"could your friend lend me like a couple 100 million berries?"
⚓︎
the four of us strolled through the bustling atmosphere of the harbor. ships of all shapes and sizes filled the scene, and everyone seemed engrossed in their various activities. wooden planks and an array of construction tools were scattered about, evidence of ongoing work.
"look at 'em all," luffy exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
i couldn't help but deadpan in response, "there's nothing else to look at, luffy."
zoro, always pragmatic, asked the pertinent question, "how much do these cost?"
nami, with her knack for practicality, replied, "if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it."
i couldn't resist a chuckle, adding, "pft, not a lie—"
zoro's sudden sharp turn of his head in my direction effectively silenced me. unfortunately, i remained oblivious to the thoughts swirling in zoro's head.
"maybe i should sell you off for the bounty," he retorted dryly, his comment hanging in the air.
my eyebrows shot up in surprise, and i stammered, "wait, what? how did you—"
nami, always observant, couldn't help but question, "what bounty?"
zoro and i exchanged quick, almost guilty glances before simultaneously responding, "nothing."
"oookay," nami replied, clearly not convinced but choosing not to press further.
meanwhile, luffy, who had seemed unfazed by our earlier conversation, jumped in with his typical enthusiasm, "okay, so we need to get a ship with a very, very impressive figurehead. at least two... no, no, three masts! and a really high crow's nest."
luffy's priorities were crystal clear: ships, pirates, finding the one piece, his friends, and, of course, his beloved straw hat.
i couldn't resist injecting a dose of realism into the discussion, "luffy, you do know we're not going to be able to sail a ship anywhere near that size, right?"
nami chimed in, lending her support to my point, "yes, (name)'s right. there's only four of us."
luffy's grin remained undiminished, his enthusiasm unyielding. "four of us, right now."
"well, unless you can find another weird, desperate soul to help us," nami remarked.
"speak for yourself," zoro and i retorted simultaneously, our eyes meeting in a brief but intense glare-off.
"stop it," we again synchronized our words, this time with an exasperated tone.
nami sighed, casting a quick glance towards us. "listen, we are going to need something a little less flashy if we wanna sneak out of here."
luffy's eyes widened in surprise as he processed our plan. "you want to steal a ship?"
i couldn't help but interject, my tone laced with sarcasm, "i thought we made that pretty clear back then."
nami, amused by the situation, folded her arms and chimed in, "how else did you expect us to get one?"
i let out a sigh, shaking my head at luffy's innocence.
"i don't know, but we can't steal one." luffy's enthusiasm dimmed, and he looked downcast.
under my breath, i muttered, "bless his soul."
nami teased him further, her tone mocking, "what kind of pirate are you?"
luffy glanced at all of us in quick succession before speaking earnestly, "a ship isn't just a ship; it's a part of our crew."
"not a crew—oh, so we're a crew now?" zoro merely shook his head at my question, while luffy continued his speech undisturbed.
"we need to find the perfect one, and we're gonna get it the right way."
nami added with a smug smile, "okay, pitch that to the salesman. i'm sure that'll win him over."
luffy, ever the optimist, responded with enthusiasm, "exactly!" he then skipped away, completely oblivious to Nami's sarcasm.
oh boy.
the three of us exchanged knowing glances, silently acknowledging just how innocent the straw hat boy could be.
zoro broke the silence, asking, "so, what's our actual plan?"
i turned to nami, my eyes filled with anticipation as i awaited her response.
nami let out a weary sigh and answered, "we'll find a ship and check how lax the security is around here."
"got it," zoro confirmed.
i couldn't help but snicker. "nice."
we remained vigilant, keeping an eye on our surroundings as we followed the straw hat boy who seemed to be nowhere in sight.
he sure walks fast.
⚓︎
i watched luffy from a distance, engaged in conversation with someone i couldn't quite make out. probably a salesman, i thought.
my mind drifted as i recalled zoro's words, "maybe i should sell you off for the bounty."
how did he know? had he seen my wanted poster? panic washed over me at the thought that he might turn me in for berries.
"there you are," nami's voice snapped me back to reality. in my distraction, i had accidentally bumped into zoro's back.
"watch where you're going," zoro grumbled, his irritation evident.
"sorry about that," i mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"guys! i found it, i found our ship!" luffy's excited tone made me chuckle.
zoro's eyes drifted over to the man leaning on the railing of said ship, whose gaze seemed to be locked onto the person standing next to him.
"why is he staring at (name) like that?" zoro muttered, feeling a tad protective. he subtly shifted his position to hide (name) from the man's direct line of sight.
"(name)?" a voice intervened.
i glanced over zoro's shoulder (who was strangely shielding me) at my name being called and couldn't believe my eyes.
"usopp! oh my fucking god, it's you!"
"i knew it was you! you're back in the village?" usopp exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with joy as he rushed over to envelop me in a warm hug. zoro, the ever-frowning moss head, stood to the side, watching the reunion.
"i told you i would come back!"
usopp pulled away, his expression a mix of happiness and mock irritation. "it took you years!"
"but i kept my promise, didn't i?" i countered, flashing a smug grin.
"sure you did." usopp chuckled. then, his gaze shifted to the others. "what are you even doing here with these... people?"
"(name)'s one of our friends too! we're on our way to find the one piece, and we need a ship for that. you're going to sell it to us, right?" luffy beamed as he descended the wooden stairs.
"uh, wait... what? uh..." usopp stammered, caught off guard.
"yeah, the ship! we'll take it," luffy replied with enthusiasm.
"technically, she's not for sale," usopp said nervously.
"huh."
"and technically, i'm not a salesman," usopp added, managing a nervous smile.
"do you even work here?" nami questioned skeptically.
"of course, i do," usopp insisted.
"don't tell me you're here scraping bird shit," i chimed in.
"please, i'm the chief technician in charge of encrustation removal and aviary waste eradication," usopp rambled.
"encru— what?" luffy furrowed his brow in confusion.
"he scrubs barnacles and cleans bird shit," zoro deadpanned, his arms folded. his gaze shifted to (name)'s hand resting on usopp's shoulder.
"called it," i said with a knowing grin.
"you know me too well," usopp chuckled.
nami sighed in disappointment. "he can't help us." she almost turned away before usopp stopped her.
"wait! wait! wait! i can help you," usopp interjected.
"the owner of this ship happens to be my closest—" i raised my eyebrow, making usopp correct himself, "second closest friend in the world."
"your friend owns the ship?" nami inquired.
"not just this one, she owns the whole shipyard," usopp declared with pride. "she's rich rich."
"ohhh" luffy and i shared a similar amused reaction, both of us looking at each other while snickering.
"what have you been up to since i was gone?" i tilted my head in curiosity.
"same as you, although my adventures involve a bit less violence," usopp nodded his head towards the bow and arrow at my side.
"fancy seeing you still have it," he remarked with a smirk.
"of course i do."
"by the way, i'm sure you could strike a deal with her," usopp suggested, turning to nami.
"see?" luffy laughed.
nami considered it for a moment before smiling. "well, i guess it wouldn't hurt to say hello."
i swung my arm around usopp as he began to guide us to his friend's house, oblivious to a certain swordsman sending daggers at the man beside me with his eyes.
"could your friend lend me like a couple 100 million berries?" i glance at usopp.
"(name), no."