Ten minutes later.
At the port of Orange Town, a medium-sized sailing ship adorned with a comical clown flag sat quietly against the pier. Of course, it now belonged to the Straw Hat crew.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the "special seat" at the bow, swinging his legs and laughing heartily.
Zoro leaned against the main mast, eyes closed as he rested with Wado Ichimonji in his arms. On the other side of the deck, Viktor and Nami were engaged in a very serious calculation regarding "wealth distribution."
"A total of five million Berries in cash, plus jewelry and gold worth roughly twenty million," Viktor noted, holding a small ledger. He counted the loot while scribbling rapidly with a pen.
"Subtracting the costs for supplies, ship repairs, future food expenses... and, well, various miscellaneous fees." Viktor closed the book, looked up, and flashed a brilliant smile at the expectant Nami.
"Miss Nami, considering you owe me a massive debt and your current repayment capacity is negative, this Vice-Captain will temporarily keep these treasures for safekeeping. Any objections?"
"I HAVE OBJECTIONS!!" Nami shrieked, clutching the largest money bag to her chest. "At least... at least leave me a little! I put in a lot of hard work for this!"
She pointed toward the empty pier, her heart aching so much that tears nearly fell. "And why did you leave a bag of money on the shore?! There were five million Berries in there!"
Before boarding, she had watched in horror as Viktor casually tossed a heavy bag of Berries onto a prominent spot on the dock.
"Objection overruled." Viktor ruthlessly suppressed the navigator's rebellion, lifting the money bag from her arms as if it were a feather.
He tossed it, along with the other treasures, into the cabin and locked it tight.
"That money is for the town's reconstruction." Viktor clapped his hands and looked at Nami. "In exchange, the position of Navigator is yours.
Room and board included, zero salary. Doesn't that sound like a great deal?"
"Great deal my foot!!" Nami looked like she wanted to bite him.
Just then, a chaotic and dense sound of footsteps erupted from the direction of the town.
"Over there!!" "Hurry! Don't let those pirates escape!"
Everyone turned to look. Mayor Boodle, head wrapped in bandages and holding Chou-Chou in his arms, led a large group of townspeople armed with shovels, pitchforks, and clubs. They were charging toward the port with aggressive momentum.
"Ah! It's the Mayor and the others!" Luffy waved enthusiastically. "Hey—!! Old man—!! Did you see? We won!!"
"Won your head!" Nami's face went pale. "We're doomed! They definitely think we robbed Buggy's treasure, and now they're here to catch us!" She pulled at her hair in despair. "I told you we shouldn't have taken so much! Now we're wanted criminals!"
"Well, technically, we are robbing them. Maybe we should just throw the Vice-Captain back to them," Zoro muttered, opening one eye.
"So what do we do? Do we fight?" Luffy tilted his head, looking conflicted. "But that's the old guy!"
"No need to fight." Viktor walked to the railing, looking at the agitated townspeople with a look of understanding. He knew they weren't here to capture them; they were here to show gratitude.
But pirates didn't need that kind of gratitude. Moreover, if the Marines found out this town was "saved" by pirates, it would only cause trouble for the civilians who had to keep living there.
"Since we are pirates, we need a pirate's exit." Viktor's lips curled into a playful arc. He took a deep breath and shouted toward the crowd:
"Listen up, citizens of Orange Town! The Buggy Pirates have been taken out by us! As our spoils of war, his treasure and his ship now belong to the Straw Hat Pirates!" Viktor grinned, pointing to the treasure hold.
"If you want your gold back, feel free to chase us to the Grand Line! If you have the guts! Hahahaha!"
Viktor snapped his fingers at the dazed Luffy and Nami. "Hoist the sails! Set course!"
"Oh!! We're heading out!!" Luffy beamed. Hearing the words "heading out," he lunged forward, his arms stretching to unfurl the massive sails.
WHOOSH!
The sails caught the wind, and the ship quickly pulled away from the pier, carving a white wake across the sea.
"Wait!!" Mayor Boodle and the townspeople reached the edge of the dock just as the ship was dozens of meters away.
They watched the receding pirate ship—watched the straw-hatted boy waving from the stern and the black-haired silhouette standing by the rail with his back turned.
Everyone stopped. They found the heavy bundle left on the pier. Opening it, they saw the neatly stacked Berries.
"Those brats..." Mayor Boodle gripped his spear, tears streaming down his face. He looked at the young backs on the ship and roared at the sea with all his might:
"YOU BRATS... YOU BRATS... YOU BRATS! THANK YOU!!! YOU PIRATE PUNKS!!! HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY!!!"
Chou-Chou barked frantically alongside him. "WOOF WOOF! WOOF!"
The other townspeople dropped their weapons, wiping their eyes and waving through their sobs. "Take care!!" "Thank you!!"
The voices carried over the sea breeze to the ship.
"Shishishi, I think they said thank you," Luffy said, holding his hat and grinning.
"Tch, what a bunch of troublesome people," Zoro said, closing his eyes again, though a faint smile touched his lips.
Nami leaned against the railing, watching Orange Town shrink into the distance. She looked at the waving crowd with a complex expression, then turned to Viktor, who was calmly adjusting the ropes as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, Viktor," Nami said.
"Hmm?" Viktor looked back, looking perfectly innocent.
"You... you're actually a good person, aren't you?" Nami scrutinized him suspiciously.
Viktor paused his movements. He stood up, wagged a finger at her, and flashed his signature smirk. "A good person? Miss Nami, that is the greatest misunderstanding of all.
A good person wouldn't remind you that, including the five million left for the town, your total debt now stands at—305 million Berries."
"..."
Nami's expression froze. Three seconds later, a scream echoed across the deck.
"VIKTOR!! GO TO HELL!!!"
Ignoring Nami's flailing, Viktor happily found a comfortable spot to lie down. He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the system panel.
The battle had been lucrative; with 1450 points in hand, it was time for a shopping spree.
"What to get..."
He scrolled through the exchange list:
[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Jutsu] (B-Rank): 800 pts.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu] (B-Rank): 1000 pts.
[Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu] (C-Rank): 500 pts.
[Sharingan Evolution: Two-Tomoe]: 2,000 pts.
He currently had offense (Fireball), control (Genjutsu), and defense (Substitution). What he lacked was mobility and sustained combat capability. Finally, he locked in his choices.
[Ding! Consumed 600 points. Obtained: Shurikenjutsu (C-Rank).]
[Ding! Consumed 300 points. Obtained: Body Flicker Technique (D-Rank).]
[Ding! Consumed 300 points. Obtained: Chakra Capacity Increase (Chunin-level).][Ding! Consumed 100 points. Obtained: Refined Chakra Control.]
[Ding! Consumed 100 points. Obtained: Uchiha Standard Longsword.]
[Ding! Consumed 50 points. Obtained: Explosive Tags x5, various Shuriken and Kunai.]
A series of warm sensations flooded his body. Precise techniques for manipulating shuriken with wire and the methods for explosive speed using chakra filled his mind. More importantly, the chakra within him felt far more abundant.
"Phew... work hard all day, back to broke in a second." Viktor looked at his 0 point balance and closed the system.
Amidst Nami's ongoing rants, Luffy's laughter, and Zoro's snoring, Viktor adjusted his position and drifted off. And so, the first official ship of the Straw Hat Pirates sailed forward, carrying four vastly different companions toward the vast, unknown sea.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early 70+ Chapters Ahead on Patreon: [email protected]/Master_Studios677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.