"Ah... 'choo~"
Unknown sea.
On the vast expanse of the sea, a small boat was sailing forward rapidly.
Behind the boat, a young man with a bandana tied around his head was leaning against the side of the boat, holding three swords, his eyes narrowed as he rubbed his nose.
"Who's thinking of me again?"
Zoro opened his eyes in confusion, glanced at the sky, and then looked at the orange-haired girl standing in the middle of the boat, steering it.
"Nami, where are we?"
This girl was someone he had rescued from pirates on an unknown island a month ago.
He had later learned that she was a navigator, so he pretended to be reluctant but was actually overjoyed to ask her to be his navigator.
At first, the girl was unwilling.
Even though she knew he was Zoro, the famous bounty hunter from the East Blue, she still refused.
However, during their subsequent conversation, upon learning that he was from Shimotsuki Village and from the Isshin Dojo, she directly agreed.
This left him somewhat bewildered.
Nami pulled the sail, adjusted the direction, glanced at Zoro out of the corner of her eye, a hint of disdain in her gaze.
Zoro was powerful, no doubt.
They had encountered many pirates over the past month.
No matter who they were, he had defeated them with ease.
There was just one thing she couldn't stand: as long as she wasn't looking at him, even when he was following her, he could get lost.
Thinking about how he had gotten lost twice in the past month while she was accompanying him to cash in bounties, she felt like she had boarded a pirate ship.
She wasn't here to be a navigator, but a babysitter!
If this guy wasn't someone's junior disciple, she would have abandoned him long ago.
It had been nearly a year since Kouta killed Arlong.
In this past year, she had traveled through most of the East Blue.
Of course, she had also visited Shimotsuki Village and the Isshin Dojo.
Although the newspaper didn't mention Kouta's specific whereabouts, it didn't stop her from inquiring!
She knew Kouta's origins from the Marines.
Otherwise, with the vastness of the East Blue, it would have taken her a lot of time to find Shimotsuki Village.
Shaking her head, Nami let go of the rope, took a couple of steps to the side, raised her hand to her forehead, and looked ahead, smiling as she replied, "I see land. It should be the Goa Kingdom up ahead."
"By the way."
Nami turned to look at Zoro, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and asked, "You've always said you have to wait for someone before you go to the Grand Line. You still haven't told me who you're waiting for?"
If she couldn't go to the Grand Line alone, she wouldn't have stayed in the East Blue with Zoro to wait.
Zoro's strength and being Kouta's junior disciple gave her a sense of innate trust, which was why she was following Zoro.
Well, there were still many places in the East Blue she hadn't been to. She might as well finish drawing the maps of the East Blue during this time, and then it wouldn't be too late to go to the Grand Line.
"Wait for whom?"
Zoro's lips twitched.
To be honest, he deeply regretted agreeing to the Straw Hat Kid on impulse back then.
Otherwise, he should have been in the Grand Line by now.
Now that he had found the navigator he needed most, he had to stay in the East Blue for another year because he had promised the Straw Hat Kid.
Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable.
"Sigh!"
Zoro drooped his head, sighed, and said, "You'll know when we get there."
"Since I promised him, I must keep my word, so no matter what, I have to wait for him."
He then looked up at Nami and said expectantly, "You... you'll wait for us too, right?"
He had witnessed Nami's prowess during this time.
She was simply the best navigator he had ever seen.
With such a skilled navigator at sea, they would have an unparalleled sense of security.
"We'll see then!"
Nami looked at Zoro intently. Although she already had an answer in her heart, she maintained a poker face.
Seeing Nami like this, Zoro gritted his teeth and said, "All the pirates I've killed recently, the Berries I've exchanged, and any in the future will be yours. I only need money for repairing my swords."
After a month together, he had fully figured out Nami's personality.
Upon hearing this, Nami's face instantly lit up with a brilliant smile. "You said it yourself, I didn't force you!"
She had been splitting the Berries from the pirates killed in the past month with Zoro fifty-fifty, and she had long been coveting Zoro's share.
Thinking that all the Berries from future pirate bounties would be hers, her heart was filled with joy.
"Maybe we should just not go to the Goa Kingdom and not see that Straw Hat Kid."
She pondered, touching her chin, her eyes glinting with the image of money.
Zoro looked at Nami, reached out to touch the money pouch at his waist, and relaxed.
"Fortunately, she's a greedy person."
Otherwise, if Nami really left, where would he find such a skilled navigator who didn't annoy him?
However, the thought that he would be very poor in the future, possibly without even enough money for wine, made his lips twitch.
"Sigh! Straw Hat Kid, I'm sacrificing too much for this crew. You have to step up!"
Thinking of Luffy, a glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
"I need to give Luffy some special training. With such little strength, how can he sail the seas and be a captain?"
He could feel the potential contained within Luffy's body, but due to the lack of systematic training and his younger age, it hadn't been fully unleashed.
As long as his potential was unleashed, he believed Luffy would also become a strong fighter.
Otherwise, it was impossible for just anyone to declare themselves his captain.
Perhaps thinking of something, a wicked grin appeared on his face.
Nami, standing beside him, shivered.
"What kind of bad idea is this guy cooking up? Is he eyeing my wallet?"
She couldn't help but grip the money pouch at her waist, her hand tightening.
"Looks like I'll have to buy a safe in the future."
Letting go of her hand, Nami no longer paid attention to Zoro and turned back to focus on steering the boat.
Gazing at the horizon appearing in the distance, a hint of anticipation surfaced in her eyes.
"Who could be the person Zoro is waiting for?"
...
Who?
Of course, it was...
In the Goa Kingdom, Windmill Village, on an open space in the back of the mountain.
Nami looked at the boy with the straw hat, who was constantly stuffing food into his mouth, and her eyebrows twitched.
"Zoro," she turned to Zoro, her voice filled with anger, "Is this the guy you've been waiting for?"
This Straw Hat Kid was a glutton. In the future, no matter how much food they prepared on the ship, it wouldn't be enough for him.
In this short time, while she was still eating a small piece of meat from her plate, the Straw Hat Kid had already finished several beasts as large as her.
This, this, this, she couldn't express her feelings at the moment.
"Yeah!" Zoro tilted his head, glancing at Nami cautiously, and nodded. "It's him."
"You..."
Nami pointed at Zoro, wanting to say something, but the words died on her lips.
"Zoro, you're amazing! You found a navigator for me so quickly, Hahahahaha!!"
Swallowing the piece of meat in his mouth, Luffy's hand suddenly stretched out, snatching the meat from Zoro's hand and laughing loudly while eating.
"You rascal."
Seeing his hands empty, Zoro could no longer stand it. He jumped up and charged at Luffy.
Soon, the sounds of fighting erupted from the area.
Of course, there were also Luffy's screams.
Nami sat by the campfire, looking up at the sky in silence, feeling despair about their future voyage.
"Sigh~"