Nami

White clouds drifted across the deep blue sky, and a small wooden boat floated on the calm, azure sea.

Luffy sat at the bow, while Zoro leaned against the railing.

"We'll need to find a navigator, too."

Lina lay on the deck, gazing listlessly at the sky as she said it lightly.

Luffy blinked. "What's a navigator?"

Zoro: "..."

"A navigator is someone who charts the course," Lina explained to Luffy.

"If we run into bad weather at sea, it can be dangerous. We need someone who understands navigation..."

It was a serious matter. The Grand Line's strange weather and shifting ocean conditions were impossible to predict.

Even in the East Blue, getting caught in a major storm meant almost certain death.

Even someone as powerful as Golden Lion couldn't stop the forces of nature.

A little while later, they suddenly heard someone shouting in the distance.

Speak of the devil.

They looked toward the sound and saw a small boat heading their way. An orange-haired girl was rowing for all she was worth.

A pirate ship flying a black cat flag was chasing her.

A huge black cat's head adorned the pirate ship's bow. A crowd of pirates stood on deck, shouting angrily at the little boat ahead.

"You bastard! You dare steal our treasure?"

"Catch her!"

The person being chased was Nami. After stealing a nautical chart from Buggy and leaving, she had happened upon the Black Cat Pirates at sea.

As a pirate thief, Nami couldn't resist sneaking aboard and stealing some treasure.

Just as she was about to slip away, she'd been spotted by accident.

"Why would anyone walk backward, you bastard?!" Nami cried in frustration.

She'd almost gotten away. She'd hidden in a corner, waiting for someone to pass so she could sneak off the ship behind them.

But the person had been walking backward!

Nami burst out of her hiding place and ran straight into him.

On the pirate ship, Jango heard Nami's angry shout and grinned smugly. "That's my dance move. Did it completely win you over?"

"Win me over? In your dreams!" Nami rowed as hard as she could.

Then she spotted a small boat ahead. Her heart leaped, and she shouted at the top of her lungs,

"Help!"

Was she asking for help? No, she was simply redirecting the trouble onto someone else.

"So, what do you say? Should we help?" Zoro asked Luffy.

Standing at the bow, Luffy looked at Nami calling for help, then at the pirates behind her. Suddenly, he grinned for no apparent reason.

"Everyone, get ready to fight!"

He grabbed the bow, stretched his arms behind him, and used himself as a slingshot, launching toward the Black Cat Pirates.

Zoro grabbed Luffy by the legs and went flying with him, while Lina stayed behind to guard the boat.

He'd already recognized Nami, and her boat was slowly drawing closer.

"BOOM!"

Luffy and Zoro slammed into the Black Cat Pirates like human cannonballs, knocking several pirates down as soon as they landed.

"Who are you?!"

"Are you in league with that thief?" The pirates surrounded them, raising guns and brandishing blades.

A stylishly dressed man wearing heart-shaped glasses stepped forward. Looking calmly at Luffy and Zoro, he said, "Who cares? We'll capture them first. Attack!"

"Yes, Captain Jango!"

At Jango's command, the pirates rushed forward in a frenzy, and the battle erupted on deck.

Ever since Kuro had faked his retirement three years ago, Jango had become the acting captain. Now that Kuro's plan was about to come to fruition, they were on their way to Syrup Village.

Then, halfway there, a thief had shown up and made off with most of their treasure. If they went to see Kuro like this, he'd skin them alive.

But Luffy and Zoro were nearly unstoppable in the East Blue, especially since the Black Cat Pirates had "lost" their captain, Kuro, three years ago.

The first few pirates charged at them, but before they could even see what had happened, they were sent flying.

"W-what just happened?"

"These two are no ordinary fighters! Everyone, attack together!"

The pirates' expressions turned grim as they all charged at once.

But when the gap in strength was so vast, numbers were no longer an advantage. The pirates surged forward in wave after wave, only to be driven back.

"...They're strong!"

Nami couldn't help exclaiming at the scene on the ship.

She'd only meant to redirect the trouble. At this rate, those two might wipe out the entire crew.

"Wow, that's a lot of money."

At some point, Lina had made her way onto Nami's boat.

He opened a bag lying on the deck. It was filled with glittering treasure.

Hearing a voice suddenly behind her, Nami jumped and spun around.

A blond man was crouching over the treasure she'd just stolen. Terrified, she rushed forward and snatched it away.

"Uh... well... thanks for saving me. I'm Nami. Nice to meet you."

Flustered, Nami hid the treasure behind her and changed the subject.

"You're getting ahead of yourself."

Lina expressionlessly held out an open palm, making a gesture for her to hand it over.

"Me! Pirate. Give me your stuff!"

"What?!"

Nami was shocked. There were three of them, and they had a small boat with no flag, so she'd dared to approach.

But they were pirates too!

Had she just jumped from the frying pan into the fire?

She pulled a three-section staff from her "Nami Valley," put it together into a long staff, and warily watched Lina.

He's alone. If I'm careful, I might be able to get the better of him.

Plop!

Two figures, one tall and one short, suddenly landed on the boat. Both wore gloves tipped with sharp cat claws. They were the Cat Brothers, Sam and Buchi.

"Kehehehe!"

Sam eyed them with a nasty grin. "You dare steal from our ship? Have you figured out how you want to die yet?"

Nami stared nervously at the two figures. A thought flashed through her mind, and she turned to Lina with a pitiful look. "Boss! They're the ones chasing me!"

Redirecting the trouble for the second time.

Lina glanced at Nami with interest. You little minx—you looked innocent enough, but you sure knew how to play the game.

He leisurely lit a cigarette and gave the Cat Brothers an amused look. "With a laugh like that, you won't live long, kid."

"What did you say?!"

Sam glared at Lina, his face darkening. He'd never met anyone who dared talk to them like that.

He stuck out his tongue and licked the claws on his hand, his eyes turning vicious.

"We're the Cat Brothers, with a bounty of seven million berries. From the sound of it, you want to take us on?"

"Tut, tut. Licking your claws? That'll shorten your life even more, pal," Lina mocked, tapping ash from his cigarette.

"SKREE—SKREE—"

A sharp, piercing noise rang out, and two figures emerged from the cabin of the boat.

One wore a long black coat. He had a ferocious face, with fangs bared, and a long blade jutting forward from his forehead as if it had pierced straight through. Two more blades extended from his hands.

The other wore a white shirt, gray-black slacks, a tie, and sneakers. He looked just like a young man in the prime of his youth.

Yet the sight of him filled the Cat Brothers and Nami with terror.

He was the source of that piercing noise. The things jutting from his hands and forehead...

Were three horrifying, monstrous chainsaws!

"What the hell is that?!"

Nami cried out and collapsed onto the ground. As she stared at the two demonic, terrifying figures, she trembled and backed away until she hit the railing, only then realizing where she was.

Gulp.

The Cat Brothers swallowed, their eyes wide with fear as they stared at the two figures. At that moment, they wished they were dead.

This wasn't even a question of whether they could win. They looked way too terrifying, especially those three snarling chainsaws.

If those things touch us, they'll turn us into a bloody mess. That was the only thought left in their minds.

Lina pulled the cigarette from his lips and ground it underfoot, then smiled warmly at the Cat Brothers.

"Let me introduce everyone. This is Little Knife, and this is Little Saw."

"You two brothers are the ones with a seven-million-berry bounty, right?"

"W-wait!"

Cold sweat poured down the Cat Brothers' foreheads. Trembling, they backed away as the two demons advanced, then cried out in terror:

"Don't come any closer!!!"