The Paper-Cut Soldiers technique was one of the Daoist secret arts.
The method was simple but tedious: the practitioner had to inscribe a Soul-Binding Charm onto man-shaped talisman paper, then place it within a Spirit-Nurturing Array for forty-nine days. When the ritual finished, the paper could be awakened into obedient soldiers.
Now, on the ship's empty deck, Bai Ye pressed his fingers into a hand seal and began chanting softly.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the stack of yellow papers into the air.
The papers shimmered, twisted—and grew.
What had been palm-sized scraps inflated like sails in the wind, expanding into towering figures nearly two meters tall.
These were the results of Bai Ye's experiments while studying talismans in his inner world.
As a martial artist who prided himself on fighting with his own fists, he had no intention of mass-producing a paper army.
Flooding the field with fodder wasn't style—it was cowardice.
(Absolutely not because he hadn't yet figured out how to make stronger ones. Definitely not.)
So the paper soldiers could do only simple manual work—sailing tasks, carrying loads, maybe defending the ship from weak threats.
Anything tougher would tear them apart.
Even so, seeing more than thirty of them standing stiffly on the deck left Luffy and Zoro wide-eyed.
They didn't understand it—but they were very impressed.
"Uwoooaahhh!"
Luffy leapt among the paper giants like an excited monkey, poking one, tapping another, then—
"Hey! Don't bite them! Your drool's getting everywhere!" Bai Ye snapped.
"They… afraid of water?" Zoro guessed.
"Of course not. I waterproofed them. I just think your captain's saliva is disgusting," Bai Ye said without turning.
Zoro: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Luffy: ˋ(°▽,°)
After a round of chaos, the three finally decided to do something productive.
With Bai Ye's brief commands, the paper soldiers marched to their posts.
Moments later, the pirate ship eased away from the dock.
And as every man who has ever gone to sea knows, when the sun's setting, the wind is soft, and the waves are calm, there's nothing better than lying on deck with food and drink in hand.
Luffy munched roasted meat, Zoro hugged his wine jar, and Bai Ye sipped freshly pressed watermelon juice.
Together they watched the glowing sun sink below the horizon and sighed in unison—
"So comfortable!"
"So comfortable!"
"So—wait, what the—?!"
Luffy and Zoro turned to glare at Bai Ye, offended by the broken rhythm.
Bai Ye wasn't being contrary—he'd just received a report through his paper soldiers.
Someone had snuck aboard.
And from the description, he was ninety-nine percent sure he knew who.
"W-what are those things?! Why are they moving?!"
A panicked female voice rang out. Bai Ye turned toward the sound and couldn't help smiling.
So it really is you, little cat burglar—Nami.
Luffy and Zoro looked over just in time to see two paper soldiers escorting a struggling girl toward them.
She shrieked all the way, eyes shut tight, terrified out of her wits.
"Looks like we caught ourselves a thief," Bai Ye said playfully, studying the girl with the black kerchief, flashes of orange hair, and a figure already showing promise.
Someone's talking?
Nami froze. The paper men hadn't spoken before—so this must be a real person.
When she opened her eyes, three men came into view.
A man in Daoist robes, hair tied high.
Handsome!
A swordsman with three blades at his waist and a deadly glare.
Scary!
A grinning guy in a straw hat, finger up his nose.
Idiot.
"A thief, huh? I think Makino mentioned something like that," Luffy mused, oblivious to his new label.
"She doesn't look edible."
Nami: Why is your first thought to EAT me?!
"Should I cut her and toss her overboard?" Zoro asked flatly.
Nami: You didn't even ask questions! Psychopath!
Her face cycled from Did I just meet an idiot? to I'm going to die.
Bai Ye barely managed not to laugh.
Girl, is there a screen showing your emotions on your face?
"The little cat burglar of East Blue," Bai Ye said at last, his tone gentle but knowing. "A thief who steals from pirates—but also an excellent navigator."
He turned to the others. "Looks like we got lucky."
"Huh? She's a navigator?!" Luffy exclaimed.
He might be clueless about most things, but even he knew a ship needed one.
"Why are you looking at me like that?! Can't a thief navigate?!" Nami snapped, baring her teeth at him.
Luffy ignored the outburst completely, clapping his hands.
"Yosh! That settles it! Since Bai Ye says she's good, she'll be our navigator!"
Grinning, he threw his arms in the air, absolutely thrilled with himself.
He didn't even notice that, somewhere along the way, he'd started trusting Bai Ye's word completely.
Nami: …
Zoro shrugged. "Do whatever you want." He turned to leave—if there was no fight, he wasn't interested. "I still haven't finished that jar of wine."
"Don't just decide things on your own!" Nami yelled, exasperated.
All she'd wanted was to sneak aboard, steal enough treasure to buy her village's freedom—
and now her fate was being decided by three idiots laughing on deck.
Her fists trembled; her eyes darkened with remembered pain and hate.
"Judging by your—uh—expression screen," Bai Ye said mildly, "you seem to be thinking some rather impolite thoughts."
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