With Don Krieg and his entire pirate army defeated, a stunned silence fell over the Baratie. The chefs stared at Moonlight, their minds still struggling to process the incredible display of power they had just witnessed.
"Hey," Luffy said, breaking the silence as he walked over to Sanji. "Come with us. Be my chef."
Everyone was speechless. Was this really the time to be recruiting? Especially when he was poaching from the very restaurant they had just fought to protect.
"I..." Sanji began, about to refuse, but then he looked at Moonlight, and the words caught in his throat.
"Come on, let's go to sea together. Let's go to the Grand Line," Luffy said, his invitation genuine and full of an infectious enthusiasm.
"The Grand Line?" Sanji swallowed hard. The offer was tempting. And a crew that had a man like Moonlight... that was a force to be reckoned with. More importantly, Luffy's words had reignited a long-dormant dream in his own heart: to find the All Blue, the legendary sea where all the fish of the world could be found.
"Sanji," the other chefs said, their voices a mixture of sadness and understanding. They had worked with him for years and knew of his dream.
"Sanji, if you want to go, then go," Zeff said with a smile. "We're all getting old, but you're still young. You should go see the wider world... and fulfill the dream of all chefs. Find the All Blue."
Tears welled up in Sanji's eyes, and he dropped to his knees. "Everyone... old man... thank you for everything. I'll never be able to repay your kindness." He was a decisive man, but the bond he had with his found family at the Baratie was a powerful one. Still, an opportunity like this, to sail with a crew as strong and spirited as the Straw Hats, was one he couldn't pass up.
"It's not good!" Johnny and Yosaku suddenly shouted, having finally managed to pull the injured Zoro from the sea. "Nami took the ship and left! She's heading for Arlong Park!"
"What? Nami ran away?" Usopp's eyes widened.
"Arlong Park?" A cold glint flashed in Moonlight's eyes.
"My navigator ran away without a word? No way! We have to chase her!" Luffy declared.
"Alright, Luffy, go get Nami back," Zoro gasped, still weak from his injuries. "That woman owes me an explanation."
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted, and in a flash, he had grabbed Moonlight, Usopp, Zoro, Johnny, Yosaku, and even the still-hesitant Sanji, stretched his arms, and launched them all towards the small boat they had arrived in.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The six of them landed in a heap, their heads hitting the deck.
"Is... is everyone alive?" Sanji groaned, looking at Luffy with a newfound sense of regret. This was their captain? He was completely reckless. He was definitely on a pirate ship, alright—a ship of fools.
"I'm fine," Usopp said, rubbing his long nose. "But I've learned one thing: to cherish life, stay away from Luffy."
"Is this really the Captain, brother?" Johnny and Yosaku asked, checking on Zoro, who had somehow managed to sleep through the entire chaotic launch.
"Alright, everyone, let's set sail and bring Nami back!" Luffy laughed, completely unfazed.
"Hey, Captain, don't you think you owe us an explanation?" Sanji grumbled.
"Yeah, and Nami's not here! Who's going to navigate?" Johnny added.
Luffy paused, touching his chin thoughtfully.
"Zoro is a walking disaster when it comes to directions, Luffy is an idiot, and I don't know how to sail," Usopp declared, pointing at each of them in turn. "You two are useless, and you're a cook. The only one who can navigate is Moonlight!"
"Hey! Who are you calling useless?" Sanji retorted, his eyebrow twitching. "I've lived at sea for more than ten years. I know the basics!"
"And we saw which way Nami went!" Johnny and Yosaku added, pointing at Usopp's nose. "Without us, you'd be completely lost!"
"No, no, I was just... stating the facts," Usopp stammered, looking to Moonlight for support. "Hey, Moonlight, say something!"
But Moonlight was already on the observation deck, swinging his sword. With each slash, a crescent-shaped wave of energy shot out, hitting the sea and creating a powerful current that pushed the boat forward.
"Whoa, he's using his sword slashes to power the boat! Amazing!" Johnny and Yosaku exclaimed, their argument forgotten.
"This guy..." Sanji murmured, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and respect.
"Wow, Moonlight, you're really reliable!" Luffy cheered.
"What do you mean, reliable?" Usopp roared, pointing at Moonlight. "He's practicing with his eyes closed! He's not navigating, he's leaving it up to fate!"
"Ah, my apologies," Moonlight called down, not breaking his rhythm. "You were all arguing so much, I didn't know when you'd reach a decision. I figured I'd just let fate decide."
The crew was stunned. "Fate?!"
"It's all up to luck?!"
"No!" the five of them shouted in unison.
"I'm going to stop you!" Johnny and Yosaku yelled. "Your luck is terrible! We're going further and further away from Nami's direction!"
"Hahaha, Moonlight, you're really funny!" Luffy laughed, finding the whole situation hilarious.
"Hey, Moonlight, you're not kidding, are you?" Usopp asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Sanji finally snapped, his face contorted with frustration. He gave each of them a sharp knock on the head, bringing the chaos to an end. "Since no one else can do it, I'll navigate. I'm a chef with a dream, and I don't want to get lost on my first day at sea!"
Under Sanji's surprisingly competent guidance, they sailed smoothly, and soon, a coastline appeared in the distance.
"Look, an island!" Usopp shouted, having been the first to spot it with his spyglass.
"Wow, an island! That means there's meat to eat!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Hey, you have a first-class chef like me on board, and you still want to go to a restaurant?" Sanji said with a huff. "I'll cook for you!"
"But our ship is a simple boat," Usopp pointed out. "We have no ingredients, no supplies, and no tools. Even a master chef can't cook without rice."
"Third-rate cooks rely on tools and ingredients," Sanji said disdainfully. "First-rate cooks rely on their heart. If we don't have ingredients, we'll find them. The sea is full of them."
As if on cue, a massive, manatee-like creature, as large as a hill, burst from the water, its eyes filled with a ferocious hunger.
"Whoa, it's huge!" Luffy cried out.
"What kind of monster is that?" Usopp yelped, diving behind Moonlight for cover.
"Great! Ready-made ingredients!" Sanji said, his eyes gleaming.
But before he could act, Moonlight's pupils shrank, and a wave of invisible energy washed over the beast. The manatee froze, its ferocious expression replaced by one of pure terror. Moonlight simply beckoned to it, and the massive creature, now as docile as a child, swam over and nudged the boat.
The crew was speechless. Sanji, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku stared in stunned silence, while Luffy jumped onto the manatee's back, treating it like a new toy.
"We can use it to pull the boat," Moonlight said to Sanji. "As for the ingredients..." He pointed to the sea and slashed with his sword. The water split apart, and a torrent of fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish flew into the air, landing on the deck of their boat. "This should be enough."
Everyone was dumbfounded. They had never imagined that sword energy could be used for fishing.
Meanwhile, on a nearby island, Nami docked the Going Merry and made her way towards a massive, intimidating structure: Arlong Park, the headquarters of the Fish-Man pirates. The pirates greeted her warmly as she passed.
"Nami's back!"
"Hahaha, our little thief cat has returned! I wonder which poor saps she robbed this time."
She nodded to them, her face a mask of indifference, and went to see Arlong, the sawshark Fish-Man and captain of the crew. She dropped a bag of gold and a nautical chart on the table in front of him. "My payment."
"Hahaha, that's our little thief cat for you," Arlong laughed, ignoring the gold and picking up the chart. "You never come back empty-handed. And this chart... it's incredibly accurate. Even I, a Fish-Man, couldn't draw a chart this good."
"Yes, Nami, you're amazing!" an octopus Fish-Man named Hatchan added.
"Hachi is right," another Fish-Man, Kuroobi, agreed. "Though Nami is only a human, she is completely different from the others."
"I'm more and more reluctant to let you go, Nami," Arlong said with a sinister smile.
"One hundred million Berries," Nami replied, her voice cold. "I'll have it soon. And when I do, don't you dare break your promise." With that, she turned and left. This was her deal with Arlong: if she could raise 100 million Berries, she could buy back her village, Cocoyasi, and her freedom. It was for this reason alone that she had joined his crew.
"Brother, it seems Nami is leaving," Kuroobi said, watching her go.
"I really can't bear to see her go," Hatchan sighed.
"Is there no way to keep her?" another Fish-Man, Chew, asked.
"A talent like her is one of a kind," Arlong said with a sneer. "It would be a shame to let her go. But I, Arlong, am a man of my word... however, I can..." He leaned in and shared a plan with his three officers. They all smiled, a cruel, knowing look in their eyes.
Luffy and his crew, pulled by the now-docile manatee, finally reached the shore of Arlong's island. They saw the Going Merry docked nearby and their spirits lifted.
"So this is Arlong Park?" Usopp said, marveling at the size of the place. "It's huge. How will we ever find Nami?"
"Let's split up," Sanji suggested.
"Alright," Usopp agreed. "If anyone finds anything, send up a signal. This is the Arlong Pirates we're dealing with; we can't fight them alone." He then grabbed Moonlight's arm. "I'll go with Moonlight."
"Okay, I'll go this way," Sanji said, pointing in one direction.
"We'll take care of Brother Zoro and search around here," Johnny and Yosaku added.
"Then I'll go this way," Luffy said, pointing in another direction. "Usopp, you have to go alone and take that side."
"I... I suddenly have a disease that prevents me from setting foot on this island," Usopp stammered, clutching his stomach in mock pain. "I'll just go back to the boat."
"Huh? You're sick? Are you okay?" Luffy asked, his face full of genuine concern.
"I'll be fine. I just need to rest."
"Oh, cut the act," Sanji said, rolling his eyes. "Nami is in the hands of the Arlong Pirates. She could be in danger."
Hearing this, Usopp's expression hardened. "Nami... alright. Even if I'm terminally ill, I'll risk my life to get her back."
Luffy then looked at Moonlight, who simply nodded. The four of them set off in different directions, ready to find their navigator.
At the same time, in a hidden grove in Cocoyasi Village, Nami was looking at her hidden stash of treasure with a triumphant smile. "Soon, everyone," she thought. "You will all be free."
"Well, well, what do we have here?" a greasy voice suddenly said. A group of Marines appeared, led by a corrupt captain with a rat-like face. "Little thief cat Nami, all the treasure you've stolen is now being confiscated by the Marines!"
"The Marines? You..." Nami was stunned. How did they find this place? Only she knew about it.
"Take it all!" Captain Nezumi ordered with a greedy laugh.
"Get away from that! It's mine!" Nami shrieked, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Little thief cat Nami, you are a member of the Arlong Pirates," Nezumi sneered. "You are a pirate. We are the Marines. If you don't want to be arrested, get out of our way. Otherwise, I'll take you and everyone in this village with me!" He gestured to a group of villagers who had gathered behind Nami, led by the town's sheriff, Genzo.
"Captain, this is too much!" Genzo said angrily. "She took this treasure from pirates! You have no right to it! Besides, if you know about the Arlong Pirates, why haven't you arrested them? Why are you harassing us instead?"
"Yeah, you're the Marines! You can't bully Nami like this!" a blue-haired woman, Nami's adoptive sister Nojiko, added, stepping in front of her.
"Protect Nami! She's done so much for us!" the other villagers chimed in, forming a protective wall around her.
Nami was speechless. She thought they all hated her for joining Arlong's crew.
"Fool," Nojiko said with a warm smile. "We've known your true intentions all along." They all knew she had only joined the pirates to save them.
"So you're trying to defy the Marines?" Nezumi sneered. "Prepare to fire! If any of them move, shoot to kill!"
The villagers froze, the barrels of the Marine rifles pointed directly at them. Under their terrified gazes, Nezumi and his men dug up all of Nami's treasure, a dazzling hoard of gold and Berries. "Hahaha! This is all mine now!" he cackled.
"Is it? I wouldn't be so sure," an indifferent voice said. A young man in black stepped out of the jungle. It was Moonlight.
"Moonlight, it's you!" Nami cried, a wave of conflicting emotions washing over her. She had betrayed them, yet here he was.
"Who are you?" Nezumi demanded.
"Nami, you're here," Moonlight said with a faint smile, ignoring the corrupt Marine. "What's wrong? Do you need some help?"
"Moonlight, I... I..." Nami was at a loss for words.
"So, you're with her," Nezumi sneered. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you go. But if you get in my way, I won't hesitate to throw you in a Navy prison for the next forty-five years."
"These people are so noisy," Moonlight said, turning his attention back to Nami. "I don't know why you left, but if you're going to leave, you have to give Luffy a reason. Otherwise, I won't accept it." He then looked at Nezumi and the other Marines. "Get lost."
An invisible wave of energy washed over them, and they all collapsed to the ground, unconscious. At the same time, a notification sounded in Moonlight's mind.
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki has been promoted to Lv. 2!]
"Alright, no one will bother you now," he said, turning back to Nami. "Come with me. Let's go see Luffy."
The villagers stared in shock. The imposing Marines had all been taken down in an instant. What kind of magic was this?
"He's not your enemy, Nojiko," Nami said, stepping out from behind her sister, tears streaming down her face. She looked at Moonlight, her resolve finally breaking. "Moonlight, help me. Please, help me. I can't do this anymore." She now understood that Arlong had been behind the Marines' arrival. He had never intended to let her go. The realization filled her with despair.
Moonlight saw the raw pain in her eyes. "Alright," he said, his voice gentle. "Tell me everything."