"CHEERS!"
In Orange Town—which had been raided by the Buggy Pirates just a few hours ago—its citizens were now clinking mugs and sharing laughter alongside the Straw Hat crew.
The main reason for this grand party?Nami had officially (well, temporarily) joined the Straw Hats.
"Ahhh, I could go on like this for days!" Nami slammed down her cup of sake with a grin.
"Damn it, come on! You can't lose!"
"Right! I bet a full 100 Berries on you!"
A big-bellied man, already tipsy, was barely able to hold his sake cup. His eyes wobbled as if about to pass out.
"Damn… how can she drink that much?" The crowd around her watched in amazement.
"Gulp~ Gulp~ Ahhh… she's definitely having fun." Zoro sipped his own sake quietly from a corner.
He glanced toward Luffy and Lucen, who were in the middle of a fierce eating contest. Both of them were bloated like balloons ready to pop, with a crowd cheering them on.
"I get Luffy—he's made of rubber after all. But Lucen... Is he made of rubber too?" Zoro muttered with sweat on his brow.
"You can do it, Luffy!" many men cheered loudly.
"Go, Lucen!" women all around shouted with stars in their eyes.
Seeing this, the men were instantly fired up and screamed even louder for Luffy. Their shouts echoed through every corner of the town.
"You have to win, Luffy!"
"This is for all of manhood!"
The women weren't backing down either.
"Lucen! Lucen!"
"Luffy! Luffy!"
What had started as a friendly meal had become a full-on gender-based cheering war.
In the middle of it all, Luffy and Lucen just kept eating like it was the last meal of their lives.
"Well, when was the last time this town was so lively?" Boodle chuckled as he gave Chouchou his share of food.
"Woof woof!" Chouchou barked happily before digging in.
___________
The moon rose high into the sky.
The party ended the moment everyone's bodies gave out.
"I… c-can… still… eat…" Lucen mumbled in his sleep, lying flat on the ground.
"Meat… meaaat…" Luffy snored beside him, his belly as big as a small hill.
"Hmm… he's out cold."
"But is it okay?" Two women glanced at Lucen with dreamy, misty eyes.
"It's fine, right? Isn't that what parties are for—food, drinks… and sex?" one of them whispered with a hungry gaze.
As they reached toward Lucen—
Smack!A hand stopped them cold. They froze. Slowly, they turned their heads.
Nami stood behind them, wearing the warmest smile that absolutely didn't look like a smile.
"Can I help you ladies with something?" she asked in a sweet, terrifying tone.
"N-nothing! RUN!!" One of them bolted like a rocket. The other wasn't far behind.
Nami watched them fall face-first after a few drunken steps.
"Tch… these drunk sluts can't even control themselves." Nami sighed as she glanced at the two idiots snoring on the street. She rubbed her temple with a helpless expression.
_________
Later, Luffy and Lucen were 'gently' dragged into a nearby house where Zoro was already snoring.
"Hufff~ They're so heavy!" Nami panted, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Her eyes drifted toward Lucen. She stared for a moment, seemingly mesmerized.
Then she shook her head violently. "Gah! This guy's too seductive!"
"And so defenseless… Doesn't he know boys should be more careful out there?"
She turned toward the window and saw the full moon. For a moment, Bellemere's face seemed to appear on it.
"Bellemere… soon... I'll free the village. I promise," she whispered softly.
_________
"Hey! Isn't that Buggy's boat?" Luffy asked, seeing Nami untying a small sailing boat with Buggy's pirate flag on it.
"Well yeah, four people on one boat is a bit much for a long journey," Nami replied.
"Yawn~ Yeah, there's not enough space to sleep anyway," Lucen added as he laid down on the boat with Buggy's flag.
"How can you sleep this much?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Talent," Lucen replied proudly.
"BYE, YOU GUYS!" From the shore, the citizens of Orange Town shouted their goodbyes.
"BYEEE!" Luffy waved with both hands as the boat set sail.
"YOU KIDS! I CAN NEVER THANK YOU ENOUGH!" Boodle yelled, standing beside a large bag.
Nami blinked, then turned to Luffy. "YOUUU!"
"What?" Luffy looked confused.
"You left that bag behind! That was my money!"
"Well, you still have the other one, right? Doesn't it have like five million Berries?" Luffy asked innocently.
"Y-yeah, but still…"
"They'll need that much to rebuild the town," Luffy said with a warm smile.
Zoro also smiled at Luffy's kindness. Nami turned toward the town again and sighed—but then, she smiled too.
Even though she needed the money… if it had gone to people who truly needed it… then maybe it was okay.
She stared at the town fondly, wondering what her life might've been like… if someone had done the same for her eight years ago then maybe.....
__________
A Few Hours Later…
"Ahhhhaaa~" Lucen woke up, stretching with a groan.
"Finally awake?" He lifted his head and saw Nami standing nearby, holding a compass.
"YO!" Lucen greeted cheerfully.
"Huhhh…" Nami didn't even know how to respond to that.
"Lucen, you're finally up!" Luffy shouted from the other boat. The two boats were currently tied together.
"Hey, Nami says the next town is one week away, but I can't wait that long!" Luffy whined.
"You can't shorten time!" Nami snapped in frustration.
"Ah, I get what you want," Lucen nodded and pulled out the WindGod Fan.
Nami looked confused—until Zoro suddenly grabbed the edge of the boat and yelled to her:
"HURRY, NAMI! OR YOU'LL GET BLOWN AWAY!"
Nami froze. Her brain struggled to process Zoro's panic.
She watched as Lucen swung the WindGod Fan toward the sail—and in was that moment, she knew...She was fucked up....
__________
A Few Minutes Later…
"Huff… Huff…" Nami gasped for air, lying flat on the boat, soaking wet.
"I'm… still alive…" she whispered, still in shock.
Zoro didn't look much better.
"These bastards… never learn," he groaned.
"Shishishi~ That was fun!"
"HAHAHA! Yeah, but next time, let's go even faster!"
BONK! BONK!
A double fist landed on both their heads.
"YOU MORONS! Do you even understand how dangerous that was?!" Nami roared in full devil mode. "What if we ran into a typhoon?! Or a whirlpool?! We wouldn't even be able to steer!"
"Sorry...""Sorry..."Both boys answered in unison, lumps growing on their heads.
To Be Continued...
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A/N:
Missing Chapter(2/2)