One Piece: Wudang Bai Ye, Vice-Captain of the Straw Hat Crew

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"Yosh!!"

"To celebrate our new crewmate Usopp—let's throw a party!!!"

On the deck, Luffy looked super hyped.

Whether he was more excited about getting a new crewmate or just about having a party, well… probably both.

Either way, there were only five people on board right now, but the vibes were through the roof.

"Cheers!!!"

"Bwahahaha!!!"

Laughter and chatter filled the air as everyone dug in without holding back.

Buuurp~"Man, Bai Ye's cooking is still crazy good."

Luffy patted his stomach, flopping back into a deck chair, totally satisfied.

"It's just regular dishes, but somehow they taste amazing," Nami added from the side. As a thief from the East Blue, she'd tasted plenty of different food.

But someone like Bai Ye—who could take simple ingredients and cook up something this tasty—was really rare.

"To me, Bai Ye's wine is what hits the spot," Zoro chimed in, skipping his usual training for once and sipping straight from a big jug of booze, totally relaxed.

"Ughh yeah~ it's all so good. So wait, is Bai Ye our cook or what?" Usopp asked with his mouth still full.

"I just know how to cook, that's all," Bai Ye replied, shaking his head. "Out here on the seas, being a cook is a big deal. Not everyone's cut out for it."

"Only a real chef knows how to perfectly match up ingredients."

"Eating your fill and eating well are two totally different things."

Bai Ye, who had read the original manga, knew just how important a cook was in the One Piece world.

And if he took over all the cooking now, Luffy and the gang might not even go looking for Sanji.

More importantly, Bai Ye really didn't want to add more work to his plate.

That cook role? Yeah, leave that to Sanji.

"Yosh!" Luffy suddenly sat up and clapped his hands.

"Then next, let's go find a cook for our crew!"

"And a musician too!"

"You can't have a pirate party without music!"

No one on the ship even bothered responding. They were used to Luffy's totally random trains of thought by now.

Even Usopp, the newest member, was already braced for this kind of thing.

So the party rolled on.

It lasted all the way into the night, until finally, one by one, everyone headed off to bed.

Under a moonlit sky scattered with stars,

The Merry sailed slowly across the gently rippling sea—it felt like peace had finally returned for a moment.

(Diligent little paper person: "Listen to me say thank you~ because of you~")

Creak~

But the quiet didn't last long. A door opened with a soft creak.

Nami stepped out of her room, slowly walking over to the edge of the deck. She stared out into the endless horizon, lost in thought.

She looked nothing like the cheerful girl from the party.

Right now, there was a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"I really wish days like this could last a little longer~"

Nami murmured to herself.

"Why can't they?"

A sudden voice came from behind. It was Bai Ye. But Nami didn't seem surprised. She turned around and said:

"I knew you'd show up."

Bai Ye shrugged.

"Well, I mean, what can I do? Luffy's an idiot, Zoro's a training maniac and a total blockhead, and Usopp's the new guy."

"So when it comes to stuff like emotional support, I guess that leaves me, doesn't it?"

He smiled as he finished.

"After all, you're one of us too, right?"

Bai Ye walked over and gently placed a hand on Nami's head, his voice soft:

"You've been alone all these years... that must've been really hard, huh?"

For some reason, even though his words didn't seem like much to anyone else, they completely broke through Nami's defenses.

Tears welled up in her eyes before spilling over, streaking down her cheeks and splashing onto the deck.

Drip. Drip.

The sound echoed sharply across the calm sea.

She had a strange feeling—like Bai Ye had known exactly who she was from the very first time they met.

"Everyone's really great, but I..."

Nami shook her head. Growing up under the constant fear of Arlong had etched a belief deep into her subconscious—no one can beat Arlong.

"But I still can't stay on this ship... I'll just end up getting everyone killed."

She broke down as she spoke, collapsing to the deck. Her left hand braced against the wood, her right hand wiping away tears.

Not until she freed her village.

Not until she broke free from Arlong's grip.

She couldn't let anyone else...

Get hurt because of her.

"Jeez... Don't go deciding things on your own."

That soft voice came again. But the meaning behind the words made Nami look up, confused, at Bai Ye.

He crouched beside her, gently ruffling her hair.

"Luffy and the others—they all see you as a real crewmate."

"Being part of a crew means putting your full trust in each other."

Bai Ye pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped away her tears.

"So before you go off making emotional decisions, can you at least ask the rest of the crew how they feel?"

His expression turned serious as he placed both hands firmly on her shoulders.

"Because every one of us is ready to risk our lives for our crewmates!"

"Bai Ye…"

Nami wanted to shrug his hands off. She even thought about running away from the ship entirely.

But she didn't.

Maybe it was his grip, or maybe it was that she finally—really—heard what he was saying.

Whatever it was, she ended up throwing herself into his arms, letting out everything she'd kept buried for so long through tears.

Holding her gently, Bai Ye's heart ached a little too.

The original manga keeps things fiery and light—never really diving too deep into the world's darkness.

Nami's backstory only got surface-level treatment.

But even so, just imagining it a little is enough to understand—

All the pressure she's carried, all the humiliation and pain she's endured... it must've been crushing.

Arlong, huh?

You're up next, Bai Ye thought.

So what if you've got ten times the physical strength?

When the time comes, I'll give you a little surprise—with that thing.

In the end, Bai Ye and Nami made a promise.

Once they found their next crewmate, Nami would lay everything on the table and let the whole crew decide what to do.

Bai Ye was pretty satisfied with that outcome.

As long as Nami didn't run off again, handing over her savings and getting humiliated all over... that was enough.

Back when he first read the original story, that part had really pissed him off.

After carrying Nami back to her room, Bai Ye stepped outside, glanced up toward the crow's nest, and chuckled, shaking his head.

Up there, Zoro was cradling his three swords and a jug of sake, eyes deep in thought.

Gulp gulp gulp~

"This sake's actually not bad~"

There were some things he didn't care about.

Just call him when it's time to fight.

"....."