The Legendary She-Demon

Nami irritably took the apple out of her mouth and bit into it hard.

Only then did she look at the long-nosed boy across from her.

"Hey, Usopp, do you think we could buy a large ship in your village?

"We're heading to the Grand Line, and our current ship is far too small."

Beside her, Luffy kept chewing mouthfuls of meat and nodding repeatedly.

Hearing that, Usopp, who was holding a cup, froze. His eyes darted guiltily to the side, and he did not dare meet Nami's gaze.

"F-from what you can see, this is just an ordinary little village in the middle of nowhere. Where would we get a large ship?

"Unfortunately, I'll have to disappoint you..."

"Oh?"

Nami sharply caught the evasiveness in his eyes. The corners of her lips curled upward into a little devilish smile.

She leaned forward slightly. "You're lying, aren't you?"

"Ah! You saw through me!" Usopp nearly jumped out of his seat in fright, clapping both hands over his mouth as cold sweat poured down his face.

"Hmph, just as I thought." Nami proudly glanced at Victor beside her.

Zoro, seated by the window, turned his head and looked through it toward the lush green hill in the distance.

"There's a huge mansion on that hill... A place where rich people live should have a large ship, right?"

"Ah, you're right!"

Nami followed his gaze, and her eyes instantly lit up, as though countless Beli were waving at her.

She turned back to Usopp with a sweet smile.

"Hey, Usopp, it looks like you know the owner of that mansion quite well.

"Since you're friends, could you ask him to put up some money and sponsor us?"

"Pfft."

The moment she finished speaking, Victor mercilessly jabbed her with his elbow.

"What was that for?" Nami turned back in annoyance.

Victor spread his hands helplessly. "We have money now. We can just buy one directly."

"Huh? Saving even a little is still saving! You spendthrift vice-captain!" Nami was about to argue back.

"Ah! Absolutely not there!!"

At that moment, Usopp, who had been meek and hesitant all along, suddenly slammed his hands onto the table and sprang to his feet, shouting loudly.

Everyone was startled by his sudden reaction.

Realizing he had lost his composure, Usopp's expression changed.

Then his mouth fell open dramatically, and his eyes once again shifted stiffly into the distance.

"Ah... Come to think of it, I suddenly remembered I have something extremely important to do! Like... holding a meeting for my eighty million subordinates!"

Usopp scrambled to his feet from his seat.

"You guys eat and drink whatever you want. Captain Usopp is treating you to this meal! I'm leaving now, goodbye!"

With that, he hurried toward the door and vanished in a flash.

"Hey..."

Nami watched Usopp's retreating back in confusion, resting her chin on her hand as she pondered.

"He really does love lying...

"But judging by his reaction just now, he seems to know the owner of that mansion really well... Why was he in such a panic?"

"Boss! More meat!" Luffy shouted, raising his empty plate.

"Luffy!"

Meanwhile, outside the restaurant.

Three tiny figures were sneaking around by the wall, peeking inside and observing the situation.

They were the three "Marine Admirals" of the Usopp Pirates—Chinjao, Onion, and Carrot.

"Is this really the place?" Chinjao asked nervously in a low voice.

"That's right!" Onion adjusted his glasses with a certain look on his face. "I saw those pirates drag Captain Usopp inside with my own eyes!"

"We have to save him!" Carrot clenched his fists.

"But... those are real pirates! They're demons who kill without batting an eye!" Onion trembled slightly.

"Maybe... maybe they've already eaten Captain Usopp!"

"Idiot, Onion! The ones that eat people are those fang-toothed she-demons! Why would pirates eat people?"

Chinjao loudly retorted. To bolster his courage, he suddenly drew the wooden sword at his waist, his face filled with resolve.

"Gentlemen! This will be the most glorious battle since the Usopp Pirates were founded! To save our captain, charge!"

"Oh!!"

The three exchanged looks, then rushed forward with great momentum and shoved open the restaurant door.

Bang!

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!!"

The childish roars of the three echoed through the restaurant.

However, the fierce battle they had expected did not happen.

At the counter, the restaurant owner, who was reading a newspaper, merely gave them a lazy glance before lowering his head and continuing to read.

Luffy, who had been chewing huge mouthfuls of meat, stopped and looked toward the door with puffed-out cheeks.

"Ah, pirates," Luffy said indistinctly.

"Idiot, aren't they just children?" Nami remarked speechlessly.

The three little brats looked around and realized they could not see the familiar figure they were looking for. Their hearts immediately sank.

"Captain isn't here..."

The three gathered their courage and marched menacingly toward Luffy's table. Though their legs were still shaking, their eyes remained firm.

"Hey! Pirates! Where did you take our Captain Usopp?!"

"Where did we take him?"

Victor set down his teacup, wearing that harmless smile of his.

He raised a finger and smilingly pointed at the empty plates on the table, which Luffy had just licked spotless.

"Your captain... was right here a moment ago."

Nami looked at those empty plates and could not help letting out a snort of laughter.

Victor was not wrong. Usopp really had been here just moments earlier.

"Ah... What does that mean... Don't tell me..."

"Ah! Such delicious meat!"

Luffy cooperatively patted his round belly and let out a full burp, saying with a satisfied expression,

"The meat was so fresh... Your captain has already been eaten by us!"

"That's right."

Zoro, beside him, also set down his wine cup. He placed a hand on his sword hilt, and his expression instantly became dark and terrifying as he spoke in a low voice.

"Not even the bones were left."

"Ah!!! A she-demon!!"

The three little brats were instantly scared out of their wits. They huddled together, trembling violently.

Yet their terrified gazes all turned in unison toward—Nami.

"W-why are you all looking at me?!"

Veins bulged on Nami's forehead as she shouted furiously, "Do I look like a people-eating she-demon?!"

"This is all because of your nonsense!"

The more Nami thought about it, the angrier she became. She swung around and punched Victor hard in the side.

Bang!

"Huh? Why did you hit me? Luffy and Zoro were clearly the ones scaring them!" Victor clutched his head, looking utterly innocent.

"Because you've been irritating me lately!" Nami declared righteously.

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing Victor get the short end of the stick, Zoro and Luffy burst into cheerful laughter.

"Wah! Too scary!"

Watching these terrifying pirates laughing and yelling among themselves, the three little brats' legs gave out, and they collapsed onto the floor.

The scene shifted.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, everyone arrived at the surroundings of the luxurious mansion atop the hill, led by the three little brats.

Through the iron gates, they could see a huge, neatly trimmed garden and an imposing Western-style house.

"Hey, Victor, why did you give that owner so much money?!"

As they walked, Nami was still brooding over Victor's extravagance when he had paid the bill.

"That meal was worth at most a few thousand Beli, but you gave him fifty thousand outright! That was my... our money!"

Victor walked leisurely ahead with one hand in his pocket and said as though it were only natural,

"Hey, you let your true feelings slip. Besides, isn't money meant to be spent?"

"Even so, you gave him way too much! You spendthrift vice-captain!" Nami's heart ached so much she could barely breathe.

Chinjao, walking ahead, could not help laughing as he listened to them argue.

"So the eating people thing was just a joke. You scared me to death."

Luffy, meanwhile, was pressed against the iron fence, staring at the mansion before him with his mouth wide open in amazement.

"Wow!! Such a huge house! There must be lots of meat!"

"Hehe, since you said Captain disappeared, he must be here," Chinjao said with complete certainty.

"Hm? What would he be doing in a place like this?" Zoro asked in confusion. "This is a rich person's private residence, isn't it?"

Chinjao adjusted his glasses, a mysterious smile appearing on his face as he pointed at a window on the second floor of the mansion.

"Of course... he came here to swindle someone!"