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Chapter 12: First Encounter with Nami
1,289 Word
"You two. Are you trying to dismantle my boat?"
The blue-haired girl stood between them, her expression calm, but her voice was tinged with an anger that made it clear she was very upset.
Despite being the shortest of the three, she possessed the strongest presence at that moment.
She naturally had the right to be angry.
Half of the ship belonged to her, and every item on board had been personally selected and purchased by her.
Now that these two were trying to fight on her ship, how could she possibly stand idly by?
"It's just dealing with a brat. A few slashes and it'll be over. It won't damage your ship." Facing the oppressive aura of a ferocious beast, even Zoro couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, but his tone remained firm.
"How terrifying…" As for Luffy, he was stunned by the sudden burst of power from Ganyu. It was the first time he had ever witnessed even a fraction of her strength.
Ganyu, is she really that strong?
Luffy was deeply shocked. He even had the illusion that Ganyu was more terrifying than his grandfather.
"Who knows how long you'll fight? What if you really damage the ship? We'll all be doomed!"
Ganyu reached out and poked Zoro in the chest without any hesitation.
With each word spoken, she poked him. Each time she poked, Zoro took a step back, and before long, he was cornered against the mast.
At that moment.
She raised her hand, clenched her fist in front of him, looked up at him, and said in a threatening tone:
"In short, you are not allowed to fight on the ship. Or else… I will personally freeze you all in ice!"
"You…!" Zoro's forehead veins throbbed. He struggled against those pink and purple eyes for a long time without success. Finally, he sighed and, with a shing, sheathed his sword.
She's too fierce. It's best not to provoke her.
Seeing Zoro compromise, Ganyu smiled with satisfaction.
If you can suppress the one with a brain, the other one without one will be easier to deal with.
"Luffy, I have a way to decide the winner between you two."
She walked over to Luffy, who was still standing there in a daze, and said with a smile:
"As far as I know, 'Buggy the Clown' is a very strong pirate."
"Since you want to invite him to join your crew, why don't we see who defeats him first, you or Zoro? Whoever does that will be the winner."
Rather than letting them fight each other, it was better to focus their efforts in one direction.
The two of them could find the same enemy together, which would not only determine a winner but may also help them develop a bond while fighting.
This was truly a win-win solution.
"What?! They actually dare to treat Lord Buggy as prey…?"
"Have they gone mad?"
Before Zoro and Luffy could react to Ganyu's suggestion, the three pirate prisoners from Buggy's crew exclaimed in surprise.
It was hard to imagine that Buggy, whom they considered the undisputed tyrant of the East Blue, would one day be treated as "prey" for others to fight over.
What shocked them even more was that Zoro and Luffy actually started to consider it.
After a while.
"Good suggestion. I accept," Zoro nodded first, raising his long sword.
A pirate with a bounty of 15 million. He looked forward to fighting such a strong opponent.
"I'm fine with it too!"
Seeing that Zoro agreed, Luffy immediately responded, not to be outdone.
But seeing his blank expression, it was clear that he hadn't really understood Ganyu's suggestion.
Ganyu knew how slow-witted her captain was, so she patiently repeated it to him.
"Oh!! Defeating that guy named 'Buggy' will get Zoro's approval? I get it!"
Luffy looked excited, wishing he could fly to the island right now to find Buggy.
Zoro scoffed, "If you defeat him before I do. Don't get it wrong."
"Of course I know that, Zoro! I'll definitely be faster than you!" Luffy exclaimed with unwavering confidence.
He was a user of the Gum-Gum Fruit, and his movement speed on the island would be much faster than Zoro's.
Moreover, he heard from Ganyu that Zoro is hopelessly directionally challenged, so he'd definitely find Buggy first.
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
At dusk.
As the crimson glow filled the sky, a small sailboat arrived at the island where the Buggy Pirates were based.
This was a small harbor town, located right next to the sea. It had a port for foreign ships to dock, but at this moment, apart from a large ship flying a pirate flag, there were no other vessels.
The port was deserted, giving it a desolate feel.
"This is because we are looting this town. The local residents are afraid to stay," the three pirate prisoners explained with smug expressions.
They made no attempt to conceal what their pirate crew had done to the town.
This world is a dog-eat-dog world. It's not uncommon for the strong to bully the weak.
Moreover, compared to other pirate crews, the Buggy Pirates had already done everything they could. So far, apart from bombarding the town with cannon fire, they hadn't intentionally killed a single person.
But these ungrateful residents still refused to surrender and still harbored thoughts of resistance.
"No matter what, take me to that guy named Buggy first!" Zoro remained expressionless. His only thought was to defeat Buggy before Luffy could.
If Buggy is defeated, the town will naturally be spared from the crisis.
Given Zoro's personality, he might not have cared if he didn't know, but now that he had witnessed the town being bullied by pirates, he naturally could not stand idly by.
"This way, this way. We'll take you to see Lord Buggy right away."
Upon hearing this, the three pirates quickly led the way.
They had been swindled out of their loot at sea by a woman and were at a loss as to how to explain it to Buggy.
If they brought these three audacious guys along and pinned the blame on them, Buggy would surely let them off the hook.
On the other side.
Luffy's face had darkened at some point. He looked around the island with a serious expression.
It was deserted.
The ground was full of potholes, and the buildings everywhere showed signs of bombardment.
"Ganyu, I don't want that guy named Buggy on my ship anymore."
After a long pause, he spoke in a deep voice, his face full of resentment.
"Then… should we consider other people?" Ganyu was delighted upon hearing this and took the opportunity to recommend a certain "female swindler" to him.
Luffy curled his lip and looked at the three pirates who were leading Zoro. "You don't mean these three guys, do you?"
"Of course not. What I meant was…"
Just as Ganyu was about to recommend Nami to Luffy, her voice suddenly stopped.
Her eyes gradually widened, a hint of surprise appearing within them.
Because.
The person she was about to describe suddenly burst into their line of sight.
A girl with bright orange hair rushed into their field of vision.
Behind her, dust billowed, footsteps surged like a tidal wave, and countless figures were in hot pursuit.
At the same time.
A series of shouts followed.
"Quick! Catch up with her!"
"Don't let her get away!"
"Catch that thief who stole Lord Buggy's 'Grand Line Navigation Chart'!"