"Then, welcome aboard, Miss Navigator."
Ace smiled as he extended a hand to Nami.
"Just call me Nami," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm sure you already got my name from those fish-men."
"So, Captain," Nami looked around the deck with a puzzled expression, "where's our ship?"
Ace pointed to the side of the merchant vessel, where a small plank-style sailboard was floating quietly.
"That's my ship."
"…That's the ship?!"
Nami stared at the sailboard, barely big enough for two people, her mouth agape.
"And our crewmates?" she asked, now with a rising sense of unease.
Ace grinned and pointed to her, then to himself. "Right here. Just the two of us."
"Just the two of us?!"
Nami practically shouted.
"For now, yeah. I only just set sail. Still need to find more crewmates," Ace said casually.
Nami took a deep breath, her mind racing. But then she paused—
Wouldn't this actually make it easier for her to steal from him if he was alone?
Thinking of that, she quickly came around to the idea.
"Heh… Jackpot this time!"
Just then, a burst of raucous laughter came from the merchant ship.
"HA HA HA! What a haul!"
Nami's face fell. On the deck, pirates were kicking around wealthy merchants and sailors, laughing as they clutched stolen treasures.
"No!"
The realization struck her all at once. A flash of disgust crossed her face as she watched the chaos unfold.
"You really hate pirates, don't you?"
The voice came from beside her, low and calm. She tensed.
Turning slightly, she saw Ace smiling at her.
"Y-You're joking, right? I was part of Arlong's crew, remember?" she stammered.
"I'm not that kind of scum," Ace replied, glancing toward the other ship, where the pirates had finally spotted them and were shouting obscenities as they charged.
"I hate pirates like that too."
"Eh…?"
Nami blinked, stunned, staring at Ace in confusion.
"Trash like that should be swallowed by the sea," he said, sweeping her into his arms.
"Wha—?!"
Nami yelped as Ace leapt from the pirate ship, landing squarely on his sailboard with her in front.
As she struggled to process what was happening, flames burst forth beneath Ace's feet. The board surged forward, carried by the power of fire, gliding smoothly across the waves until they were dozens of meters away from the pirate ship.
"Hey! Think you can run from us?! When we catch you, we'll rip you to pieces!"
The pirates had returned to their ship and were shouting threats.
"Idiots! They're just sitting ducks out there—fire the cannons and send 'em to the bottom!"
The captain of the Bone Blade Pirates, wielding a massive cleaver made from some beast's skeleton, barked his order.
"Creak! Creak!"
Several pirates manned the cannons, aiming directly at Ace and Nami. Cruel smiles curled on their lips.
"Hey! Do something!"
Nami's face went pale as she clutched Ace's sleeve. "We're locked on!"
"Fire!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Two cannonballs blasted forth, racing across the sea toward them.
"We're… we're dead!"
Nami's face was ghost-white, memories of Cocoyashi Village playing before her eyes like a reel of film.
Everyone back home… I'm sorry. I didn't save enough money… I couldn't come back…
"Fire Fist!"
WHOOOOM!
A roaring inferno erupted from Ace's fist, surging forward as a massive dragon of flame.
The air rippled from the heat. In the stunned silence, both Nami and the pirates could only watch as the cannonballs were incinerated mid-air.
The column of fire—ten meters wide—slammed into the pirate ship.
In an instant, it was consumed in a blazing explosion. Screams filled the air as pirates were reduced to charcoal in the inferno.
"…Haa."
Ace casually tipped his hat with a flaming finger, then smiled at the wide-eyed Nami.
"Nami—your captain's pretty strong, y'know?"
Nami's eyes remained locked on the smoldering remains of the ship, watching as it slowly sank beneath the waves.
"Thank you! Thank you so much for dealing with those monsters!"
A chorus of grateful voices rose from the merchant ship. The captain and several wealthy passengers bowed repeatedly to Ace and Nami.
Though a good portion of the treasure had gone up in flames with the pirate ship, the rest—what hadn't yet been loaded—remained intact.
Nami stood awkwardly.
They were pirates… and yet people were thanking them?
The whole thing felt surreal.
"By the way… we never caught your names."
The merchant captain looked at Ace with deep gratitude.
"I'm Ace. Just a pirate," Ace said with a grin, then gestured toward Nami. "And this is Nami, my navigator."
"...!"
"...!!"
"...!!!"
The merchant captain and the wealthy passengers instantly froze.
Then, panic exploded.
"P-Please don't kill us! You can have the money, take it all!"
The deck was thrown into chaos.
They'd all seen it—that impossible power. One attack had annihilated an entire pirate crew. It could only be the work of a Devil Fruit.
If someone like that wanted to kill them, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Even Nami looked momentarily stunned.
"Relax! We're not like those garbage pirates."
Ace raised a hand, trying to calm everyone. "Though… I am kinda hungry. Mind giving us some good food? Thanks!"
"…Huh?"
The captain blinked.
Since when were pirates… polite?
"Um, you really don't want money?"
He asked hesitantly.
"Well…"
Ace glanced around, noting their nervous expressions. He activated his Observation Haki and stepped toward a young girl clutching something in her pocket.
"Guess if you insist on paying…"
Behind him, Nami's face darkened slightly.
So much for being different from other pirates.
"Would it be alright if I took this? We'll call it a thank-you gift."
Ace held up a single coin he'd taken from the girl's hand, smiling warmly.
"Y-Yeah! Oniisan, thank you for saving us!"
The girl beamed, nodding earnestly.
Ace picked her up and spun her around. She laughed, pure and joyful.
"Also, could you help us out with a small boat?"
Ace turned to the merchant captain. "That board of mine's a little cramped for two people."
"No—letting you just walk away would be far too rude. Please, you must join our celebration!"
The captain had completely let his guard down.
Anyone who could make a child laugh like that… couldn't be a bad person.
"A party, huh?"
Ace's eyes lit up.
After a month at sea, living on little more than dried fish and rations, the idea of a feast was irresistible.
He grabbed a mug of beer and downed it in one gulp, laughing loudly as he began to chat with the crew and passengers.
"…"
Nami stared at the scene before her.
Maybe… they really weren't like the others.
"Oi! Nami! Get over here! We're partying!"
Ace called out with a grin.
"I—I'm coming…"
She hesitated, then slowly walked toward him.
A pirate, laughing and feasting with ordinary people…
Was this guy really a pirate?
As she watched Ace blend effortlessly into the crowd, drinking and joking, a strange look flickered in Nami's eyes.
One she hadn't felt in a long, long time.
Maybe… just maybe…
This time… it might be different.
---
TL/N:
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