On the sea —
slam-la—
Two small boats sailed across the open waters. On one boat were Lock and his two companions; on the other was Nami.
Nami spoke seriously.
"It's too chaotic to enter the Grand Line like this."
Luffy pulled an apple core from his mouth.
"That's right. It does need some meat."
Then, grinning, he tossed the core back into his mouth and chewed. "After all, it's just an apple."
Lock added with a smirk, "We also need a cute animal as our ship's mascot."
"We still need some wine," Zoro said, leaning back against the boat with his eyes closed.
Bang—
"Oh!"
Zoro had barely finished speaking when Nami hit him in the head with an apple.
"What are you talking about?" she snapped.
"I'm talking about the Grand Line—the most dangerous place in the world."
"What's more, there are many powerful pirates out there, all looking for 'ONE PIECE'."
"Of course, they all ride powerful pirate ships."
Nami patiently explained the situation to the three.
Luffy took another bite of his apple.
"I still need a partner..."
Nami ignored him and continued, "Not to mention the lack of crew, even our ship's equipment is low-grade. How can we guarantee our safety?"
"As expected, we still need a chef and a musician," Luffy said, cross-legged on the bow.
"Musician? Hahahaha—" Zoro burst into laughter as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"There's nothing wrong with being a musician. Good music can make people feel happier," Lock agreed.
Zoro laughed harder.
"How come even you, Lock, think we need a musician? Hahahaha—I can't take it."
"Are you two idiots?" Nami snapped.
Which pirate crew would hire a musician? Both she and Zoro thought it was ridiculous.
Nami sighed, opening the sea chart in her hand.
"A little further south, there's an inhabited island. It would be best if we could get a decent boat there."
"Don't worry. If nothing goes wrong, we'll get it," Lock replied.
"Okay, let's go eat meat!" Luffy said excitedly.
"Don't forget the wine," Zoro added.
"Hey, you two!" Nami yelled. "Why are you always thinking about food and drink? Can't you care about serious things like Lock?"
"What does it matter? It's enough that you two care about the ship," Luffy said casually.
Lock and Nami weren't sure whether Luffy trusted them… or just liked dumping work on his crewmates.
slam-la—
In a small village —
A man with a yellow bandana and a nose as long as Pinocchio's ran down the street shouting:
"Something terrible has happened! Pirates are coming! Pirates… Pirates…"
Then, grinning, he added, "Of course I'm lying! Hahaha!"
Pong—
An iron pot smacked him on the back of the head.
A villager stormed out of his house.
"Usopp, you liar! I'll teach you a lesson today!"
One after another, villagers emerged with brooms, mops, pots, and pans, chasing after Usopp.
Smiling, Usopp ran, happy his prank had worked. Eventually, the villagers gave up and returned home.
Usopp lay sprawled on a tree branch.
"Another good deed for the day. I brought fresh air to this village."
[Hello everyone, we meet again. Usopp met Luffy and the others. After boasting he had 80 million subordinates, he was quickly exposed by Nami. Then, he mustered the courage to aim his slingshot at them.]
[Before the fight began, Luffy recalled hearing Usopp's name and asked if his father was Usopp. Learning that Luffy knew both Red-Haired Shanks and his father, Usopp warmly invited them home. Luffy and Usopp talked about his father over a meal.]
[Later, Usopp went to visit Kaya, a beautiful, rich woman in town. She had been sickly for years and confined to her home. Usopp told her ridiculous but entertaining adventure stories, bringing her laughter.]
[Afterward, Usopp was punched by Kaya's butler, Kuro. When Usopp tried to retaliate, Kaya stopped him. Usopp then left the villa and went to a small seaside hill, followed by Luffy and Lock.]
Seaside —
Kuro stood with his hands in his pockets.
"Hey, Jango, I told you not to draw attention in this village. And here you are, sleeping in the middle of it."
The man named Jango retorted, "Stop talking nonsense. I'm not eye-catching, and I'm not weird."
Jango wore a hat and heart-shaped glasses. The odd part wasn't his outfit—it was his constant moonwalk-like stride.
On the hillside, Luffy, Usopp, and Lock watched the two speak.
Kuro adjusted his glasses with his palm.
"Then the plan is ready."
"Of course. We can act anytime," Jango replied.
"Miss Kaya's… assassination plan."
"!? He said assassination?" Usopp gasped.
"Shh—if you don't want them to hear us, keep quiet," Lock warned.
Usopp nodded quickly.
Kuro said coldly, "Don't use an ugly word like 'assassination.'"
"Ah—yes, an accident. Right?" Jango corrected himself.
"It's not just about killing her. It's about making her death look like an unfortunate accident. Don't get this wrong."
Kuro turned and walked toward the shore.
Jango sat on a rock.
"In short, we'll follow your signal, attack the village with the men, and get rid of the young lady. Then you'll inherit her estate."
Kuro spun around angrily.
"Idiot! How could an outsider like me inherit Kaya's wealth?"
Jango gave him a thumbs-up.
"Try harder."
"Listen carefully. This step is the most important."
---
A/N: Decided to fast forward things as you have already read this stuff a million times now.