East Blue
The sun shone bright over the blue sea, while the cry of seagulls could be heard from the horizon.
On the Going Merry.
Luffy, who had been resting on the sheep figurehead at the ship's bow, suddenly rose from his nap. He sensed something, then shouted for Nami.
"Oi, Nami!"
"What is it?" Nami raised her head from the map she was reading, then turned toward Luffy.
"Is that thing alright?" Luffy pointed at a cluster of black clouds ahead of them. "That looks dangerous."
Nami immediately stood from her chair and walked to the ship's bow. Usopp and Zoro followed behind her out of curiosity. She brought out a telescope, then looked in the direction Luffy was pointing.
In the distance appeared an island enveloped in black clouds that kept swirling.
"That..." she murmured while checking the map in her hand again. "No mistake about it. That's the legendary Treasure Island!"
"The mysterious Treasure Island?" Usopp asked in confusion. A few moments later he seemed to remember something. "I think I've heard of it before."
"That's right. This island is fairly well known among pirates," Nami explained while turning to face them. "And there are a lot of strange rumors about it."
"Strange rumors?" Luffy held his hat with a puzzled expression.
Nami put on a serious expression.
"Anyone who approaches that island will be punished by a god."
As if confirming what she said, rain suddenly fell and the sound of thunder echoed across the sky.
Usopp immediately screamed in fright. He fell down and then hugged the ship's railing tightly.
"S-seems like the rumor is true! The god is furious with us!"
Luffy on the other hand grew more excited. He gripped his hat to keep it from being blown away.
"Sounds like a fun island! Let's go to Treasure Island!"
After successfully navigating through the storm surrounding the island, they finally docked at this legendary place.
As soon as they set foot on the beach, Nami led the way. Luffy walked right behind her, while Usopp was at the very back, crawling forward nervously.
Suddenly a plant opened its mouth, complete with a pink tongue.
"GYAAAH!"
Usopp screamed in fright and immediately ran to catch up with the others. He hugged Zoro's body while looking around nervously.
"This island is really terrifying!"
"Is that so?" Zoro replied flatly while glancing around.
"It's said that treasure is somewhere on this island," Nami said while brushing away the bushes in front of her. "Probably many pirates have already come here, but they were terrorized until they ran off before finding it."
"Terrorized?" Luffy asked in confusion.
Nami turned toward him.
"Apparently there were pirates whose faces suddenly turned into wild boars. And others whose mustaches grew long like snakes and then strangled themselves."
Usopp's face immediately went pale.
"That's... not true, right?"
Nami shrugged casually.
"Well... in my opinion the stories are a bit exaggerated."
"D-don't scare me like that!" Usopp immediately hid behind Zoro.
"I'm tired."
Zoro yawned.
"I'm going to sleep."
Without caring about the atmosphere around him, he lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep.
Usopp and Nami stared at him in amazement.
"How can he possibly sleep in a creepy place like this?"
"What kind of person is he really?"
Meanwhile, Luffy crouched behind some bushes. A rabbit-headed snake stuck its tongue out toward him, while Luffy just stared at it with a blank face.
Suddenly a voice echoed through the entire forest.
"Leave this place..."
Luffy immediately stood, while Nami and Usopp spontaneously stepped back several paces.
"Who's there?!" Luffy shouted.
His voice echoed through the forest.
But the mysterious voice didn't answer his question.
"Leave!"
Nami looked in every direction.
"Where is that voice coming from?"
"I am the god who protects this island! Leave this island if you still value your lives!"
"A guardian god?" Luffy murmured.
"You... you're pirates, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
Nami began narrowing her eyes.
"Why would a god ask something like that?"
"Listen! If you dare step further into this forest, the punishment of god will come upon you! Do you want to die?!"
"How would I know? Why are you asking me?" Luffy replied while tilting his head.
Nami furrowed her brow too.
"What does this person actually want?"
"Seems like a strange person," Luffy whispered.
"What did you say, Straw Hat Kid?!" the voice called out with irritation.
Suddenly various strange animals emerged from the bushes. There was a pig with a lion's mane, a kangaroo with a rhinoceros body, a tiger with an elephant body, and various other strange creatures.
"Wh-what is all this?!" Usopp started to panic.
"They are all people who were cursed for daring to target the treasure on this island."
Usopp immediately knelt while praying.
"So... you really are a god?!"
Luffy picked up a pig with a lion's mane instead.
He brought it close to his face.
"So this is a lion?"
"Isn't that a pig?" Nami replied.
Suddenly the pig bit Luffy's cheek.
Luffy pulled it until his cheek stretched along with it.
Seeing that sight, the mysterious voice sounded surprised.
"What are you actually?!"
"I'm a Devil Fruit user."
Luffy pulled his cheek until it stretched long.
"A Devil Fruit?! You've got to be joking! I often heard rumors about that fruit back when I was still a pirate..."
Nami immediately picked up on what he said.
"Still a pirate? So you're actually not a god?"
"Silence! If you don't leave immediately, the punishment of god will come!"
Wooden spears shot toward them, followed by a rock that fell right on top of Luffy's head.
Thud!
The rock just bounced off and fell to the ground.
Luffy only smiled.
"You're quite something, God."
"Wh-what are you actually?!"
Luffy looked toward the bushes.
"So you're in there!"
"Don't move!"
But Luffy had already started running.
Bang!
A bullet hit his body but bounced straight back.
"M-monster!"
The bushes immediately ran away.
"Wait!"
Luffy immediately gave chase, followed by Nami and Usopp from behind.
Not long after they left, Zoro woke from his sleep. He stretched his body, then looked around in confusion.
The ground around him was full of wooden spears stuck into it.
"What happened here?"
He looked right and left searching for Luffy and the others.
"Where did they actually go?"
Zoro got up while scratching the back of his head and yawning, then started walking through the forest.
Several moments later he came out from behind a tree, not far from where he had been sleeping.
He looked at the spears still stuck in the ground.
"Seems like... I've seen this place before."
He was quiet for a moment.
"...Or maybe not."
He finally kept walking through the forest.
After going around the same spot three times, Zoro finally managed to find Luffy and the others.
"Oh... so you're all here."
Without saying anything more, he sat on a rock, took a cup from Usopp's hand, and drank from it.
He then noticed the presence of someone inside a chest, and asked in surprise.
"What kind of creature is this?!"
"You should have noticed that sooner," Nami replied in bewilderment.
"He's a person stuck inside a chest," Luffy explained while pointing at the man named Gaimon.
Zoro studied him for a few moments.
"So... are you a child who grew up inside a chest?"
"Yes, I've been inside this chest since I was small..."
Gaimon fell quiet for a moment before shouting in irritation.
"Of course not!"
Luffy immediately tried to pull Gaimon's body out of his chest.
"Oi, Zoro! Help me!"
Without much discussion, Zoro helped too. They pulled with all their strength several times, but Gaimon's body wouldn't budge.
Luffy finally wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Really can't get out."
"Don't do strange things!" Gaimon scolded. "Since I haven't moved in twenty years, my body and this chest have fused together. If you force it, my body will get damaged too."
His face suddenly turned wary.
"But who actually are you all? I've seen many pirates come to this island, but I've never seen any like you."
Luffy sat on a rock while crossing one leg over the other.
"I'm Luffy! The person who will become King of the Pirates!"
"King of the Pirates?"
Gaimon's eyes went wide.
"That means you're going to the Grand Line?"
"Yeah! We even already have a Grand Line map!"
Gaimon looked at them seriously.
"Don't underestimate that sea. The Grand Line is the graveyard of pirates."
"I've seen the faces of people who managed to escape from there. They were all like the living dead, having lost all their spirit, as though they had witnessed something terrible. Some fled from monsters, some had lost their entire crew."
He drew a slow breath.
"Besides, it's already been twenty years since the Pirate Era began, but not one person has found One Piece. People are even starting to doubt whether that treasure actually exists."
He then smiled thinly.
"By the way, could I see that map? I've gotten curious."
"Sure."
Luffy nodded then extended his hand toward Nami.
"Here."
Nami handed over her map.
Luffy unrolled the map, while Gaimon drew closer.
"So... where is the Grand Line?"
"Here."
Luffy pointed at the line dividing the map.
Hearing Gaimon's stories, Nami's face began filling with worry.
"More importantly, if we manage to enter the Grand Line, get a lot of money, and then escape... I think that's already more than enough."
Luffy just smiled.
"I'll definitely get One Piece. Because I'm lucky."
"I really don't know where that confidence of yours comes from."
Nami sighed while placing both hands on her hips.
"Well, suit yourself."
"...Similar."
Gaimon looked at Luffy for quite a long time.
Luffy tilted his head.
"Hm?"
"You and I are really similar."
Nami immediately turned.
"Similar how?"
Gaimon smiled wide.
"I understand now."
"We're both willing to bet our lives on chasing treasure."
Gaimon then told his story.
Twenty years ago, he had come to this island with his captain and crew to search for treasure. After searching for two months, their captain found a chest that turned out to be empty. But Gaimon wasn't ready to give up. He decided to check one place they had never explored, a barren rocky hill rising in the middle of the dense forest.
After managing to climb the hill, he saw several treasure chests lined up at the summit. But while gripping a rock to climb higher, the rock crumbled away. He fell and, by cruel luck, his body went into one of the chests headfirst until he passed out. When he came to, all his companions had long since left him behind.
After hearing that story, Luffy and the others couldn't help wondering whether the treasure was still up there. Driven by curiosity, they decided to help Gaimon retrieve it.
Nami stood from her seat.
"Alright, I understand. We'll go get your treasure."
Usopp who was standing beside her glanced over with suspicion.
"Re... really?!" Gaimon exclaimed in disbelief.
Luffy glanced at Nami while asking casually.
"You only steal from pirates, right?"
Hearing that, Nami immediately turned with an irritated face.
"You're so rude! I know the difference between right and wrong too."
The group then walked toward the foot of the rocky hill.
"This is it, right?" Luffy murmured while looking up at the peak of the hill.
"I haven't been here in a long time either." Gaimon looked at the hill while closing his eyes. Finally, after twenty years, he could see that treasure again. His eyes began to glisten. He turned to Luffy. "I'll leave the rest to you, Straw Hat Kid."
"Leave it to me!"
Luffy bent his knees then leaped into the air. Using Geppo, he walked up through the sky as though there were invisible steps beneath his feet until he reached the peak of the hill.
"How is it?! Is it still there?!" Gaimon shouted full of hope.
But several moments passed without an answer.
"Luffy...!"
"Hey, Luffy!"
"What is he actually doing up there?" Nami murmured.
Several moments later, Luffy appeared at the edge of the hill while hugging a treasure chest. The shadow of his hat covered his face.
"I found six treasure chests!"
"Th... great work!"
Gaimon smiled with relief, then laughed freely.
"Finally... finally I have it. My treasure!"
"Please throw it down! My treasure!"
Luffy looked down.
A smile appeared on his face.
"I won't."
"What?!"
"I'm not going to give it to you."
"What kind of joke is that?! Stop joking around!" Nami scolded.
"That's right! Throw it down! That's Gaimon's treasure!" Usopp added.
Meanwhile, Zoro only furrowed his brow. He felt something wasn't right.
"Luffy, stop joking around!" Nami shouted again.
"It's alright..."
Gaimon's voice sounded calm.
"It doesn't matter to me."
"What are you saying?! That's treasure you've guarded for twenty years!" Usopp exclaimed.
"That... is no longer a problem."
He looked up at Luffy.
"You really are a good person, Straw Hat..."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Nami asked in confusion.
Tears slowly flowed down Gaimon's face.
"I'd suspected it for a long time... I just kept trying to deny it..."
He wiped his face with the back of his hand, but the tears kept falling, not caring how many times they were wiped away.
"...The chests are empty, aren't they?"
Luffy sat at the edge of the hill. The smile on his face slowly disappeared. He opened a chest and showed its contents, then looked back at the other chests already opened.
"Yeah... all of them are empty."
Nami and Usopp froze.
"Impossible..." Nami murmured softly. "Treasure guarded for twenty years... turned out to be nothing but empty chests."
Gaimon's shoulders trembled gently, and tears still wet his cheeks that had begun to redden.
"Things like this happen often when searching for treasure. You might find a map to treasure that someone else has already taken."
Luffy actually smiled brightly, trying to cheer him up.
"Don't be too sad, Uncle! At least you only had to wait twenty years until we came. Imagine if you'd had to wait thirty years, you might have already died before we arrived."
"Straw Hat..."
Gaimon looked up at Luffy with glistening eyes.
"Luffy..."
"He is..."
Nami and Usopp could only stare at him. They truly couldn't fathom how Luffy could remain that optimistic in a situation like this.
"Rather than keep dwelling on something like this, you'd be better off coming with us to find One Piece!" Luffy called from the top of the hill. "Become a member of our crew!"
"You're... inviting me?"
Gaimon smiled wide through his tears.
"Until now not one person has ever spoken to me like that. How long has it been since I last trusted someone..."
His voice began to go rough, and this time he no longer tried to wipe them away — letting the tears fall freely into his lap.
"Thank you... truly thank you."
The sun had begun to set, wrapping the island in warm orange light.
At the water's edge.
"So, you're sure you won't come with us?" Luffy asked one more time.
"Yes." Gaimon smiled while looking at the strange animals who had begun to gather around him. "Even though I'm happy you invited me, I can't leave my friends. They've kept me company for twenty years."
"Is that so? What a shame. Uncle is an interesting person."
"So those strange creatures really are your friends," Zoro remarked while observing them.
Luffy grinned.
"Even though the strangest one here is still Uncle."
"What did you say?!" Gaimon shouted in irritation.
Everyone immediately burst out laughing.
Luffy and the others boarded the Going Merry, then waved.
"See you again, Uncle!"
"Yes! Take good care of yourselves! And may you truly find One Piece!" Gaimon replied while waving back.
"We'll definitely get it!" Luffy answered while holding his hat firmly.
Slowly, Going Merry moved away from the island until it finally appeared as nothing but a small dot on the horizon.
End of Chapter 23