Mihawk had remained seated aboard the Hitsugibune beside the low wooden docks for twenty minutes. It required no effort to track and observe Nami's lambent yellow silhouette across Orange Town, along with every member of the Buggy Pirates, Chouchou guarding his deceased master's Pet Food Shop, and the citizens hiding in their camp outside of the town. Nothing escaped his perception.
He'd been waiting for Luffy to intercept the fleeing thief by now, arriving via that large pink bird as in canon. But the rubber boy was nowhere to be seen across the skies in any direction.
Instead, Nami's silhouette leaned forward in desperate flight, one hand gripping something weighty slung over her shoulder.
Without Luffy and Zoro, Buggy would conquer this town facing no substantial resistance. And what of Zoro? Did he still await execution?
He refused to let these concerns consume him. After completing his business here, he would depart immediately for Shells Town.
This meant commandeering the Big Top as his next temporary vessel was no longer optimal.
Mihawk rose and focused on the three pursuing pirates, known as the 'Superhuman Domingos,' who would overtake her within thirty seconds.
The 'Cat Burglar's' desperate need for berries meant certain capture today without intervention.
Nami might've escaped them even without Luffy's original assistance. But his own interaction with her had altered the circumstances. For what else could be slung over her shoulder but stolen treasure?
Such a situation provided an ideal opportunity to test his speed. With all of Dracule Mihawk's expertise and knowledge inherited – from cooking, gardening, carpentry, navigation, and swordsmanship to his sublime Armament Haki and Observation Haki – he possessed a deep, fundamental understanding of each discipline. Yet beyond understanding, he yearned to experience all these newfound abilities firsthand rather than merely through memory.
One...
Mihawk began counting. He wondered how many seconds it would require to resolve Orange Town's troubles.
☠ ☠ ☠
"Stop! You can't escape!"
"Give up you thief!"
Nami's brown high-heeled boots struck the cobblestone street. On either side, she passed timber-framed buildings painted in various hues: purple, yellow, pink, green, and white.
Her breathing grew labored as perspiration beaded on her fair skin.
Almost there!
Ahead lay Orange Town's outskirts, leading into forested hills where she could break the line of sight and stand a chance of escaping.
She hadn't spotted a single resident, leading her to believe they must have fled the town for the hills. A darker alternative existed regarding their fate, but she refused to dwell on it. Maybe one resident had escaped with a small boat now resting on another shore of the Organ Islands.
Wishful thinking, she knew, but preferable to returning to that despicable man. She had no intention of stealing a villager's boat. She would leave treasure of equal value, however reluctantly. Pirates were fair game, but never innocents.
This wasn't how she'd planned today's events, but the opportunity proved too tempting. Not only had those idiots left the cabinet key in its lock with the map inside, but a treasure chest sat wide open nearby, filled to capacity. The same chest that was rightfully hers from the pirates she'd been waiting for at sea.
Nami tightened her grip on the treasure sack and ignored the fire in her lungs.
Would she make it? The voices sounded mere meters away, drawing closer with each shout.
Then the three pirates fell silent.
She turned back and froze. They had vanished without a trace.
Several seconds passed before she fully processed what she'd witnessed. Or rather, what she didn't witness. Nami smiled broadly. Fortune had favored her. She waited a few more breaths to ensure it wasn't a trap, then began sneaking back toward the docks where she'd arrived to claim that small boat.
No need to part with any of her potential berries now. Instead, she'd leave sufficient treasure to compensate for food and water from one of these abandoned homes before departing.
The weight on her shoulder served as a bitter reminder as she moved. Being discovered while filling this sack had limited her haul to half of what it should have been. Still, greater weight would have meant capture, and an incomplete heist was better than no heist at all.
No matter. She'd rob another pirate crew on her return to Cocoyasi Village. Every berry brought her closer to her goal: one hundred million berries. Nothing more, nothing less.
The price of their freedom.
☠ ☠ ☠
Mayor Boodle, an elderly man with round spectacles and wild gray hair that frizzed in every direction, embarked on another feeding trip to the Pet Food Shop.
Chouchou, that obstinate, loyal dog, refused to abandon his post despite Boodle's repeated pleas to join the evacuation. Perhaps today would bring change? Boodle harbored doubts, yet persisted in his efforts.
He continued his stealthy navigation through the deserted streets.
Strange.
During every previous infiltration since the town's occupation, he would hear commotion emanating from the Drinker Pub's rooftop, which the pirate crew used as their headquarters.
Boodle advanced cautiously and reached a specific alley. Upon emerging from its opposite end, he surveyed the area around the corner and spotted the pub's distinctive blue roof in the distance.
No sound reached his ears. He also couldn't see the usual one or two pirates lounging against the metal railing that bordered the rooftop.
Could they have up and left?
One method existed to confirm his suspicions. He possessed intimate knowledge of every corner of this town, and employing that familiarity, he selected the most direct path to the docks where he had observed their colorful pirate ship anchor.
Minutes elapsed before he arrived, and when he did his jaw fell open in astonishment. The ship was gone. What had happened? Could this be an elaborate trap?
Boodle shook away the thought. Why would they bother setting up a trap in the first place? The pirates could've chased them into the forested hills at any time.
Orange Town, it appeared, had finally awakened from its prolonged nightmare.
Hope flourished within his chest while tears threatened to emerge, but he suppressed them with determination. Action held greater importance than emotion in this moment. Chouchou required nourishment, and the villagers demanded immediate notification.
With renewed purpose propelling each stride, his old body moved with unprecedented speed down the narrow white cobblestone streets. Red-tiled roofs topped the timber-framed structures on either side, while multiple storefronts blurred past in his haste. The bakery's green sign caught his attention as he rushed by. Seeing the door partially open, he stopped and pulled it wider to examine the interior.
Boodle's fingers trembled as he repositioned his spectacles.
Every shelf stood bare. Every display case had been emptied. Not a single crumb remained on the worn wooden counters where yesterday bread, pies, cakes, and cookies had filled every available space. Work surfaces had been swept clean, and even the lingering scent of yeast and baked goods had disappeared from the air.
The bakery had remained untouched throughout the pirate occupation for reasons he couldn't understand. But now, someone or something had cleaned out everything, leaving nothing but bare wood and empty air.
In all my years...
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