On their way through town, Eri and Naruto were like two curious kids, darting toward every unfamiliar stall to check it out. Eri even pulled a black credit card from her miko skirt pocket, eager to buy something, only to be gently dragged back by Hikari Uchiha with a helpless sigh.
"Eri, it's great that you're learning to spend money, but the currency from one world doesn't work in another. Just tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you later," Hikari said.
"And Naruto, put that frog wallet away."
In the One Piece world, the common currency was Berries. Hikari didn't have much of it—just some looted from a few pirate ships they'd encountered before. In theory, Kaido and the Beasts Pirates probably had a ton, given their arms-dealing business with Doflamingo. But since Hikari had already whisked Yamato away, taking their money too felt a bit too shady.
So, her plan?
"I'll have Leone and the others check out the local black market later. We can sell some gold or gems," Hikari mused.
Those were universal currencies in any world. And with a literal mountain of gold at her disposal, Hikari didn't mind dipping into her own pockets.
A few hours later, the group stopped at an open-air restaurant, ordering food and drinks to recharge.
That's when Bulma brought up Ace.
"Hey, we've been with Yamato for a few days now. Shouldn't we start looking into Ace's whereabouts? He's her friend, after all, and he seems like a decent guy. If something happened to him after we showed up, Yamato would be crushed," Bulma said.
"Don't worry, I'm already on it," Hikari replied, taking a bite of her steak with a casual shrug. "We're in the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar, the same year the One Piece manga kicks off. If things are on track, Luffy's already set sail, and Ace is likely chasing Blackbeard. The 'Summit War' is still a bit off. If we can find Whitebeard within the next couple of weeks, we'll have a clear picture."
"Hmm… but where is Whitebeard? The manga doesn't exactly say where his territory is, right?" Bulma pulled out a copy of One Piece from her bag and started flipping through it at the table.
Naruto leaned over, curious. Esdeath, sitting nearby, was also intrigued. As outsiders to the group, they'd traveled across worlds with Hikari but didn't know these worlds were based on anime. Esdeath seemed to have some suspicions but kept quiet, only clearing her throat to say, "Someone's been watching us for over an hour."
"Huh?" Bulma looked up, scanning the area before turning to Hikari and Esdeath. "Hikari, you—"
"I know," Hikari nodded lightly. "Go invite our 'guest' over, Esdeath. Tell him we'd like to treat him to coffee."
"Got it." Esdeath stood and strode toward the restaurant's outer edge.
A faint commotion followed. Less than thirty seconds later, Esdeath returned, casually tossing a man in a beige shirt and top hat onto an empty chair by the table. She placed a camera on the tabletop.
"What's this?" Bulma asked.
"Found it on him," Esdeath said bluntly. "Looks like he's been tailing us and snapping photos for a while. He's got shots of all of us."
"What?!" Bulma grabbed the camera, flipping through the photos. Then, as if struck by a thought, she dove back into her One Piece manga.
After a moment, the blue-haired girl looked up at the top-hat guy, her tone uncertain. "You're… Snapshot King?"
"?!"
The man, who'd been nervously explaining that he was just a hobbyist photographer taking crowd shots as usual, froze. His eyes widened in shock and fear. "H-How do you know who I am?"
Bingo. This top-hat guy was indeed the infamous Snapshot King, also known as the "Flaming Snapshot Hero." In the original One Piece story, he was the head of the Navy's photography department, tasked with taking bounty poster photos. But his habit of forgetting to remove the lens cap got him fired, and he later joined Morgans' World Economy News Agency as a reporter.
His presence here meant…
(Has the Straw Hat crew already been through the Judicial Island arc?) Hikari wondered, analyzing the situation.
Bulma, meanwhile, had confirmed his identity from his reaction. She slammed the table, fuming. "You! You look all honest and innocent, but you're out here secretly photographing girls? That's low, like something that pervy old Turtle Hermit would do! And these photos make me look awful!"
"Awful?" Snapshot King echoed.
"Yeah, awful! Look at these shots—total amateur work! And you call yourself 'Snapshot King'?"
That did it. Snapshot King stood up, indignant. "You can call me a creep, but don't you dare question my skills! I was the Navy Headquarters' photography chief and now a full-time photographer for the World Economy News Agency. Nobody knows photography better than me!"
"Oh yeah? I'll make you eat those words," Bulma shot back, dragging her chair closer and launching into a heated debate with him about lighting, focus, and composition.
Hikari could barely follow the jargon. Esdeath, Eri, and Naruto just stared, completely lost.
But Hikari was starting to pick up on Bulma's plan. "Bulma, are you thinking…?"
"Exactly!" Bulma nodded firmly. "Snapshot King, I demand you delete these photos and reshoot them properly, following my instructions. I've got professional lighting equipment on the ship. When Yamato and the others get back, we'll head there and do it right. Oh, and stop with the sneaky side profiles and back shots—they're creepy and not flattering at all!"
Snapshot King was speechless. In the One Piece world, technology lagged far behind Dragon Ball's, and Bulma, the genius with a touch of vanity, was a photography expert in her own right. Their brief exchange had already left him in awe.
But… he was a paparazzo. His whole job was about being sneaky, not "sunny." Taking bounty photos of big-shot pirates often got him chased or attacked. And now someone was inviting him to their ship for a photoshoot? Were these pirates for real?
As Snapshot King sat there, flustered, Hikari coughed and started questioning him about his background. As a former Navy employee, he was tight-lipped, but Hikari's intel network was far superior. With some clever probing, she got key details out of him.
Just as she'd suspected, the Straw Hats had already gone through the Judicial Island arc. Based on the manga's timeline, they were likely en route to the Florian Triangle, where they'd face Moria, then head to Sabaody Archipelago, punch a Celestial Dragon, and get scattered by Bartholomew Kuma, kicking off the mission to save Ace.
"Good," Hikari thought, calculating. There was still time. If things went smoothly, she might even take Esdeath to Sabaody to see what a Navy Admiral was made of.
---
That evening, Yamato, Kikyo, Brand, and the others arrived at the town center to meet up with Hikari's group as planned. Snapshot King was visibly on edge. Esdeath's icy killing intent was overwhelming for a regular guy like him, especially since her sneaking photos of Hikari had rubbed her the wrong way. If he weren't used to dealing with pirates worldwide, he'd probably have fainted by now.
"Alright, everyone's here!" Bulma clapped her hands. "Let me introduce our guest: a professional photographer we've invited to take solo and group shots for our 'Dimension Pirates' crew. Give him a warm welcome!"
Clap, clap, clap! Yuji Itadori and Tanjiro, ever earnest and clueless, started applauding first. Yamato and Nibei joined in enthusiastically, followed by a slightly confused Kikyo and the others.
In the midst of the applause, Snapshot King tried to speak. "Um, actually, I'm—"
"No need to be shy! You're among friends," Bulma said, patting his shoulder as he broke into a nervous sweat. She turned to the group. "When we get back, everyone take a shower and change into something nice. If anyone wants a haircut, I saw a salon nearby. This is a rare chance, so let's take our time and get the best photos possible!"
At that moment, Snapshot King realized he'd definitely boarded a pirate ship—metaphorically and maybe literally. Pirates bold enough to make waves on the Grand Line… were always a little unhinged.