"Thank you… thank you, everyone…"
Nami, who had been holding back her tears this whole time, finally couldn't endure it anymore. She covered her mouth, crying silently.
The crystal-clear tears that fell were like sparks igniting the hearts of the Straw Hat crew, turning into blazing fury. They wished they could instantly rush to Cocoyasi Village and burn the Arlong Pirates to ashes!
"Red, let's set off for Cocoyasi Village immediately!" Luffy clenched his fists and proposed without hesitation.
"No problem!"
Red smiled and nodded, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
"After all, the course we planned from the very beginning was Cocoyasi Village~"
"But before we head there, we still need to pick up two more companions."
"Companions!?"
Luffy froze for a moment. Just hearing that special word was enough to dampen the anger in his heart slightly.
Still, sensing that the atmosphere wasn't right to talk about new companions—especially at a time like this—even someone as simple-minded as Luffy didn't press further. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Nami with concern.
"Don't worry, Nami!"
"I'll definitely smash the Arlong Pirates to pieces for you!!!"
Luffy thumped his chest as he made his promise.
Zoro didn't say a word, but the resolute gleam in his eyes made it clear—he was already itching to cut something down.
At that moment, however, Red suddenly spoke again.
"Just smashing them isn't enough, Luffy."
"Evil must be repaid with evil. Blood debts must be paid in blood!"
"If we don't slaughter every one of those Fish-Men, it'll be hard to appease the spirits of those who were harmed by the Arlong Pirates!"
"Besides, they actually dared to bully our adorable navigator!"
"Sins like that can't be repaid merely with their lives!"
Red gently lifted the still-sobbing Nami, softly patting her shoulder as he said,
"Leave everything to us."
"Mm!" Nami nodded hard.
This was the first time—since her adoptive mother Bell-mère passed away—that she felt she had someone to rely on again.
Leaning against Red's shoulder, Nami wiped her tear-streaked face and silently said in her heart,
"Thank you, Red."
…
…
The sea breeze blew gently as the blazing sun hung high overhead.
Nami's confession didn't slow the sailboat in the slightest.
Even while carrying nearly two tons of workout equipment, the small sailboat still cut a straight white wake across the sea as it headed toward the next island.
Finally, just before dinner, they successfully arrived at the port of their next destination.
"Woohoo~! We can finally eat a proper meal again!"
The moment the ship docked, Luffy jumped off the bow, cheering at the top of his lungs.
But right then, an eerie, resentful voice drifted over from behind him.
"Sorry for not letting everyone eat something tasty…"
Luffy immediately broke out in cold sweat. Spinning around, he forced an awkward smile.
"Ahaha, no, no!"
"Lunch was… was pretty good!"
As he spoke, he made his classic lying gesture—puckering his lips while scratching his head.
Although Nami had cried earlier that morning, she was still the only one on the ship who could barely handle food at all, so the responsibility of lunch naturally fell to her.
Unfortunately, her cooking skills were limited—and the conditions were even worse.
As a result, that lunch couldn't even be described as mediocre. It tasted like chewing wax.
Even Luffy, a guy who could eat Devil Fruits without batting an eye, had barely managed to force everything down…
That alone showed just how terrifying the meal had been.
So the moment he learned they were about to reach another island, Luffy had been eagerly dreaming of finding a restaurant and stuffing himself.
Sadly…
That dream was doomed to be crushed.
Because the island they had arrived at only had a single town.
And that town had already been completely occupied by the Buggy Pirates—
Orange Town!!!
…
…
"This is weird. Why isn't there anyone here?" Luffy complained as he walked along the desolate, silent streets of Orange Town, clutching his growling stomach.
The shops on both sides were rundown and weathered, clearly abandoned for a long time.
Zoro frowned as well.
"Something's off."
"I've heard of Orange Town before. It shouldn't be this run-down."
Orange Town was famous for its oranges.
In a sea-dominated world, oranges—rich in vitamins and able to prevent scurvy—were essential supplies.
On top of that, Orange Town's oranges were known for their high quality, attracting countless merchant ships. The town's residents were supposed to be living prosperous, comfortable lives.
Yet the eerie silence before them was worlds apart from what Zoro had heard.
Nami, watching their confused expressions, shook her head and sighed.
"Seriously…"
"You two didn't gather any information at all, did you?"
"Didn't you hear about it back when we were eating in Shells Town?"
"This town has already been taken over by pirates!"
Red added mercilessly, "Luffy, looks like your dream of a big meal just vanished."
"Huh!?" Luffy cried out in despair, the light instantly fading from his eyes.
But Red's next words quickly reignited that spark.
"Don't be so depressed, Luffy. Think bigger~"
Red chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.
"Sure, the town's been taken over by pirates, so there aren't any restaurants open."
"But if a pirate crew can occupy an entire town, they must be pretty big."
"And a large crew definitely has plenty of cooks."
"As fellow pirates, we can just force them to cook for us!"
"And most importantly—we don't have to pay!!!"
"Free food always tastes the best!"
"Red, I see you in a whole new light!" Nami exclaimed in admiration upon hearing the words "no money" and "free."
Luffy instantly perked up as well.
"Yeah! Red, you're a genius!"
With that, he shot his arm into the air and laughed loudly.
"Alright! Our next goal is to find that pirate crew and make them cook for us!!!"
"Oh right—Red, do you know where they are?"
Already treating Red like an all-knowing encyclopedia, Luffy asked again.
And right at that moment…
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A thunderous explosion rang out from another corner of Orange Town, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Trouble!?" Zoro drew his sword in a flash, ready for battle.
Red, however, grinned as he looked at the smoke slowly dispersing in the distance.
"I didn't know before."
"But now… I do."
…
…
Meanwhile.
Atop a tall building in Orange Town, a group of pirates dressed like circus performers were cheering wildly.
"Bu~ggy~ Bomb! … Bu~ggy~ Bomb! …"
It wasn't hard to guess—they were celebrating the successful test of an incredibly powerful cannonball.
At the center of the crowd stood a man with a striking red nose and an orange captain's hat, laughing maniacally.
"Wahahaahaha!"
"I finally perfected the Buggy Bomb!!!"
"With my Devil Fruit powers and the Buggy Bomb, I now have the strength to conquer the Grand Line!"
"Wahahaahaha!"
Buggy the Clown laughed arrogantly and threw his arms wide.
"Men! To celebrate my greatness—"
"We're throwing a party~!!!"
"Ooooh!!!" the pirates roared in response.
As a former member of the Roger Pirates, Buggy had perfectly inherited one of their finest traditions—no matter what happened, it was always worth throwing a party.
That cheerful atmosphere was exactly what made his crew resemble a circus more and more, fitting perfectly with Buggy's identity as a clown.
However…
Just as the pirates continued cheering and began preparing the feast, a drooling voice suddenly—and strangely—rang down from the sky above.
"A party!? I heard the sound of a party!!!"