The Loguetown marketplace was a chaotic symphony of sights and sounds, the crowd surging like a tidal wave.
Nami walked with light, purposeful steps, her sharp eyes scanning the stalls for a bargain.
Even amidst the sea of people, her graceful figure stood out, drawing countless gazes.
Yet, her face carried a trace of deep helplessness.
"Nami?" A familiar voice called out tinged with surprise.
"Weren't you supposed to be buying clothes?"
Nami turned to see Usopp weaving his way through the crowd.
"Don't even mention it," she sighed, waving a weary hand. "The clothes at the boutiques were ridiculously expensive. I checked five different stores. Every single piece was beautiful, but the prices were an absolute nightmare."
"A kind shopkeeper told me I might have better luck finding something affordable here," she explained, a hint of resignation at the corner of her lips.
"What about you? What are you doing in the market?"
"Well..." Usopp spread his hands. "The licensed weapon shops don't sell raw gunpowder, and our ship's ammunition is dangerously low. The owner said I could probably find some... unlicensed stuff here."
"I see," Nami nodded, her curiosity stirring as she swept her gaze across the surroundings.
She noticed an unusual atmosphere.
The entire crowd seemed to be flowing in one direction, drawn by some invisible magnet.
"That's strange. Why is everyone heading toward the middle?"
Suddenly, her vision was filled with a vibrant splash of color.
A bouquet of flowers appeared right before her eyes.
She looked up to see Sanji's confident, smiling face.
"Beautiful Nami-swan," he crooned, holding out the flowers. "A small gift I bought especially for you."
"Sanji…" Nami held her forehead, a vein throbbing in her temple.
"You've gone and bought unnecessary things again," she sighed, her voice full of helplessness.
Flowers.
Flashy, impractical, and they wilted.
The only thing she truly loved was the beautiful, eternal glow of Berries!
As the crew's sole financial manager, Nami understood the importance of money better than anyone.
Sailing the seas, everything cost money.
Luffy ate more than a small army and had no concept of a budget.
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp's understanding of finances was practically zero.
'The entire crew's finances are held together by me alone', she thought, rubbing her temples.
'This crew would fall apart without me!'
"How can you say that, my dear Nami?" Sanji put on an innocent expression.
"I specifically came to the market to buy these cheap, meaty super-fish to save us money!" His tone then shifted, becoming low and serious.
"But I heard some news on the way."
"What news?" Nami raised an eyebrow.
"That moss-head," Sanji said, "is about to duel a Marine Captain—right here in the market."
"No wonder…" Nami nodded thoughtfully, understanding dawning on her face.
A high-stakes duel was better than any street performance.
Just then, a familiar voice shouted from the crowd.
"Sanji! Nami! Usopp!"
"Luffy!" they all turned to see their captain rushing over, his face flushed with excitement.
"Hurry!" Luffy skidded to a stop in front of them, looking unusually serious.
"I heard from some guy that Zoro's going to duel someone! I didn't even go to Roger's execution platform—I came straight here!"
Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Nami and Usopp by the wrists and started dragging them into the thick of the crowd.
"Let's go cheer for Zoro!"
"Luffy, wait!" Nami yelped. "Why is Zoro dueling a Marine Captain in the first place?"
Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Because..." he said, slowly exhaling a ring of smoke, his gaze heavy.
"That person... is Captain Mike of the Marine HQ."
"Captain Mike?" Nami and Usopp repeated in unison, the name meaning nothing to them.
Sanji glanced at them, his expression complicated.
Because Nami had already left for Arlong Park, she hadn't been at the Baratie to witness the battle.
She was unaware of the legend that had been born that day.
But Sanji had been there.
He knew.
As the crew member who fought most with Zoro, yet understood him best, he knew that the duel with Mihawk had fundamentally changed him.
"He's the moss-head's new target," Sanji explained as they pushed through the crowd.
"After that duel at the Baratie, Zoro decided he has to surpass this guy first before he can even think about aiming for Mihawk again. Now that they've run into each other here, there's no way he'd back down."
"Is that so?" Nami frowned. "Just who is this Captain Mike? Is he some incredible swordsman, too?"
Before Sanji could answer, they broke through the last wall of people.
The center of the marketplace opened into a wide, cleared circle.
In the middle of that clearing, Mike and Zoro stood facing each other, the atmosphere so tense it was almost suffocating.
The air seemed to grow heavy, and the roar of the crowd died to a hushed whisper.
Luffy's excited expression froze, replaced by a flicker of tension.
His previously eager look turned serious as Mihawk's words from the Baratie echoed in his mind.
He finally remembered who Mike was—not because he had seen him fight, but because he was the man Mihawk, the monster who had crushed Zoro, had held in high regard.
This duel... might just be...
"Yeah, Mike is... incredibly strong," Sanji's voice was low as he finally answered Nami's question, his gaze locked on the handsome man in the Marine uniform who now bore strange, crimson markings on his face.
"He's the terrifying man personally acknowledged by Mihawk—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the World's Greatest Swordsman."
He took another drag from his cigarette, his voice dropping to an almost reverent whisper.
"He's the original user of the so called Breathing Style. A swordsmanship so profound that even Mihawk, the man who sits on the throne as the world's strongest swordsman, couldn't fully comprehend it."