Chapter 21

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Eden's fishing net was caught by the large bird. Before he could let go, he was dragged into the air by the bird, flying swiftly forward.

The whistling wind rushed past his ears. Glancing at the sea below, Eden held tightly to the net, climbing upwards.

The bird occasionally swerved while flying, causing Eden to sway uncontrollably as he climbed. Several times, he nearly fell off while trying to move upwards.

If he could reach the top of the net, he could ride on the bird's back, which would be much safer than risking a fall into the sea.

With this thought in mind, Eden continued to climb. His hands gripped the net so tightly that his palms began to bleed.

Despite being in the air with Luffy due to the birds, Eden's situation was clearly more strenuous.

Luffy, with his head caught in the bird's beak, was spun around in circles before eventually falling behind Eden.

Although Zoro was rowing desperately to catch up with Eden and Luffy, the speed of the small boat couldn't compare to the birds' flight.

Thus, Zoro could only watch helplessly as Eden and Luffy gradually disappeared from view.

After some time, Eden finally reached the top of the net and saw land ahead. It appeared to be a small town, which brought him some relief.

But then Eden realized he had no way to get down.

The birds were flying at least fifty meters above the ground. If he fell from that height, he would surely be severely injured, if not killed.

Unlike Luffy, who was a rubber man and could withstand falls, Eden didn't have the same resilience.

As Eden pondered his next move, a cannonball suddenly flew towards him from a distance, leaving him stunned.

"Damn, I haven't even figured out how to escape, and now I'm being bombarded. This is just my luck!"

Seeing the cannonball rapidly approaching, Eden let go of the net and grabbed it again at the lowest point, preventing himself from falling to the ground. His hands were scraped raw by the rough net, causing intense pain.

Boom!

The cannonball exploded just as Eden stabilized himself. He clearly saw a large red nose printed on the cannonball before it hit. It was one of Buggy's infamous Buggy Balls.

"Damn it, that red-nosed bastard Buggy is the one shooting at me! Damn him and his entire family!"

Eden cursed Buggy and his ancestors, realizing his priority was survival.

As the cannonball exploded, Eden's vision was filled with fire. The intense heat threatened to roast him alive, making him feel parched and uncomfortable.

Though he avoided a direct hit by letting go of the net in time, the bird that had been carrying him was blown to pieces by the explosion, causing Eden to fall.

The blast's shockwave threw Eden off course, making him tumble sideways instead of falling straight down. His clothes were scorched, and his body suffered numerous burns, causing searing pain.

"Damn it, my back was healing, and now I'm injured again."

Eden was deeply frustrated. He had just recovered from previous injuries, only to get hurt again. The pain from both old and new wounds was excruciating.

"What am I going to do? At this rate, I'll be dead for sure."

Eden looked down, seeing the ground rapidly approaching. He had less than thirty meters left before impact and was growing desperate.

Ever since the battle with Morgan, Eden had lost his fear of death, but that didn't mean he would give up without a fight.

Wait, I have an idea!

Seeing a chimney on one of the buildings below, Eden quickly formulated a plan.

If I can use the net to catch that chimney, I can slow my fall and avoid dying.

Gripping the torn net tightly, Eden waited for the right moment.

As he fell at a forty-five-degree angle, approaching the house's roof, he threw the net, catching the chimney.

"Ahhh!!!"

Eden's hands gripped the net as he fell, the force of the fall causing the net's strands to cut deeply into his palms. The pain was unbearable, making him scream.

Although Eden avoided a fatal fall by catching the chimney with the net, the momentum still caused him to crash into the roof several times, making him feel like his body was about to fall apart.

But Eden was grateful to be alive. He lay on the roof, looking at the blue sky, gasping for breath, filled with a sense of survival.

Judging by the Buggy Ball, this must be Orange Town.

After resting for a while, Eden climbed to his feet, cursing, "Damn it, Buggy. I'll make sure your nose is even redder and rounder!"

"Who dares to insult our Captain Buggy?!"

"Show yourself! How dare you insult Captain Buggy!"

Before Eden could finish his rant, several rough voices called out.

Already in a foul mood, Eden snapped, "It was me! What are you going to do about it?"

Climbing to the other side of the roof, he saw three fierce-looking pirates on the street below. They bore Buggy's insignia, explaining why they were angry at Eden's insult.

To Eden's surprise, he also saw Nami, whom he hadn't seen in about a week.

Nami stared at Eden, noticing his injuries and soot-covered face, clearly the result of an explosion.

What's happened to him? It's only been a few days, and he's a mess!

Seeing Eden's bloodied hands, Nami felt a pang of pain. She hadn't expected to see him in such a state.

"You're here! Did you steal the Grand Line map?"

Eden felt uncomfortable under Nami's concerned yet angry gaze. Seeing the map in her hand, he asked.

Nami had indeed stolen Buggy's Grand Line map. She had been chased by the three pirates to retrieve it.

While fleeing, Nami heard the explosion but hadn't realized it was Eden being blasted by Buggy's cannonball above her.

"You know she stole our map? Are you her boss?"

"Must be. Look at them. Let's take them down and hand them to Captain Buggy."

The three pirates, seeing Eden and Nami conversing, assumed they were accomplices.

"Hey, brat! Get down here!"

The pirates surrounded Nami and shouted at Eden on the roof.

Eden, already furious from Buggy's attack, was ready to vent his anger on Buggy's underlings.

"Your captain fired at me. I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Eden jumped from the two-meter-high roof, cracking his knuckles, and gave the three pirates a cold smile.

Nami watched Eden approach, feeling a mix of emotions. She had almost been caught by the pirates and would have been killed if Eden hadn't appeared.

Hearing the pirates call Eden her boss, Nami wanted to protest, but seeing his injuries, she held back, even considering teaming up with him.

Being with him isn't so bad.

Nami thought as she watched Eden beat the pirates, her hand resting on the nunchaku tied to her left leg. She recalled how brutally Eden fought in Shells Town and couldn't help but smile.

"We're Buggy's men! Our captain won't let you get away with this!"

In no time, Eden had beaten the pirates black and blue. They tried to flee but were blocked by Eden, leaving them no choice but to take the beating.

Seeing no sign of Eden stopping, they resorted to threats.

"Buggy?"

Eden chuckled darkly, "If your captain comes, I'll make his nose even redder!"

Boom! Wham! Smack!

Mentioning Buggy only fueled Eden's anger, prompting him to beat the pirates even more viciously.

The pirates, realizing Eden didn't fear their notorious captain, lamented their misfortune at encountering such a fearless adversary.

He's got skills. It's a good thing he's not a pirate. Teaming up with him wouldn't be bad.

Nami's thoughts softened her gaze towards Eden. She even smiled warmly, thinking about their potential partnership.

Little did Nami know, Eden was a pirate, the very kind she despised.

After thoroughly thrashing the pirates, Eden felt some of his pent-up anger dissipate. Glancing at Nami, he saw her warm, gentle smile, which made him uneasy.

Is she planning to hit me again?

As Eden considered distancing himself from Nami, a loud explosion above drew his attention. Luffy's voice followed, "Who fired at me? I'm falling!"

Looking up, Eden saw Luffy flying towards him and shouted, "You idiot, don't crash into me!"

He leaped to Nami's side, while Nami thought, Here comes this troublemaker again, falling from the sky.

Remembering how Luffy's actions had led to Eden groping her chest the first time they met, Nami felt both angry and flustered.

Eden figured he had avoided Luffy's crash, feeling relieved. Improved reflexes were indeed helpful.

But Eden celebrated too soon. As Luffy neared the ground, he stretched his arm to grab the roof Eden had been on, flipping to land safely.

Unexpectedly, the roof caved in from Luffy's impact, falling towards Eden and Nami.

"Damn it, Luffy, you bastard!"

Seeing the large roof falling, Eden moved to pull Nami away, but she reacted faster, pushing him down and shielding him. The roof was about to hit her instead.

What the hell, is she crazy?

Eden was both angry and anxious. If the roof hit Nami, she wouldn't survive. He had enough strength to dodge with her, but now it was too late.

Nami thought Eden couldn't dodge in time and instinctively shielded him, not knowing his strength had nearly doubled since they last met.

As the roof was about to hit them, Eden flipped himself over, covering Nami with his body, intending to take the brunt of the impact.

He really is trying to protect me!

Nami felt a mix of sweetness and worry as Eden shielded her. However, she misinterpreted Eden's actions, thinking he was only acting out of a general sense of protection rather than any specific feelings for her. Eden was simply reacting out of instinct to protect a fellow human being, especially since she had just tried to protect him.

"Rubber Gun!"

Luffy's voice rang out, followed by the sound of a heavy impact. Eden looked up to see Luffy punching the falling roof into pieces.

Damn, I almost forgot Luffy was here. What a relief.

Eden felt a surge of relief as Luffy's intervention saved them from the falling debris. Just as Eden was about to get up, a sharp pain struck his head. Something hard had hit him, causing his head to jerk down involuntarily.

Nami, who was looking up at Eden with a gentle smile, suddenly found her smile frozen. Eden's head had come crashing down, and their lips met in an unexpected, forceful kiss.

Feeling the warmth from another person's lips, Eden and Nami's eyes widened in shock, both of them petrified by the sudden turn of events.

Apparently, when Luffy shattered the roof, several large pieces of debris struck Eden's head, causing him to lose control momentarily.

This led to his head falling onto Nami's lips, creating an awkward and unexpected kiss.

As Eden's mind was spinning from the impact, he felt an odd mixture of confusion and warmth. He hadn't planned on kissing Nami, and this situation was beyond his control. The shock from the stones had forced this unintentional kiss.

Nami, equally stunned, was trapped in this unexpected kiss. Her thoughts were a jumble, but part of her couldn't deny a strange sense of satisfaction mixed with surprise.

Luffy, meanwhile, had no idea what had just happened. He had merely punched the roof to save his friends and was oblivious to the scene below him.

Eden quickly regained his senses, realizing the awkward position they were in. He pulled back, flustered and embarrassed, his face turning red. Nami, too, felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment, but there was an undeniable connection in that brief moment.

Both Eden and Nami struggled to find their footing as they disentangled from each other, each trying to process the sudden, accidental kiss.

"What the hell was that?!" Nami finally exclaimed, her face still flushed.

"That... that was an accident!" Eden stammered, equally embarrassed.

Before they could fully process the situation, more of Buggy's men appeared, drawn by the commotion and the explosion.

"There they are! Get them!" one of Buggy's pirates shouted.

Nami and Eden exchanged a quick glance, their awkward moment forgotten in the face of the immediate danger.

"Let's deal with these guys first!" Eden said, regaining his composure and preparing for another fight.

"Agreed," Nami replied, her voice steady, though her cheeks were still tinged with pink.