Luffy and his gang gave their final farewell to Gaimon and continued their voyage across the sea.
"So, where are we going next?" Luffy asked cheerfully.
"We don't have much food left, so we might as well visit the closest village," Nami replied.
"And what village is that?" Zoro asked while paddling.
"Syrup Village," Nami answered, studying the map in her hands.
"Syrup Village sounds like food," Luffy said with a grin.
"All you ever think about is food!" Zoro shouted back.
Nami then glanced at Cry, who was quietly eating the oranges she had given her. Cry carefully peeled the skin just like Nami had shown her earlier. Even in such a simple moment, she looked like an elegant goddess wandering through the mortal world.
"Cry," Nami said gently, "for the next few days, I'll teach you how to speak, okay?"
Cry only reacted to hearing her name. She tilted her head slightly, not understanding the words.
"I know you're smart and quick at learning simple things," Nami continued kindly, watching Cry munch on the orange with innocent curiosity. "So I'll help you little by little."
Two days passed on the boat. Nothing unusual happened—until Cry suddenly pulled out a massive fish from her mouth. It was as large as a whale.
The sudden appearance of the enormous fish caused chaos. When it landed near the boat, the impact almost sent their small vessel flying.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed, grabbing onto the whale with his stretched arm while holding the boat steady. The whole thing had been Luffy's idea—he wanted real meat to eat. With no food left onboard, he had asked Cry if she had any.
Cry, who had been listening to Nami's lessons, only caught one word: food.
That was all she needed.
She gave Luffy a whale-sized meal.
Once again, everyone wondered just what kind of space existed inside Cry's stomach. Luffy was thrilled—until Zoro and Nami started raining punches down on him, scolding him for asking Cry for something so dangerous.
Cry stood there, watching the chaos with wide eyes, clearly confused. Nami tried to explain—broken and simple—that they didn't need food that big.
Trying to help, Cry inhaled again. This time, it wasn't just the whale that disappeared—part of the sea itself was swallowed.
She then patted her slim stomach, satisfied. She was full.
"She can even eat water?" Luffy muttered, staring at her in disbelief—and jealousy.
"I thought water was a weakness for Devil Fruit users," Zoro said quietly. "So how can she swim… and drink the sea itself?"
No one had an answer. Silence fell over the boat.
On the third day, an island silhouette finally appeared on the horizon.
"We're here," Nami said, pointing ahead. "That's Syrup Village."
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Syrup Village lay quietly along the coast, peaceful to the point of deception.
Neat houses lined the gentle hills, their white walls and slanted roofs catching the warm afternoon light. Windmills turned lazily in the distance, their wooden arms creaking in rhythm with the sea breeze. The air smelled faintly of grass, salt, and syrupy sap from the trees that gave the village its name. Everything about the place felt calm—too calm—like a painting frozen in time.
At the edge of the shore, the sea softened. The waves no longer crashed but rolled in slow, careful breaths.
Nami guided the small boat in, easing it forward as the hull kissed the shallow water. The oars dipped quietly, barely disturbing the surface. Sand scraped softly beneath the keel as the boat settled, hidden partly by tall grass and low rocks near the shore.
None of them noticed.
High above the village, tucked behind a window of a slanted house on the hill, a telescope shifted.
Its lens locked onto the boat.
A single eye pressed against the glass, unblinking, sharp with curiosity and suspicion. The figures on the boat came into focus—three familiar silhouettes… and one that did not belong. The tall girl with sea-colored hair stood out immediately, her presence strange even from a distance.
The telescope adjusted again, zooming closer.
Who were they?
Why were they here?
The spy did not speak. He only watched, breathing slowly, memorizing every detail as the strangers stepped onto Syrup Village's shore—completely unaware that their arrival had already been noticed.
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To be continued