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Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Journey to Raftel! With the Black Cat Pirates dealt with, the Adventuring Crew has a situation on their hands. Seems like they’ll have to make a trip over to Gecko Town where the Marine Base is to explain things. Maybe they’ll finally get a ship of their own?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 5 – Gecko Town and a Ship

“Hey, this place looks kinda like Shells Town.” Luffy laughed on the deck of the Belzan Black. The crew had taken the ship and the crew, including Kuro and Jango, before sailing the commandeered Pirate Ship towards Gecko Town.

“Huh, it does…sort of.” Zoro shrugged as they drew closer to the largest town in the Gecko Archipelago. The Marine Base was clearly visible, even at a distance. It wasn’t the single large tower that the Shells Town Base was; but the Marine paint job and the large Marine Flag flying high from the tallest building was similar.

“First we’ll explain the situation with the Black Cat Pirates,” Nami spoke up from Luffy’s side. “Then we’ll collect our money for turning in the Buggy Pirates. After that, we should try and see if one of the Marines will come back to Syrup Village to explain the situation with Kuro.”

“It’s a good thing we crossed out the Jolly Roger on the main sail and took down the flags.” Zoro mentioned as he looked between the Marine Base and the main mast of the ship. “I’m pretty sure we’d already be fired upon by now if we hadn’t.”

“Shishishishi…probably.” Luffy laughed as they sailed close and closer to the island.

The next several minutes were spent sailing into the Marine Base’s docks. A large number of Marines were on the docks, many of them armed, as the Belzan Black began to slow down and come even with the longest pier. One Marine raised a set of flags and made specific motions with them. Neither Luffy or Zoro knew what he was doing, but Nami quickly took charge.

“Drop both anchors when we reach the end of the pier.” Nami yelled out to the various copies of Luffy manning the ship. “Lower the gangplank when we fully stop and prepare to be boarded.” The copies quickly moved to do as the Navigator instructed.

When the Belzan Black was moored at the end of the pier, two of Luffy’s copies lowered the gangplank. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami stood back from the gangplank as a large squad of Marines marched up it and boarded the ship. All of them were armed and looking around warily. Lieutenant Commander Brush came aboard after the sailors had secured the main deck.

“Oh? It’s you three again.” Brush blinked at the three Bounty Hunters he’d spoken with back at Syrup Village. “What’s the meaning of sailing a Pirate Ship here?”

“We found out about these guys planning to attack Syrup Village.” Luffy pointed towards the door that led down into the ship’s lower decks. “So, we beat them up and brought them and their ship here since we were already coming to collect the Bounties for the Buggy Pirates.”

“You defeated and captured a second Pirate Crew in such a short time?” Brush looked between the three disbelievingly.

“You can check them over yourself, if you want.” Zoro offered without a care.

Lieutenant Commander Brush did exactly that as he took a dozen of his men with him down into the lower decks and towards the brig. It wasn’t even three minutes before the Marine Officer was rushing back onto the main deck and requesting the three follow him to the base. Luffy blinked at the request but shrugged and followed along. Nami and Zoro followed his lead as they watched the Marines start dragging the beaten, burned, and defeated pirates out of the ship. They were all being clapped in irons and forced to walk down the pier towards the cells in the base. Only the pirates that were too injured to move were carried out, none too gently, by the sailors.

“Please, sit.” Brush offered the Adventurers as he motioned towards a couch in his office. “I need to make a call, if you’ll give me a moment.” He picked up the receiver on his Transponder Snail and dialed a number. A short time later and the other line picked up.

“East Blue Marine Headquarters, who is this?” The Marine on the other end of the line questioned.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Brush of Gecko Town.” Brush identified himself.

“Lieutenant Commander, what is the nature of your call, sir?” The Marine asked of the Officer.

“I’ll need to speak to Commodore Vannet; a situation has come up.” Brush informed the other Marine.

“Uh, yes sir! Just give me a few moments.” The Marine on the other line requested and the Transponder Snail went quiet.

“Would you three care for anything? Tea? Food?” Brush questioned the three Adventurers politely.

“That would be appreciated, thank you.” Nami nodded to the older man. Brush hit a button on his desk and a minute later a small cart was wheeled in with a teapot, three cups, and a tray of assorted snacks on it. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami helped themselves while Brush waited for the Higher ranked Officer to pick up the line.

“This is Commodore Vannet. Lieutenant Commander Brush, what is this situation that you need to report?” A gruff voice was heard over the Transponder Snail.

“Commodore, we have a case of mis-identification.” Brag informed the higher ranked Officer. “The Belzan Black and its Pirate Crew were just sailed into my docks less than thirty minutes ago. Aboard were the Meowban Brothers, Jango ‘the Hypnotist’, and Kuro ‘of a Thousand Plans’, sir.”

“You better start making sense Lieutenant Commander…” Commodore Vannet demanded with a slight growl. “Kuro was captured and executed three years ago.”

“I have the man in my cells, Commodore. His face matches the old Wanted Poster and he had in his possession the unique ‘Cat Claws’ that he was infamous for.” Brush assured the man. “That’s why I needed to report to you directly, sir.”

“What the hell is going on…?” The muffled question and some soft curses were barely heard from the Transponder Snail. “Who brought them in?” The Commodore’s voice was back to its normal volume.

“A group of three Bounty Hunters, the same ones that captured the entire Buggy Pirates and turned them over to us earlier this morning.” Brush answered promptly.

“The Buggy Pirates were brought in?!” Commodore Vannet’s shock transmitted clearly through the Snail. “Why haven’t I gotten that report yet?”

“I sent it as soon as we returned through the Fax Snail, sir.” Brush assured the other Officer.

“Damn clerical office…” Vannet muttered before returning to the conversation. “Pay them the appropriate bounties and follow standard protocol. I don’t think I need to tell you to keep the fact that Kuro faked his death and fooled us all quiet, correct?”

“Yes sir!” Brush agreed with the Commodore. “I’ll be sending you the report as soon as I have it written.”

“See that you do, Lieutenant Commander.” Vannet responded sharply. “I’m apparently going to have to head to the clerical office here to find the report on the Buggy Pirates. I’ll make sure to impress upon them the importance of your incoming report so that I get it as soon as it arrives. Is there anything else of note to report?”

“No sir, I merely needed to inform you of this situation and get your orders.” Brush replied immediately. “We’ll quietly have Kuro executed as per your orders. We’ll have a public execution for Jango and the Meowban Brothers as protocol dictates.”

“Very good, Brush, I’ll await your report. Commodore Vannet, over and out.” Vannet ended the call and the Transponder Snail clicked sharply.

“Since you’re all here, I’ll have all of your money brought to you shortly.” Brush looked at the three Adventurers. “We’ll need some time to determine the Belzan Blacks’ worth, of course.”

“That’s fine,” Nami sipped her tea. “We needed to ask you something else, if possible, too.”

“What’s that?” Brush raised an eyebrow curiously.

Nami went on to explain the situation with Kuro. How the man had some kind of insidious scheme to take over the fortune of Kaya. She explained what Usopp had overheard of the pirate’s three-year plan. How he’d plotted the death of the young Heiress and had probably been responsible for the late Lord and Lady’s passing as well.

“What a mess…” Brush sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair. “It figures a Pirate like Kuro would cause such a complicated problem.”

“We were hoping you or one of your Officers could explain the situation to the residents of Syrup Village.” Nami requested of the Marine. “We’re fairly certain that the townsfolk aren’t just going to believe us alone.”

“We have the Buggy Pirates and the Black Cat Pirates to deal with first,” Brush ran his fingers through his beard as he thought it over. “But after that, say tomorrow morning, I’ll sail over to Syrup Village with some of my men and explain the situation to them.” The older man gave the pretty young woman a smile.

“That would be very much appreciated, sir.” Nami smiled back at him. She was familiar with using her looks to charm men. The Lieutenant Commander wasn’t any different and she noticed his eyes roaming every now and then. She had to stifle a giggle when she felt Luffy’s tail wrap around her waist. She glanced at her Captain out of the corner of her eye and saw him finishing off the last of the snacks. Luffy grinned at her when he noticed her look, his tail gently squeezing her trim waist.

It was almost an hour later that the Belzan Black had been inspected and their money had been collected. The burn damage that Nami had inadvertently caused had lowered the value of the Pirate Ship a bit, but they’d still gotten 9,500,000 Beri for it. The Big Top, Buggy’s Ship, had paid out better since it was decked out with multitudes of cannons and had no damage. Another 12,000,000 for the Adventuring Crew. Added to that were the Bounties of the Pirates themselves. 15,000,000 for Buggy, 3,000,000 for Mohji, 3,500,000 for Cabaji, 7,000,000 for the Meowban Brothers, 9,000,000 for Jango, and the 16,000,000 they got for Kuro too.

“75,000,000…” Nami breathed out in shock as they stared at all of the cash. If she’d still intended to buy Cocoyashi back from Arlong, she could’ve done it with money to spare with this much. She’d spent almost a decade thieving, stealing, and selling anything valuable she could get her hands on. Yet in a single transaction, they’d acquired almost the same amount that took her so many years to save up. ‘Was strength really what I was lacking this whole time? Could I have dealt with Arlong years ago if I’d just tried to get stronger?’ The Navigator was questioning the last several years of her life.

“Shishishishi…we should be able to buy a really good ship with this much, right?” Luffy laughed as he looked over the Beri in the briefcase on the table.

“I’d say so.” Zoro grinned at the money. With any luck they’d have a good amount left over for food and booze too.

“Thank you for your hard work, Bounty Hunters.” Brush nodded to the three of them. “If you’re planning to stay in Gecko Town, I ask that you not cause any trouble.”

“We’ll be heading back to Syrup Village, actually.” Luffy shrugged as he closed the briefcase containing their reward and picked it up. “We’ll see you there tomorrow morning, I guess.”

“I’ll keep my word.” Brush nodded to the young man and watched as they left his office with one of his subordinates leading them out of the base.

-Gecko Town-

“Mmm~” Nami stretched her arms over her head with a smile as she enjoyed the warm sunshine. This did rather interesting things to her chest which was noticed by almost every man on the street. “We have some time to kill. Maybe we should go shopping and get some extra clothes?”

“Why?” Zoro cocked an eyebrow at the orangette.

“Because most adults don’t wear the same set of clothes every single day, Zoro.” Nami eyed the swordsman with a flat stare. “You don’t have a single spare set of clothes and Luffy only has two of everything he’s wearing.”

“Can we eat before we leave?” Luffy asked as he smelled some of the various restaurants around town.

“Sure, why not?” Nami shrugged with a grin. Luffy was a glutton, always ready to eat. The trio headed off into town to purchase some clothes and maybe a few other things. They’d let Luffy’s stomach lead them to dinner later.

-Syrup Village ~ Evening-

“You’re back!” Usopp welcomed the three Adventurers with a smile.

“Yeah, it was no big deal.” Luffy smiled widely as Nami hopped off his lap and landed on the ground beside the Somersault Cloud. He handed her the bags containing their clothes a moment later.

“Those pirates weren’t even a warm up.” Zoro mentioned nonchalantly as he slid off the golden cloud with a single bag in hand.

“But the reward was nice.” Luffy chuckled as he dispersed the cloud and landed on his feet easily.

“That reminds me…where are we staying tonight?” Nami looked at the sky. The last few traces of sunlight were on the horizon and the rest of the sky was dark and beginning to show the stars.

“I’d offer to let you stay at my place, but it’s pretty small.” Usopp looked sheepish that he wasn’t able to house the three of them. They’d done so much for his home island already. “There is a small inn though. I’ll show you to it if you want.”

“That’s better than sleeping outside.” Nami agreed and the trio followed after Usopp.

They all walked down the main road through the village for a bit. A larger building came into view as they turned onto a side street. The sign over the front doors marked it as ‘Pancake Inn’ which made Luffy grin. It looked nice enough, if rather plain. But that seemed to be Syrup Village’s theme to begin with. A simple, ordinary little village in the East Blue.

“I like the name.” Luffy remarked of the sign.

“They do actually serve pancakes here in the mornings.” Usopp informed the trio. “They’re pretty good too. Covered in the local syrup that’s made here on the island, makes for a good breakfast.”

“Works for me.” Zoro shrugged as the three Adventurers bid Usopp a good evening.

Nami, Luffy, and Zoro entered the Inn and walked up to the small reception desk. The woman behind it smiled at the group pleasantly. She happily took their money and offered them keys to their rooms. Even Nami couldn’t find anything wrong with the price. It was actually somewhat cheap.

“Night Zoro, Night Nami!” Luffy bid both of them goodnight.

“Night.” Zoro waved before entering his room and closing the door.

“Come on, Luffy.” Nami opened the door and pulled Luffy into the room.

“Is this why we only got two keys?” Luffy blinked as he saw the single Queen-sized bed in the room.

“Mmhmm~” Nami gave him a seductive look as she gently pushed him onto the bed. “We save a little money this way too.” She giggled as she set their bags aside and pulled off her shirt.

“Whoa…” Luffy blinked as Nami’s large, bra-clad breasts came into view.

“You should get undressed too, Luffy.” Nami encouraged with a wink. “You shouldn’t sleep in your clothes.” She kicked off her boots and undid her skirt, letting it fall to the floor.

“Okay,” Luffy’s eyes didn’t leave Nami’s body as he removed his vest, sandals, and shorts automatically. The orangette smiled happily at having Luffy so enraptured just by being in her bra and panties.

“Just need one thing…” Nami bent over to pull something out of one of the bags of clothes. She knew exactly what she was doing as she could practically feel Luffy’s eyes glued to her ass. She stood up with a thin tank top in hand. She didn’t turn to face Luffy as her hands went behind her back and unclasped her bra. The garment fell into the bag of clothes as it slid down Nami’s arm. She pulled the tank top over her head and then over the swell of her large tits. It left her midriff completely bare. “Ready for sleep.”

“Me too.” Luffy agreed and Nami turned to look at him.

“I can see that~” Nami purred, seeing Luffy in only his boxers. She leaned forward, giving Luffy a good look at her cleavage, before capturing his lips.

“Nami…” Luffy grinned after their lips separated. He wrapped his arms around the Navigator’s waist and pulled her into bed. Nami laughed, kissing Luffy again, before they slipped under the blanket and cuddled close.

“Good night, Luffy.” Nami kissed his chest before laying her head over his heart.

“Good night, Nami.” Luffy ran his fingers through her orange hair lazily as they both drifted off.

-The Next Morning-

Shortly after breakfast for the three Adventurers, (The recommended pancakes that definitely lived up to their reputation.) they watched as the townspeople gathered when a Marine ship docked in their small harbor. Lieutenant Commander Brush introduced himself to the villagers and asked for someone to fetch the Lady of the island. Kaya was escorted to the front of the crowd several minutes later by a butler that looked a bit like a sheep. From there Brush pulled out Kuro’s Wanted Poster. The gasps among the villagers were loud as they saw the face of the man they’d know as Klahadore for the last three years. Left out was the fact that Kuro had successfully faked his capture and execution, of course. The Marine Officer went on to explain the rest of the situation, even pointing out the three Adventurers to the crowd.

“You guys are heroes here.” Usopp chuckled at the three from his place next to them.

“Eh…I never really wanted to be a Hero though.” Luffy looked at Usopp with a slight grimace. “Heroes share their meat with everyone. I want all the meat for myself!”

“That’s what a Hero is to you?” Zoro deadpanned at his Captain while Nami giggled behind her hand.

It was a few minutes later, after Brush finished his explanation, that the three of them were set upon by the villagers. They were thanked over and over again for removing the hidden threat from their village and preventing a Pirate Raid. When Kaya stepped forward with her butler, Merry, she gave them a smile and a polite bow.

“It seems I must thank you for saving my life.” Kaya spoke softly to the trio. “If there is anything I can do to repay you, you need only ask.”

“Well, we are still in the market for a big, sturdy ship if you have one that you’re willing to sell.” Luffy smiled widely at the Heiress.

“Yes, I believe I can help you.” Kaya smiled and shared a look with Merry. The butler nodded to his Mistress with a grin.

-Southern Shore-

The late morning light shone down on Syrup Village and a group of people stood before a ship that had been moored in the shallows. Kaya and Merry were all smiles. Usopp was grinning as he stood next to Kaya and looked at the ship. It was a two-mast ship, one in the center of the ship with a large square sail while another was near the stern of the ship and just a bit smaller but with a triangular lateen sail.

“It's a caravel!” Nami smiled happily while looking the ship over. Luffy was bouncing on his toes excitedly while sparkles practically poured from his eyes. Zoro was even smirking appreciatively at the ship.

“I knew we'd get a huge ship!” Luffy cheered making Nami laugh and Zoro snort in response.

Merry stood before the ship with a pleasant smile. “I'm glad you all like the ship.” He said with a smile and bow. “Thank you once again for all of your help.” The sheep-like butler thanked the three of them as he straightened up and turned towards the ship. “She's a bit of an older style, but she still sails like a dream. I designed her myself.” He said cheerfully, “She's called ‘The Going Merry’. She’s a double-mast caravel class with both square and triangular sails. When the late Master and Lady asked me to design her with enough space for all the servants to sail with them, I ended up having to make her a bit larger than I originally intended. But Master spared no expense and only wanted the best for his wife and daughter.” Merry smiled warmly as he reminisced on his days of serving Kaya’s parents.

“Can we really have this?” Luffy asked, he was almost bouncing in place.

“Of course,” Kaya giggled while watching the man, who single-handedly took out a notorious pirate, act like an excited child. “I insist, actually. You saved me from a man that was plotting to kill me. Someone I trusted completely, but was really only after my wealth. I can’t thank you enough, but I can give you a ship.”

“So, you're the one who dealt with Kla-, I mean Kuro? You have my gratitude as both a resident of this island and as Lady Kaya’s butler.” Merry thanked the straw-hatted Adventurer. The sheep-like man couldn’t help but chuckle at Luffy's indifference to anything but the ship at the moment. “Well, I should explain the steering system. Firstly, in order to adjust the yards in relation to the crew garnet…” The butler began only to have Nami place her hand on his shoulder.

“You better tell me instead, Merry. I'm the crew's Navigator.” Nami giggled while watching Luffy's childlike excitement as he jumped up to the ship's deck. She’d explain it all to Luffy later so that his copies could take care of the rigging. After a few moments of running around the Going Merry’s deck, Luffy sat on the sheepshead figurehead with a huge grin.

“I had it fully loaded! It's the least we could do for all that you’ve done for us.” Kaya yelled up to the Captain, a warm smile on her face. Luffy quickly leapt from the figurehead and landed next to Kaya.

“You’re awesome!” Luffy declared while Kaya laughed and accepted a hug from the excited Adventurer before he jumped back onto the ship.

“So, you’re staying here?” Zoro raised an eyebrow as he looked at Usopp.

“Yeah, I’ll wait until Kaya recovers before I set out to sea.” Usopp nodded as his gaze followed Kaya warmly.

“Still planning to be a Pirate?” Zoro questioned the long-nose.

“I do kind of want to follow in my old man’s footsteps.” Usopp admitted to the swordsman.

“Eh, if you get a Bounty we won’t come after you, probably.” Nami had a teasing grin on her lips.

“…Thank you?” Usopp looked wearily at the Navigator.

“No problem.” Nami chuckled as she headed onto the Merry with the bags containing her and Luffy’s clothing.

“Looks like it’s about time to go.” Zoro mused as he picked up his bag of new clothes and made his way up the gangplank of their new ship.

“If I end up seeing Yasopp again, I’ll be sure to let him know you’re doing alright, Usopp.” Luffy called down to the long-nose.

“Thanks, Luffy!” Usopp smiled at the Adventurer. “I’m hoping to meet him myself when I set out to sea.”

“The winds are in our favor, Luffy!” Nami called out as she felt the wind and looked towards the sky. “These are perfect conditions to set sail!”

“Let’s go!” Luffy exclaimed with a huge grin as he plopped himself down on the sheep figurehead. He pulled a few hairs off his head and in multiple puffs of smoke, six more Luffy’s appeared. Zoro raised the gang plank, while two of the copies moved below deck to raise the anchors. In only a matter of minutes the Going Merry was drifting away from the shallows and heading for the high seas.

“Are you sure you didn’t want to sail with them, Usopp?” Kaya asked as they waved goodbye to the trio of Adventurers.

“Yeah, I want to make sure you get better first, Kaya.” Usopp smiled brightly at the blonde young woman.

“Thank you, Usopp.” Kaya blushed prettily as the two looked at each other nervously.

“Ah, to hell with it.” Usopp muttered after a moment before stepping forward and pulling Kaya into his arms for a kiss, which the blonde happily returned. Merry gaped at the scene wide-eyed for a long moment before he reacted.

“Usopp, you scoundrel! Unhand Lady Kaya this instant!" Merry demanded as he pointed at the liar.

“Ish fine.” Kaya mumbled through the lip lock as she waved her butler off.

-On the Going Merry-

“This ship is bigger than I thought.” Zoro commented as the crew of three explored their new ship. The sails were filled by the breeze and the ship would remain on course thanks to Luffy’s copies manning the rigging.

“I’ll say.” Nami chirped happily. The women’s quarters, previously used for the female servants of Kaya’s family, had six beds, wardrobes, vanities, and even a large table to place things on. There was plenty of space for a few more female crewmates besides Nami.

“What’re these things?” Luffy asked as he pulled on a wooden thing on the wall.

“That’s an accordion wall.” Nami stated as she moved over and grabbed the handle. With a pull the wooden panels moved away from the wall and along the track built into the ceiling. When the wall was fully extended it completely cut off one of the bed, wardrobe, and vanity sets from the rest of the large room.

“Cool!” Luffy exclaimed as he watched Nami pull the other walls closed around the room, making one large room into many smaller ones.

“I’m sure the men’s quarters have something similar. Merry did say that the late Master spared no expense when having this ship built.” Nami mused. It turned out that she was right; the men’s quarters did in fact have a similar set up. Same number of beds and everything.

The tour of the ship led them to find the water-drawing machines under both sets of stairs leading up from the main deck to the upper deck. The pedal-powered machines would suck up ocean water and force it through a filter that removed salt, particulates, and even bacteria. Nami grimaced knowing that they’d have to supply replacement filters over time. Sure, they weren’t incredibly expensive, but the small things added up! Thankfully they had a few dozen replacements already provided by Kaya’s stocking of the ship.

Luffy had been star-eyed throughout the tour, from the crew’s quarters, to the decks, the holds and the cannon decks. But what they found in the back of the kitchen/lounge/helm cabin made him chuckle. A large generator, also pedal-powered like the water drawers, and hooked up to an array of batteries that provided the power to the electric lights and fans that the three had noticed throughout the ship. Not to mention the large refrigerator that stood against the wall not far from the power supply.

“I wondered where the electricity was coming from.” Luffy chuckled as he looked over the set up. “We can take turns powering it, or I can have a copy do it. Shishishishi.” Zoro and Nami both shrugged at Luffy’s plan, but they were grateful to have the conveniences provided by having electricity on board. Nami was especially fond of the electric hot water heater that went to the shower and bath. A warm shower and bath everyday would be like heaven while sailing!

The last stop of the tour had been the Captain’s Quarters, formerly Kaya’s parent’s room on board the Going Merry. The room was large and housed a king-size bed, a desk on one wall, a large wardrobe, and even had its own full bathroom taking up one of the corners. Luffy had laughed himself silly as he launched himself onto the large bed and bounced on the quality mattress and soft sheets. With the tour over Zoro and Nami went to pick out their own beds in their respective quarters. After everyone was settled in, booze was brought out and the crew of three celebrated finally having a ship of their own. The small crew eventually started chatting about what they needed for the future.

“We need a cook.” Luffy nodded. He received looks of agreement from both Nami and Zoro.

“I know the basics, but that won’t be enough if we plan to sail the Grand Line.” Nami mentioned. “We need a true professional or we could die of malnutrition, food poisoning, or any other number of things related to food.”

“A cook is indispensable for long voyages. But where do we find a professional cook that can handle the ‘Adventurer’ life?” Zoro questioned, only to get blank looks from his two crewmates.

“That’s going to be the problem.” Nami sighed before sipping her drink.

“We’ll figure something out.” Luffy shrugged before smiling at them both. “But now it’s time for training!”

“What training?” Nami tilted her head slightly.

“We have to be strong to sail the Grand Line, right?” Luffy looked at his Navigator with a smile. “So, we need to train and get stronger.”

“I like the way you think, Luffy.” Zoro agreed as he stood up.

“That makes sense,” Nami admitted as she followed after Luffy. “I still need help with my Devil Fruit too.”

“We’ll work on it together.” Luffy promised and Nami gave him a beautiful smile.

“So, what do you plan to start with?” Zoro questioned his Captain curiously. Luffy was incredibly strong and he performed crazy feats even without tapping into his Devil Fruit.

“I’ll just start you two off with what my grandpa called a light workout.” Luffy waved it off as no big deal. “Then we’ll build up from there.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Nami shrugged as she started to stretch a bit.

“As long as it’s not too light.” Zoro shook his head and rolled his shoulder.

They would both come to understand that what a member of the Monkey D. Family considered ‘light’ was not the same as a normal human being.

Luffy would simply laugh at his worn out nakama.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Reward collected and Merry has been acquired! Woohoo!

You may notice some similarities in the modified Merry here and in Logia Brothers. It is simply how I imagine a bigger and more ‘Rich Person’ version of the ship.

Usopp stayed behind with Kaya! Canon has been shattered!

But…that does open up the idea that perhaps this Crew will have new faces on it! Perhaps some familiar ones! And perhaps some fan favorite ladies in the future? *Hehehehehe~*

Nami is already making moves on Luffy! Naughty Navigator she is!

How will the rest of East Blue go now that I’ve deviated further?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, later!

Comments

Tristan McKenzie O'Meara

I'm a little disappointed that Usopp didn't join, but that leaves options open at the very least.

Michael Mendoza

This chapter was awesome. Thanks for the story!

Kairomaru

Sexy options~! *hehehehehe~* Still give Usopp the woman he loves, of course. I'm not gonna leave him high and dry. But yeah, gotta change things up a bit. New nakama for this trip here and there. Some familiar faces mixed with some of the fan-favorite lovely ladies.

Kairomaru

Glad you enjoyed it! Things are gonna keep changing here and there throughout the story! Look forward to it!

Clark Kent

Thanks for the chapter! I love the fact that Usopp stayed behind. It's already so different there's no reason to be chained to canon events.

Kairomaru

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the change! You've got to change things up in a story where Luffy isn't even a Pirate, I feel. Look forward to future chapters!

TheMedia_Ghost

I fucking called it, Ussop didnt join! Ussop admiration for his father as him being a pirate always(unless you change what he does). I'm really excited to see the new crew members that will join.

Nexue R

I'm liking this story so far, thank you for the chapter, you should make the book about Sun Wukong a east blue story, so not everyone knows luffys powers, but still can have people that have been there and know about it, will make it fun for when random people have heard of it

Anonymous

Amazing story keep it up but could you upload more often

dudeitschill

As usual this was a very satisfying read with some nice heat thrown in interrelating choice to leave ussop behind look forward to seeing who you use to replace him as the crews gunner / distance fighter

DarkPirateKing

Usopp needs to be careful so that he doesn't poke Kaya's eyes with his nose when kissing.

sebastian contreras acuña

I do not know if you have read in ffn stallion of the line, they have the concept where ussop does not join the crew and the position of gunner is occupied by laki (from the island of the sky) and it is an interesting idea to follow if you are interested in various use of dials and seeing that she follows a similar line as inventor of the tribe Beyond that was great chapter as always something expected of you kairo

Kairomaru

I upload as often as I can. usually between 10 and 12 updates a month already. I'm only one person, I can't really do much more.

Kairomaru

Yeah, I have some plans for the future that I'm sure no one is going to see coming. Look forward to them! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Kairomaru

I've heard of Stallion of the Line, but since it's a crossover I've never read it. I'm just not a fan of crossovers. I've got some thoughts on a long-distance fighter, but you'll all have to wait and see. Thank you for the praise, I appreciate it so much!

Anonymous

With Usopp not joining the Strawhats, I wonder who is going to join them...makes me wonder if Robin will be able to join, since she has a bounty of 89 million beris

Ant Franklin

“LIGHT WORKOUT” Nami finna die

Kairomaru

It's light for a member of the Monkey D. Family! She'll get used to it by the time she marries in! lol

Synben28

"Usopp looked wearily at the Navigator." This is probably THE most common misunderstanding I see in web fics. wearily = tiredly ; warily = cautiously/suspiciously. You want the latter here. On a more amusing note, with him constantly pulling his hairs out I can't help but imagine a prematurely balding Luffy, lol