"Wait! Where are you going?" shouted Peter as Nami suddenly jumped off the roof with a nimble move, heedless of the height.
"To the warehouse, you idiot! Before the townspeople show up and take all my loot!" Nami retorted without looking back, sprinting quickly towards Buggy's destroyed warehouse.
Peter sighed. "Materialistic woman," he muttered before vanishing and reappearing right beside Nami, startling her.
"Don't just pop up next to me like that, you jerk!" Nami snapped, clutching her chest where her heart was pounding.
Before Peter could reply, a cheerful voice sounded from behind them. "HEY! YOU TWO!"
Luffy was running towards them with long strides, followed by Zoro who was walking more leisurely.
Nami instantly put on an innocent and helpless face upon seeing the two people who had defeated Buggy's crew. "We're just poor victims who got stuck here, Sir..."
However, before she could finish, Luffy had already run up and stopped right in front of Peter.
"That's so cool, the way you just appear and disappear like that! Hey, hey, teach me how to do that too!" Luffy said, his eyes shining, completely ignoring Nami, who was fuming at being ignored.
Peter gave a wry smile. Luffy was only ever interested in unique-looking abilities.
"Sorry... My ability can't be taught. It just appeared, like a superpower," Peter answered, pushing Luffy's head back as it got closer to his face.
"What?!... So it *is* a superpower. So, you're a superhero? Can you fly? Or shoot lasers?" Peter's answer only made Luffy more excited, as if he'd found the hero of his childhood dreams.
"As if, idiot. He means it's a kind of Devil Fruit power, like yours. So it can't be taught." Zoro, who had been quietly observing until now, couldn't hold back. He hit Luffy on the head and explained it in the simplest way possible.
"What... So you're not a superhero..." Luffy pouted disappointedly and spoke dismissively.
Nami, who had calmed down, was slightly annoyed that Peter was being looked down on. "Why that look? Peter's teleportation ability is amazing. It's way better than your stretchy rubber body."
Seeing Nami defend him like that, Peter's lips curved into a smile. Even though he knew Nami was defending him as her fellow thief, it was still progress in their relationship.
However, as the conversation was veering off track, Peter cleared his throat. "Ahem." The short sound successfully grabbed the attention of everyone present.
"Alright," he said, his voice calm yet firm, trying to steer the conversation back on course. "Let's get back to the main point." His eyes shifted to Luffy, who was still grumbling quietly. "So, Straw Hat... what exactly do you want from us?"
Luffy, who had been pouting just a second ago, immediately perked up again. His face lit up with his characteristic wide grin.
"I've got a pirate crew too! Be my nakama! I need amazing people like you!" he declared without any preamble, pointing at Peter with full confidence.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
"Pi...rates?" The word came out of Nami's mouth in a flat tone, almost a whisper filled with disbelief.
All pretense, her innocent and helpless face, evaporated instantly. Her expression drastically shifted to one of deep anger and disgust. Her eyes narrowed, and her sweet smile vanished without a trace.
"You... you're PIRATES?!" she shrieked, her voice rising high with fury.
She jumped back, putting distance between herself and Luffy and Zoro as if they were the plague. "I thought you were adventurers or bounty hunters or anything but damn pirates!"
Luffy just scrunched up his face, confused by her intense reaction. "Hah? What's wrong with being a pirate?"
"Stupid! You idiot! Pirates are the scum of the earth! Ruffians! Thieves! Robbers!" Nami spat out each word with pure hatred.
She immediately turned and grabbed Peter's arm tightly. "Peter, let's go! Now! We have no business with trash like them!"
Peter staggered slightly from Nami's pull. He understood the source of her anger; memories of Arlong and her past must have come flooding back.
He glanced over at Luffy, who looked utterly confused and couldn't understand why his awesome offer was getting this reaction.
"Wait, Nami, calm down first—" Peter tried to soothe her.
"There's no time to calm down!" Nami cut him off sharply, her eyes glistening not from sadness but from overflowing rage. "They're pirates, Peter! They're just like the others! Let's go before they plunder us too!"
She tugged harder on Peter's arm, ready to run. The partnership they had just formed was instantly reinforced by a common enemy: the identity of pirates.
To Nami, Peter was now the only person she could trust amidst this sudden group of "enemies."
Luffy watched them preparing to leave. Instead of getting angry, his expression remained full of determination. "Hey! Wait! I haven't gotten an answer yet!" he yelled, completely disregarding Nami's insults. "I still want you to be my nakama! Your ability is so cool!"
Nami was still pulling on Peter's arm in a panic. "What else are you waiting for? They're pirates! Let's go!" she hissed, her voice trembling between fear and anger.
Peter didn't move. His eyes were fixed on Luffy, who was still grinning widely, innocently, and full of hope, then shifted to Zoro, whose demeanor was more guarded but showed no ill intent. There was something different about them.
"Wait, Nami," Peter said in a low voice, gently prying her grip loose. "Hear them out first."
"Hear what? Pirate nonsense?" Nami snapped, almost in disbelief.
Peter ignored her protest and looked at Luffy. "So, you want us to join you?"
"Yeah! Exactly!" Luffy nodded vigorously.
"What's in it for us? Besides a 'wanted' label and the possibility of dying young?" Peter asked, being practical. He knew Nami needed a logical reason, something tangible, not just dreams.
Luffy scratched his chin, thinking for a moment. "Exciting adventures! Great food! And... we'll be an awesome crew!"
That answer made Zoro sigh. "Idiot."
The swordsman then glanced at Peter and Nami. "He might be an idiot, but he's strong and honest. If you join, you get protection. And if you have a goal, he'll fight to the death to help his crewmates. That's his promise."
Peter noted the way Zoro spoke about Luffy. There was deep respect there. Just as expected from the future right-hand man of the Pirate King.
But Nami was still resistant. "I don't need protection from pirates! I need money, and you'll just steal it!"
"Money?" Luffy looked confused. "We don't need money. You can have your treasure. We're looking for the One Piece, not coins."
That sentence made Nami pause for a moment. A cunning glint flashed in her eyes. "One Piece? The greatest treasure in the world?" Her business sense was immediately piqued. "So... do you have a map? Or any clues?"
"Nope! But we'll find it!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically.
Peter saw his opening. This was the chance. He bent down slightly, whispering to Nami. "Listen, Nami. They're strong but dumb. They have a ship—we need that to get off this island. You can be their navigator, get paid, and... who knows, 'manage' all the treasure they find. You could get the biggest cut without having to fight for it yourself. I'll make sure they don't cheat you."
Nami looked at him, the anger in her eyes slowly being replaced by a calculating, greedy glint. She pursed her lips. "Navigator with a fixed salary, plus 70% of all the treasure we find, and I control the crew's finances. No negotiations."
Peter smiled. He knew Nami was hooked. He stood up and looked at Luffy.
"Alright, Luffy. We agree to join, on one condition." Peter relayed Nami's demands.
Luffy immediately jumped for joy. "YOSH! DEAL! Now we have a navigator! And a guy who can teleport! This is so awesome! Let's set sail!" He didn't care one bit about the treasure percentage.
Zoro just sighed again. "This crew keeps getting weirder."