The sunlight was gentle.
The breeze was light and not dry.
In the unpredictable, stormy New World,
today's weather was surprisingly pleasant.
However...
At this very moment—
on the deck of a Beasts Pirates warship—
the members of the Straw Hat Alliance didn't seem all that cheerful.
Why?
Because the food stockpile meant to last seven days...
had been completely devoured in just three.
The Marine Headquarters' Summit War hadn't even started yet—
and they were already facing a food crisis.
After an investigation,
the "rat" who had been sneaking snacks at night was caught red-handed.
"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!!"
With a swollen face from Nami's Iron Fist of Love,
Straw Hat Luffy knelt on both knees, begging for forgiveness.
"C'mon, c'mon, Nami—Luffy admitted he was wrong, let's just let it go this time~"
Yamato, now two years older, stepped in to mediate.
Nami finally relented, letting out a furious huff as she walked away.
"Nami, Nami! I'm hungry too!"
The adorable, fluffy white cloud Zeus looked at her expectantly, hoping for a lightning snack.
"Zeus... We said we'd share blessings and hardships together.
Right now, I'm starving too! So you'll just have to starve with me!"
Nami gripped Zeus's face tightly, her tone serious.
"Terrifying! Nami is so scary!"
Zeus nearly burst into tears.
"Huhu~"
On the second deck, archaeologist Robin chuckled warmly.
This was the Straw Hat Pirates she knew.
That stiff, serious atmosphere earlier?
Totally not their style.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Helmsman Jinbe roared with laughter.
"This is the Luffy I know!"
Usopp carefully tended to his seed stock.
"Seriously, he's something else…"
Two-years-ago Yamato muttered to herself.
"Luffy! You promised! You said you'd take responsibility and catch food for Nami, Robin, and me!"
Sanji shouted dramatically.
"Lustful cook. Where's my portion?"
Zoro asked bluntly.
"You green-haired bastard, you wanna starve? Go chew on some grass!"
Sanji snapped back without mercy.
"What'd you say!!!?"
Zoro and Sanji instantly locked into their usual bickering pose.
Meanwhile—
in a small infirmary room on the ship:
"Bepo, what are you doing here?"
Chopper asked.
"Doctor Chopper, what are you doing here?"
The polar bear Bepo retorted.
"I... I'm obviously here for, uh... important medical reasons!"
They both avoided eye contact.
Turns out, each had been secretly stashing snacks.
They just silently stared at each other in guilt.
On the lookout mast:
"What a carefree little crew. Heh, clueless fools."
Killer, the silent warrior, chuckled.
"Tch."
Captain Eustass Kid scoffed in contempt.
"They're too soft. No sense of captainly dignity."
Kid glared at Luffy with frustration.
The thought that a guy who'd been smacked into a pig-head by his crew
was still stronger than him... was unbearable.
Kid hadn't spent much time with the Straw Hats,
so he could still barely maintain his pride.
But another captain on the ship—
The lone wolf Trafalgar Law, who had been acting with the Straw Hats since Punk Hazard—
was already assimilated into the group like a Husky.
"Ha?! Are you stupid or what?! Straw Hat Captain, Bepo is not emergency rations!"
Law trembled with rage
as Luffy came up and seriously asked about eating Bepo.
In the end,
unable to stop Luffy as usual,
Law joined Usopp and Zoro in fishing.
Also joining the great fishing squad were Kid, Killer, and Law himself.
Half a day passed with no luck.
Suddenly—
Luffy sniffed the air, his nose twitching.
"Something smells... not meat, but sweet... so fragrant!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled like he'd been possessed.
Kid and Law stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
One second later—
Luffy sprang into action.
He darted to the front of the ship,
snatched the helm from Jinbe,
and jerked it hard to the left.
"Idiot!!"
"Don't mess around!!"
"Have you forgotten the main objective of this trip?!"
"If we miss the war, it'll be too late for regrets, Luffy!"
Everyone rushed in to stop him.
Chaos ensued.
Eventually, Jinbe took the wheel back.
They'd veered slightly off course,
but not enough to lose their heading.
Just as Nami was about to get them back on track—
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The distant sea echoed with gunfire.
In an instant,
all the battle-hardened ones perked up their ears.
Gunfire meant ships.
Ships meant food.
As pirates,
this was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.
Even Nami didn't object this time—
after all, they still needed to solve the food problem.
"Hey, hey, hey, Luffy! I think the ones fighting ahead include the Big Mom Pirates!"
Usopp cried out in fear.
"What?! Again with Big Mom?!"
Nami clutched Zeus in terror.
"Nami, don't be scared. I'm scared too!"
Zeus whimpered.
"Hehe. No need to panic, Nami. Big Mom's not there."
Robin frowned slightly—
she had already gathered intel using her Flower Eyes technique.
"But her officers are!"
Kid's eyes narrowed.
In the two years since,
he had once stormed Big Mom's territory for a certain item.
He fought a fierce battle and barely escaped with it.
"One side is Big Mom's crew—Perospero, Cracker, and Snack...
But who are the others? They look like Marines, but not quite!"
Law asked suspiciously.
"They are Marines," Robin confirmed with a nod.
"Hmm, they do look kinda familiar~"
Luffy tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Aaah! I remember! That old guy looks like former Admiral Z!"
Usopp shouted.
"That's right! That's Zephyr of the Neo Marines! And Miss Ain is with him too!"
Sanji swooned dramatically.
"Zephyr versus Big Mom's crew... this battle's gonna be good!"
Kid grinned with excitement.
"Nooo... Let's not. He's a former Admiral!!"
Bepo trembled.
"So what if he's a former Admiral? Luffy won't lose!"
Jinbe declared with confidence.
"Even if we don't plan to join the fight,
they've already noticed us,"
Zoro muttered as his black blade Enma slid halfway from its sheath.
As he spoke—
A few hundred meters away,
a Neo Marine submarine shifted its cannon's aim.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
A barrage of fire rained down toward the Straw Hats' ship.
CLANG!
Blades flashed.
Fists shimmered.
Steel clashed.
The sky ripped.
Crimson and violet streaks exploded.
Hell's chill swept the battlefield—
Blocking everything.