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"Lu En, you're here? Did you find the sea chart?"
With the help of the term system, Lu En found Rika's restaurant without even needing directions. Luffy, his mouth stuffed with food, swallowed it all in one gulp when he saw Lu En enter.
"Buggy took it."
Lu En unfolded the paper in his hand.
"Buggy? Who's that? Is he strong?"
Luffy asked curiously.
"He's a pirate with a bounty of 15 million Beli. For the East Blue, that's not bad, I suppose," Lu En said with a faint smile.
"15 million Beli? If I defeat him, will my bounty be that much too?"
Luffy's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of "bounty."
"Perhaps," Lu En said, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he watched Luffy. Hmm, he took the bait.
"Yosh! Then let's go take down that Buggy and get the sea chart back!"
Luffy rolled up his sleeves, full of fighting spirit.
"Hey, are we going to start a war with a pirate crew just for a bounty?"
Zoro immediately felt like he had boarded a pirate ship. Before Lu En arrived, he had already confirmed with Luffy that he was the second crewmate of this pirate group, besides Lu En. And their pirate ship was just that small boat docked at the harbor. Now, they were going to fight the Buggy Pirates for a bounty. While he wasn't afraid, was Luffy too rash in his actions? He didn't act like a captain at all.
"It's not just for the bounty. After all, to travel to the Grand Line, a sea chart is essential. You want to become the world's greatest swordsman; you can't do that in the East Blue. You need to go to the Grand Line to fulfill your ambition."
Lu En looked at Zoro, smiling faintly.
"Yosh! Buggy's head, I want it!"
Zoro's fighting spirit soared.
Hmm, two incredibly easy-to-handle idiots. Lu En smiled.
...
After confirming the route, Lu En also had a hearty meal at Rika's restaurant. With his Beast Strength (Blue), Lu En's appetite couldn't compare to Luffy's, but it still far surpassed that of ordinary people. However, in gratitude for Lu En and the others defeating Morgan and saving the town, all the town's residents eagerly rushed to deliver ingredients from their homes to Rika's restaurant. Lu En naturally didn't stand on ceremony; at a time like this, politeness would only ruin the atmosphere. Watching Lu En eat the food they brought, the town residents all wore happy smiles.
Afterward, just like in the original story, the Marine soldiers who had fainted from Lu En's Conqueror's Haki shock regained consciousness and came to Rika's restaurant, stating that they wouldn't arrest Lu En and the others but hoped they would leave the town as soon as possible. However, unlike the original story, Coby, that clown, had already been dealt with by Lu En, so Luffy didn't have to perform a clumsy act again. Plus, Lu En hadn't forgotten that in the original story, the unprepared Luffy and Zoro almost starved to death at sea. So, after preparing some supplies, the three arrived at the Straw Hat Pirates' temporary "pirate ship."
"Set sail!"
Luffy stood at the bow, shouting with high spirits.
Zoro held the oar, steering the small boat out of the harbor.
Lu En held the sea chart, directing the boat's course. After Lu En and the others sailed away, the Marine soldiers of the town's branch at the harbor saluted Lu En and the others, expressing gratitude for saving the town, and watched the Straw Hat Pirates depart into the distance.
...
"Lu En, how much longer until we reach shore? I'm getting tired of apples. I want meat."
Luffy said weakly to Lu En, who was looking at the sea chart.
"Complain less. If it weren't for Lu En, we wouldn't even have apples to eat right now. I can't believe you want to become the Pirate King, yet you don't prepare any supplies for the sea."
Zoro looked at Luffy helplessly.
"After all, I'm not a professional navigator, so I can't accurately tell you the exact time of arrival," Lu En said, looking at the sea chart in his hand.
Navigation (White), meaning he could only navigate in calm waters. Knowing the exact arrival time was something best left to talented individuals like Nami. Then, Lu En picked up an apple and took a bite. Shells Town, due to Morgan's tyrannical rule, had its residents' supplies almost completely depleted. Plus, this small boat had no refrigeration facilities, so stocking a lot of meat was impossible. When sailing at sea, the most important thing was vitamins, otherwise, scurvy would set in. So, apples, which were cheap, could be stored for a period, and provided nutrition, were the first choice.
"Got it! Let's eat it!"
Just then, Luffy, looking up at the sky, suddenly shouted. Zoro and Lu En looked up to see a bird.
"Huh? I can't fly, how am I supposed to shoot it down and eat it?"
Zoro's mouth twitched.
"Watch me! Gum-Gum! Rocket!"
Luffy grabbed the boat's mast with his arm, then used the elasticity of his rubber body to propel himself into the sky.
"I see."
Zoro almost forgot that this unreliable guy was also a Devil Fruit user. Looking at it this way, Luffy was actually somewhat useful; at least he could improve their food situation.
Lu En, however, had a strange smile on his face.
The next moment.
Snap!
Luffy's head was precisely snatched by the large bird.
"Ah! Help!"
Luffy's desperate cries echoed.
"Idiot! What are you doing?!"
Zoro, in his sharp-fanged rage, cursed loudly while desperately rowing the boat, chasing after the bird. You wanted to shoot down a bird to improve our food, but you ended up becoming food for this bird instead?!
Term (Plot Bird): A bird that drives the plot forward.
"Hey! Boat over there, stop!"
Just as Zoro was frantically chasing the bird that had snatched Luffy, three shipwrecked individuals shouted from the sea ahead. Lu En looked at the three, a faint smirk on his lips. Were they the Buggy Pirates' subordinates who had been tricked out of their treasure and ship by Nami?
"Shipwrecked people at a time like this? Hey, we don't have time for you guys, just climb on board yourselves."
Zoro shouted while rowing. The three shipwrecked individuals looked in horror at the small boat heading straight for them, then used all their strength to climb aboard before it collided with them.
"Are you trying to kill us?!"
The three roared at Zoro.
"It's a miracle you even managed to get on," Zoro's lips curled upwards.
"Hey! We're part of Captain Buggy's crew! Stop the ship! This boat is ours!"
The leading Buggy Pirate subordinate threatened with a knife.
"Huh?"
Zoro turned his head, a beast-like expression on his face.
...
"Hahahaha, we had no idea you were the famous 'Pirate Hunter,' Master Zoro! And Master Lu En, the legendary 'Heavenly King,' whose name has recently spread across the seas! We are so, so sorry!"
Beaten black and blue, the three Buggy Pirates subordinates, who had taken over the rowing from Zoro, rowed while smiling obsequiously.
"It's all your fault we lost our companion. Just keep rowing forward, got it?"
Zoro said coldly.
"Aye, sir!"
"Don't worry, that direction just happens to be our destination," Lu En said, looking at the sea chart and smiling. Hmm, indeed. Even if I had prepared apples beforehand to keep Luffy from starving, the gluttonous Luffy, craving meat, still couldn't escape the fate of having his head pecked by a bird. And the bird's destination was Buggy Pirates' current base, Orange Town.