"Charles, can you handle the two of them?" I asked calmly, crossing my arms and deliberately letting the situation unfold.
Charles tensed immediately. His fingers instinctively tightened around the strap of his video Den Den Mushi.
"I'm not really a fighter…" he replied, pointing at the device as if that were a valid argument.
Usopp let out a small nervous laugh.
"Don't be such a wimp, man. You've seriously improved."
Beside him, Kaya was practically trembling with impatience. Usopp had to physically hold her back by the shoulders as she tried to launch herself at Hugh and Wade.
"I want to test their immortality!" she whined, her eyes gleaming with far too much enthusiasm.
Across from us, Hugh growled, the veins in his neck bulging.
"Are you mocking us?!"
His steel claws flashed in the sunlight as he charged forward with animalistic brutality. Wade followed in deadly silence, drawing both katanas in one fluid motion.
Their strategy was clear: Hugh would tank, Wade would execute.
Charles took a deep breath.
Then he stood.
His mace—born from Machvise's Heartless—hung in his right hand. The weapon looked almost light. Almost harmless.
Confident, Hugh raised his guard to block. His claws crossed in front of his chest, ready to absorb the blow and create an opening for Wade.
Wade was already pivoting to the flank, prepared to pierce Charles the instant Hugh stopped the strike.
A perfectly rehearsed plan.
In Charles's mind, a voice echoed.
Heroic Strike.
The name he had given the technique.
He swung the mace in a wide horizontal arc.
The air vibrated.
The moment Hugh crossed his claws to parry, he felt something was wrong.
The mace—light just an instant before—became crushingly heavy.
One ton.
The pressure fell like a divine hammer.
The steel claws bent with a metallic crack. The bones in his forearms followed with a sickening snap. The force continued through, crushing his torso, compressing his lungs in a strangled gasp.
"GAAH—"
Hugh's massive body was launched backward.
Wade, already committed to his attack trajectory, had no time to evade. Hugh collided into his own katanas, the blades partially piercing his torso in a spray of blood.
The combined impact sent both men flying several meters, rolling violently across the cobblestones before crashing into a building façade.
A stunned silence fell over the street.
Charles remained still, mace lowered, shoulders trembling slightly.
He had shattered the defense of a man rumored to be immortal in a single blow.
Behind him, Usopp let out an impressed whistle.
Kaya puffed her cheeks in frustration.
"I wanted to cut them up myself…"
"Cough… cough…"
Wade yanked the katanas from his captain's torso in a sharp motion. Blood still flowed—but before our eyes, the wounds began to close. Flesh twitched and reformed. Broken bones realigned with a wet crack.
Hugh slowly rose to his feet, his twisted arms snapping back into place with a nauseating sound.
"You've eaten a Devil Fruit too…" he growled at Charles. "It's rare someone breaks my arms in one hit."
Charles said nothing, but I could feel the tension in his shoulders.
Beside me, Kaya raised her hand like an eager student.
"Can I play now?"
I narrowed my eyes and activated my perception. Hugh and Wade's hearts glowed a deep crimson, saturated with darkness. They had killed.
A lot.
Too much.
There was no need for mercy here.
"I have a better idea," I replied calmly. "You still need to practice your medical skills. And those two seem perfect for that."
Kaya's smile widened in a way that made several bystanders shudder.
"Training material…"
I stood up and placed a hand on Charles's shoulder.
"Well done. Don't forget—you're part of the Straw Hat Pirates. We don't hesitate to defend ourselves. Or our crewmates."
He took a deep breath, visibly proud despite himself.
Meanwhile, Hugh and Wade had already regained their fighting stances.
Wade spun his blades.
"You want to fight now? We'll carve you up… then play with the girl."
His voice was sticky with provocation.
I sighed softly.
"That seems… unlikely."
Before they could even begin to move, the ground beneath their feet froze instantly. Ice surged upward in a fraction of a second, encasing them up to the neck. Their muscles locked. Their breath turned into white vapor.
Two frozen statues—still conscious.
I conjured an ice cart behind me and tipped them onto it without effort.
"Let's go."
Usopp, Kaya, and Charles joined me after paying for the meal and thanking the waiter, who was still struggling to process what he had just witnessed.
Around us, the crowd murmured in shock.
"That's… that's the vice-captain of the Straw Hats! Heartless D. Jordan! Eighty million Berries bounty!"
A man was waving three freshly distributed wanted posters.
"And over there! Sniper King Usopp! And Scarlet Rabbit Kaya! Seventeen million each!"
More eyes turned toward us. The whispers grew excited.
"And the last one?" someone asked, pointing at Charles. "He doesn't have a poster? Did you see how he sent those two flying? Don't tell me he's a rookie…"
"No idea…" the other replied, taking a step back. "But I'm reporting this to the Marine relay immediately."
He turned on his heel and ran toward the local office.
Behind him, the townspeople watched the two "immortal" pirates being hauled away like ordinary cargo.
On Nami's side, with Kazuki, Sanji, Zoro, and Kuina
"He'll see tonight. I won't show any mercy. He'll serve me until exhaustion," Nami growled—though not quietly enough for Zoro and Sanji not to hear. Both of them began silently praying for their vice-captain.
Sanji instinctively lit a cigarette, then stopped when he noticed Kazuki's look and slipped it back into his pocket.
"May the seas be merciful to him…" he murmured dramatically.
Zoro, arms crossed, glanced toward the market stalls.
"He teased her. I think he already expects it."
Kazuki and Kuina exchanged a knowing smile before teasing Nami.
"You know you don't have to watch every single Berry like that anymore," Kazuki said gently. "We're not in Cocoyashi anymore."
Nami's gaze darkened for a brief second. She took a slow breath.
"It's a habit…" she admitted. "When you've spent years counting every coin to save an entire village… it doesn't disappear overnight."
Kuina placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We understand. But now you don't have to carry that weight alone. Let your boyfriend pamper you a little."
Nami nodded, then regained her usual energy and pointed at a vegetable stand.
"Alright then. Sanji, Kazuki—what are we prioritizing for food?"
Sanji straightened immediately, slipping back into professional mode.
"We'll stock up on meat. With Luffy's appetite and our post-training consumption, that's what goes fastest. Even if we can count on Jordan to bring back fish or Sea King meat, I prefer a solid and varied supply. Poultry, beef, maybe some lamb if we find good quality."
He was already mentally planning recipes.
Kazuki nodded.
"We also need to restock spices. North Blue might have varieties we don't know. And I'd like us to think about diversifying crops on the Merry."
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that a bit unnecessary? Jordan can literally go anywhere to get vegetables or fruit."
Nami immediately shook her head.
"Not necessarily. We've never tested that in the open sea. If he leaves and we drift in the meantime, he could come back to the wrong place."
She crossed her arms.
"And most importantly, we're not sending the vice-captain to play errand boy when we can just grow a few more crops on the ship."
Sanji gave an amused smile.
"I completely approve of that philosophy."
Nami continued confidently:
"We already have the tangerine trees. We can add aromatic herbs, maybe some fast-growing vegetables. Merry can maintain a stable microclimate. With a bit of organization, we can make the ship almost self-sufficient."
Zoro leaned back slightly under the intensity of her tone, but nodded with respect.
She was right.
Even if Jordan could cross miles in an instant, treating him like a simple supply runner would be absurd. Being kind isn't the same as being submissive.
Kazuki was already excited by the idea.
"We could create a small hanging garden near the stern."
"And modular planters near the kitchen," Sanji added.
Nami smiled, her natural spark returning.
"Perfect. Then we'll buy what we need to plant as well. We won't depend on anyone."
Their trip through the market went smoothly. No reckless pirates, no bounty hunters lying in wait. Just merchants, colorful stalls, and the scent of fresh North Blue produce.
But while the group had no trouble… some vendors did not survive the negotiations unscathed.
Nami moved from stall to stall with a perfectly controlled smile. She inspected the meat, weighed spice bags, assessed the freshness of vegetables with a single glance.
"Too expensive."
The merchant tried to protest.
"Miss, this is the highest quality—"
"Your competitors two streets over sell the same batch for fifteen percent less."
He paled.
Sanji, impressed, crossed his arms in silence.
Kazuki nodded, admiring.
Zoro watched the scene like he was witnessing a public execution.
In less than an hour, Nami had secured discounts so aggressive that several vendors looked on the verge of tears.
"But… I'll be selling at a loss…"
"At cost price," Nami corrected gently. "You'll gain higher sales volume in the long run."
She gave him a wink.
The merchant signed, nearly trembling.
Zoro leaned toward Kuina.
"Please… never let me negotiate with her."
Kuina let out a small laugh.
"You'd survive a duel against ten pirates… but not five minutes against Nami."
Despite the teasing, she was genuinely impressed. The navigator didn't just wield maps and magic—she dominated economics with surgical precision.
With their crates filled, the group headed back toward the port.
When they arrived at the dock, the sight surprised them.
Several dark silhouettes stood around the Vogue Merry. Animal shapes—crows, felines, crawling sea creatures—remained perfectly still like sentinels.
Merry, sitting on the railing, waved enthusiastically.
"You're back!"
Nami placed her hands on her hips.
"Everything alright?"
Merry nodded seriously.
"Yes. Several people tried to board. But now…" she pointed at the shadows. "They're guards for us."
Zoro observed the motionless Heartless.
"They tried to steal the ship?"
"Three different groups," Merry replied. "But they weren't nice."
Sanji frowned slightly.
"Jordan?"
Merry shook her head.
"No. Me and the sentinels he left behind."
They began storing the provisions along with the equipment Jordan had brought earlier. Then they saw his group approaching with their two ice statues. After placing the frozen pair in Kaya's medical room—still encased in ice—they heard explosions coming from the city.
Earlier, on another busy street in Spider Miles…
"Luffy, the bookstore is here!!" Koby shouted, grabbing his captain's arm before he could veer off toward a grill stand where the mouthwatering smell of roasted meat filled the air.
Luffy was already craning his neck in the opposite direction.
"But I'm hungry…" he whined, allowing himself to be dragged along.
Elise sighed softly.
"Luffy, the others went to get food. Wait until we get back to the ship."
He slowed down, but his eyes remained locked on the skewers sizzling over open flames.
Koby then gave a small calculating smile.
"Looks like Merry will be sad when she finds out Luffy chose food instead of buying books to read to her."
Luffy froze instantly.
Elise pressed the advantage with mock drama.
"Yes… she might even cry, thinking the captain finds her less important than his stomach."
"No!" Luffy protested immediately, clearly affected. "Merry is our crewmate! I'm sorry!"
He straightened his shoulders and marched decisively into the bookstore.
Inside, the air smelled of old paper and fresh ink. Wooden shelves stretched up to the ceiling, packed with volumes of all kinds: navigation, history, science, travelogues.
Koby quickly began browsing the specialized sections.
"Here! Advanced navigation, North Blue currents, marine meteorology…"
Elise carefully selected more technical works.
"This one on celestial cartography might interest Nami… and this one on trade routes."
Luffy stopped in front of a section labeled "Stories and Legends."
"Oh! Look!"
They eventually left with several specialized books and three historical volumes:
— one about the "liar" Montblanc Noland,— another dedicated to the giants of Elbaf,— and a final one about Fish-Man Island.
Koby carefully counted the money.
"We can only buy this much, but we've got everything we need."
He then handed five hundred Berries to Luffy.
"Captain, you can get some skewers with this."
Luffy's face lit up.
"Thanks, Koby!"
A few minutes later, he returned with steaming skewers, generously sharing them with Elise and Koby, chewing with almost childlike happiness.
That was when a firm voice cut through the air.
"Halt, Straw Hat Pirates! I arrest you in the name of the Marines!"
The three turned around.
A slender young woman with long blonde hair stepped forward confidently. She wore a large pink hat adorned with a white "M" on the front. A small seagull figurine and two green flowers decorated the left side of the hat. Her pink camouflage dress contrasted with matching gloves, while a navy-blue coat trimmed in white flowed behind her.
Her gaze was sharp and determined.
Behind her, a regiment of Marine soldiers quickly deployed, surrounding the street with discipline.
"I am Rear Admiral Kujaku of Marine Headquarters," she declared clearly. "And I order you to surrender immediately."
Kujaku had received an anonymous tip reporting the presence of the Straw Hats on Spider Miles. She had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip away.
Luffy swallowed the last bite of his skewer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand… then grinned widely.
"Huh? Did we already do something?"
(Author's note: And yes, Cliffhanger no Jutsu strikes again. Sorry for the delayed release. It'll generally be every other Saturday, and Sunday at worst.)