Chapter 003: Cutty Flam [New Book – Please Add to Library, Send Flowers!]
"Are you sure this newspaper will sell?"
Luke slammed the paper down on the table angrily.
Duranda chuckled and reassured him, "Relax. Take a look at page two. Read it, and then talk."
"Hmph! I'll take a look then. What kind of childish thing could possibly be worth reading?"
Luke flipped to the second page. Hmph! What's so special about this? It's just a comic strip slapped onto a newspaper.
Ten minutes later...
"Luke? Luke? Finished reading? What do you think?"
Duranda nudged Luke, who looked like he had turned to stone.
"Huh? What? What do I think?" Luke snapped out of his daze.
"The manga! What do you think? Do you think printing a thousand copies is enough?"
Duranda asked.
"A thousand copies?" Luke hesitated. After all, Lucky Star Weekly had never sold a thousand copies before.
"Just get the papers to the newsstands first. If it doesn't work this time, we'll try again. I believe with Doraemon, our paper will definitely make a comeback!"
Duranda said with firm conviction.
"Alright, then I'll go deliver them. Wait for the good news!"
Luke loaded the papers onto his small tricycle and pedaled off. Duranda looked at James beside him and told him to head home and draw as many backup chapters as possible. They'd definitely need them soon.
---
After parting ways with Duranda, James strolled around Water 7 with the Berries in his pocket.
Water 7 was famously known as the city of cuisine, filled with seafood from the four seas. Many rare fish could only be found here. In the original story, when Luffy and the gang arrived in Water 7, Oda dedicated a whole arc just to showcase its gourmet delights—showing how impressive the place really was.
Now that James had money, he wasn't about to keep eating bread like he had the past few days. As for Duranda pushing him to draw more pages—what a joke! James thought smugly:
Just the fact that I'm not slacking off is already generous. And you expect me to update more? I'm not one of those nobodies with zero fans!
Feeling proud of himself, his mood brightened. Suddenly, he heard a commotion in the distance!
"Stop right there, you little brat!"
James looked up and saw a blue-haired boy running desperately with a model sailboat in his arms, while a middle-aged man chased him, full of rage. Finally, the man pounced and tackled the boy to the ground.
"You little thief!"
The man pinned the blue-haired boy down. A crowd began to form, and soon two Water 7 police officers arrived.
"What's going on? You again, Flam?"
One officer recognized the boy immediately, sighing with a face that said I just can't deal with you.
James also recognized him. Isn't this Franky?
Wait, wasn't he called Cutty Flam back then?
"Hehe, Officer Robusta."
The blue-haired boy grinned, clearly no stranger to run-ins with the law, and waved casually at Robusta.
"What's the situation?"
Robusta asked. Flam was one of the key individuals the organization was monitoring—one of Tom the Fishman's two apprentices. It was very likely he held secrets about the Pluton blueprints.
"Officer Robusta! This sailboat is made from the crown wood of a South Pepper Tree!"
Flam shouted.
"So what? That gives you the right to steal it?"
Robusta asked.
"Exactly! Officer, arrest him! This brat ran into my shop and took the model without paying! He's a thief! A pirate!"
The middle-aged man raged and accused wildly.
"A grown man like you throwing around accusations at a kid?"
Robusta glared. The shopkeeper shrank back half a step, intimidated.
"So? What about the wood?"
Robusta asked again.
"The crown of the South Pepper Tree is exposed to intense sunlight year-round. To allow the peppers beneath it to grow, the crown absorbs massive amounts of heat toxins from the sun—the kind that gives us sunburns. That means the crown wood is toxic and shouldn't be used to make furniture or toys! Prolonged contact can cause an infection from the heat toxins. It's not fatal, but it's hard to detect and treat. Even if cured, as long as this toxic wood remains at home, it can cause recurring issues!"
"I told this uncle about it, but he didn't listen! He even kicked me out!"
"So you just ran off with it?"
Robusta asked.
"That's right! From his reaction, I could tell he knew the truth. I was afraid that if I left to report him, he'd hide the model. So I grabbed it and ran straight into your patrol zone—hoping you'd notice!"
Flam finished, looking resigned, as if to say, I've said my piece. Do what you want now.
"This seems easy to settle!"
A voice rang out from the crowd. Everyone turned to look.
A blond-haired boy stepped out and walked up to Flam, stretching out his hand to help him up.
"You can't just sit on the ground like that!"
"Oh!"
Flam took the hand, stood up, and patted the dust off his pants.
"I'm James—Waffle James. I believe what you said."
James looked at Flam. This kid is still a dreamer, eager to learn shipbuilding from Tom. He hasn't yet become a bad boy—or an underwear-loving weirdo. He's got a real dream!
"You brat! Who are you? Stay out of this!"
The middle-aged man growled with hostility.
"Officer, would that count as a threat?"
James instantly switched into drama-king mode, pretending to be terrified and hid behind Officer Robusta. The crowd's anger suddenly turned toward the shopkeeper.
People in the One Piece world really are simple and honest, huh? Just a little performance and everyone sides with me.
"Sigh… So what now? Do we all go sit in the station for a couple days, or do we settle this right here?"
Robusta looked at the shopkeeper.
Clearly, the shopkeeper realized Robusta already knew the truth. He slapped his forehead in frustration.
"You two little punks, you better not cross me again!"
He grumbled and tried to push his way through the crowd to leave.
Huh? This guy still doesn't get it? Still daring to threaten me?
James raised his head and looked at Robusta.
"Officer, isn't it illegal to sell dangerous toys like that? Are Water 7's laws really that lax?"
Robusta was stunned for a second. In this world, most things could be settled privately. People like that model shop owner were used to it. But now that someone pointed it out—selling toxic toys was dangerous. It couldn't just be brushed aside.
"You're right. Hey! You—don't go anywhere. Come with me to the station."
---
10 Energy Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Five-Star Ratings = 1 Extra Chapter