Night had fallen.
Under the gentle glow of the pale yellow moonlight, Red and the others slowly sailed away from Orange Town's harbor.
Luffy, full and satisfied, patted his round belly with a look of contentment.
The chefs of the Buggy Pirates might not be culinary experts, but their skills were at least on par with a typical restaurant.
After enduring Nami's devilish cooking atrocities, not just Luffy, but even Red and Zoro had their standards plummet after that ordeal.
All in all, the meal was quite satisfying.
It was already late.
They had been eating since dusk, and Luffy was understandably tired.
Just as he was about to say goodnight and head to bed, the last person to board the ship — Red — suddenly spoke up:
"Everyone, please wait a moment."
Zoro and Nami instantly froze in place, as if they'd expected Red to say something.
Only Luffy, who had already reached the cabin door, turned his head in confusion.
"Hmm? What's up, Red?"
"I thought you said you'd take me to the game world tonight!? You better not go back on your word now!"
He pouted, thinking Red was trying to bail on their plan.
But Red gave a soft smile.
"Relax. Since I promised, I won't go back on my word."
"But…"
Red's expression turned serious as he spoke with a hint of apology:
"It's just... about today's events — I feel the need to apologize to you."
"I'm sorry, Luffy."
"Without the captain's permission, I went ahead and accepted the Buggy Pirates as our subordinate crew."
"Oh, that?"
Luffy scratched the back of his head indifferently, clearly not seeing the issue.
"It sounds kind of annoying, but since it was your decision, I'm sure it was the right one."
"Why apologize~?"
After two and a half years of camaraderie together, Red's position in Luffy's heart was already on par with Ace and Sabo.
Not to mention, Red was also his vice-captain and trainer now.
Luffy's trust in him was absolute.
But Red shook his head gently.
"It's not the same."
He lifted his gaze and looked directly at Luffy.
"Even if you're a bit of a blockhead and never make proper plans, you're still the captain of this ship — the leader of our crew."
"And this time, I made a major decision on behalf of the crew without your approval..."
"That was out of line."
"Ah..." Luffy murmured, falling into brief thought.
Seeing Red so serious, he slowly dropped his usual playful demeanor.
The two locked eyes in silence.
A cool sea breeze brushed past them, rustling their clothes.
The mood turned heavy.
"I get it."
Luffy's tone deepened into a rare seriousness:
"Looks like you really made a big mistake this time."
"Making a decision without the captain's approval is definitely a big no-no among pirates."
"Luffy..." Nami took a step forward, wanting to say something.
But Zoro stopped her with a hand.
Luffy placed his straw hat firmly on his head and wore an uncharacteristically heavy expression.
"In that case..."
"Your punishment is: No breakfast tomorrow!!!"
"..."
"..."
The cool sea breeze still blew, and their clothes still fluttered in the wind.
But the heavy atmosphere shattered instantly thanks to Luffy's ridiculous declaration.
Yet Red answered seriously:
"Understood, Captain. I'll take the punishment."
The deck under the moonlight fell silent once again.
After a moment, Luffy suddenly spoke with genuine gratitude:
"Thanks, Red."
Red smiled calmly. "You're welcome~"
Nami, who had expected some major argument, stood frozen in confusion after hearing their bizarre exchange.
She turned quickly and gave Zoro a questioning look.
Luckily, Zoro wasn't the cryptic type. After a few seconds of thought, he whispered:
"I think... Red didn't forget to tell Luffy."
"He left him out on purpose. Just for this apology."
"Huh? Why would he do that?" Nami's eyes widened, struggling to understand how guys think.
Zoro explained:
"Probably... because Red wants Luffy to realize that he's the captain of this ship."
Nami still looked puzzled. "But... Luffy is our captain, isn't he?"
Zoro gave a short laugh and countered:
"Then Nami, have you ever truly treated Luffy as the one leading us?"
"Do you feel like this ship follows Luffy's commands — or Red's?"
"...Huh?"
Nami froze. Zoro's question echoed in her mind, leaving her momentarily speechless.
If he had asked whether she thought of Luffy as a friend, she would've answered without hesitation.
But... as a captain...
On this ship, it always seemed like Red was the one making the major decisions.
Rather than a leading captain, Luffy seemed more like a strong and powerful mascot.
In that instant, Nami suddenly understood the purpose behind everything Red had just done.
"I see..." she murmured softly.
In fact, Zoro's guess was spot on.
And understandably so, because Red had gotten the idea from him.
Just like Nami had thought, at this early point in their journey, Luffy was full of wonder toward the world and endlessly accepting toward his crewmates...
Rather than a commanding captain, he just wanted a group of like-minded friends to adventure around the world with.
That approach might be fun, but it wasn't sustainable in the long term.
In the original timeline, Usopp left the crew due to his own weakness and the Merry incident.
It was only after the Enies Lobby arc, when Zoro — the implicit vice-captain — got serious, that Luffy truly understood the responsibility of a captain.
Now that Red was serving as vice-captain, such tragedies wouldn't happen again.
So, in order to help Luffy grow, Red deliberately staged this moment.
Though the effect wasn't as dramatic as in the original timeline, its long-term impact would be deeper.
Red believed that under his quiet guidance, Luffy would adapt to his role as captain much faster and understand the weight of that title.
With that issue resolved, Red shifted his gaze toward Zoro and Nami.
"Now then, Zoro, Nami, I imagine you two also have a few questions for me?"
"Well..."
Nami hesitated, but Zoro stepped forward:
"Yeah, a few."
"Red, what you said to Buggy tonight, was it true?"
"You said... You could see the past and the future!?"