"So where's your ship?" Zoro asked Luffy.
Luffy pointed at the tiny ship bobbing nearby. Zoro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Really?" he said, staring at Luffy and then at Jack.
Both boys nodded.
"Who's on our crew then?" asked Zoro.
"Just me, you, and Jack?" Luffy counted on his fingers. The look of disbelief on Zoro face said everything.
Ten minutes later…
Luffy sat cross-legged at the front, grinning from ear to ear. "We did it! Now our crew is bigger, Jack, Zoro!"
Zoro grunted and leaned against the side of the boat, arms folded. If he'd known this pirate had only just begun his voyage, he might not have agreed but Zoro honored his promises.
Jack stretched his arms behind his head. "Admit it, Zoro… that was fun. Starting a pirate crew with a little ship."
"Hmph." Zoro closed his eyes and pretended to nap. "Yeah, fine. But…" He rested a hand on his swords while looking at Luffy. "Thanks for getting these back to me."
"No problem!" Luffy laughed. "Now all we need is more crew and more meat and chef to cook meat."
At the word of "meat," his stomach growled so loudly the little boat shook.
"Of course," Jack muttered. "The future Pirate King's stomach strikes again."
They all laughed hearing Jack comment.
A few hours later.
The sun hung high when Luffy suddenly sprang to his feet and pointed at the sky.
"MEAT!" he shouted.
Jack squinted up. "What.... where?"
"There!" Luffy cried, pointing at a massive bird circling above.
"That's not meat, that's a...." Jack started, but Luffy had already shot his arms into the air.
"Gomu Gomu no… Rocket!"
His arms snaked out and clamped around the bird neck. The creature squawked in alarm, thrashing wildly, before Zoro or Jack could react, the bird yanked Luffy off the boat and into the sky.
"Luffy!" Zoro shouted, eyes going wide. "You've got to be kidding me… he just got himself kidnapped by dinner."
"Row! Follow him before he ends up miles away!" Jack grabbed an oar, he remembered this is where the bird will send luffy to Orange Town.
"Why did I agree to join this crew?" Zoro growled, seizing the other oar.
Jack laughed breathlessly. "If we both row, we'll catch him faster."
They rowed like mad. The bird and Luffy became a smaller speck on the horizon.
Hours later they spotted land, a small coastal town with smoke rising from its center. As they neared, shouting and explosions reached them. The tang of gunpowder stung the air.
"What's going on in there?" Zoro asked, leaping to his feet.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Looks like we picked the right kind of trouble."
"Where's Luffy?" Zoro asked, scanning the sky.
A distant BOOM answered, followed by a puff of smoke in the town square and a voice shouting angrily.
"That looks like him," Jack sighed. "Only Luffy would cause that much noise five minutes after landing."
Zoro hauled the boat onto the shore. "Come on. If he gets killed, we'll never hear the end of it."
Jack vaulted out and transmuted a nearby rock into a crude metal spear. "Let's go. This place looks like a warzone."
The town was in chaos. Villagers already escaped. Streets were littered with debris from small explosions.
In the central square, a massive man in a red pirate coat laughed like a madman; his nose was painted bright red like a clown.
"Bring out the next cannon!" he bellowed. "Show these villagers the horror of buggy pirates!"
"That's Buggy the Clown," Jack muttered, ducking behind a crate with Zoro.
"Clown or not," Zoro said coldly, "anyone who terrorizes civilians is going down."
"First we find Luffy," Jack replied.
"Already here!" came a casual voice.
They spun around. Luffy stood on a nearby roof, grinning as if he'd been on a picnic.
"Luffy!" Zoro barked. "Do you know how far we had to row to catch you?"
"Yep!" Luffy said cheerfully. "You guys are slow."
Jack facepalmed. "You get carried off by a bird, land in a pirate-infested town, and you're still smiling?"
"Of course!" Luffy jumped down. "I found our next crewmate!"
Zoro blinked. "You what?"
Luffy pointed to a cage nearby. Inside sat a small, orange-haired girl, arms crossed and glare fixed on the pirates.
"She's a thief," Luffy said proudly. "But she's funny. I want her to join us."
"You can't just invite everyone you meet!" Zoro groaned.
Before they could argue, Buggy eyes landed on them. His grin split his face.
"Well, well, well," he sneered. "Guests! Men! Bring me their heads!"
Jack clenched his fist. "Looks like we're the main event."
Zoro drew a sword, a dangerous smile tugging at his mouth. "Good. I was getting bored."
Luffy adjusted his hat and cracked his knuckles. "Let's beat them up and get some meat."