Chapter 8: Pirate Thief Nami.

"I always knew Luffy was an idiot, with zero navigation skills, but I didn't know someone else was the same..."

"I set sail early in the morning and asked someone to steer. He looked reliable, with sharp eyes and a serious expression. When I finished making breakfast and asked where we were, there was no response. I went out to look and found we were in unfamiliar sea..."

Roman sighed and couldn't form a complete sentence.

"Hahahaha~~~~"

Luffy rolled on the deck laughing, "What, so Zoro, you're bad with directions too."

The swordsman, who looked 'very reliable,' widened his eyes, "How can you slander me out of thin air..."

"What slander, didn't you say it yourself? Because you got lost and couldn't find your hometown, and had no money, you had to become a 'pirate hunter'..."

Zoro's face turned red, and the veins on his forehead bulged as he argued:

"Traveling doesn't count as getting lost... Traveling! How can a swordsman's journey be considered getting lost?"

Then he started saying things like "Death is like the wind, always by my side," and "The sword cuts the flesh, the heart cuts the soul," which were hard to understand...

---

In hindsight, I should have kept that guy Coby around.

Roman rubbed his temples, forcing himself to ignore the two idiots playing on the deck. He spread out the map, calculating their position and adjusting their course.

"No, we need to find a navigator as soon as possible, or we'll be stuck with these stupid problems all day long..."

Do I still want to train my body? Do I still want to develop my Devil Fruit abilities?

"And we need to recruit a cook quickly too. Every day I'm sailing and cooking for these two guys. People who know us call us pirates, but those who don't might think I'm a babysitter!"

Roman steered the ship while trying to 'remember' the navigator Nami and the cook Sanji...

Where are those two unlucky kids right now?

"Wow, Zoro, Roman,"

"Look, there's a bird in the sky!"

...

"Don't bother me. Why don't you say there's a plane in the sky?"

"Gomu Gomu no..."

"Rocket—"

Roman couldn't be bothered with Luffy's antics. He seriously considered the dangers they would face next: Loguetown, Crocodile, Gecko Moria, Skypiea, and... headaches.

So many strong enemies, are we really going to rely on Luffy's 'cheats'?

Absolutely not! Cautious planning and thorough preparation are Roman's style; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived until now—

"Ahhh, I'm stuck~~~"

"Help, Roman!"

?

"What are you guys doing now—"

??

Flying, flying, flying away...

Following the sound, Roman looked up to see Luffy being carried away by a large bird, and he took a deep breath!

Numb, completely numb...

You're really stupid beyond belief, aren't you?!

A Devil Fruit user, who would drown if they fell into the water! What gave you the courage to mess around in the vast ocean? Was it the Rikugan flying fish?!

"Zoro, come steer the ship."

I've decided, once I get that guy back, I'm going to beat him up with the 'chainsaw shield'!

"Paper Dance - Wings!"

With a flutter,

Two white wings made of paper appeared behind Roman, turning him into a 'birdman' who soared into the sky.

"Hey, hey, hey, I don't know the direction~~"

The shout from behind almost made Roman, who had just taken off, crash into the sea. He finally started to doubt if he had boarded the wrong ship...

Whoosh—

Bang!

A feather-shaped piece of white paper flew back and stuck into the deck, swaying in the wind, pointing like a compass towards Roman in the sky. His voice gradually faded away:

"Follow the direction it points to—I'll go after that idiot Luffy first!"

---

"I'm so stupid, really."

Roman, transformed into a 'grumbling woman', flapped his wings hard, gliding through the sky like a giant bird. But:

After all, he was human, not a bird. Even with the ability granted by the Paper-Paper Fruit, he couldn't compare to real birds. No matter how hard he tried, he could only trail far behind.

Moreover, Roman had only had the fruit for a few months, and his development of its powers wasn't enough for many fancy maneuvers...

"I hope that big bird has enough stamina to reach land."

Roman could only comfort himself with this thought—if the bird carrying Luffy ran out of strength and fell into the sea... Roman, who also ate a Devil Fruit and couldn't swim, would be helpless.

"How did I get tricked onto this ship by such an idiot?"

Although Roman complained, he flapped his wings hard and began to think about solutions for this kind of situation in the future.

"It seems I need to get 'that thing' as soon as possible..."

---

And so, Roman chased after the big bird and Luffy ahead!

Ignoring three unlucky guys struggling in the sea, he flew for half a day. Just as Roman was drenched in sweat, exhausted, and lamenting 'my life is over', a patch of yellow appeared in the distance.

Land!

In an instant, both the exhausted Roman and the big bird ahead accelerated! As long as they reached that place...

Boom!

Huh?

As they got closer, a seaside town appeared in Roman's view. The big bird, just flying over the town, was hit by a cannonball and fell straight down with smoke, including the Luffy it was carrying.

"Nice shot!"

Seeing his captain being shot down, Roman clapped and cheered, wishing the other side would shoot a few more times.

Wonderful~~

"Huff, huff~~"

"That idiot..." Roman, catching his breath, looked at the crash site and shook his head, "Once on land, what danger could there be?"

First, get some water and rest, then check if that idiot number one is dead!

Speaking of which, whether idiot number two can sail the ship here smoothly is a serious question...

In just a few days, Luffy and Zoro's image in Roman's mind had plummeted, almost breaking through the floor. This made Roman suspect that without others, their situation would be unimaginable!

---

"Hey, you're so strong, why don't we team up?"

On the town's street, a few pirates with bruised faces were lying on the ground, while Luffy, unscathed, patted his pants.

On the nearby rooftop, a short-haired girl with orange hair was sitting, watching with interest as Luffy easily took down several pirates.

"Who are you?"

Facing Luffy's question, the girl held a map in one hand and made a 'money' gesture with her thumb and index finger.

"I'm Nami,"

"A thief who specializes in stealing from pirates."

"I have a map of the 'Grand Line.' Let's work together."

The girl named Nami proposed, "I'll come up with the plans, and you handle the fighting. We'll split the loot seventy-thirty... How about it, boss?"

Anyone would think this girl was quite savvy. — She gets thirty percent while he gets seventy. Considering how cute she is, giving her an extra ten percent wouldn't be a problem...

"No, I won't work with you!"

Unfortunately, she was facing someone who wasn't 'normal,' a true steel... rubber straight man who saw money and beauty as fleeting clouds!

Facing Luffy's decisive refusal and departure, Nami quickly jumped off the roof.

"Wait, how about I give you an extra five percent? ... Okay, okay, eighty-twenty, no less..."

——————

"Hey, you got separated from your companions?"

"Yeah, Roman and Zoro."

In the empty second floor of a town restaurant, Luffy and the girl named Nami sat across from each other.

"Zoro is a very skilled swordsman! Roman is serious..."

Thinking of Roman, Luffy suddenly deflated like a balloon and slumped on the table.

"It's over, it's over, Roman is definitely going to beat me up~~"

And it hurts a lot when he hits—

"Why, aren't you companions?"

"Because I was carried away by a bird..."

???

What kind of ridiculous reason is that... Nami was speechless. You might as well say 'my bird was carried away' and it would be more believable!

It seems this straw hat boy is very strong, but his brain seems to have some issues...

If Roman were here, he would definitely tell Nami to be confident and remove the 'seems'!

"Let's not talk about that, back to business:"

"With this map, I can go to the Grand Line and steal those pirates' treasures. — I believe I can quickly save up a hundred million Berries to buy the village..."

Hmm?

"Do you have extensive navigation knowledge?"

Luffy, you might think he's dumb, but he often acts like a clown. Yet, at critical moments, he always manages to grasp the key points! — Just like now: with a few words, he already had a clear understanding of the girl's nature and strengths.

"Of course," the short-haired girl Nami said with absolute confidence!

"When it comes to navigation knowledge, I won't lose to anyone."

"That's great, we also want to go to the Grand Line. You can be our navigator!"

"Really?"

"Of course, our pirate crew will definitely be the best in the world—"

"No way!"

??

"Ugh, so you're a pirate after all~~"

The previously enthusiastic girl, Nami, stood up with a look of annoyance and waved her hand.

"Forget it, I don't want to cooperate with you anymore."

"Why?"

This time it was Luffy's turn to look confused. The girl who had been pulling him to join her just now suddenly turned hostile.

Could it be:

"Listen, in this world, the thing I hate the most is pirates!"

"I like money and oranges,"

The girl placed her hands on the table, fuming with anger.

"I'd rather die! Die outside, jump off from here—"

"I will never get on your ship!"

——————