Zoro and Sanji barely saw the metal ball as it left Luffy's hand. They followed it to the pirate ship, watching in fascination as it struck one of the cannons and triggered a ridiculous chain reaction.
The crack of the impact echoed loudly in the area, and the cannon was flung against the mast with enough force to easily split the thick wooden beam in two. The cannon had been ignited barely half a second before and fired upon impact with the wood... right into one of the other cannons... The ball ricocheted off the other cannon and generated a small spark that somehow reached a gunpowder barrel. The rest of the gunpowder was in the storeroom below deck... But when one leaves...
Everyone on the Going Merry jumped in surprise when a chain of fire explosions ripped through the entire ship that had attacked them.
Luffy gasped as he watched the men abandon the burning ship, fearing for their lives. There wasn't much left, and what remained wouldn't last long. He glanced down at his hand and then back at the blazing ship, laughter beginning to rise in his chest. "That was..." Excitement overwhelmed him, and he threw his hands up at his sides, looking up at the sky. "AWESOME!"
The pirates in the water looked up at the deck of the small boat and couldn't help but be terrified. The boy who had just destroyed the entire ship was laughing as if nothing had happened. To be honest, the laughter seemed genuinely joyful, not a maniacal, evil laugh... Honestly, it might even have made the situation worse...
"How could you?!" shouted a man clinging to a piece of driftwood from the water. "How could you destroy our ship like that?" On closer inspection, it was the captain of the pirate crew. Well, at least he was wearing a captain's coat.
The three teenagers approached the railing of the Merry and watched the man weeping over his destroyed ship. They glanced at each other for a moment before turning back and staring blankly at the distraught pirate captain. "It's your fault," they all said in unison, moving away from the man who was weeping even louder. You reap what you sow.
The man stared through his tears at the three teenagers walking away. They would pay. Oh, yes. As soon as he found dry land and a hideout... Mushi... He would have his revenge... He wanted to see the lamb-headed ship burn... And he would burn it... The Don would soon receive a call.
"Nami!" Luffy shouted, running excitedly up the stairs to claim his place in the lamb figure, "Did you see me throw that cannonball?"
The orange-haired girl scoffed, "I don't think I could have missed any of that if I'd wanted to."
"I've never seen anyone fly a ship like that," Zoro said as he reached the top of the stairs.
Sanji quickly pushed his way through the green-haired swordsman. "Nami-swan! Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself or anything?" The chef examined her... Just to check if she was okay, of course. Nothing more... He certainly wasn't looking at her just because she was wearing a bikini... Of course not...
Nami watched him as he gazed at her with amusement before raising her fist and slamming it into the boy's head. "Looking at people doesn't come free, my sweet Sanji." The redhead pulled her smoking hand away from Sanji's head, and the boy fainted instantly. He seemed to be in a state of ecstasy as his consciousness faded from the world, a lascivious smile on his face and blood gushing from his nose.
"He deserves it," Zoro mocked, observing the perverted blond chef lying unconscious on the ground. He glanced at the chef and Nami, preparing to ask a question, but a cry for help from the water interrupted him. The swordsman approached the railing and looked down. "Shut up! You shot first." He shot him a withering glare that seemed to silence him. The green-haired man snorted and turned, facing Nami again. "We've been sailing..." he began counting on his fingers.
"Almost two weeks," the girl chimed in. "We've been sailing for a week and five days." She stood up from her chair and looked toward their destination. "Before we left Syrup, I said it would take us five weeks to reach the next island to resupply. It would have taken another week from there to reach our destination," she smiled appreciatively at the ship. "But now that we don't have to stop anymore, we've been sailing straight to Mad Treasure's hideout since we left." Come to think of it, it was lucky the Baratie was where it was. Otherwise, they probably would have missed it.
"So, how much longer do you think it will take?" Luffy asked from his cross-shaped position on the ship's figurehead, still chuckling slightly at the sight of the chef passed out on the deck.
"Two more weeks of travel if the wind cooperates. If not... It will probably be between two and a half and three weeks," the girl replied, looking at the sky and trying to sense the wind.
Zoro nodded to the girl and smiled to himself as he gazed at the horizon. He could wait that long. Drawing his swords had given him the urge to fight, and Luffy had stolen all the fun. Until then, maybe he could train with him. Hell, he might even get his hands on the Ero-Cook. It would be fun to beat him up. With her question answered, the swordsman turned on his heel and headed down to the storeroom. Time for more weightlifting.
"Hey, Nami," said Luffy, getting up from his seat and jumping to stand next to the girl in question.
"What, Luffy?" she asked in response. The redhead carefully sat down in her chair and leaned back, pulling her sunglasses down to shield her eyes. She wanted to soak up the last rays of sunlight to finish her tan. Nami remained there silently, waiting for Luffy to say something, opening her eyes and pulling her sunglasses back up when he didn't. "Luffy?" she asked cautiously. She didn't like the expression on his face. Not one bit.
Luffy grinned as laughter bubbled in his chest: "TIME TO SWIM!"
Nami's eyes widened in fear, and her brain immediately registered what he meant by those words. "LUFFY! Don't you dare!" she shouted, struggling with all her might to get up from the chair and back away from him.
The straw-hatted boy wasn't going to let his prey escape so easily. He sprinted toward his future navigator in the blink of an eye and swept her into his arms. "Hold on tight," Luffy whispered in her ear. He laughed at the blush spreading across her cheeks and ran straight to the ship's railing. Nami gasped in reluctance, her arms tightening around his neck, but the giggling boy didn't stop. His foot touched the top of the railing, and he launched himself into the air with one last word: "CANNON BALANCE!"
"LUFFY! GET BACK ON BOARD! RIGHT NOW!" Nami yelled over the railing of the Going Merry. Her clothes were soaked, and she would have much preferred to be inside enjoying one of Sanji's hot meals, but the storm was keeping her busy... very busy. It didn't help that Luffy had decided it was a good time for a swim. The storm had just intensified, and he dove off the ship, laughing and muttering something about a good workout.
"WHAT?! NAMI! DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?!" Luffy's voice replied.
Nami could barely hear the boy over the rain and the rumble of thunder. She squinted and tried to pinpoint the source of the voice, but it was nearly impossible. Nami cried out in frustration, pulling herself away from the sea and deciding to leave Luffy alone. She could only hope he didn't get lost; the currents were incredibly strong at that moment... But then again, so was Luffy.
"ZORO! SANJI!" Nami shouted to the two boys below, "I NEED YOU TO MAKE SURE NONE OF THE RIGIES BREAK! THIS STORM IS ALREADY FORCING US BACK AND I CAN'T WASTE ANY MORE TIME!"
They both obeyed immediately and got to work. In situations like these, they both knew that listening to their navigator was always the best option.
...
Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩