One Piece pirates salty life

"Alright, alright, you're still a kid, and I'm already old, okay?"

Nojiko reached out and gently rubbed Nami's head, a helpless but affectionate smile on her face. She sighed playfully and added, "At least introduce your friends to me properly—especially that handsome one over there."

As she said this, her teasing gaze landed squarely on Leo.

"Hmph! Nojiko! I'll have you know, I'm not the same little girl you remember," Nami declared, putting her hands on her hips with pride written all over her face. She stood tall, trying to exude confidence, like someone who could now stand on her own.

Nojiko raised her eyebrows with amusement. "Oh? And what exactly has changed? Could it be that our little Nami finally has a boyfriend?" she teased, nudging Nami with her elbow and lowering her voice in a mischievous hiss.

"What are you saying! Nojiko, I already told you—they're just my friends!" Nami's face flushed with embarrassment as she stomped her foot and quickly began introducing the crew in order to shift the conversation.

"This is Luffy, my captain. He may seem silly and carefree most of the time… but he's a really good guy."

Realizing her sister was genuinely getting flustered, Nojiko held back her teasing and smiled kindly, nodding to Luffy.

"Hahaha! I'm Luffy!" he said with a wide grin, tipping his straw hat slightly. He didn't seem to mind Nami's description in the slightest and even laughed heartily about it.

Nojiko studied Luffy for a moment. He did look rather silly with his straw hat and carefree smile. But there was something about him… something genuine. And she noticed that Nami's whole demeanor had changed since returning home. She seemed brighter, more confident—even happy.

"This is Sanji and Usopp. One's our cook, and the other is our sniper," Nami continued.

Then, leaning close to Nojiko's ear, she whispered quietly, "One of them's a hopeless flirt, and the other can't stop bragging, but… they're good people."

As soon as she finished, Sanji rushed forward in a dramatic swoop, hearts sparkling in his eyes. With a theatrical flair, he pulled out a large bouquet of roses seemingly from nowhere, knelt on one knee before Nojiko, and said, "My beautiful lady, I am Sanji, your chivalrous knight!"

Nojiko's mouth twitched. She didn't quite know how to react, but she accepted the roses with a forced smile. He really was as ridiculous as Nami had said.

Meanwhile, Usopp stood proudly, hands on his hips, launching into an exaggerated tale about how he had single-handedly fought off a crew of 3,000 pirates with nothing but his slingshot and wit.

Nojiko blinked in disbelief, wondering if Nami had fallen in with a band of lunatics. Could these people really be called "crewmates"?

"And finally," Nami said with a bit of hesitation, "this is Leo, our deputy captain. He's a magician. Very powerful, very reliable… but also a bit sneaky, greedy, and has a short temper. Oh, and he once stole my Berry!"

As she went on, her voice grew quieter, and her eyes darted over to Leo, as if afraid he might overhear.

Leo, who had been nodding occasionally during the introductions, raised an eyebrow at that last part. He had heard every word.

Still, since this was Nami's family, he let it slide. Barely. In his heart, he had already decided to increase Nami's training regimen. A navigator who couldn't solo the New World? Unacceptable.

"Ahem. Nice to meet you. I'm Leo," he said at last, putting on a calm, sincere smile as he greeted Nojiko.

Nojiko looked at him with a brief flicker in her eyes. "This guy is dangerously good-looking," she thought. "It seems little Nami's taste isn't so bad after all."

"Well, come in, all of you," Nojiko said, setting down the watering can she'd been holding and motioning everyone toward the house.

Behind them, Ajian followed silently. He was practically forgotten in the excitement—reduced to nothing more than a background character at this point.

---

Meanwhile, on the Going Merry…

Zoro was still fast asleep on the deck, completely unaware that the crew had already reached shore and left him behind.

His only job now was guarding the ship. Not that anyone had asked for his opinion on it.

Johnny and Joseph lay lazily at the edge of the ship, legs dangling as they stared out at the lifeless dock.

"I'm bored to death, Joseph," Johnny muttered. "Why don't we wake up Big Bro and go check out the village?"

Joseph didn't even turn his head. "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten what happens when we wake him up? You want to get sliced in half again?"

He shuddered at the memory. Zoro waking up in a bad mood usually meant someone ended up being used for sword practice.

They didn't notice the faint splashing sound beneath the boat as an unfamiliar figure emerged slowly from the sea.

Climbing up stealthily was an octopus-man with eight powerful tentacles—Hachi, a former member of the Sun Pirates and a current officer under Arlong.

Suddenly—

Whoosh!

A white gleam flashed in the sunlight as a long sword slashed through the air toward the unsuspecting Johnny and Joseph.

A gust of wind accompanied the attack, knocking both boys off their feet and onto the deck.

Miraculously, the sudden breeze caused the strike to miss its mark, saving them by mere inches.

Standing before them now was Hachi, calmly holding a massive long sword in one of his tentacles.

"Hmph… Are these the newbies everyone's been talking about?" he murmured to himself.

"Who the hell are you?! Why'd you attack us?!" Joseph roared as he scrambled to his feet, full of rage.

Johnny, however, had gone pale. "Wait, Joseph… remember what Leo said about fishmen? This guy might be one of them!"

Joseph froze. Now that Johnny mentioned it, this attacker did fit the description.

"Still not talking? Then that confirms it," Hachi said coldly. "You're intruders."

Without hesitation, he charged again, blades slicing through the air.

As the chaos unfolded, a voice growled from the side of the deck:

"You guys are too damn loud…"

It was Zoro.

He sat up from his reclining position, drenched from the breeze and visibly annoyed. His favorite activity aside from drinking had just been interrupted—sleeping.

He glared at the scene unfolding before him. "Who's the idiot ruining my nap?"

Hachi paused mid-attack, startled by the new presence. "Hmm? Another one? But I could've sworn I checked the deck already."

Zoro stood up, cracked his neck, and slowly drew one of his swords.

"Fishman, huh?"

After hearing what Nami had told them about Arlong's gang, Zoro's attitude toward fishmen was anything but friendly.

"You one of the guys bullying Nami?" Zoro said sharply, stepping forward with growing fury. "Come on then, you six-sword freak. Let's see what you've got."

Hachi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Nami? You know Nami?"

But before he could say anything else, Johnny grabbed Zoro's arm and quickly whispered something into his ear. A plan.

In short, they were going to trick Hachi into taking them to the village, where they could regroup with the others.

Zoro's scowl slowly morphed into a grin. "Oh, I like this plan," he said quietly.

"More people to beat up."

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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