insults at Klahadore for good measure before running off after their captain. Luffy motioned for Zoro and Nami to follow him as he too turned to leave. Nami took one sad look at Kaya before following. She felt bad for her, but wasn't really in a position to help in any way. When they got back to the restaurant, Luffy told Zoro and Nami to hang out while he went to look for Usopp. Zoro nodded. Nami wondered what he was planning to say.
Luffy found Usopp sitting under a tree at the edge of a cliff. He walked over and sat down next to him. Usopp noticed but didn't look at him. He was lost in his own thoughts. After a while, Luffy spoke, "It's not her fault, you know." Usopp still didn't turn to look at him.
"No, it's not," he said.
"And your visits are helping her," Luffy added. Usopp looked up at the clouds and sighed.
"Yeah, I know," he said. Luffy nodded. That was that, then. They sat in silence for a minute before Luffy nudged Usopp, who looked up at him in question. Luffy put one finger to his lips and then pointed down at the beach. Usopp followed his finger and stiffened as he spotted Klahadore walking towards an eccentrically dressed man with heart shaped sunglasses that he had never seen before.
Already suspicious, Usopp got down on his stomach and looked over the ledge, and Luffy followed suit. As they listened in on the conversation that was being held below them, Usopp's eyes gradually widened in shock and then narrowed in outrage. Luffy kept a consistent focused glare on his face until the two men below them parted and walked in opposite directions. Usopp waited a few seconds to take in everything he had just heard, and then got up and abruptly started running in the direction of the village. Luffy quickly caught up and grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks.
"Let go! I have to warn them!" he shouted now that they were out of earshot.
"Will they believe you? Can they even help anything if they do?" Luffy asked quietly. Usopp's eyes widened as he realized the obvious answer to both questions. His expression turned troubled and he looked at the ground.
"Then what can I do? This is the village I grew up in, I can't just abandon them to their fate!" Luffy nodded in acknowledgement and, having been prompted for advice, started brainstorming a plan out loud. Usopp kept a focused expression and nodded every now and then, as well as throwing in his own suggestions. By the time they met up with Zoro and Nami, the veggie trio was nowhere in sight. Luffy and Usopp filled them in on what happened. Nami looked mildly disturbed but kept calm, while Zoro's expression conveyed nothing of his thoughts.
With the plan decided on, the four started making preparations for the following morning. Usopp walked towards the beach with a stern expression, contemplating what was about to go down. He always lied to the townspeople, claiming that pirates were coming.
He would ensure that it remained a lie.