Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: š š¤© ko-fi.com/winterstar01 š¤©
.
.
The teenager in the straw hat sat comfortably on the edge of the boat, obeying Nami's words and waiting to dry off. As he gazed out to sea, he couldn't help but feel free. He loved sailing, and now that he had people to sail with, he enjoyed it even more. Luffy watched the waves crash against the side of the boat, his thoughts turning to the other occupant, now conscious. He wanted her to be free too. "Hey, Nami," the boy said, catching the girl's attention.
Nami looked up from her compass and saw Luffy staring at her: "What's wrong, Luffy?"
He looked at the orange, knowing he should be careful with what he wanted to ask: "Why do you hate pirates so much?"
Nami froze. She hadn't expected the question. The girl frowned and looked away from the black-haired boy toward the sea. "It's none of your business," she said to the air.
Luffy glanced at her and frowned. She seemed angry, but for some reason, he noticed. "Ah, okay," he replied before walking away and gazing at the horizon. He was going to heal what was hurting her. Then she could join him as a pirate.
"Is that all?" asked Nami, now curiously looking at the back of Luffy's head.
The boy turned and faced the girl, replacing his frown with a gentle smile: "You'll tell me when you feel like it. Until then, I don't need to know."
A light blush touched Nami's cheeks, but she quickly shook it off. As if she'd ever tell Luffy why she hated pirates... After Mad Treasure had been robbed blind, she'd leave the two boys as quickly as possible. She didn't want to get dragged into any more of the crazy situations they were bound to get into. "Whatever," she finally replied, pulling a piece of paper from one of the supply bags. She didn't want to think about idiot boys or pirates anymore; she just wanted to draw maps.
"Ah, yes!" exclaimed Luffy, watching Nami grab her drawing materials. "I never asked where we stopped first! Can you tell me?" he asked hopefully. "And how much longer until we get there?"
Nami looked at her map of the East Blue: "If my navigation is correct, as it always is, we should reach Gekko Island in just under a week." She put the map down and redrew her own.
Gekko Island? Why did that name sound familiar? Luffy shrugged from his position on the edge of the boat; he'd probably figure it out eventually. He looked at the water beneath his feet and grinned. He could dry off later. He stood on the edge of the boat and yelled "BALANCHA!", diving headfirst into the ocean.
Nami looked up from the map, amused. As annoying as Luffy was, he was also a lot of fun to be with. She supposed there could have been worse people to sail with.
"Is that Gekko Island?" Zoro asked in the pouring rain as the three companions looked towards the small island they were approaching.
"Yes, that's right. Prepare to beach the ship. We need to resupply," Nami called out, eyeing the remaining supplies, thunder rumbling in the background. "Bad!" They'd barely made it. It seemed bringing food for that extra week had been the right decision. Anything substantial left would have been ruined by the storm anyway. She sighed, watching the rain pour down from the sky. She'd seen it coming days ago, but there was no stopping it. It was headed straight for where they were goingāGekko Island. It looked like it would probably be a couple of days before it let up, too.
Luffy jumped up from his seat next to the other occupants of the boat. "Come on, Zoro! Let's row the rest of the way! I can't wait to get there!" shouted the straw hat boy, grabbing an oar. He didn't mind the rain much. In fact, he liked it.
The swordsman nodded and quickly grabbed the other oar. He'd run out of sake a couple of days ago and definitely needed more. The rain wasn't calming him down.
The two rowed until the boat began to slow down due to the sand rubbing against its hull, indicating that they had reached their destination.
Luffy jumped out of the boat and ran toward the beach, braving the torrential rain as he sped off toward adventure. He wanted to see what was on the island! He still couldn't shake the feeling that Gekko Island seemed familiar, and he wanted to find out why.
"Wait, Luffy!" Nami called, wiping the water from her eyes. "First we need to gather supplies, then you can explore the island as you please."
The teenager in the straw hat pouted, but obeyed the order and stood still. His feet sank into the wet sand and the rain soaked him as he waited for Zoro and Nami to get out of the boat.
Suddenly, a voice from the cliff echoed across the beach, with thunder rumbling dramatically in the background. "WHO DARES TO ENTER THE ISLAND OF THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN USOPP, GREAT WARRIOR OF THE SEA?!" the voice shouted. "IF YOU COME HERE AS PIRATES OR BANDITS, MY MILLION MEN AND I WILL FORCE YOU TO LEAVE! I PROMISE YOU!"
Zoro and Nami scoffed, walking behind Luffy and wondering how someone could tell such a blatant lie.
"A million seems like a lot, doesn't it?" the redhead shouted from the beach toward the cliff. "Captain Usopp" might at least have lent credibility to the lie.
Luffy looked towards the cliff and saw a strange-looking boy.
His thick black hair was tied back with a plaid olive-green scarf, over which rested a pair of goggles. His eyes, wide as saucers, revealed small black pupils that further elongated his most distinctive feature, his nose, which jutted out like a tree branch and drooped over his prominent lips. Over his tanned, shirtless skin, the boy wore a soaked brown jumpsuit and olive-colored boots. A white sash encircled his waist, and a thin blue-and-white striped bracelet fit snugly on his left forearm. On that same left arm, he also held a green slingshot, loaded with ammunition from the yellow pouch hanging at his side.
The boy on the cliff paled. He'd been found out! However, his confident smile returned immediately, and he shouted to the three below, "YOU'RE RIGHT! That's two million!" They never expected him to double down!
Nami and Zoro shook their heads at the even more obvious lie that "Captain Usopp" had told and did not respond, however, Luffy had a different reaction.
The boy in the straw hat's eyes opened wide.
"I have a son your age. His name is Usopp."
Luffy chuckled from his corner of the sand. Yasopp hadn't talked about anything else. He clearly loved his son very much. Luffy liked him tooāit was funny! That's why this place seemed so familiar: it was Yasopp's home! Maybe he'd join the crew. He'd definitely ask him later. "Is Yasopp your dad?" Luffy called out to the boy on the cliff.
The long-nosed man was so shocked by Luffy's words that he slipped on the wet rock and lost his balance, falling off the cliff he was standing on. He screamed, his body flew through the air, and he hit his face on the ground. The redhead groaned, his broken nose buried in the sand.
Usopp slowly lifted his face from the ground and groaned in pain. He touched his nose, wincing. "This is going to hurt a little," he told himself. He looked up and saw the three people who had landed on his island approaching in the pouring rain.
"Are you okay?" Luffy asked, laughing. He couldn't help it; it was too funny not to laugh!
"The great Captain Usopp feels no pain!" he exclaimed in a nasal voice, through his broken nose.
The three of them could clearly tell he was lying by the way he made a face.
Usopp looked at the black-haired boy in front of the other two. "You said my dad's name... Do you know him?" he asked hopefully. He had never met anyone who knew his dad, other than his mom.
"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed. "He never stopped talking about you either! It was always Usopp this and Usopp that," he laughed. Remembering those times was always fun.
"You're not lying, are you?" Usopp hoped against all hope that this wasn't the case.
"No!" exclaimed Luffy with a big smile.
The long-nosed teenager couldn't help but believe that smile; besides, the person he was talking to seemed like a terrible liar. He almost burst into tears when he heard the boy's words. His father really did care about him. He smiled to himself: "All the more reason to become a great warrior of the sea . "
"Anyway, it's a pleasure to finally meet you! I'm Luffy!" exclaimed the straw hat teenager with a big smile.
Nami raised her hand and waved awkwardly, and Zoro did the same. They were both soaked and wanted to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Hopefully, the liar could lead them somewhere dry.
"Nami."
"Zoro."
"Well, nice to meet you all! My name is Usopp!" He turned around and opened his arms dramatically, a wide smile spreading across his face. The long-nosed boy looked toward the island that had always been his home and shouted, "Welcome to Gekko Island!"
"It looks better in the sun, I promise!".