"Anyway, I'll set sail now. Hope the next time I see you isn't in a news report about your capture."
At the port of Orange Town, Sakura sat on Leviathan's bow, bidding farewell to Buggy on the shore.
"You're the one who'll get captured! Get lost already!"
Buggy, clenching his fists, his body split into segments floating in the air, shouted and yelled at Sakura.
Behind him, pirates, chatting and laughing, jostling each other, gathered to say goodbye to Sakura.
"Take care, Haruno Aneki!"
"Idiots, why are you so respectful to that person!"
Buggy's head spun 180 degrees on his neck as he roared at his crew.
"Hahaha!"
Sakura lowered her hand and slid from the bow to the deck. Robin, leaning against the railing, also waved at them.
And Leviathan, the petite Klabautermann, climbed strenuously onto the mast and took a look at the crowd on shore.
"Huh? A Klabautermann!!!"
Seeing Leviathan shrouded in darkness, Buggy stared blankly, a strand of snot dripping from his red nose.
Now he finally understood who this old friend meant by her other partner.
'That guy actually considered a ship her partner, really...'
'… So enviable!'
"Tch, lucky pink-haired bastard!"
Crossing his arms, Buggy, standing at the forefront of the crowd, smiled, withdrawing his farewell gaze.
"Men, time to get down to business!"
"Whoa!"
Swords, guns, and clubs were raised by the pirates as they crowded around Buggy, heading towards the distant town.
Out at sea, Sakura, who was drawing a nautical chart on special paper, had a few veins bulge on her forehead.
"What's wrong?"
Robin, sitting beside her observing, noticed the change in Sakura's mood and inquired.
"Nothing, just decided on a gift for this old friend for our next meeting."
Sakura looked up, her smile benign yet unsettling.
Marking the direction of the ocean current on the chart and calculating their current supplies, Sakura determined their next destination.
"Following the current will take us directly to Dawn Island?" Putting the cap on her pen, she poked Robin. "How will you get to Weatheria?"
"I contacted them, they'll send someone to pick me up!"
Robin rummaged in her 'fourth-dimensional pocket' and pulled out a small Den Den Mushi with a white one mounted on it.
Seeing the familiar white Den Den Mushi, Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly.
Having had deep contact with a certain organization, she naturally knew who on the entire sea favored using such Den Den Mushi the most.
She just never expected those seemingly honest and upright meteorologists from Weatheria to be so cunning.
"Understood!"
Sakura saw through it but didn't comment. She called for Leviathan to lower the sails and coating, submerging to ride the ocean current.
The sailboat sped through the sea bottom, taking about three days to reach a remote island.
"Sakura~ we're approaching the island~"
In Sakura's arms, the petite girl opened her eyes and reminded her.
"Mm, surface!"
The girl on the deck chair stretched lazily and rubbed Leviathan's head.
So the speedboat changed direction and began to surface.
The calm sea surface rippled, forming huge waves that spread out in circles.
"What is that thing!"
At the summit of Mt. Colubo, on top of a secret base shaped like a ship.
A blond boy observing the sea through a telescope from the watchtower stared at the Leviathan with his mouth agape.
"Hey, Luffy, Ace, bad news, pirates have broken into Windmill Village!"
The boy shouted and yelled as he rushed down to the cabin below to call his companions.
Meanwhile, inside Windmill Village.
Sakura and Robin entered the village's only tavern.
The village wasn't large, and there weren't many entertainment venues, so this tavern became the only place for many residents to relax, and it had become a legendary tavern that had hosted many important figures.
"Yo, barkeep, bring out all your good stuff!"
The mischievous girl adopted a pirate's tone, ferociously intimidating the tavern's barmaid.
The surrounding residents seemed accustomed to this, showing no panic, calmly staying put to drink and chat.
"Understood, you want alcohol and food, right?"
A virtuous young lady with green hair, holding a wooden box, replied with a gentle smile.
"Aren't you all afraid of her?"
Robin, sitting down at the bar counter, propped her chin on her hand and asked curiously.
"As you can see, our village has nothing worth plundering."
Makino poured Sakura a glass of alcohol, then started cooking seafood fried rice, placing it in front of the two.
"That's hard to say. Treasures like you, miss, are exactly what we pirates covet."
The girl exuded an aura of greed all over, her emerald eyes scanning Makino up and down as if appraising her value.
"No, at least Sakura-san wouldn't do that... Pfft."
"Huh? What are you laughing at?" Sakura looked at her, puzzled.
"Because... you said the exact same thing Shanks did when he talked about you... Pfft, hahaha."
Makino's amused voice squeezed out from behind her covered mouth, her shoulders trembling continuously.
"Dammit, that guy!"
Sakura's expectations completely collapsed. Dejectedly, she scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and stuffed it into her mouth.
The fragrance of the seafood and the distinct aroma of the rice grains spread in her mouth, making her show an expression of happiness.
"Where are the pirates?"
A loud shout suddenly came from outside the tavern.
It was a boy's voice, sounding very urgent.
With a bang, the tavern door was kicked open, and three small figures burst in.
A black-haired, freckled boy and a blond boy in a top hat each held a metal pipe, warily looking around.
Behind them, a straw-hatted boy raised his fists, following the two with his eyes closed.
"Oh ho ho~, this is really...."
Sakura's cheeks were puffed out as she chewed, but her gaze was already fixed on the leading boy.
Thick, soft black hair, sharply defined cheeks, almost an exact copy of her Captain Roger.
"So it's you, the pirate who broke into the village!"
Ace, noticing Sakura's gaze, swung the metal pipe in his hand, leaping high to bring it down on her.
Behind him, seeing Ace move, Sabo and Luffy followed closely, attacking from the ground.
"Wait, Ace, Sabo, Luffy!"
Makino flusteredly tried to explain, but the three boys, used to running wild in Mt. Colubo year-round, were faster.
Just as the pipes were about to hit the slender and graceful girl, Makino couldn't bear to watch and closed her eyes.
"Daring to attack me? Quite the nerve!"
Sakura clenched her fist, throwing out fist afterimages in the air.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three dull thuds sounded. When Makino opened her eyes again, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were already rolling on the ground, clutching the large bumps on their heads.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
Luffy, holding his head, cried out the loudest.
"Hisss! Wait, Luffy, aren't you made of rubber?"
Ace and Sabo, in pain, were also puzzled by Luffy's condition.
"You three!"
Makino ran out from behind the counter, helped the three up, and scolded them.
"This Haruno Sakura-san is Shanks' friend, she's not an enemy. Don't attack her again!"
Instantly, the three stopped struggling, especially Luffy, whose eyes were shining.
"Sorry, Makino~", "Haruno Sakura!", "Shanks' friend!"
The three reacted differently, but the hostility on them slowly faded.
At the bar counter, Sakura laughed unrestrainedly, swirling the fine wine in her glass, and took out some Berry to place on the table.
"Alright, get these three brats some juice. My treat!"