Landing on the island
The Going Merry was taken away by Nami. According to Zoro's two underlings, she seems to have her eye on Arlong's head, which has a bounty of 20 million. Anyone would be tempted by that.
Since the ship had been gone for too long, they could only rely on Luna's senses. Holding her wand, she used her senses and, along with Zoro, Usopp, and their two henchmen, went in pursuit. Meanwhile, Luffy planned to stay there and wait for Sanji, intending to deal with the Krieg Pirates before joining the chase.
Luna now has a black ribbon tied around her eyes, while Usopp is inside the cabin, sewing an eye patch with scissors and fabric. He made one for himself first, so he could use it when he slept. Only when he felt it was good enough did he cut brighter, prettier fabric for Luna.
Zoro lay down next to Luna, who was treating his wounds. As he lay there, he felt his eyelids drooping, and a warm, soothing power emanated from his chest, giving him a slightly hypnotic feeling.
Before long, they arrived at their destination. Zoro woke up at this point and, seeing Arlong's castle outside, decided to storm in. He was then beaten on the head by Usopp and his henchmen and tied to a pillar.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Usopp and his henchmen, too lazy to deal with the idiots, searched everywhere for the Going Merry. Finally, they found the stolen ship in the village of Cocoyasi on the neighboring coast.
"Yunxiu, let me go." Zoro had no choice but to turn to the person next to him wearing a sunflower-shaped eye patch for help.
"Aha~" Yunxiu yawned, reached out to Zoro, and patted his green algae head: "Be good, don't move around."
Just as Zoro was about to say something, he saw her raise her wand, and a layer of transparent light enveloped the small boat, concealing everything around it and creating an illusion that blocked outward sight.
"Yunxiu, what is this?"
"Illusion magic, we can't break through from the outside. Usopp, Johnny, you two remember where the ship is moored and go scout out the island. Don't worry about that seaweed-headed guy, lest he get lost after we disembark. I'm going to take a nap." Luna yawned, waved her hand, and groped her way into the cabin.
“Okay.” Usopp wholeheartedly agreed; he liked this covert operation.
"Don't worry, Sister Yunxiu."
"Let me go! I promised Luffy I'd bring that woman back!" Zoro shouted angrily. He didn't want to be tied up!
"Isn't this supposed to be about gathering intelligence first? If Nami's been captured, or is being held somewhere, the consequence of you rushing in would be... getting lost in enemy territory for three days and three nights. Did Luffy eat your brain?"
Zoro's face flushed red, but he stubbornly insisted that he hadn't. Even though she couldn't do anything about it for the time being, you could still see the smile on her lips as she mocked him with her eyes.
Zoro understood that Yunxiu's eyes were temporarily inconvenient, Usopp was weak, and Johnny was definitely no match for him. Arlong wasn't so easy to deal with, so gathering information first was the right thing to do.
He decided to wait an hour, and if Usopp still hadn't returned by then, he would leave on his own.
Just as Zoro was resting with his eyes closed, he heard a thud and a hiss of pain. Zoro immediately opened his eyes and saw that Yunxiu had tripped and fallen while leaving the room. The culprit was Usopp's hammer, which he had left unattended by the door and that blind idiot had stepped on.
Pfft!
Zoro cut the rope with his sword and helped the man up: "Are your eyes hurt?"
"I just bumped my elbow." Luna rubbed the sore spot, then realized that she had just boarded the ship and didn't know the layout.
What are you going to do?
"……restroom."
Zoro's lips curled slightly as he grabbed her and jumped ashore. Then, ignoring her protests, he tossed her behind a rock and left.
He didn't remember how long he had slept, but Usopp hadn't come back yet, so that was about it.
"Hey, you idiot green algae head, I can't see right now!" Luna was speechless. She couldn't get back to the ship by herself, and she didn't have any weapons with her.
Who does that?
Why are you running so fast?
It makes it sound like someone's chasing after you.
She thought about how to quickly restore her eyesight, so she tried using her thought form, which looked like piloting a drone. That was good enough; Luna ignored the unfortunate souls and went to familiarize herself with the environment.
The plot of One Piece is mostly happy endings, so she doesn't remember much of it, especially the very early parts, which spanned a long period... to be honest, she's forgotten most of it.
After meeting Usopp, they finally gathered the information. In short, Nami's village had been colonized by Arlong the Fish-Man since she was a child, and each person had to pay 100,000 Berries per month to stay alive. Nami was chosen because of her seafaring talent, and was forced to join the pirate crew that killed her foster mother, which is why she hates pirates so much. She was raising money through a deal with Arlong: to buy out the village for 100 million Berries.
Everyone in the village knew about this, but they all spoke harshly to her, fearing that Nami might have too much attachment to the village and might not be able to make up her mind to escape, thus continuing to be enslaved for their sake.
“Ah Long will not keep his promise.” Even without having read the original story, Luna knew what rule entailed. To put it simply, even if the Great Ying Empire engaged in global colonization and later declined in power, forcing it to recognize the independence of its colonies, it still left behind a considerable legacy in those regions.
Nami is an excellent navigator, very intelligent, but she's too politically naive. Robin will likely be deceived too... Hmm, is it that the Straw Hat crew is too simple-minded, or is education here monopolized, or is the existence of the Celestial Dragons preventing the world from having many thinkers?
Usopp walked with her, heading back to the Going Merry. Seeing her thoughtful expression, he couldn't help but wonder about her past.
What are you thinking about?
"About Nami," Luna hesitated to speak, thinking of the people who hadn't appeared yet: "Although Luffy will definitely beat Arlong up, I think you're all too naive and easily fooled."
Usopp, the best liar with a long nose: "..."
Who are you calling innocent?
Me?
Usopp's lips twitched; he had never lost a lie: "Nami was still young back then."
"Indeed, I think the main problem is that you haven't received ideological and political education."
"What would you do?" Let's not even talk about going to school. These days, it's good enough if the children in the village can even read.
"Before starting anything, you must first gather enough intelligence." Let's not even mention that Nami's strength is insufficient to shake Arlong, let alone taking a box with the Navy insignia, filled with round cannonballs, and celebrating at a fish-man banquet.
After all, the risk is quite high, and it's possible that the explosion won't kill many people.
"Wait a minute?" Usopp turned his head in horror. Was this a setup?
"Investigate the marines in the East Blue who can defeat Arlong, such as Smoker from Loguetown. He is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, and Arlong definitely can't beat him."
"The Navy is cooperating with Aaron."
"Idiot, the Navy isn't a monolith. The more you see, the more you'll realize they're divided into factions. The officers are much more complicated than pirates." Take that stupid Navy guy who's working with Arlong, for example. He definitely has political enemies. Once you find out, send him the photos of his meeting with Arlong.
Do you think that idiot navy guy can survive? They don't care about Arlong, or civilians; they care about rivals and status. To control those people, you have to start from that point.
Usopp nodded in sudden realization, his whole body stiffening as he thought to himself that he was right: Yunxiu was much more ruthless than Nami.
"Whether it's the navy or pirates, it's a promise from bad guys, so don't believe it."
"I'm the granddaddy of all liars," Usopp snorted twice. He wouldn't be fooled.
Luna turned her head away and refused to look at him. If Usopp weren't so naive, he wouldn't be known as one of the Straw Hat Trio along with Luffy and Chopper.
Now everyone on the ship is an innocent child. Perhaps it's time for her, this 'old monster' who has lived three lifetimes, to take on some responsibility.
"Sigh~ Being a parent is so hard!" Luna tilted her head back at a 45-degree angle, deciding to go looking for trouble first.
So, in the middle of the night, Nami saw her roommate, whom she had only known for a few days. At first, she remained calm, but then she realized that she had betrayed the Straw Hat crew.
"Shh." Luna made a shushing gesture.
"What are you doing here?" Nami asked in a low voice, glancing at Luna a few more times as she noticed Luna was wearing an eye patch.
"I'm planning to raid Arlong's treasure vault, wanna come? And while we're at it, let's blow all the murlocs to the sky!"
"...What exactly do you want?" Nami was furious. She was almost finished, so why were these people constantly hindering her?
“This operation will remain effective until I am still on the island.” Luna did not force her, and the corners of her mouth disappeared into the air.
Nami: !!!
-next day-
Nami, who was enjoying a rare rest at home, was confronted by the Navy, who also kidnapped the village's only policeman, Mr. Ken. His scars were somewhat frightening, but he had a spinning windmill on his head and had taken good care of her family since childhood; he was a very kind and loving elder.
The Navy isn't here to arrest Arlong, they're here to arrest her, the thief. They even know she has nearly 100 million Berries, which means… they were acting on Arlong's orders.
Her savings of 93 million yen, accumulated over eight years, were stolen by the Navy, and her only sister, Nojiko, was also attacked. All her anger erupted in an instant. Nami stormed into Arlong Park, but all her questions went unanswered; she was no match for Arlong.
Cocoyasi Village also erupted. Eight years of endurance had been incredibly painful for them, but Ah Long had broken the promise, and they had no future left. Everyone planned to die in rebellion, hoping for a future shrouded in darkness.
She ran to the village and saw this scene. She stood in front of the crowd and said, "Everyone, don't go. Haha, don't worry... I'm making money very quickly now. Just wait a little longer, just wait a little longer."
Mr. Jian silently stepped forward and hugged the girl he had watched grow up with one arm: "That's enough. You've always known that all of this is in vain, haven't you?"
This child should leave the village and have a better future. He shouldn't bear the burden of their lives anymore, pretending to be friendly with the murderer of his mother.
The villagers, armed with sticks and machetes, bravely and resolutely faced their deaths. Even in death, they were determined to make the fish-men pay. They wanted justice for Nami, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.
Nami collapsed in the middle of the road, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching the dagger in her hand and stabbing at the tattoo on her arm. This mark, which she loathed and that caused her so much pain, was the nightmare that had haunted her for eight years.
Snap!
Luffy grasped her hand and looked at her quietly.
Nami had nowhere to vent her anger; she felt everything was terrible. Gripping sand in her fingers, she hurled it at Luffy: "Get out! You know nothing, what are you doing here?"
"Um, I don't know."
Nami's tears fell onto the muddy ground as she looked at Luffy and said, "Waaah... Luffy, help me."
"Of course!" Luffy shouted, placing the straw hat on Nami's head.
Nami froze, remembering that the hat was Luffy's treasure, something he cherished dearly. Watching her companions stride forward, she sniffled, feeling like crying again.
"Want to go?" A hand was held out in front of me, the skin fair and delicate, very pretty. It was a familiar voice; it was my cheerful roommate.
Nami suddenly remembered; she meant to raid Arlong's treasure vault and blow that damn place to smithereens. She sniffed, nodded vigorously, and placed her hand on his.
"I'm not sharing the money with you; it all belongs to the villagers."
"Okay, but you'll have to pay for my explosives."
"good."
The two held hands, chatting and laughing as they divided the loot. From that moment on, the 'Treasure Hunting Duo' was officially formed.
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