On the deck, Zoro was sleeping soundly when suddenly, a giant fish fell from the sky!
Startled awake by the impact, Zoro jumped up angrily—only to see it was a massive fish!
The culprit was none other than Sandy, who had punched the fish unconscious underwater. It wasn't like he'd meant for it to land right on Zoro's face!
Still, seeing Zoro fuming, Sandy sighed and tossed him a bottle of beer, finally calming him down.
A single bottle from the [pheromone system] cost fifty points—painfully expensive!
As Zoro drank, he suddenly noticed Sandy using his sword as a skewer to roast the fish.
"Hey! Sandy! How the hell can you use your sword like that?!" Zoro barked.
Sandy looked confused. "Why not?"
"Because, you bastard, a sword is a swordsman's companion!" Zoro shouted, veins bulging.
Sandy rolled his eyes and threw him another beer. "Eat your food. How could a commoner like you understand my level?"
Sanji chuckled. "Oh yeah? And what level is that supposed to be?"
Sandy's eyes lit up. Handing his barbecue to Sanji, he looked toward the sky at a dramatic forty-five-degree angle, making everyone twitch.
As expected, he sighed deeply. "When I fish, I'm training my Observation Haki and strength control. As for using a sword to roast fish—it's because…"
"Because?" everyone asked curiously.
Sandy froze. He'd forgotten his line. Pulling out a small notebook, he quickly read and said proudly, "Because it proves my sword can move mountains, overturn seas, slay fish, and… roast food!"
"This guy!!" everyone groaned, covering their faces in disbelief.
Amid the chaos, the crew finally arrived at Logue Town—the birthplace and execution site of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
The moment Luffy heard that, he bolted off, eager to see the legendary execution platform.
Sandy, however, was unimpressed. So what if someone got the title of Pirate King? The world worshipped him like a god, but Sandy couldn't care less.
Different worlds, different values. Instead of worshipping Roger, he'd rather go after the One Piece left behind by him!
Zoro soon turned to Nami. "Hey, Nami, lend me some money. I need a new sword."
"Sure," Nami smiled sweetly, "but you'll have to pay me back three times with interest."
Zoro's jaw dropped. "We're crewmates! Do we really need interest?"
"Yes, we do," she replied firmly.
With no choice, Zoro borrowed two hundred thousand Belly from her.
Then Sandy stepped forward. "Nami, lend me some Belly too. I wanna buy food."
Nami raised an eyebrow. "You still owe me a million Belly."
"What million?! I gave you all that treasure I took from Arlong back in Cocoyasi Village!"
"That was the villagers' money," Nami said matter-of-factly. "It doesn't count."
Sandy groaned. "You really are a nasty woman. Forget it!"
Soon, everyone went their separate ways—
Luffy to the execution platform,
Sanji to buy ingredients,
Zoro to find a sword,
Usopp to get weapons,
and Sandy… to enjoy the local scenery.
Not far away, a commotion broke out. Two thugs were harassing a beautiful woman.
And that beauty was none other than Tashigi.
Whether or not she was Zoro's future love interest didn't matter to Sandy. Right now, they didn't even know each other—so why couldn't he make a move?
One of the thugs growled, "You're the one who got our boss thrown in jail, huh?"
Tashigi, wearing black glasses and holding a cloth-wrapped sword, replied coolly, "Didn't you learn your lesson yet?"
The other thug sneered. "No way we're letting that slide! We'll dump your body right in front of him!"
Sandy grinned. Finally, my chance to shine.
Before Tashigi could react, he stepped forward dramatically and declared, "O Earth, thank you for granting me this encounter today! O Love, laugh at this fool who cannot bear the pain of longing!"
Tashigi blinked in confusion. "Huh? Who… who are you?"
Sandy took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Who am I? I'm just me—a fleeting firework, burning brightly for you alone."
Tashigi's face flushed. "I'm sorry, thank you for your affection, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now, I—"
The two thugs were boiling with rage. "Hey! We're still here, bastard!"
One drew his sword, shouting, "Who the hell are you? Don't get in our way!"
Sandy turned toward them with a smirk. "Wow, flashy outfits! And those two braids—are those supposed to scare people? Also, your belly's huge! My family's pig doesn't even weigh that much!"
"Pfft—hahahaha!" Tashigi covered her mouth, giggling despite herself.
"You bastard! You're dead!" one thug yelled, leaping at Sandy.
But before they could land a blow, Sandy merely glared—and both men fell to the ground, unconscious.
Tashigi stared, wide-eyed. "Wh-what just happened?!"
Sandy shrugged. "How should I know?"
As he turned, Tashigi stumbled—her foot caught on her sword—and she nearly fell. Sandy instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist.
For a brief moment, the two froze, staring into each other's eyes.
Realizing their closeness, Tashigi blushed and quickly said, "Oh, how embarrassing! Let me go!"
Sandy helped her straighten up, grinning. "Embarrassing? Come on, that was romantic."
Tashigi frowned. "You should really find a proper job. Don't go around flirting with women. You look like you don't even have any assets."
"Assets?" Sandy tilted his head. "I'm a pirate—what assets?"
If he'd known what she meant, he probably wouldn't have asked.