"So, is it just three of us?" While walking toward the Sea, Zoro couldn't help but ask. He was holding two massive bags in his hands.
"Yes, but we will have more members in the future." Luffy nodded his head and answered. He was also holding two massive bags in his hands.
"Then, where is our ship?" Seeing no ship on the seashore, Zoro couldn't help but roll his eyes and ask.
"Hehe! You will be surprised by this for sure. Cathie, show him the ship." Luffy chuckled and looked at Cathie.
Cathie nodded her head, and upon reaching closer to the seashore, she took out the Weird Ship from her inventory.
"What?" Zoro was stunned when the ship appeared in front of them out of nowhere.
He looked at Cathie and asked.
"Are you a Devil Fruit user as well?"
"You can say it like that. I will tell you a secret, but let's enter the ship first." Cathie smiled and answered. She wasn't holding anything in her hands.
She quickly climbed the ladder and reached the deck of the ship. Zoro and Luffy also followed her quickly. After they reached there, they were about to set sail when suddenly, they heard a shout.
"Hey, wait, wait!"
Three of them turned their heads to the ground and saw a young girl with orange hair shouting at them.
Cathie was surprised to see this. From her memories, she knew that Nami wouldn't ask to join a pirate crew. So, why was she stopping them?
"What's the matter?" Luffy walked closer and shouted from the ship.
"I heard you say that you wanted to enter the Grandline. But do you have the Charts to enter the Grandline?" Nami shouted from the ground.
Hearing her words, Luffy, Zoro, and Cathie were stunned. They looked at each other and noticed that they didn't have a way to enter the Grandline.
Only then did Cathie remember Nami following them into the restaurant after Luffy single-handedly defeated Axe Hand Morgan.
'It seems like she found out that we are powerful, so she wanted to join us. I don't believe that she wants us to fight against Arlong. But I believe her true goal is to get the treasure from Buggy.'
Cathie thought to herself and looked to the side.
"Luffy, it seems like she might have a way for us to enter the Grandline. Why don't you invite her?"
Luffy's eyes sparkled, and he instantly turned around.
"Hey you, do you want to join my Crew?"
Although Nami hated pirates, she also didn't want to make any trouble. She quietly nodded her head and said.
"Although I don't have a map, I know a person who does. If we get the map from him, we can enter the Grandlind."
Luffy suddenly sensed something. He thought for a moment and shook his head.
"You clearly don't want to join us. If so, we will go by ourselves."
Nami was stunned on the ground. Although she didn't say yes, she clearly nodded her head. How could this boy know that she didn't want to join? But she also didn't want to make any trouble.
"Even if I don't join you, we can still form a partnership. Give me the treasure, and I will be your navigator. It's clear that you don't have a navigator."
While saying so, Nami turned her eyes to Cathie. She wasn't sure if Cathie was a navigator. It's just that her gut told her she wasn't.
"You are right. We don't have a navigator. But, unfortunately, we don't accept someone who isn't our crewmate." Cathie instantly rejected her before Luffy could agree.
Seeing this, Luffy decided not to speak. On the other hand, Nami was stunned. She didn't know how to respond now. They clearly don't have a navigator, but they still wanted to set sail without a navigator.
Nami bit her lip and said.
"If you don't get a navigator, you won't be able to travel in the sea. Who knows what kind of trouble you might get into?"
Cathie smiled and said.
"Indeed! Without a navigator, our journey might be harsh, but we'd rather not have a navigator who isn't even a part of our crew. My captain survived a storm at sea inside a barrel and ended up on a pirate ship."
"I don't believe that, with my captain's luck, we can't find a navigator before we enter the Grandline. After all, there might be some people who are willing to join us if we help them."
"For example, what if she wasn't willing to join a crew but was forced to? What if her family or her village was captured by a pirate? What if she had a dream to go around the world and draw a map of the world?"
"I believe we can find someone with even one of these conditions."
When she said that, Nami's blood froze for a moment. There was fear in her eyes as she looked at Cathie and asked.
"Who are you? How do you know all this?"
Cathie didn't give her the answer instead looked puzzled as she asked.
"What do you mean? I just said some of the situations that might occur in the sea. After all, this sea is filled with pirates. And most of the pirates love to burn and kill."
"And many people's lives are destroyed by them. Among them, it shouldn't be hard to find a person with navigation skills, right?"
At this moment, Nami's face was covered with hatred and fear. She was looking at Cathie with similar hatred and fear. Tears were falling from her eyes as she screamed.
"What do you know? You have never suffered such a situation. You know nothing about those people. You know nothing about what kind of situation they are going through. So, shut up!"
Seeing this situation, Luffy and Zoro decided not to speak. Both of them understood Cathie's intention.
"Is that so?"
Suddenly, Cathie stretched her arm and wrapped it around Nami. She pulled Nami into the ship and caught her before she fell on the deck.
"Yy-you?" Nami's mouth was wide open. Not only that, but even Luffy and Zoro had similar expressions.
"Cathie, how do you have my ability?" Luffy asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Hehe! Captain, didn't I tell you that I can get stronger through that? Of course, I get stronger by absorbing your strength." Cathie smiled as she answered.
Then, she put Nami down and crouched in front of her.
"You might not know, but this power is called Devil Fruit. They are the treasure of the sea. After eating a Devil Fruit, one can get extraordinary power but at the same time, they will also have the ability to swim."
"A Devil Fruit user can't exert his strength inside the sea. But there is another power that rules the Sea. In fact, while devil fruit might make someone strong, what truly makes them a powerhouse in the sea is Haki."
"And my Captain knows this. Zoro, do you mind cutting Luffy with the sword?"
"What?" Hearing her request, Zoro was stunned. But Luffy instantly understood her intention and nodded.
"Yes, Zoro! Try to cut me."
Zoro looked at Cathie and then looked at Luffy, asking.
"Are you sure? Your fruit seemed to be weak against sharp objects."
"Don't worry, I will use Haki." Luffy answered.
"Alright then"
Zoro nodded his head and unsheathed the sword.
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?" Nami still couldn't comprehend Haki, so when she saw Zoro attacking Luffy, she couldn't help but shout.
Ding!
But when Zoro's sword collided with Luffy's arm, it didn't even make him bleed. Instead, the sound of two metals colliding rang out. And a pitch-black arm appeared in front of Zoro and Nami's gaze.
"Is this Haki? Can you even block a sword cut with such ease?" Zoro stared at Luffy's arm with fighting intent and muttered.
Unlike him, Nami didn't speak but just glanced at Luffy's arm.
"This is the power of Armament Haki. In the Grand Line, countless people know Armament Haki, especially in the other half of the Grandline."
"With Luffy's strength, not to mention 20 million, even a hundred million Beli opponent can be defeated. Unlike Devil Fruit, Haki represents true strength, a symbol of a powerhouse."
"So, for us, saving a small village to get a talented Navigator isn't a big deal."
Hearing Cathie's words, Zoro and Luffy's lips suddenly twitched. Even Luffy, who was an idiot, could understand the meaning behind her words, not to mention Nami.
Nami clenched her fist, and there was some level of trust in her heart. But she looked at Cathie and asked.
"What if you are the same as those pirates? I will hate pirates the most."
"Indeed! But you don't have a choice, do you? Either become a marine or a pirate. Marines might be righteous, but when you reach the level of Vice-Admiral, you will feel so disgusted that even the pirates like them feel like good people."
"In the end, either you continue to live in the disgusted situation or become a pirate. If you want to achieve your dream, then you don't have a choice. No, I should say. You have a choice."
"And that choice is to believe in us."