Daily Life

At dawn, the sun had just risen from the horizon. Nami watched its boundless radiance and lazily stretched.

After getting dressed, Nami stepped outside and headed for the room next door.

With one powerful kick, Nami shouted, "Get up, all of you!"

Inside the cabin, the five members of the Straw Hat Pirates were sleeping soundly in all sorts of strange, sprawled-out positions.

Luffy lay on his back in a hammock, his head drooping over the edge. Beneath him, Aaron lay curled on his side like a baby. On the other side, Roronoa Zoro leaned against a chair, hugging his swords with his head lowered as he snored. And over there... Sanji and Usopp were hugging each other on a bed.

"Zoro... don't steal my meat... Aaron, help me take it back!" Luffy suddenly stretched out his arms and roared.

"Okay, Luffy!" Aaron answered firmly.

"Idiot, why would I steal your meat? Hey, Aaron, get the sake out for me," Zoro cursed with his eyes still closed.

"Oh, okay!" Aaron replied.

"That sake is for cooking! Don't you dare sneak a drink!" Sanji swore, then said in a lecherous voice, "That lady in the distance is pretty cute! Aaron, deliver this dish for me. I'm going to chat with that lady~"

"Okay..." Aaron said awkwardly.

"Oh, oh, oh! It's here! Super huge running meat! Aaaah!" Usopp suddenly screamed. "Aaron, run!"

"Usopp, don't pull me! I still have to deliver the food!" Aaron shouted.

"What? Huge meat? Where?" Luffy suddenly cried out, practically drooling.

"Perfect timing. I'll cut it down with one slash!" Zoro sneered, about to draw his sword.

"Get out of here!" Sanji suddenly kicked Usopp off the bed. "Why did that beautiful lady turn into huge meat?!"

Sanji's kick woke Usopp. His eyes flew wide open as he shot straight toward Zoro, smashing into him and slamming him against the chair with a loud crash.

"What's happening? What's happening?" The loud noise startled Aaron awake as well. He sat bolt upright and looked around in panic.

That sudden movement happened to knock Luffy sideways, making him slide down unconsciously and land on top of Sanji...

Watching the chaotic scene, Nami rubbed her forehead. "Honestly, it's always like this... And why are your sleep-talking conversations actually lining up?!"

"Mm... I think I dreamed about Luffy and the others..." Aaron shook his head and yawned.

Nami rolled her eyes when she heard that. "Yeah, yeah, they dreamed about you too. Enough chatter. Get up right now. We're raising anchor soon!" With that, she shut the door and left without looking back.

"Ah~ Even decisive Nami is so beautiful!" Sanji moaned, hearts in his eyes.

"But I really think I dreamed about them..." Aaron scratched his head, feeling like something was off. "Well, forget it. No point thinking about things I don't understand. Time to get up!"

Yep, tossing incomprehensible matters to the back of his mind had always been one of Aaron's finest virtues.

At first light, the Straw Hat crew had already gotten moving.

"Pull up the anchor!" Luffy shouted as he pushed the windlass with all his strength, hauling the anchor chain aboard bit by bit.

Zoro stood by the railing and secured the anchor to it.

"Raise the sails! Straight ahead, destination: the Grand Line! Full speed ahead!" At Luffy's shout, Aaron and Usopp untied the ropes and released the canvas. The sea wind surged, filling the sails.

"Hey, hey! Aaron, stop shaking around!" Usopp said in a trembling voice as he felt the mast constantly swaying.

"Huh? But I haven't moved..." Aaron said, baffled. He looked over. "Usopp, your legs are shaking."

"Ah... Anyway! Aaron, just walk slower!" Usopp coughed and said righteously.

"Oh..." Aaron agreed. "Then I won't walk. Usopp, you go first."

"N-No, it's fine if we go together... Aaron, what are you doing?!" Usopp was starting to feel embarrassed by Aaron's response.

But before he could finish, Usopp saw Aaron turn around, bend his knees slightly, and take on a pose like he was ready to spring. He shouted in shock.

"Of course I'm jumping down," Aaron said as if it were obvious. Then he swung his arms, his legs coiling like springs, and flipped backward.

It appeared! The long-lost Leap of Faith!

"Hey, hey! It's ten meters from here to the deck! Hey! Aaron!" Usopp shouted down. "Ugh... it's so high. I should climb down first." As he spoke, he inched his way toward the crow's nest.

"Waaah~~" Aaron yelled happily as he fell downward with his limbs spread wide.

"Sanji! Breakfast, breakfast!" Luffy rushed onto the deck and shouted.

"Wait a minute! It'll be ready soon!" Sanji called from the kitchen.

"Hurry up!" Before his words had even faded, Aaron screamed as he fell from above and landed beside Luffy.

"Oh! Aaron, what were you doing?! That looked so cool!" Luffy said, stars in his eyes.

"Mm-hmm! It was really fun!" Aaron stood up completely unharmed, dusting himself off with great excitement.

"Really? Take me with you next time!"

"Okay! We'll do it together next time!"

"Seriously... are those two monsters?" Usopp climbed down from the mast and happened to hear Luffy and Aaron talking. He sighed. When will I become a brave warrior of the sea...?

"Hey, Zoro, come play hide-and-seek with us!" Luffy's next sentence immediately dragged Usopp back to reality. He quickly came over. "Hide-and-seek? Count me in, count me in! I'm amazing at finding people!"

"Are you idiots? What age do you think you are, playing a game like that? Pathetic!" Zoro cursed. "I'm going back to sleep until breakfast is ready." He started to leave.

"Mm... Is it because Mr. Zoro has no sense of direction that he can't play hide-and-seek?" Aaron tilted his head, thought for a moment, and asked uncertainly.

Screech!

Zoro came to an abrupt stop.

"What? Zoro has no sense of direction?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Back in Syrup Village, Mr. Zoro got lost in the forest..." Aaron said with certainty.

"Hahahaha! Who knew you had no sense of direction, Zoro? Hahahahaha!" Luffy and Usopp burst into laughter. The way they doubled over made them look unbearably punchable.

Zoro slowly turned around. His expression was as terrifying as an asura's, instantly silencing Luffy and Usopp. "You bastards... I'm going to chop you to pieces!" He grabbed Wado Ichimonji and charged at them.

"I'm not playing with you! Bastards!" Zoro felt like he was about to explode with rage.

By the cabin entrance, Nami leaned against the railing and watched Luffy and the others fool around, her gaze gentle.

"Nami, breakfast is ready," Sanji said with a smile. Then he looked down at Luffy and the others and shouted, "You brats! Food's ready!"

"Yeah!!" Luffy and the other two immediately sprinted toward the cabin.

"Stop right there! This isn't settled yet!" Zoro shouted furiously as he sped up in pursuit.

Everyone entered the kitchen one after another.

Ah, Usopp was dragged in by Zoro, who had him by the nose.

There was no helping it. Zoro couldn't catch Luffy, and he was too embarrassed to grab Aaron, so he could only take it out on Usopp~

Since ancient times, there had been an old saying.

The dining table was a battlefield!

And at the Straw Hats' table, this cruel law was displayed in all its glory!

"Hey, Luffy! That piece of meat is mine!" Usopp shouted.

"Mine, mine!" Luffy said indistinctly, stuffing the meat into his mouth.

"Seriously..." Usopp shot Luffy an unhappy look. Then he locked onto a fish and reached out with his chopsticks to pick it up.

"Luffy!" Then Luffy fully exploited the advantages of being a rubber man, stretching out his arm and hooking the fish into his own plate.

"Chomp chomp..." This time, Luffy did not even speak. He just lowered his head and devoured everything.

Usopp looked at the food on the table. With one sweep of Luffy's arm, an entire plate vanished into Luffy's other-dimensional mouth.

At this rate, I won't get full at all! Usopp screamed inwardly.

Then he looked at Zoro. Zoro was eating slowly, seemingly not worried at all that Luffy would try to steal his food.

But why was his left hand constantly resting on his sword hilt?

Uh... forget it. If even Luffy can't steal from him, I definitely can't. Usopp thought as he turned to look at Nami.

No, no! Stealing from Zoro would be fine. At worst, I'd get beaten up. But if I stole from Nami, I might not make it out alive today! Usopp frantically shook his head inwardly.

Aaron... Usopp turned toward Aaron, and his face immediately went green.

There was plenty of food piled in front of Aaron, enough to bury him beneath it, but Usopp had absolutely no desire to steal any of it.

Yep, that was right. It was all Aaron's special hamburgers...

"Mr. Usopp... do you want one?" Feeling Usopp's burning gaze, kind-hearted Aaron generously offered him a hamburger.

"Ah! Am I going to go hungry?!" Usopp covered his face with both hands and cried in despair.

"Are my hamburgers really that disgusting, you bastard?!" Aaron felt like he was about to explode.

On the deck, the Straw Hats sat cross-legged in a circle, staring down at a nautical chart.

"We're approaching the Grand Line now, but it's a little strange. It seems like the Grand Line can only be entered through Reverse Mountain."

"What a pain. Can't we just enter from the sea?" Zoro said as he leaned against the railing.

"Um..." Aaron wanted to say something.

"No. According to the old man, ships can only enter from there," Sanji cut in before he could speak.

"Huh? Why?" Usopp asked.

"Because it's dangerous."

"So why is it dangerous?!"

"That's all I know!"

"Um..." Aaron tried to speak again.

"Fine! Then we'll go in from the front!" Luffy interrupted him again.

"But before that, let's go to that island and buy some meat!"

Nami covered her forehead. "Do you even know how dangerous it is?" Still, she pointed at an island near the Grand Line on the map. "There's a famous town on this island: Loguetown."

"Loguetown? What's that? Is it famous for meat?"

"It's also known as the Town of Beginnings and Ends," Zoro explained.

"It's the town where Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born," Nami said.

"The town where the Pirate King was born... and died," Luffy murmured.

"Want to go?" Nami asked Luffy with a smile.

"Yeah, I want to see it. The town where the man who obtained One Piece, the man who obtained everything in this world, was born and died." Luffy looked at Nami, his gaze distant.

"Um..." Aaron thought for a moment and decided to struggle one more time.

"Hm? Aaron, did you want to say something?" Nami finally noticed Aaron's voice.

"Actually, we don't have to sail over Reverse Mountain to enter the Grand Line... When I came to the East Blue, I entered through the Calm Belt," Aaron said.

"What?!" everyone cried.

"Aaron, don't joke around! The Calm Belt isn't just a place without wind. It's also the habitat of Sea Kings!" Nami argued righteously. To enter the Grand Line safely, she had done plenty of research.

"As long as your ship has a Seastone bottom, you can do it. The cruise ship I rode here had one," Aaron explained.

"Seastone? What is that? Where can we find it?" Nami asked.

"Uh... I'm not really sure. I only know that having it lets you enter the Calm Belt," Aaron said, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Then what was the point of saying all that? In the end, we still have to enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain, right?" Nami rolled her eyes.

Aaron scratched his head, thought for a moment, then looked at Nami and gave a foolish grin. "I guess it really wasn't useful..."

Everyone: "..."

"Alright, we'll go to Loguetown first to stock up on supplies, then enter the Grand Line," Nami finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. As a Three-Sword Style swordsman, I can't have only one sword." Zoro tightened his grip on Wado Ichimonji and smiled.

"I want to see if there are any fresh ingredients, too."

"I want to see if there are any useful materials, too," Sanji and Usopp said.

"I want to see if I can upgrade my bug-catching net again. The net is hard and tough enough now, but its elasticity is poor. If we run into jellyfish Sea Kings and I can't catch them, what am I supposed to do?" Aaron chimed in.

"Alright, destination: Loguetown! Let's go!" Luffy shouted.

"Yeah!"