Chapter - 51
East Blue
Somewhere in the middle of the sea
The entire crew was already aboard the Merry, except for Nami, who hadn’t arrived yet.
“Why is Nami taking so long? Did she change her mind?”, Usopp asked, tired of waiting.
“She said she needed to go to the bathroom and wouldn't take long”, Nojiko replied with a shrug.
“Why didn’t she just use the Merry’s bathroom?”, Usopp asked, puzzled as to why she didn’t use the ship’s bathroom.
“No idea”, Nojiko answered, leaning on the ship's stern railing.
“Woof woof woof woof woof?”, Chouchou barked, seemingly asking a question.
"Chouchou is asking if it's possible that she has diarrhea and is pooping right now," Luffy said, holding back a ugh as he transted Chouchou's question to the others.
“Chouchou, you gluttonous dog, it’s rude to talk about a dy like that”, Sanji scolded the dog.
“What, noodle-head? You think women don’t poop or fart?”, Zoro teased Sanji.
“Of course I know women do that too, idiot! I’m just saying it’s rude to mention it”, Sanji retorted, clearly irritated.
“I don’t know, man. With how you act, it wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t know”, Zoro said with a shrug.
“You wanna fight, moss-head?”, Sanji asked, ready to pick a fight.
Just as the two were about to start brawling, they heard Nami’s voice shouting from a distance, “Raise the anchor!”
She began running toward the ship while Luffy looked at his crewmates and said, “Well, you heard the navigator. Let’s get to work.”
“What? She’s pnning to leave without even letting us thank or say goodbye to her?”, one of the vilgers commented, clearly irritated.
“Hoist the sails!”, Nami shouted, approaching while running.
“Wait, Nami, at least let us say goodbye properly. Why can’t you leave in a normal way, like Nojiko?”, Genzo asked, trying to block her path and stop her from leaving without saying a proper farewell.
“Set sail!” Nami shouted before weaving through the crowd, jumping off the dock, and nding aboard the Merry, which was already just a few meters from the port.
She then throws a bunch of wallets on the deck of the Merry, and upon seeing this, the vilgers start searching their pockets for their own wallets.
“What the—? My wallet’s gone!”
“Mine too!”
“Where’s my wallet?”
“See you ter, everyone! Take care! Hihihi!”, Nami said, fshing a mischievous smile as she held up a banknote between her fingers, taunting them.
“You little—”, Genzo began, sounding irritated.
“You thief!”, all the vilgers shouted in unison, furious at Nami.
“Come back, Nami!”
“Give me back my wallet!”
“Hehe”, Nami giggled, watching them fume at her.
“You brat!”
“Take care, you two!”
“Come back anytime!”
“This will always be your home!”
"Hey, kid, don't forget what you promised me!" Genzo shouted, catching Luffy's attention who responded with a thumbs up.
“Goodbye, everyone! We’ll miss you! We’ll be back soon!”, Nami and Nojiko shouted, waving as the Merry sailed farther away.
As the isnd disappeared into the horizon, Luffy commented with a pyful smile: “You took your time, Nami. We almost nicknamed you ‘the shitter’.”
“You’re the pooper, idiot”, Nami said, punching Luffy’s shoulder.
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who said that. Take it up with Chouchou”, Luffy replied, rubbing his shoulder, pretending it hurt.
“Chouchou, what’s this about you calling me a pooper, boy?”, Nami asked, sounding like a scolding mother.
=Scene Break=
A few hours ter, the Straw Hat crew now finds themselves sailing towards Loguetown for a brief stop before heading to the Grand Line.
“Are you serious? If they raise the prices again, I’m not buying anymore, got it?”, Nami compined as she paid for a newspaper, while the news-carrying seagull stared at her as if to say, ‘Lady, I don’t set the prices’.
While Nami read the news, a wanted poster slipped out from the middle of the paper, nding squarely on Luffy’s face.
Taking the poster off his face, Luffy realizes that it is a wanted poster. And when he sees who it is from, he shouts excitedly, raising his arms in celebration, "Yahhooooooo!"
“What’s going on, Luffy?”, Nami asked, giving him a strange look.
“Shishishishi! I finally got my own bounty!”, Luffy said with a huge grin.
“Uh, let me see”, Nami said, grabbing the poster from his hands.
“Fifty million Berries? That’s the highest bounty in all of East Blue!”, Nami excimed, stunned.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, on Garp’s ship, loud ughter echoed from his office.
“Buwahahahaha! That brat’s gonna be a handful in the future. The highest bounty in East Blue. Not bad for a pirate”, Garp said, holding his grandson’s wanted poster.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang, and when he answered it, he heard Sengoku’s voice.
“Perro...perro...kacha...hello, Garp.”
“Hey, Sen. What do you want?”, Garp asked, putting the wanted poster back on the desk.
“You’re in the East Blue, right? So you must’ve seen the bounty for a rookie that was just issued, haven’t you?”, Sengoku asked seriously.
“Yeah, I saw it”, Garp replied, yawning a bit.
“So, the highest bounty in East Blue. Intel says he defeated ex-Captain Morgan, Buggy the Star Clown, Don Krieg, and Arlong the Saw. We also have information that he fought with you and managed to escape. Do you have any additional intel on this pirate?”, Sengoku inquired, wanting to know if Garp had more to share.
“Why the sudden interest in a rookie?”, Garp asked, confused.
“It’s the highest starting bounty East Blue has ever seen. Plus, who he defeated or escaped from, in your case, sets off arms in my head. This kid is dangerous”, Sengoku expined.
“Well, what I can tell you is that this bratty grandson of mine is stronger than you think,” Garp says, stretching a little.
“What? You just said this new pirate is your grandson?”, Sengoku asked, surprised.
“What, you didn’t see his wanted poster? His surname is literally the same as mine”, Garp said, puzzled that his friend hadn’t noticed, since it was pretty obvious.
“I got the intel from a report, so I didn’t see the poster. And I wasn’t paying attention to his name while reading”, Sengoku said, scratching his head.
“Old age is catching up to you, Sen. Have you thought about retiring, you old goat?”, Garp joked.
“Shut up, you old fool! And what’s this about your grandson becoming a pirate?”, Sengoku asked, clearly irritated.
“And what do you expect me to do? The kid’s as stubborn as I am”, Garp commented with a shrug.
“I don’t care. He’s your grandson. Sort this out before someone else arrests him,” Sengoku said before abruptly ending the call.
"This is a complicated situation, well, fuck it, it's not like I'm going to find this troublemaker any time soon," Garp comments, shrugging.
---
(AN: 1,134 Words)
Chapter - 52
Grand Line
Somewhere on an isnd
Meanwhile, on the Grand Line, Mihawk nds on a deserted isnd and walks towards a camp where a group of people appear to be either waking up with a terrible hangover or still sleeping like a log.
As he approaches the group, those awake immediately become alert at Mihawk's presence.
“This is quite an unusual pce for a man of your stature”, Mihawk says, approaching without concern for their cautious reaction to him.
And then, from a hammock in the center of the camp, a tall, well-built man gets up, rubbing his forehead, trying to ease the hangover he was feeling.
“Hold on, everyone, lower your weapons, we’re in the presence of a powerful Shichibukai, show some respect”, Shanks says, still massaging his forehead.
“Sorry, Hawkeye, but I’m really not in the mood to fight today. Last night was rough, and I’ve got a killer hangover”, Shanks says after pausing to recover.
“I’m not here to fight, especially when you’re only half the man you used to be”, Mihawk says, rolling his eyes.
"Heh, look at the nerve of this guy! Just so you know, I still beat the crap out of you, and with one arm tied behind my back. Pfthh... Dahahahahaha", Shanks starts ughing along with his team as he pretends to put his non-existent arm behind his back.
Mihawk rolls his eyes, then pulls a rolled-up poster from inside his coat and hands it to Shanks, saying, "The other day, I came across a boy from the East Blue who might interest you, the one you mentioned in the past."
Unrolling the wanted poster and seeing Luffy’s smiling face, Shanks ughs happily, “Dahahaha, it’s Luffy! Look how big he’s gotten!”
“Haha, he did it! Luffy became a pirate”, Lucky Roux says joyfully as he sees Luffy’s face on the wanted poster.
“Not just that, he’s the captain! And look at the size of this bounty”, Benn Beckman says with a grin, taking a drag from his cigarette.
“Yeah, the kid made a big entrance, and look at that, my son’s with him”, Yasopp says, pointing to the image of Usopp, seen from the back in the picture.
“This calls for a celebration! Men, bring more booze and food! We’re celebrating!”, Shanks yells, holding the poster up high.
“I thought you said you had a hangover”, Mihawk comments, intrigued.
“Rex, big sword, this is a big deal! It deserves a proper celebration. So stop being a drag and come have a drink with us”, Shanks says, inviting Mihawk to join in the drinking.
“I suppose one drink won’t hurt”, Mihawk says before joining the Red-Haired Pirates’ celebration.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Grand Line, Ace ughs heartily as he looks at a wanted poster in his hands. “Ahahaha, look at this!”
“What are you looking at, Ace?”, Marco, who was nearby, asks curiously.
“Check this out, Marco. My little brother finally set out to sea and already got his first bounty”, Ace says proudly, showing Luffy’s wanted poster to Marco.
“So this is the brother you keep talking about? Fifty million Berries on his first bounty? Not bad”, Marco says, a bit impressed by Luffy’s high starting bounty.
“Hehe”, Ace just chuckles happily, puffing out his chest with pride for his little brother’s accomplishment.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, entering the Grand Line through the Calm Belt, a rge ship heads towards Water 7.
In the captain’s quarters, we see Reiju sitting in an armchair, looking at Luffy’s wanted poster with a slight smile on her face.
“We’ll meet soon, Cap”, she whispers, wishing time would pass faster so they could meet again.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, at the Baratie, “Chef Zeff, look at this! The Straw Hat got a bounty”, Gin says as he enters the kitchen, holding a wanted poster in his hand and handing it to Zeff, who stops what he’s doing to take a look.
“Fifty million? This little shit eats his fill in my restaurant, can’t pay his bill, works for me for a day, breaks a bunch of ptes, steals from my sous chef, and then runs off without paying what he owes,” Zeff says angrily, before walking over to the poster, pinning it to a board and scrawling “Worst Employee This Establishment Has Ever Had” over it.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, in Old-Town, Maria comes running into the station, holding a wanted poster and a rolled-up newspaper in her hands.
As she bursts into the sheriff’s office without knocking, Sheriff Jerson stops what he’s doing and scolds her, “Maria, how many times have I told you not to just barge into my office without knocking first? What if I were in an important meeting?”
“But you weren’t, so it’s all good”, Maria says, unbothered and unrepentant.
“...Sigh... What do you want, anyway? You know I’m busy, especially now that the town is restructuring. My desk is overflowing with paperwork”, Jerson says with a tired sigh.
“Look at this! Big brother Luffy became a pirate and already got his first bounty!”, Maria says, handing the newspaper and the wanted poster to Jerson.
“So the kid became a pirate, huh”, Jerson says to himself as he reads the paper.
=Scene Break=
Meanwhile, back in Foosha Vilge, Dadan is drinking non-stop with the bandits and townsfolk, all gathered at Makino’s bar to celebrate Luffy’s first bounty.
“Bring more beer and food, Makino! This deserves a celebration”, Dadan says after downing a rge mug of beer.
“On it! I’m so happy Luffy’s doing well. He looks so happy in the picture”, Makino comments as she heads off to get more food and drinks.
“Yeah, who would’ve thought that brat would get a bounty this fast? And it’s the biggest bounty in the East Blue”, Dadan says, pleased with the troublemaking kid.
“I don’t see why you’re all so happy. This just brings a bad reputation to the vilge”, Mayor Woop Sp says, looking grumpy.
“Stop being annoying, you wrinkled old man! bad reputation is still a reputation. At least now we’ll be recognized”, Dadan says, getting irritated.
“Stop arguing! What’s important is that Luffy is happy”, Makino says, returning with more food and drinks.
=Scene Break=
Back on the Merry, we see Luffy celebrating his first bounty while some of the crew members seem a little worried about the fact that they’ll probably be hunted now because of Luffy’s bounty.
“So what’s the pn now? Are we heading straight for the Grand Line?”, Usopp asks, unsure.
“No, first we’re stopping in Loguetown to stock up as much as we can with the help of your Akuma no Mi, and then we’re heading to the Grand Line”, Luffy expins the pn.
“Wait, isn’t the Grand Line dangerous? Are we really going there with just eight people?”, Nojiko asks, a bit concerned.
“Rex, we’re strong. And actually, it’s ten people, not eight. It’s just that the other two crewmates will join us ter”, Luffy says confidently, certain that they can handle it.
---
(AN: 1,168 Words)
Chapter - 53
East Blue
Somewhere out at sea, heading to Loguetown
"Two more crew members? Please, Luffy, tell me they’re women", Sanji practically begs, hoping they’re beauties.
"Well, yes, one of them is a woman—", Luffy starts to say before being interrupted by Sanji, who begins doing a ridiculous dance in celebration.
"Yeah! Tell me about her! Is she hot?", Sanji asks, excited.
"Man, what kind of weird question is that?", Nojiko comments, looking at Sanji strangely.
"That's our King of Simps for you. You better get used to how much this guy licks the floor any woman walks on", Zoro comments next to Nojiko, crossing his arms and mocking Sanji.
"Well, yes, she’s pretty beautiful", Luffy says, looking at Sanji strangely.
"This is simply the best thing that could happen, another stunning beauty for me to woo and win her sweet heart", Sanji says, daydreaming.
"Man, if I were you, I wouldn't be talking like that," Luffy says, thinking this was taking a bit of a weird turn.
"What? Why? Don’t tell me you’re in a retionship with her too", Sanji says, beginning to lose hope.
Luffy quickly crifies after seeing Nami’s look, "No, she’s my friend, though my first kiss was with her, but I consider her like a younger sister, even though she’s older than me—"
Luffy is then interrupted mid-expnation by a punch coated in Armament Haki to his head, instantly forming a bump.
"What's this story about a kiss?", Nami asks, irritated, with smoke coming out of her Haki-covered fist.
"Well, it was part of my training to build poison resistance", Luffy says, rubbing his sore head.
"And how does a kiss fit into that?", Nami asks, still annoyed, hands on her hips.
"Her abilities involve poison, and she can suck the poison out of your body through mouth-to-mouth. The training basically consisted of her poisoning me with every kind of toxin she had avaible, and when I couldn’t handle the effects anymore, she’d remove the poison from my system with her mouth", Luffy expins, managing to calm Nami down.
"Okay, but then why are you telling me not to woo her?", Sanji asks, confused.
“It’s because… you know what, it’s not my pce to expin this. Let’s call Bubblegum; that way, everyone can meet her too”, Luffy says, unsure if he should reveal that Bubblegum is his sister.
Luffy takes out his Den Den Mushi and calls Reiju. "Pero... pero... kacha... Hello, who’s this?"
"It’s me, Luffy", he says with a grin.
"Oh, hey Cap, I’ve missed you a lot! By the way, I saw you got your first bounty, so congratutions! I know this whole pirate and bounty thing is important to you. Anyway, I just entered the Grand Line and am heading toward Water 7. Will you guys be long before you enter the Grand Line?", Reiju asks curiously.
"I miss you too, Bubblegum. Cool bounty, right? We're heading to Loguetown to refuel and then we'll head straight to the Grand Line. I called so you could meet the crew", Luffy says, expining the reason for the call.
"Oh, everyone’s there with you?"
"Yep, everyone."
"Hey, everyone, how’s it going?"
"Hi, beautiful! Much better now that I’m hearing your voice. I barely know you, and I’m already head over heels in love", Sanji says, fttering Reiju.
"So, Sanji started saying these weird things, and I didn’t know if you wanted to keep things a secret or not, so I decided it wasn’t my problem and now I’m handing you this bombshell", Luffy says, scratching his neck.
"So, you really managed to recruit my little brother?", Reiju asks, not minding revealing herself to her brother now.
"Little brother? Wait... so you’re—", Sanji starts stammering, confused by what’s happening.
“Wait… oh damn, holy crap, the weird idiot was hitting on his own sister, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”, Zoro says, bursting into ughter as he realizes Sanji was hitting on his own sister.
"SHUT UP, MOSS HEAD!", Sanji yells, irritated with Zoro.
"Well, I guess I should introduce myself properly. Nice to meet you all; I’m Sanji’s older sister, Vinsmoke Reiju. I met Luffy three years ago, we became friends, and he convinced me to join the crew. But for that to happen, we both had to get stronger since my family would hunt us down as soon as they find out I joined the crew. So, we agreed to meet up ter in the Grand Line to give us time to train and get stronger", Reiju says, properly introducing herself.
"Oh, so Sanji’s st name is Vinsmoke?", Usopp asks, curious.
“Don’t call me by that name, Usopp. I’m not part of that damn family; that surname stinks of carrion. The only good person left in that family is Reiju; the rest are trash”, Sanji says with an angry expression.
"Dude, if you ever want to talk about it, just know we’re here", Usopp says, noticing Sanji seemed disturbed by the mention of his st name.
Seeing that everyone agrees with Usopp's words, Sanji sighs, "...Sigh... thanks, Usopp, guys."
"Give him some space; our childhood is something I wouldn't wish on anyone, and that's coming from someone who had an easier childhood than Sanji", Reiju says, expining why Sanji seems so distraught at the mention of his biological family.
"Reiju, that despicable old man may not care that I ran away, but when he finds out that you betrayed them and left, he'll send the entire kingdom after you. Do you understand that?", Sanji asks seriously.
“Well, first of all, shortly after you escaped, he started looking for you because he thought you might still be useful. Now that you’re a pirate, it won’t be long before he finds you and comes after you. And honestly, I’m done. You had a terrible childhood but managed to escape, I was still trapped until I met this idiot captain. Twenty-two years of life, and up until three years ago, I didn’t have a single friend or know what it meant to be happy. The closest I ever got to happiness in my childhood were the moments I spent with Mom and you. After Mom died and you managed to escape, I was just another weapon under the control of Vinsmoke Judge. That’s how it was until I met this straw hat-wearing idiot and decided to rebel. I want to be happy, Sanji. I want to sail with you all, have adventures with you, have control over my own life, and I’m willing to fight for it”, Reiju says, opening up about her life.
Sanji stays silent for a few moments after hearing this before looking forward with a determined expression and saying.
"I... I'm gd you want to fight for this goal. Welcome to this crazy team. We'll face together whatever shit that despicable old man throws our way", Sanji says, determined to protect the only remaining member of his biological family who cares about him.
"Thanks, although technically, I should be the one welcoming you, not the other way around, since I joined the crew first and am technically your senior", Reiju says in a pyful tone.
"Ha ha, don’t start with that. By the way, does the old man know where you’re going?" Sanji asks, concerned.
“No, he thinks I’m following a lead in the South Blue for something he wants, and it’ll be quite a while before he starts to get suspicious. By then, we’ll all be together. Right now, I’m using a ship that’s not from Germa, and no one in the crew serves or has ties to the kingdom, so we’re all good for now”, Reiju says, reassuring her little brother.
---
(AN: 1,274 Words)
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