Chapter 49: Open Your Eyes and See the World, Nami!
"!"
Ralph, Lufia, Zoro, and Sanji who had chased after them stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the edge of the sea restaurant Baratie.
They faced the three-story giant ship that, despite being battered, still exuded a heavy sense of oppression—the Krieg Pirates' flagship "Dreadnaught Sabre".
Just then, two panicked figures came scrambling onto the deck—Johnny and Yosaku, who had been left guarding the Going Merry.
"Sister Lufia! Brother Zoro! Brother Ralph! Something terrible has happened!" Johnny gasped, his face filled with anxiety.
Yosaku's voice trembled even more: "Sister Nami! Sister Nami... she's... she's gone!"
Having previously discussed Nami with Ralph, Zoro frowned.
Ralph's heart stirred, immediately turning to look at the distant Going Merry anchored far away.
The ship appeared intact, floating quietly on the sea surface, showing no signs of abnormality.
Lufia reacted a beat slower, still not understanding what was happening.
The most dramatic reaction came from Sanji, who had only met Nami once.
He stepped forward urgently, grabbing Johnny's shoulders:
"Are you talking about that beautiful lady with the gorgeous orange hair, who seems to carry the fresh scent of oranges? What happened to her? Speak quickly!"
Startled by Sanji's reaction, Johnny rapidly recounted what happened:
"Just now it was only the two of us on the ship, along with Brother Usopp and Sister Nami. Sister Nami suddenly asked us for the latest East Sea bounty list, and specifically inquired about the recent movements of the 'Arlong Pirates'!"
Yosaku took over:
"I... I told her what I'd heard. The Arlong Pirates have been running rampant lately, reportedly destroying several villages near the coast..."
He paused, "Both Brother Usopp and I noticed that after hearing this, Sister Nami's face turned extremely pale, and she clenched her fists tightly."
"Then, after a while," Johnny continued, "Sister Nami inexplicably started talking with Brother Usopp about the Going Merry..."
Yosaku added: "Right! That's when we learned that this Going Merry was actually sponsored by Brother Usopp's childhood friend, a wealthy young lady."
"Anyway, after Sister Nami and Brother Usopp finished reminiscing, her expression became even stranger. In the end, she just sighed and said: So this ship must be very precious to you..."
"Then she said she was tired and wanted to return to her cabin to rest."
Johnny slapped his thigh, "We didn't think much of it! But then when this terrifying big ship of Krieg's appeared, we were startled. Feeling something was wrong, we hurried to knock on Sister Nami's cabin door, but no one answered! We broke down the door and found no one inside! We searched the entire ship thoroughly, not even a shadow remained! That's when we confirmed... Sister Nami has truly disappeared!"
After hearing the entire account, thoughtful expressions appeared on the faces of Ralph, Zoro, and Sanji.
Meanwhile, Lufia clutched her head, shouting in disbelief: "What? You said Nami is missing? Where did she go? She's our Navigator! Without her, how will we get to the Grand Line?!"
Zoro, clutching his swords, glanced at Ralph. "You guessed right again. If it weren't for Usopp guarding the ship because of his special feelings for the Merry... that woman Nami might have actually just sailed the ship away, wouldn't she?"
He paused.
"If it were anyone else, it probably wouldn't have worked out like this. You guy... do you really calculate human hearts to such an extent?"
Ralph showed no expression of pride, "That was part of my consideration, but I truly didn't expect it to succeed."
He looked toward the Going Merry, "All we can say is... our Cat Burglar Navigator still has a conscience after all. During this adventure, she truly considered us... as companions. So at the final moment, she couldn't bring herself to do it."
This conversation left Johnny and Yosaku completely confused, but Sanji immediately grasped the key point. He lit another cigarette, his tone carrying suppressed dissatisfaction and urgency:
"Hey, hey, you guys, are you still Nami's companions? Is now really the time to discuss this?!"
He pointed at Ralph: "The clues are already clear! That 'Arlong Pirates' is definitely connected to Nami's disappearance! She might be in danger right now! And you're still analyzing whether she would steal the ship? Shouldn't we immediately follow this lead and find Nami as soon as possible?!"
Sanji grew more agitated as he spoke, even waving his hand:
"Perfect! The restaurant matter shouldn't involve you outsiders anyway! You should hurry and find Nami! Leave this place to us!"
Suddenly, two urgent matters faced the Straw Hat crew.
Lufia placed her hands on her hips, her gaze sweeping between the distant wrecked giant ship and her companions' faces.
After just a few seconds of thought, this usually carefree captain made her decision: "Nami is the navigator I personally chose! She'll definitely be fine! I believe in her!"
Lufia's voice was firm, "First, we'll help Uncle Zeff protect the restaurant, quickly defeat these pirates, and then we'll set off immediately to find Nami!"
With Lufia's decision made, even Sanji couldn't refuse.
However, Johnny and Yosaku turned pale with fear. Though they had just arrived, they could immediately recognize who they were about to fight.
"S-s... several big brothers! Are you really going to fight? That's the Krieg Pirates! Even with just one ship left, there must be at least a hundred elite pirates on board..."
Ralph's lips curled upward, "Elite? I specialize in beating elites!!"
A simple phrase, yet carrying an incomparably powerful momentum that instantly ignited the passion of those around him!
"Well said!" Zoro grinned widely.
"Oh oh oh! That's the spirit!" Lufia exclaimed excitedly, punching the air.
Sanji stamped out his cigarette, his eyes sharpening: "Hmph, don't hold me back!"
The four of them focused their intense gazes, once again firmly locking onto that massive behemoth resembling a sea fortress.
However, in the very next moment as they were about to take action—
A sudden change abruptly occurred!
Without any warning, as if just an invisible, extremely sharp strong wind swept across the sea surface.
Then, under everyone's horrified gazes, that massive three-deck warship... cleanly split into three sections!
The towering masts tilted and snapped, the thick deck planks disintegrated like building blocks, and the massive three-deck cabin began to collapse and sink.
The pirates on the ship screamed like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, falling from the broken section or frantically leaping into the icy seawater.
Everything happened too fast, too suddenly, too unnaturally!
"What?!"
"What's going on?!"
"The ship... the ship was cut in half?!"
Waves caused by the collapsing giant vessel crashed against the restaurant's deck. Shouts came from nearby as Johnny and Yosaku stared dumbfounded, Zoro and Sanji's pupils contracted sharply, and even Lufia gasped with her mouth wide open.
Only Ralph, at the moment the giant ship began to disintegrate, caught through his Observation Haki a razor-sharp aura that made one's soul tremble—coming from the sea surface further away!
Ralph knew that was the source of the ship's destruction.
But what concerned him more was the familiar presence he detected on the sinking Dreadnaught Sabre.
Nami?! Why would she be on Krieg's ship?!
There was no time to think—his body moved before his mind could process!
"Soru!"
Charge!
The deck beneath his feet shattered as Ralph's figure instantly vanished from his original position, transforming into a blurred afterimage racing at top speed toward the collapsing, sinking giant ship.
"Ralph?!" Lufia exclaimed.
The next moment, a scene appeared that nearly made everyone's eyes pop out.
Ralph's figure emerged on the sea surface, not using any floating objects but actually running across the water toward the disaster site.
"Amazing! Ralph is running on the sea!" Lufia's eyes sparkled as she watched, momentarily forgetting the dramatic changes before her.
"Brother Ralph! So cool!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted excitedly.
Meanwhile, Sanji was burning with jealousy, though not because of Ralph's ability to walk on water.
He was jealous because he saw it too!
On the broken ship, an orange-haired figure was falling uncontrollably as the vessel tilted!
And Ralph, running across the sea, leaped high and caught that orange-haired figure in his arms just before she could fall into the chaotic waters and broken wood below!
Miss Nami?! Why was she there?!
How did Ralph detect her?!
Why... why wasn't I the one holding Miss Nami now?!
Sanji was so jealous he felt like he was about to combust!
Meanwhile, after catching Nami, Ralph used the "Soru" technique, stepping consecutively on several falling broken ship planks for leverage before landing on the sea surface again. With light steps, he ran back across the waves while carrying Nami.
Nami, held tightly in Ralph's arms, curled up like a frightened kitten, her face somewhat pale.
The heart-pounding fear of surviving a disaster, combined with the complex emotions of being rescued by Ralph, churned within her, leaving her momentarily speechless.
Everything was exactly as Ralph and the others had analyzed.
Hearing about the Arlong Pirates' increasing rampancy, she knew she couldn't delay any longer. She had to return and settle things, and she absolutely couldn't drag down these newly-made companions.
According to her usual "Cat Burglar" methods, she should have stolen the Going Merry, making it part of the funds to buy back Cocoyasi Village.
But seeing Usopp and hearing him talk about Kaya and the Going Merry's history... she ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it.
Forget it, most of the treasure on board was originally mine anyway...
As for this small ship, how much could it possibly be worth?
However, just as she intended to slip away quietly, the massive ship of the Krieg Pirates arrived.
Though dilapidated, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Driven by the pirate's habit of "never leaving empty-handed," Nami decided to sneak aboard to see if there was a chance to make some extra money, perhaps speeding up the collection of funds to buy back her village.
Unexpectedly, shortly after boarding, the colossal ship abruptly disintegrated without warning!
The splintering deck sent her plummeting from a height, and in that moment, she truly thought it was over.
Just as despair overwhelmed her, that always seemingly profound yet surprisingly reliable guy appeared as if descending from the heavens like a divine soldier...
Complex emotions churned within her, leaving her momentarily unable to form words. By the time she gathered her thoughts, Ralph had already carried her back to their companions.
Nami, cheeks slightly flushed, quickly detached herself from Ralph and loudly explained:
"I... I just saw this big ship was all broken and wanted to check if there was anything valuable... I never expected it to be so flimsy, suddenly just..."
She tried to divert the topic with her professional nautical knowledge, "A ship this size must have encountered extreme weather earlier, with its structure too severely damaged to..."
"Not the weather."
Zoro's voice cut her off.
The swordsman's gaze had long shifted from the collapsing ship, locking onto the sea not far away.
"It was a slash," Zoro stated with certainty, his tone tinged with barely suppressed tremor and excitement, "A slash from a swordsman of unimaginable power."
Following his gaze, everyone looked out.
There, on the sea not far off, a uniquely shaped small boat had drifted into view unnoticed.
Its hull was pitch-black, square and blocky, shaped like a coffin.
Black sails hung from the mast, and a few white candles burned at the corners of the gunwales.
Seated in the center of the boat was a man.
He wore a black top hat adorned with white fluff, sported a short beard, and had eyes as sharp as a hawk's, his expression stern. Behind him was strapped an unusually shaped, cross-like black greatsword.
Johnny and Yosaku were the first to react, exclaiming in shock, "Th-that's... 'Hawk Eye'! Dracule Mihawk! The world's greatest swordsman! The man Big Bro Zoro has been searching for!!"
As if to confirm their words, the surviving remnants of the Krieg Pirates on the sea let out terrified cries:
"Monster! He's a monster!"
"It was him! Just one man! One sword!"
"Our entire fleet of 50 ships! We'd just entered the Grand Line, encountered nothing... and then we met him alone!"
"49 ships! All sunk by him! He... he even chased us here!"
One man, with one sword, had decimated a fleet of fifty ships and pursued them all the way from the Grand Line to the East Blue!
What terrifying power!
A dead silence fell over the restaurant area; everyone was too stunned by this unimaginable reality to speak.
Even the well-traveled owner Zeff wore an extremely grave expression.
Nami's reaction was particularly exaggerated, her mouth slightly agape and eyes wide open.
Amid the shock, her mind involuntarily compared this demon-like man to the psychological shadow named "Arlong" in her heart...
Ralph, standing nearby, seemed to see through her thoughts.
"Though I don't know why you're so focused on those fish-men, I advise you not to compare the fish-men in your imagination with the one before us."
He paused, his gaze also falling upon the coffin-like small boat.
"That would be too disrespectful to 'Hawk'."
"Open your eyes and see the world, Navigator."
Whether Nami understood or not, Zoro certainly saw his world clearly!
Slowly, he drew the three swords at his waist—Wado Ichimonji clenched between his teeth, one sword in each hand.
He first turned to Ralph and Lufia, a hint of apology in his eyes,
"Sorry. With the dream I've pursued my entire life right before me, I'm afraid... I can't afford to waste my strength elsewhere."
His gaze returned to the coffin boat, locking onto the figure standing as steady as a mountain aboard it.
"I won't be able to help clean up Krieg's remaining forces."
Ralph nodded: "Understandable."
Lufia waved her fist vigorously, shouting encouragement: "Zoro! Go for it! Go achieve your dream!"
Zoro said no more. Stepping on the wooden debris floating on the sea surface, he quickly approached the black small boat.
Finally, he stopped on a larger piece of driftwood, facing the coffin boat from a distance.
Raising his swords, he pointed them directly at the man on the boat,
"-"
"Roronoa Zoro, Three Sword Style Swordsman—"
"Today, right here, I challenge you—"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman!!!"
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