Chapter 12: A Grand Fire Magic
Orange Town, the base of the Buggy Pirates—the rooftop terrace of a seized bar.
"Oh! Boys! Let's give a warm welcome to Nami as she joins our pirate crew! Gye-hahaha!"
The red-nosed clown, Buggy, held his wine glass high and let out a sharp, piercing laugh.
"Ohhh!!"
The pirates below cheered, raising their swords and wine glasses in a revelry so intense it felt like a festival.
In the center of the terrace, a massive iron cage looked completely out of place.
Luffy was locked inside, but he showed no awareness of being a prisoner. He was stretching his Gum-Gum arms through the gaps in the bars, desperately trying to reach a plate of roast chicken on a nearby table.
"Meat... that's my meat..." Luffy drooled, his fingers just centimeters away from the plate.
Nami stood beside Buggy, maintaining a stiff, fake smile while her mind raced with calculations.
"Just endure it a little longer... once they're drunk, I'll steal back the sea chart! And while I'm at it, I'll take all the treasure that red-nose has hoarded over the years..."
"Oh! Boys! I'm so happy today!"
Buggy suddenly interrupted Nami's thoughts. He jumped onto a high platform and gave a grand wave of his hand.
"To celebrate the arrival of our new navigator, Nami, prepare the special—Buggy Ball!!"
"Yes! Captain Buggy!"
Several burly pirates grunted as they pushed forward a large cannon decorated with a clown pattern.
Then, they carefully picked up a bright red, massive cannonball painted with a skull and crossbones and loaded it into the barrel.
Nami was stunned for a moment. "What... are they doing?"
A sinister smile appeared on Buggy's face. "Watch closely. This is the fate of those who defy me! Fire!"
As the fuse burned down.
BOOM—!!!
An earth-shattering roar instantly ruptured everyone's eardrums.
The red cannonball whistled through the air, carving a terrifying red light through the atmosphere as it slammed directly into a row of houses in the distance.
CRASH! RUMBLE—"
There was no fire, only pure, destructive explosion.
That entire row of sturdy brick houses was instantly razed to the ground, turned into a pile of rubble with nothing left behind.
Nami's mouth hung open in horror, and the wine glass in her hand almost slipped to the floor.
This kind of power... it was like a natural disaster!
"Boys! This power is simply magnificent! Gye-hahaha!" Buggy laughed wildly, spreading his arms wide.
"Oh! Long live Captain Buggy!"
...
At the other end of the town.
The group of five, who were speeding through the streets, came to a halt.
"What was that noise?"
The three pirate lackeys leading the way were so scared their legs went weak. They pointed at the rising mushroom cloud in the distance, their teeth chattering.
"Th-that's Lord Buggy's ultimate move... the Buggy Ball! That's power enough to destroy a town!"
Zoro frowned, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "That's quite a commotion."
Tatsuya looked at the smoke rising in the distance, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"It seems the banquet has already begun. Zoro, pick up the pace."
"Aye, aye, Vice Captain."
...
Back on the terrace.
"Gye-hahaha!" Buggy pointed at the ruins and said boastfully to Nami.
"With this Buggy Ball and my Chop-Chop Fruit ability, I will surely conquer the Grand Line! Right, Nami?"
Nami suppressed the fear in her heart and nodded with a pale face. "Ye... yes, Captain Buggy."
"Hey! Red-nose!"
Just then, an abrupt voice rang out.
Luffy, locked in the cage, had finally given up on the roast chicken he couldn't reach and interjected with a look of dissatisfaction.
"What are you talking about? The one who will conquer the Grand Line and become the Pirate King—is me!"
The air instantly froze.
Buggy's painted face immediately turned the color of pig liver, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Nami was scared out of her wits and quickly tried to smooth things over. "You... you suicidal idiot!!"
"Gye-hahaha! Pirate King?"
Buggy laughed out of pure rage, his malicious gaze shifting between Luffy and Nami.
"Now, Nami. I see why you couldn't stand this moron. In that case, I'll give you a chance to prove your loyalty."
He pointed at the still-smoking cannon and said with a sneer.
"I'll grant you a Buggy Ball. Go and blow him away for me!"
"Ooh! Blow him away!"
"Do it! Do it!"
The pirates jeered while quickly adjusting the cannon's aim, pointing the dark barrel directly at Luffy in the cage.
"D-do it?" Nami trembled all over as she looked at the burning match handed to her.
"Um... how about we forget it? We finally have a welcome party, we should just drink..." Nami tried to decline.
"Do it!!"
The smile on Buggy's face vanished, replaced by cold murderous intent.
"This is the rule of our pirate crew! If you don't kill him, you're a traitor!"
Nami swallowed hard.
She looked at Luffy in the cage, then at the surrounding group of vicious pirates, her heart pounding violently.
Should she really light it?
If that cannon went off, this Straw Hat kid would be turned to ash in an instant!
"Hey, why are you shaking?"
Luffy looked at Nami's trembling hand from inside the cage and suddenly spoke calmly.
"It's because you have this half-hearted attitude and no resolve that you've ended up like this."
"Resolve?" Nami turned her head sharply and shouted hysterically, "What nonsense are you talking about! Taking someone's life so easily—is that what you call resolve?!"
"No, it's the resolve to put your life on the line," Luffy said flatly.
"Hey! Newbie! What are you dawdling for!"
A burly pirate nearby finally lost his patience and snatched the match from Nami's hand.
"Don't even have this much guts? Watch closely, this is how you light a fire!"
With that, he struck another match and reached for the fuse with a sneer. "Die, kid!"
Watching the flame draw closer to the fuse, the string called 'reason' snapped in Nami's mind.
"I won't... I don't want to..."
Nami suddenly pulled two wooden sections from her thigh and instantly assembled them.
Thwack!
Just as the match was about to touch the fuse, Nami swung her staff hard against the back of the pirate's head!
The pirate didn't even make a sound before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
The entire place fell into a dead silence.
All the pirates were stunned.
"Oh no... my body moved on instinct..." Nami turned pale as she looked at the fallen pirate.
"Nami!!" Buggy roared in anger. "What do you think you're doing! There's a limit to making a fool out of people!!"
"I'm sorry!!" Nami reflexively bowed in apology.
"What's the use of an apology!!" Buggy's split-apart hands were shaking with rage. "Boys! She really is a traitor! Kill her magnificently!!"
"Kill her!!"
Dozens of pirates wielding cutlasses roared, surging toward Nami like a tide.
Nami gripped her staff tightly. Looking at those hideous faces, the fear in her heart reached its peak, yet she still held her wooden staff firmly.
"I don't want to..."
Nami bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "Even if I die... I will never become one of you cruel pirates!!"
"Then go to hell, brat!" The pirate in front raised his sword.
Just as Nami closed her eyes in despair, ready to embrace death.
The temperature in the air suddenly skyrocketed.
A clear voice, accompanied by the sound of complex hand signs, abruptly rang out at the edge of the battlefield.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
WHOOSH—!!!
An incredibly terrifying heatwave erupted from the roof beside Nami!
A massive orange-red fireball, over five meters in diameter, roared past Nami with the momentum to incinerate everything, slamming hard into the charging crowd of pirates!
BOOM—!!"
The flames exploded!
"Aaaaahhh!!"
"It's hot! Help me!"
"Ah, I'm gonna die!"
"What the hell is this! Fire?! How can there be such a huge fireball!"
The dozen or so pirates in the lead were instantly engulfed in flames, screaming as they scattered and fled. The originally dense charging formation instantly collapsed.
Nami felt her cheeks burning from the heatwave. She opened her eyes in shock, staring blankly at this magic-like scene before her.
"It seems... I arrived just in time."
A voice filled with amusement came from above.
Nami reflexively turned her head.
On the nearby wall, a black-haired youth was maintaining a single-handed seal. His crimson Sharingan eyes, reflecting the firelight, appeared exceptionally eerie and mesmerizing.
Tatsuya looked down at Nami and gave a slight smile:
"Beautiful lady, do you need some help?"