Somewhere in the East Blue, where moments ago the sky had been dark and stormy with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, the weather suddenly turned clear and bright.
The sea, like a woman's temper, changed in the blink of an eye.
A wooden barrel floated quietly on the waves — and inside that barrel was Luffy.
During the storm, when their small boat was being sucked toward the whirlpool, Sandy had used his ability to push it away.
But the waves were too strong, scattering the boat to pieces. Luffy was trapped in the barrel, while Sandy clung to a piece of driftwood, separated from him.
Not far away, a merchant ship sailed across the calm sea. A sailor spotted the floating barrel and shouted excitedly, thinking it contained treasure or booze. They quickly hauled it aboard.
However, just as they did, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.
From the bow of that pirate ship came a booming female voice.
"Koby! Who's the most beautiful woman on this entire sea?"
The question was directed at a short, pink-haired boy with glasses — Koby.
He scratched his head nervously. "O-Of course, it's the Captain of this ship, Miss Alvida!"
Alvida — the so-called "Iron Mace" Alvida — was an enormous woman, her body round and full of freckles. Her presence was… unique, to say the least.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph… Hahahahahaha!" she laughed with self-satisfaction. "Good answer, Koby."
"T-Thank you…" he mumbled.
Just then, a pirate ran up. "Captain Alvida! There's a fat merchant ship nearby!"
Alvida grinned wickedly. "Heh. Time to hijack it!"
"Ooh-rah!"
The crew erupted in cheers as the cannons began to fire.
Alvida raised her spiked iron mace high. "My boys! Show those bastards the terror of Iron Mace Alvida — the most beautiful pirate on the sea!"
The pirates swung along ropes and stormed the merchant ship.
Koby, trembling, stayed behind, clutching a rope.
Alvida glared. "Koby! What are you waiting for?!"
"I-I'm scared of fighting!" he stammered.
Her expression darkened. "You dare defy me?!"
With one kick, she sent poor Koby flying straight onto the merchant ship.
Then she jumped over herself, laughing madly. "Heh haha, here I come!"
Meanwhile, far from there, Sandy was still drifting, clinging to his plank of wood.
He didn't know how long he'd been floating — the last thing he remembered was being dragged tens of meters underwater by the storm. For the first time, he truly felt how terrifying nature could be.
Still, his nerves held steady.
Suddenly, faint shouts reached his ears — "Ooh-rah! Ooh-rah!"
Sandy's eyes lit up. He started paddling furiously toward the sound. Soon, two ships came into view ahead — one merchant ship and one pirate ship locked in combat.
"Space Field."
In a flash of light, Sandy vanished and reappeared directly on the merchant ship's deck — drenched, but alive.
Before he could even wring out his clothes, he saw a familiar figure — Luffy — gleefully sending pirates flying with his rubber punches.
Sandy laughed. "Yo, Luffy! Having fun?"
Luffy's grin widened. "Ahahaha! Sandy! I knew you'd be fine!"
Before they could celebrate, Alvida came stomping toward them, her spiked mace raised.
Sandy's eyes sparkled. [Pheromone system, it's showtime!]
He walked up beside Luffy. "Hey, these guys pirates?"
Before Luffy could reply, Alvida barked, "That's right! I'm Captain Alvida! Who the hell are you?"
Luffy smiled. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And this guy's my crewmate, Sandy! We're pirates too!"
Alvida sneered. "So, you're here to steal my treasure?"
Sandy grinned slyly. "Exactly. Hand it over."
Luffy turned to him in confusion. When did we come to steal treasure?
Sandy gave him a quick reassuring look, then turned back toward Alvida, who was still glaring suspiciously.
He dramatically brushed his hair back and said, "What's with that look? Don't tell me you've fallen for me."
He smiled smugly. "I mean, I am handsome and dashing — like a jade tree swaying in the wind — but come on. A wild chicken can't possibly match a phoenix. Thinking about it is useless. In fact, it's a sin."
The entire deck fell silent.
Alvida's face twitched with rage, black lines appearing on her forehead.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for performing an outrageous operation.]
Sandy smirked proudly. "What? Not looking at me anymore? Guilty conscience, huh? I can tell you're trying to seduce me—"
"Bastard!" Alvida roared. "You dare mock me?! DIE!"
She swung her massive mace straight at him.
"Duck, Sandy!" Luffy shouted.
Having fought side by side before, Sandy instantly understood. He dropped to the deck — and Luffy's fist stretched forward.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
BOOM!
Alvida's eyes bulged as Luffy's punch smashed into her gut, sending her flying off the ship and splashing into the sea.
Koby, trembling nearby, could only whisper, "S-Sugoi…"
Alvida's crew froze in panic, completely disoriented without their captain. Within moments, they scattered — some jumping into the water, others fleeing below deck.
With the threat gone, the merchant ship's captain thanked Luffy and Sandy profusely. Since their destination was in the opposite direction, he offered them a small lifeboat to continue their journey.
Just as they prepared to leave, Koby ran up nervously. "W-Wait! Could you please take me with you? The next stop is Shells Town — it has a Marine base. I want to go there and join the Navy!"
Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So, you want to arrest pirates like us, huh? Doesn't that make us your future enemies?"
Koby froze awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
Luffy threw an arm around his shoulders, laughing. "Hahahaha! Don't mind him, Koby. He's just messing with you. Of course you can come!"
Sandy chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. We could use someone who actually knows where we're going. I'm not drifting aimlessly again — or hiding in a wooden barrel."
Only then did Koby realize — So that's how Luffy ended up inside a barrel!
Luffy's face turned red. "Sandy, you jerk! Don't bring that up again!"
Moments later, the three of them set sail in the small lifeboat.
But as fate would have it, another small boat floated nearby — and aboard it sat a woman with bright orange hair and curves that could sink ships.
Sandy's grin widened. "Well, well… that's one hell of a view."
Who else could it be but Nami?