"Vivi? Wait, where's Vivi?"
Nami turned toward the women's group, figuring she'd have better luck organizing them than dealing with the chaos that was the men's side of the crew.
But when she looked back, Vivi had already vanished.
Robin pointed toward the boys. Vivi was already at the bow, chatting excitedly with them.
Nami stared blankly for a moment before giving up on the idea of teaming up with her.
Come to think of it, Vivi had been a princess her whole life. Even when she'd joined Baroque Works, she hadn't really gotten to experience normal adventures. Now that she'd left her royal duties behind, her curiosity about the world was driving her to embrace every new experience.
Nami finally turned to look at Alvida, Kira, and Robin, the only remaining members of what she'd hoped would be a well-organized women's expedition team.
"I need to exchange some gold. Who wants to come with me?" She tried to sound casual.
Back in Arabasta, the country's situation hadn't exactly been conducive to finding merchants willing to exchange gold. Now they had plenty of wealth, but most of it wasn't in the form of berries they could actually spend. And after leaving Arabasta, they'd gone on quite the shopping spree.
First came the famous perfumes. Six women in the crew used them regularly, but they weren't the only customers, even Bon Kurei had wanted some bottles.
Then there were Chopper's medical supplies, the aged liquor Sanji had been eyeing for his collection, and of course, food. Lots and lots of food.
Marcus' farming setup meant they never ran out of basics, but nobody wanted to eat the same fruits, vegetables, meat every single day. Variety was expensive.
Just then, Clucky flew over and landed on Nami's shoulder.
"Cluck!"
"Hm? You want to come along?" She sounded surprised.
Clucky rarely left the ship voluntarily. Back in Arabasta, he'd refused to set foot on land.
"Clucky Clucky!"
Though she couldn't understand the words, the chicken's excitement was obvious. Then he produced something, a grayish egg that dropped right into her hand.
"What?!"
The egg felt warm, almost hot.
"Cluck!"
Chopper, who'd been watching, translated helpfully. "He says if you run into danger, throw it! It's his special Flash Egg. It releases a blinding burst of light."
"Can I... test it?" Nami asked hesitantly, turning the strange egg over in her hands.
She'd seen what Clucky's regular exploding eggs could do, explosions that shot straight into the sky. Just thinking about that kind of destructive power being in her pocket was terrifying.
"Clucky Cluck!"
Chopper translated again. "He says it's fine! He's made lots of these flash eggs."
Nami thought for a moment, then walked over to an empty area of the deck, away from everyone else, and tossed the egg.
Crack.
The crisp sound of the eggshell breaking was followed immediately by an absolutely blinding burst of red-white light that filled the entire deck.
---
"GAH! MY EYES!"
The six-person adventure team immediately turned their heads toward the flash. Big mistake.
Usopp, who still had his telescope raised to scout the surroundings, took the full force of the flash directly through the magnifying lenses. He dropped to the deck, rolling around and clutching his face.
"I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND!"
The others weren't much better off. Even with their eyes closed, the intensity of the flash had left afterimages burned into their vision.
"Are we under attack?!" Luffy immediately dropped into a fighting stance, with his eyes squeezed shut.
The only person completely unaffected was Zoro, who'd been napping against the mast with his eyes already closed.
Hearing Luffy's shout, he cracked one eye open and saw everyone stumbling around, tears streaming down their faces.
"What's wrong with you idiots?"
Nobody could answer. They were all too busy rubbing their eyes and cursing.
It took a full ten minutes before everyone's vision cleared enough to function normally.
"That... that was terrifying," Nami muttered, still seeing spots.
Usopp immediately rushed over to Clucky. "I need a dozen of those! No, two dozen!"
This was way better than the regular exploding eggs for crowd control.
"Wait, if you can make these, I should be able to create them too!" He suddenly realized he also had the Bomb-Bomb Fruit power.
But no matter how hard he concentrated, or how many times he tried to replicate Clucky's technique, nothing happened.
Clucky puffed out his chest and clucked twice, clearly proud of himself.
Chopper translated, barely suppressing a smile. "He says, 'Of course you can't do it, you're not an egg-layer like me.'"
"I just got roasted by a chicken," Usopp said flatly, his soul leaving his body.
"Shishishishi! Usopp got destroyed by a chicken!" Luffy burst out laughing, completely recovered from the flash.
Marcus was examining one of the gray flash eggs curiously, turning it over in his hands. The name "Flash Egg" was clearly labeled on it through his interface.
"Do you think this egg could actually hatch? Would it produce a flash chick?"
Interestingly, the Flash Egg required the same resource cost as the Exploding Egg E1, 384 wheat seeds each. Expensive, but probably worth it for the utility.
By this point, the island had come fully into view. The Going Merry didn't dock at the main port but rather found a small, secluded cove to anchor in.
The six-person adventure team immediately took off running, whooping with excitement as they disappeared into the island's interior.
The rest stayed behind, splitting into clear teams.
Nami, Clucky, and Sanji formed a trio to handle gold exchange and food shopping.
Marcus, Alvida, and Kira would gather information and scout the island's layout.
Robin chose to explore alone. Despite Nami's invitation to join a group, she preferred investigating independently.
Nobody objected to the arrangement. The division of tasks was clear, and everyone set off on their respective missions.
Except for Robin, the other teams were heading in roughly the same direction, at least initially.
The Straw Hat crew had effectively divided into four groups: the Adventure Team, the Shopping & Intelligence Team, the Ship Watch Team, and Robin.
"Those guys run way too fast," Sanji muttered irritably, watching the adventure team vanish into the distance within seconds.
"You know, if you wanted to go explore with them, you could have," Nami teased.
"Never! I'm your loyal knight. My place is by your side," Sanji struck a dramatic pose.
Nami rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling.
The shopping and intelligence team soon reached the dock they'd spotted from the ship. The scene was surprisingly peaceful. When the newcomers appeared, a few people glanced their way curiously, but most quickly returned to whatever they'd been doing.
Marcus studied the locals' clothing and architecture. There was definitely a tribal vibe to the place, think South African village aesthetic mixed with bamboo construction. Yet despite the rustic appearance, there were signs of organization and structure that suggested a more sophisticated society than first impressions indicated.
It was an odd contradiction. Tribal lifestyle with modern systems underlying it.
"You're pirates, aren't you?"
The sudden voice, and the speaker's accurate assessment, startled all of them. They spun around to find an elderly woman watching them.
Seeing their surprised expressions, she waved her hand dismissively. "No need to look so shocked. Our island's small. We all know each other here. When strangers show up following a Log Pose, they're usually pirates."
She smiled.
"Don't worry. If you're here to trade and buy supplies, you're welcome. But if you're planning to loot or cause trouble..."
She trailed off, and several of the simple-looking villagers immediately produced weapons. Flintlock rifles, identical to standard Marine equipment.
"You're Marines?!" Sanji's eyes widened. How did a seemingly primitive island village have military-grade weapons?
The old woman shook her head. "Not Marines. But close enough, I suppose."
"What does that mean?"
"Hello there," Marcus interjected before she could elaborate, "how long does it take to record this island's magnetic field?"
"About two weeks."
Nami perked up at that timeline. Two weeks was manageable. "Is there somewhere we can exchange gold here?"
The old woman looked at her strangely, then gestured broadly at the thatched huts and bamboo structures surrounding them. "Take a good look around. Do we look like we're swimming in cash?"
Nami's face fell.
The old woman chuckled at her reaction. Seeing that this group didn't seem like the violent type, her expression softened a bit. "No gold exchanges here, but you can barter with other goods. Gold trinkets and jewelry can also be used directly for trade."
Hearing that, Nami's expression grew complicated. They didn't have trinkets or jewelry. What they had were solid gold bars and ingots. How were they supposed to use those for everyday purchases without causing a scene?
Then Marcus opened his palm, and several small gold nuggets materialized in his hand. He passed them to Nami without comment.
Seeing the baby-fist-sized chunks of gold, Nami's eyes widened briefly before she relaxed. This size would be much easier to trade in a small village setting. Marcus had essentially broken down their gold bars into usable currency.
"By the way, what's this island called?"
"Asuka Island."
The old woman stated the island's name plainly, then turned and walked away without another word.
Marcus felt that the name sounded familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before.
One Piece had been running for so many years, and while he'd kept up with the main storyline through clips and summaries online, the details of side stories and movies had mostly faded into a blur of half-remembered plot points.
"You recognize it?" Nami asked, catching his expression.
Marcus had this habit of knowing things he shouldn't, whether it was scientific concepts or random bits of information about their world. Sometimes it was useful. Other times it was just unsettling.
"Maybe? I'm not sure."
"'Maybe'?" Alvida looked at him skeptically. "That's not exactly helpful. Either you know something or you don't."
Marcus could only shrug. "My memory's fuzzy. The name sounds familiar, but I can't place it."
Since they couldn't exchange their gold for berries anyway, the group decided to stay near the docks and gather information instead.
Their first stop was a restaurant they'd spotted earlier.
But the moment they entered, they found Robin already sitting at the wooden bar counter, calmly drinking something like she'd been there for hours.
"Robin! So you were here all along!" Sanji immediately perked up.
The group settled around her, curious about what she'd discovered in such a short time.
Robin set down her drink. "This island has ancient ruins. The traces of civilization here far surpass what we saw in Arabasta."
"Wait!" Nami exclaimed as if a buried memory had surfaced. "I remember now! Asuka Island, there's an old legend about it. They say it's where the cursed sword Shichiseiken is sealed. And every hundred years, during the red moon, it brings unimaginable disaster to the island."
Marcus' memory finally clicked into place. Right. This was from one of the movies.
"That's correct," Robin confirmed. "About a hundred years ago, this island was overrun by pirates who invaded and pillaged without restraint. The local population was nearly wiped out."
"Then why are they so welcoming to us?" Sanji asked, lighting a cigarette. "That old lady earlier didn't seem hostile at all. She even offered to help us trade."
It was a good question. Any land that had been ravaged by pirates typically harbored deep resentment toward them. The only exceptions were islands with such overwhelming military force that pirates became part of a shadow economy, providing income through illicit dealings because serving pirates paid well. But these villagers lived in primitive huts. Even with their firearms, they shouldn't be capable of controlling pirate activity through intimidation alone.
"How did you find all this out so quickly?" Alvida asked.
"I used my Devil Fruit ability to investigate the ruins. As for being here, I was warmly invited by the locals."
Robin gestured subtly toward the other patrons in the restaurant.
The crew followed her gaze and suddenly realized something. Every other person in the establishment was watching them. They'd been surrounded without even noticing.
If those people drew their weapons right now, it would be a massacre. One coordinated volley, and the crew would be riddled with holes before they could react.
That, however, would have been the fate of a normal pirate crew.
Just then, the door burst open and the adventure team came barreling in.
"Aw man, you guys got here first! That's not fair!" Luffy's voice carried across the entire restaurant. "Hey, Chef! Can you bring me food? I want meat! Lots of meat!"
The restaurant owner, seeing the commotion, silently began bringing out dishes without comment.
Luffy didn't notice the strange atmosphere at all. He just started eating immediately, tearing into a massive chunk of roasted meat.
The rest of the adventure team looked around nervously, sensing something was off even if they couldn't quite put their finger on what.
Marcus, however, wasn't fazed. He picked up his utensils and started eating as well.
"This is actually pretty good," he said, nodding approvingly.
The chef's skill didn't quite match Sanji's level, but being able to eat something this well-prepared on such a primitive island was impressive. The meat had that fresh texture you only got from quality ingredients, and there was a distinctive spice blend.
Once Luffy and Marcus started eating, the others gradually relaxed and followed suit. If the two most paranoid members of their crew weren't worried, maybe things were fine.
The supposed "diners" watching them looked confused now. Under normal circumstances, these pirates should have sensed the trap by now. Yet here they were, eating happily without a care in the world.
Were they really not afraid? Or were they just that confident?
There was one creature who was definitely afraid, though.
Clucky was currently hiding deep inside Usopp's bag, trembling. Unlike the humans, who could potentially survive gunfire with their various abilities and armor, Clucky was still a chicken. One bullet would end him, and he knew it.
He could understand every word the crew was saying, which only made his fear worse.
Meanwhile, Goliath had somehow produced an iron ingot and was munching on it like a snack. The metallic crunching sounds echoed through the restaurant, sending shivers down the spines of everyone who heard it.
What kind of monster eats solid iron like candy?
Robin suddenly froze, her face going pale. Cold sweat began trickling down.
"What's wrong?" Marcus noticed immediately from across the table.
Robin touched her neck as if to wipe away the sweat, but Marcus caught something else. A faint white mark had appeared on her arm.
---
Back aboard the Going Merry, Shira suddenly stiffened.
A group of men had appeared on deck without warning, all wearing Marine uniforms. Their faces were expressionless, their eyes cold and empty.
"Roronoa Zoro," said a short young man wearing a Marine cap. "We're here to take you somewhere."
Zoro opened one eye from where he'd been napping. "Do I know you?"
"He said to give you this." The young man drew an elegant katana from his waist and tossed it to him. "You'd understand."
Zoro caught the blade and examined it carefully.
"Where is he?"
"This way."
Zoro stood up and started following them off the ship.
Shira watched this and asked. "You're just going to leave? Just like that?"
"Meeting an old friend," Zoro said simply. "I'll be back before dark."
With that, he walked down the gangplank with the Marines, leaving her alone on deck.
She stood there silently, then sighed and shook her head. Both she and Goliath had received blessings from Marcus that granted them knowledge related to their abilities, but those gifts didn't include information about One Piece's storylines or future events.
And Zoro had said he was meeting a friend. There wasn't any reason to stop him, was there?
But after most of the group left, four Marines remained behind on deck.
"You're not leaving?" she asked, frowning as she looked at them.
All four turned their heads toward her. Their eyes held no appreciation for her beauty. Instead, what she saw was cruelty.
"You might be a suitable vessel," one of them said.
Shira's expression didn't change, but a faint white glow began spreading quietly beneath her feet as she prepared to defend herself.
That last statement made her pause, though. What did they mean by "vessel"?
"So if you want to live, you should leave. Now. While you still can," another Marine said
For just a moment, there was a flicker of something human in their cold eyes. But whatever it was disappeared almost immediately, replaced by that same emptiness.
"The festival is almost here," the first Marine said.
Then, without another word, all four turned and walked off the ship, leaving Shira standing alone on the deck.
What had that been about?