At the docks, two fishmen on duty stood with lazy, slouching postures.
One of them swept his gaze over the sea. Finding nothing unusual, he couldn't help but let out a wide yawn.
"Why does Big Brother Arlong make us stand guard here every single day? It's not like anything ever happens. Who'd be brave enough—or stupid enough—to come looking for trouble with us?"
Xiao Wen, a carp fishman, was hunched over, his head lolling on his chest as if he had no bones. He was the picture of listlessness.
In these waters, the mere mention of the Arlong Pirates struck terror into everyone. Even the Marines looked at them with trepidation, not daring to make an arrest.
In fact, some Marines even had to greet them with a forced smile, making it impossible to tell they were supposed to be enemies.
Because of this, he couldn't understand why Arlong remained so vigilant, ordering them to patrol the island or stand watch at the docks every day to keep a close eye on any suspicious visitors.
"Don't overthink it. We do what Big Brother Arlong tells us! Do you really think he'd ever be wrong?"
His companion, a pale-red salmon fishman, despite his relaxed stance, kept his eyes scanning the horizon for anything out of the ordinary.
At those words, Xiao Wen jolted awake and straightened up. "I was just saying! You don't have to be like that. I've never thought Big Brother Arlong was wrong!"
"Then just follow his orders and stop complaining," the salmon fishman, Yan Mi, replied coldly.
Yan Mi spoke flatly.
After speaking, his eyes suddenly narrowed. "A ship is coming!"
"Where? Where?" Xiao Wen followed his gaze across the water. Before long, he spotted the vessel Yan Mi had mentioned.
"There really is one. And it doesn't look like a local boat; it's a stranger's ship."
The two immediately grew alert, tracking the ship as it loomed larger and larger.
But they quickly relaxed when they saw a very familiar figure standing at the bow.
"Oh, Nami's back."
Xiao Wen slouched once more, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked over the human they had controlled for eight years.
On the Dream Chaser, Nami stood at the bow and offered a slight smile. "That's right. I'm back because I'm tired."
"Nami, what's the deal with this ship? Didn't you use a small boat before?" Yan Mi asked, his eyes narrowing coldly.
"This? The old one broke, so I stole a new one. You know I'm good at that!" Nami patted the railing, sounding nonchalant.
At the same time, she thought to herself:
'Just as I thought. Arlong and the others don't know I've become a bounty hunter yet, so they don't know about Goku.'
'As long as Goku and the others stay hidden on the ship, there won't be any problems.'
"Heh, that's your style, alright. I just didn't expect you to steal such a big ship."
Yan Mi let down his guard, a smirk playing on his lips.
"A bigger ship is more durable. It won't break as easily as the last one."
Nami docked the Dream Chaser and hopped down, shouldering a large sack of treasure.
"I'm telling you, this ship is my baby now. You'd better keep a good eye on it and make sure no one sails off with it, got it?" she said brusquely.
Xiao Wen curled his lip. "It's just a ship. What 'baby'?"
He had originally planned to snoop around the ship after Nami left to kill some time, but after hearing her words, he lost interest.
'Just a junk ship. Why would we need to look after it?'
'Being on duty is annoying enough, and now you want us to babysit your boat?'
'Tch, forget looking after it—I won't even look at it for another second!'
Nami didn't respond. She just shouldered the treasure and headed toward the path to Cocoyasi Village.
As she passed them, she paused and asked as if in passing, "By the way, Arlong's at the Park, right? I have something to talk to him about later."
Yan Mi glanced at her and replied, "There's nothing going on today, so Big Brother Arlong is at the Park, obviously."
"Alright, I've got it."
Nami gave a dismissive wave and walked off, her expression perfectly composed.
Once she was gone, Xiao Wen pointed to the other side of the dock.
"Yan Mi, let's move and stand over there. This ship is such an eyesore; I don't want to look at it anymore."
Yan Mi didn't give it much thought and followed him to the other side. The ship really was in the way, blocking his view of the sea.
...
Meanwhile, on the Dream Chaser, Goku and Sanji were sitting in a closed room, staring boredly at the sea through the only window.
"Sanji, how long do you think it'll take Nami to get back?" Goku asked, resting his chin on his hand while his tail flicked back and forth behind him.
Sanji watched the tail and answered absentmindedly, "I'm not sure. We don't even know what she's planning to do."
"By the way, Goku, I've been meaning to ask for a while now. What's up with that tail? Normal humans aren't supposed to have them."
Goku blinked, looking innocent. "I don't know. I've had a tail since I was little. It disappeared for a while recently for some reason, but it grew back just a short while ago."
'He's had a tail since he was a kid?'
Sanji was momentarily stunned.
It seemed the tail was something he was born with. Did a race of humans with tails actually exist in this world?
He fell into deep thought.
After a while, Goku suddenly clutched his stomach and said piteously, "Sanji, I'm hungry."
Their last meal had been at the Baratie. Half a day had passed since then, so it was only natural for his stomach to be growling.
Since Sanji had said he would be their cook, it was only right for Goku to turn to him now.
"Hungry?"
Sanji snapped out of his thoughts. He didn't point out that cooking might make noise or reveal their presence, which would go against Nami's instructions.
To him, as a chef, his duty was to satisfy anyone who was hungry and ensure they were fed, regardless of the circumstances.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "Wait here, Goku. Make sure you don't make any noise. I'll go whip something up for you."
He decided to prepare something simple and move as quietly as possible so that no unusual sounds could be heard from the ship.
...
Before long, Sanji returned carrying a pot of egg noodles and set it down in front of Goku.
"Here, dig in. I'll make a few more pots for you after you finish this one," he said with a small smile.
Goku's eyes lit up as he peered into the pot.
Chopped green onions were scattered across the golden soup. Though simple, it released a rich, mouth-watering aroma that hit his nostrils, promising a delicious meal before he even took a bite.
"It smells amazing!"
Goku couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks, his face beaming with joy. "Thanks, Sanji! Let's eat!"
With that, he happily took his first bite.
Sanji, meanwhile, walked over to the window. Instinctively, he reached for a cigarette and was about to light it.
But he paused before striking the match and tucked the cigarette away.
Since they were supposed to stay hidden, it was better not to let the scent of tobacco smoke drift out.
As he gazed out at the ocean, he wondered why Nami was so insistent on them not being seen.
Just then—Splash!
On the surface of the sea ahead of him, a massive creature with two horns on its head suddenly breached. Its two eyes were fixed intently on the ship.
In the next second, it lunged, opening its massive maw to bite down on the very spot where the two of them were!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]