Chapter 21
On the seemingly calm waters of the East Blue, my ship glides along at a leisurely pace. Calling it a “small ship” isn’t quite right—it’s more of a compact vessel, not some tiny five-meter dinghy. I bought this ship before setting out, about half the size of the Straw Hats’ Going Merry. It’s roomy enough for five people, but any more, and it’d feel cramped.
Even a ship this size isn’t something I can handle alone to safely cross Reverse Mountain, so I hired two sailors back in Loguetown to help out.
I didn’t head straight for the South Blue after getting everything ready. First, I need a reliable navigator, and my top pick is Nami, who I worked with a few days ago. Honestly, she’s pretty much my only option. Most skilled navigators are tied to pirate crews or merchant fleets, and there’s no way they’d work for me. So, I decided to cruise through the waters where that little thief usually operates, hoping to catch her trail.
If luck’s on my side, I’ll find her. If not, I’ll have to—ugh—ask Smoker for a Marine navigator. That’s my last resort, though. A bounty hunter begging the Marines for help? Feels weird.
——————
“Whew… the Shop’s stuff is no joke,” I mutter, stretching as I step out of the cabin. An hour ago, I took that Primary Body Enhancement Potion from the Shop, and after a weird tingling sensation, I tested it out. My strength and speed are up by at least fifty percent. Stamina and endurance? Haven’t tried them yet, but they’ve probably gotten a solid boost too.
The sun’s high overhead now. My two hired sailors are on deck, done with their chores, leaning against the railing, smoking, and chatting idly.
“Morning, boss,” they say, snapping to attention when they see me.
“Morning, fellas,” I reply, giving them a nod. I glance out at the horizon. “Where are we at?”
“Oh, per your instructions, we’ve passed the third uninhabited island. We’re at the endpoint of the route you marked,” one sailor says, pulling out the East Blue chart I gave them.
“Got it. No sign of merchant ships or pirate crews?”
“Nope,” the sailor shakes his head. “Just a few fishing boats, nothing else.”
“Hm, that’s odd,” I say, rubbing my chin and eyeing the chart. “This route runs from Cocoyasi Village to the junction of all known safe sea lanes in the East Blue. It’s supposed to be a main thoroughfare. Could she have taken some remote, off-the-grid route? Her little boat shouldn’t be able to handle those waters.”
“Should we anchor here for half a day, see if anyone shows up?” one sailor asks.
I think it over but shake my head. “Nah, forget it. I was just trying my luck anyway. Since she’s not here, let’s head back to Loguetown. I’ll talk to Smoker about borrowing a navigator. Business comes first.”
“Aye, aye!” The sailors nod, heading to their posts to turn the ship around.
I shrug, a bit disappointed, and glance out at the sea. That’s when I spot a tiny black dot on the horizon.
“Huh?” I pull a collapsible telescope from my pocket, extend it, and peer through. There she is—Miss Thief herself, with her unmistakable orange hair, frantically steering a rickety little boat toward us. The boat’s loaded with glittering gold and jewels, clearly her latest “haul.”
Then, not far behind, a pirate ship with a skull on its sail comes into view. It’s massive—dozens of times bigger than Nami’s boat and about three times the size of mine. The pirates are shouting and cursing, waving their weapons at her.
I lower the telescope, a grin spreading across my face. “Hold up, don’t change course. Keep moving forward on the original route, nice and slow.”
——————
On the other side, Nami’s desperately maneuvering her tiny boat, fleeing for her life. Behind her, the pirate ship chases like a tiger after a rabbit.
“Faster! Don’t let that little thief escape!” the pirate captain bellows, brandishing his sword. His voice drips with rage. No surprise—having your hard-earned “treasure” swiped by another crook would piss anyone off.
“Fire the cannons!” he roars.
Boom! A black cannonball arcs toward Nami’s boat.
Her little vessel’s got one advantage—agility. As the cannonball flies, Nami deftly swerves, dodging it by a wide margin. The shot splashes into the sea, kicking up massive waves, but her boat only rocks violently before speeding on.
“Captain, her boat’s way lighter and nimbler than ours,” a pirate—probably the first mate—says. “At this rate, she’ll outrun us. We should send out the small boats to catch her!”
The captain nods. “Launch two boats! Chase down that damn thief! And keep the cannons firing!”
“Aye!” The pirates scramble into action.
Soon, two smaller boats hit the water, overtaking the main ship and closing in on Nami. The pirate ship keeps lobbing cannonballs, none hitting but slowing her down with the constant waves.
“Damn it…” Nami mutters, glancing back. The two smaller boats, unhindered by the waves, are gaining fast. Sweat beads on her forehead. She grits her teeth, deciding that if they catch up, she’ll abandon ship and swim for it.
For someone as money-obsessed as her, ditching her loot and losing her boat is a gut punch. I can almost feel her heart bleeding at the thought.
Just as she’s weighing how to save her “earnings,” my ship appears nearby.
“Great, a roadblock at a time like this,” Nami grumbles, spotting my vessel. She steers to avoid me.
But I adjust my ship’s course, blocking her path again. She tries dodging once more, and I counter, cutting her off. After a few tries, my ship’s consistently in her way, like I’m trying to ram her.
Nami freezes, suspicion creeping in. “Is that ship with those pirates?” she mutters, eyeing my vessel, now less than twenty meters away. She’s about to jump overboard when she sees me.
I lean casually against the railing, giving her a look. She stops dead, shock written all over her face. “You? Morgan?”
“Yo,” I say, waving lazily. “Busy, huh, Miss Thief?”