Chapter 3: Nami
White clouds drifted leisurely across the azure sky. A small wooden boat floated on the calm, sapphire surface of the sea.
Luffy sat at the bow, while Zoro sat leaning against the railing.
"We'll need to find a navigator later on," Reiner remarked idly, lying on the deck and gazing up at the sky, bored.
Luffy paused upon hearing this. "What's a navigator?"
Zoro: "..."
"A navigator is someone who guides the ship," Reiner explained to Luffy. "It's very dangerous to encounter bad weather on the sea. We need someone who understands navigation."
This was a serious matter. The Grand Line was notorious for its bizarre climates and ever-changing sea conditions.
Even in the East Blue, getting caught in a major storm meant almost certain death.
Even someone as strong as Shiki couldn't defy the power of nature.
After a while, they suddenly heard shouting from afar.
Speak of the devil...
Looking towards the sound, they saw a small boat heading their way, an orange-haired young woman on deck paddling frantically.
She was being pursued by a pirate ship flying a black cat flag.
The pirate ship had a giant black cat head as its figurehead. Numerous pirates stood on its deck, yelling angrily at the small boat ahead.
"Damn it! How dare she steal our treasure!"
"Catch her!"
The person being chased was none other than Nami. After stealing the sea chart from Buggy and escaping, she had coincidentally run into the Black Cat Pirates at sea.
Being a thief who specialized in robbing pirates, Nami couldn't resist sneaking aboard their ship to pilfer some treasure.
Just as she was about to slip away, she was unexpectedly discovered.
"Why would someone walk backwards, damn it!" Nami roared inwardly in frustration.
She had been so close to escaping. Hiding in a corner, she waited for someone to pass, planning to sneak off the ship behind them.
But that person turned out to be walking *backwards*!
Nami dashed out from her corner and ran right into him.
On the pirate ship, Jango heard Nami's distant cry and smirked smugly. "That's my dance step. Didn't it completely captivate you?"
"Captivate my foot!" Nami yelled back, paddling with all her might.
Suddenly spotting the small boat ahead, joy sparked in her heart, and she immediately shouted towards it,
"Help me!"
A plea for help? No, her main tactic was to divert the disaster onto others.
"What do you think? Should we step in?" Zoro asked Luffy.
Luffy stood at the bow, glanced at the calling Nami, then at the pursuing pirates, and suddenly gave a strange smile.
"Alright everyone, get ready to fight!"
With that, he grabbed the bowsprit, stretched his arms far back, turned himself into a slingshot, and launched himself towards the Black Cat pirate ship.
Zoro immediately grabbed Luffy's feet and flew along with him, while Reiner stayed behind alone to guard their boat.
He recognized Nami now, and her boat was slowly getting closer.
*BOOM!*
Luffy and Zoro crashed onto the Black Cat pirate ship like human cannonballs, instantly taking down several pirates upon landing.
"Who are you!?"
"Are they accomplices of that thief?" The pirates surrounded them, raising guns and drawing swords.
A stylishly dressed man wearing heart-shaped glasses stepped forward, looked at Luffy and Zoro, and said coolly, "Who cares? Just capture them first. Attack!"
"Yes! Captain Jango!"
At Jango's command, all the pirates charged forward excitedly, and the battle on deck instantly erupted.
Jango had become the acting captain three years ago when Kuro faked his death to retire behind the scenes. Now, Kuro's plan was nearing completion, and they were heading towards Syrup Village.
But then they encountered a thief halfway, who made off with a large portion of their treasure. If they showed up to meet Kuro like this, he'd surely skin them alive.
However, Luffy and Zoro's combat prowess was practically unmatched in the East Blue, especially since the Black Cat Pirates had 'lost' their captain Kuro three years prior.
The first few pirates who rushed towards Luffy and Zoro were sent flying backwards instantly before they even knew what hit them.
"Wh-what happened?"
"These two are tough! Everyone, attack together!"
The pirates' expressions turned grim, and they swarmed forward.
But against such a vast difference in strength, numbers were no longer an advantage. The pirates surged forward like waves, only to be beaten back again and again.
"...So strong!"
Nami couldn't help but marvel as she watched the situation unfold on the ship.
She had only intended to divert the trouble, but seeing this, maybe these two could actually wipe out the entire crew.
"Yo, that's a lot of money."
Reiner had somehow appeared on Nami's boat without her noticing.
He opened a bag lying on the deck, revealing it to be full of glittering treasure.
Startled by the sudden voice behind her, Nami whipped around.
A golden-haired man was crouching in front of the treasure she had just stolen. She quickly scrambled forward and snatched the bag away.
"Uh... um, thank you for saving me. My name is Nami, nice to meet you all."
Nami stammered nervously, hiding the treasure behind her back while trying to change the subject.
"You're celebrating too early."
Reiner remained expressionless, holding out his open palm in a 'hand it over' gesture.
"Me! Pirate. This is a robbery!"
"What!?"
Nami was stunned. She had only dared to approach because it was just three people on a small boat with no flag.
Turns out they were pirates!
Had she just walked right into the lion's den?
She quickly pulled the three sections of her staff from her top, assembled it into a bo staff, and warily eyed Reiner.
Nami thought frantically: *"It's just one guy. If I'm careful, maybe I have a chance..."*
*Thud!*
*Thud!* A tall figure and a small, skinny one suddenly landed on the boat. Both wore sharp cat claws on their hands. It was the Meowban Brothers, Sham and Buchi.
"Jejejeje..."
Sham assessed them with a sinister grin. "Dare to steal from our ship, huh? Have you decided how you want to die yet?"
Nami looked frantically at the two newcomers. An idea instantly flashed through her mind. She turned to Reiner with a pitiful expression:
"Boss! They're the ones who were chasing me!"
Attempting to divert the disaster, take two.
Reiner glanced at Nami with amusement. Pretty face, but played dirty.
He calmly lit a cigarette and shot a mocking look at the Meowban Brothers.
"With a laugh like that... you won't live long, little brother."
"What did you say!?"
Sham glared darkly at Reiner, shocked that someone would dare speak to them like that.
He licked the sharp claws on his hand, his eyes flashing with malice.
"We are the Meowban Brothers, worth seven million Beri! Judging by your tone, you want to tangle with us?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, licking your blades? That pose just screams 'short lifespan,' buddy."
*Whirr— Whirr—*
A sharp, grating sound suddenly filled the air as two figures emerged from the small boat's cabin.
One wore a long black trench coat over a black suit, its face terrifying with sharp teeth, a long sword protruding forward as if piercing its forehead, and two more long swords extending from its hands.
The other wore a white shirt, grey-black trousers, a tie, and sneakers – looking almost like a typical teenager.
However, this second figure caused utter terror to spread across the faces of both the Meowban Brothers and Nami.
The sharp, grating sound came from him, because extending from his hands and forehead were...
Three horrifying, chainsaws!
"What the hell are those things!!"
Nami shrieked and collapsed onto the deck, scrambling backwards while trembling, until she hit the railing with a jolt.
*Gulp~*
The Meowban Brothers swallowed hard, their eyes wide with terror, staring fixedly at the two figures. They wished they were dead right now.
This wasn't even a question of whether they could win anymore. They looked too horrifying, especially those three whirring chainsaws.
*"Getting touched by those would mean bloody pulp,"* was the only thought left in their minds.
Reiner dropped his cigarette butt and ground it out with his foot. He smiled gently at the Meowban Brothers:
"Allow me to introduce you. This one's called Little Knife, and this one is Little Saw."
"So, you two brothers are worth seven million, is that right?"
"W-wait a minute!"
Cold sweat dripped down the Meowban Brothers' foreheads. They trembled as they backed away, screaming in terror at the two approaching demonic figures:
"Don't come over here!!!"