Nami huffed as she pulled the apple from her mouth and took a vengeful, crunching bite. She turned her gaze back toward the long-nosed youth sitting across from them.
"So, Usopp, is it possible to buy a large ship in this village? We're heading for the Grand Line, and our current boat is just too small."
Beside her, Luffy nodded vigorously while chewing on a massive chunk of meat.
At the mention of a ship, Usopp stiffened. His eyes darted guiltily to the side, avoiding Nami's piercing gaze. "As... as you can see, this is just a remote little village. Where would we get a big ship? Unfortunately, I think you're going to be disappointed..."
"Oh?" Nami caught the flicker in his eyes. Her lips curled into a devilish smirk as she leaned forward. "You're lying, aren't you?"
"AH! DISCOVERED!" Usopp nearly jumped out of his skin. He clapped both hands over his mouth, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Hmph, I knew it," Nami said, shooting a triumphant glance at Viktor.
Zoro, sitting by the window, tilted his head and looked out at a lush, rolling hill in the distance. "On that hill over there... there's a massive mansion. A place for rich folks like that ought to have a big ship."
"Whoa, you're right!" Nami's eyes instantly transformed into Berry signs. She turned back to Usopp with a sugary-sweet smile. "Say, Usopp, you seem pretty familiar with the owner of that mansion. Since you're friends, do you think you could get them to, you know, sponsor us a bit?"
Poke.
Viktor unceremoniously nudged her with his elbow.
"What?" Nami snapped.
Viktor shrugged helplessly. "We actually have money now. We can just buy one."
"Huh? A Berry saved is a Berry earned! You spendthrift Vice-Captain!" Nami started to argue, but—
"NO! THAT PLACE IS OFF LIMITS!!"
The previously timid Usopp suddenly slammed his hands on the table and roared. The sheer intensity of his reaction startled everyone.
Realizing he'd overreacted, Usopp's face went pale, then red. He forced his eyes to look at a distant corner of the room.
"Ah... speaking of which, I just remembered I have extremely important business to attend to! Like... a meeting with my eighty million men!" Usopp scrambled out of his seat. "Eat and drink all you want, it's on Captain Usopp! I have to go, goodbye!"
With that, he bolted out the door and vanished in a cloud of dust.
"Hey..." Nami watched him go, resting her chin on her hand. "He really does love to lie... but judging by that reaction, he's definitely close to the owner. Why was he so panicked?"
"Boss! More meat!" Luffy shouted, waving an empty plate.
"Luffy!"
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant.
Three small figures were huddled around the corner, peeking inside. It was the three "Great Admirals" of the Usopp Pirates—Pepper, Onion, and Carrot.
"Is this the place?" Pepper whispered nervously.
"No doubt!" Onion pushed up his glasses. "I saw those pirates drag Captain Usopp inside with my own eyes!"
"We have to save him!" Carrot balled his fists.
"But... those are real pirates! Heartless demons!" Onion trembled. "Maybe... maybe the Captain has already been eaten!"
"Don't be stupid, Onion! The ones who eat people are man-eating ogres! Pirates don't eat people!" Pepper argued. To bolster his courage, he drew his wooden sword. "Men! This will be the most heroic battle in the history of the Usopp Pirates! To save the Captain, CHARGE!"
"OH!!"
The three charged inside, throwing the doors open with a bang. "THE USOPP PIRATES ARE HERE!!"
The fierce battle they expected did not materialize. The owner behind the counter merely glanced at them over his newspaper before returning to his reading. Luffy stopped chewing, his cheeks bulging as he looked at the door.
"Ah, pirates," Luffy said muffledly.
"Idiots, those are just kids," Nami sighed.
The three boys looked around and didn't see their captain. Their hearts sank. "The Captain isn't here..."
Mustering their courage, they marched up to Luffy's table. Despite their shaking legs, their eyes were determined. "Hey, Pirates! Where did you take our Captain Usopp?!"
"Where did we take him?"
Viktor set down his teacup, wearing a perfectly harmless smile. He pointed a finger toward the empty plates that Luffy had licked clean. "Your captain... was right here just a moment ago."
Nami couldn't help but let out a little snicker. Viktor wasn't lying; he was there a second ago.
"Ah... what do you mean... does that mean..."
"Ah, that meat was delicious!" Luffy cooperated perfectly, patting his round belly and letting out a satisfied burp. "The meat was very tender... we've already eaten your captain!"
"That's right." Zoro placed his hand on his sword hilt, his expression turning dark and terrifying. In a low, gravelly voice, he added, "Not even the bones are left."
"AAAAHHH!!! THE MAN-EATING OGRESS!!"
The three kids shrieked in terror, huddling together. But their terrified eyes were all fixed squarely on—Nami.
"Wh-why are you all looking at ME?!" Nami's veins bulged as she screamed. "Do I look like a man-eating ogress to you?!"
"It's your fault for saying weird things!" Nami snapped, turning and landing a heavy punch on Viktor's head.
BAM!
"Ow! Why hit me? Luffy and Zoro were the ones scaring them!" Viktor rubbed his head, looking wounded.
"Because you started it!" Nami huffed.
"Hahahaha!" Watching Viktor get bullied brought a fresh round of laughter from Zoro and Luffy.
"Waaaah! It's too scary!" The three kids collapsed to the floor, legs turned to jelly by these laughing, bickering monsters.
A short while later.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the children led the group to the perimeter of the luxury mansion on the hill.
Through the iron gates, they could see a massive, manicured garden and an elegant Western-style manor.
"Say, Viktor, why did you give that owner so much money?" On the way up, Nami was still dwelling on Viktor's spending. "That meal was worth a few thousand Berries at most, and you gave him fifty thousand! That was my... our money!"
Viktor walked ahead with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. "Hey, you said the quiet part out loud. Besides, isn't money meant to be spent?"
"Not that much at once! You spendthrift Vice-Captain!" Nami felt like she couldn't breathe from the heartache.
Pepper, walking ahead, chuckled. "So you guys weren't actually man-eaters. You scared the life out of me."
Luffy was pressed against the iron bars, his mouth hanging open. "Whoa!! What a huge house! There must be tons of meat in there!"
"Hehe, since you said the Captain vanished, he's definitely in there," Pepper said confidently.
"Hmm? What's he doing in a place like this?" Zoro asked. "This is a private residence, right?"
Pepper pushed up his glasses and gave a mysterious smile, pointing to a window on the second floor. "He's here to do what he does best... Tell stories!"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: [email protected]/Master_Studios677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.