As the crew sailed across the ocean, Nami began to express her concerns. "We need to plan things more," she said, drawing the attention of her companions.
Luffy asked with curiosity, "What do you mean?"
Nami replied with a hint of seriousness, "Are we going to the Grand Line like this?"
Luffy, a bit puzzled, responded, "Uncle Cabbage gave us some fruit, but we don't have any meat on this ship."
Naruto, chiming in with his own priorities, added with a grin, "And ramen, too! Can't forget about that."
Nami, frustrated, raised her voice, "I'm not talking about food!"
Zoro, ever the swordsman with his own preferences, commented, "And we don't have sake to drink. How boring."
Nami continued, trying to steer the conversation back on track, "Anyway, the Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world, so we need to get a better ship."
Luffy, understanding the gravity of the situation, asked, "What should we do, then?"
Nami offered a solution, "There's a village to the north. We should go there and look for a ship."
Luffy, being himself, added with enthusiasm, "And some meat!"
Naruto chimed in, "And some ramen! But Nami is Grandline really that dangerous"
Nami nodded firmly and replied, "Of course, it is. It's also known as the pirate graveyard."
Zoro playfully teased, "The kid's getting scared, huh?"
Naruto, not one to back down, grinned and retorted, "Scared? Nah, I'm just excited to show the Grand Line what I Naruto from the Hidden Leaf Village can do, dattebayo!"
Luffy, with his signature grin, replied confidently, "Yeah, we're going to have a ton of adventures in the Grand Line!"
------
As the crew sailed closer to the island, Luffy exclaimed with excitement, "Wow, there really is an island!"
Nami responded confidently, "What did you expect? We followed the map, so it can't be wrong."
Some distance away, four people, specifically three kids and one adult, were spying on them. Usopp asked, "Hey, are those the pirates you were talking about?"
One of the kids replied, "That's right. Look at them."
Another kid chimed in, "They don't look so scary."
"Yeah," the third kid agreed.
Zoro, stretching after being on the boat for a while, commented, "It's been a long time since I last stood on firm ground."
Luffy, teasingly quipped, "That's because you're sleeping all the time."
Naruto pointed toward a bush and asked, "Hey, what are those guys doing?"
The three kids, startled, quickly ran away, yelling, "We've been found!" and leaving Usopp behind.
Usopp the raised his hand-crossed in front of his chest and declared, "I am the great pirate fleet leader, in charge of the security of this village. I am also known as Captain Usopp! It's best you don't attack us because my 80 million men are not going to forgive you."
Naruto, wearing a skeptical expression, asked, "Uh, really?"
Nami, not buying it for a second, questioned, "You're lying, right?"
Usopp, in a comical and exaggerated manner, admitted, "Waah, I've been caught."
Nami pointed out, "See, you admitted it yourself."
Luffy, finding the whole situation amusing, laughed heartily and said, "Haa ha ha ha, you're so funny"
----
In a small, cozy tavern, Usopp leaned in and said, "So, you're looking for companions and a ship, huh?"
Luffy, his mouth full of meat, simply nodded and replied, "Yup."
Usopp grinned, excited by the prospect, and said, "Uh! Sounds like a big adventure!"
Nami, always interested in practical information, asked, "Where can we find what we want in this village?"
Usopp leaned in closer and shared, "There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want. Although it's not a very big ship, it's not that small either."
Nami inquired, "Where is it?"
Usopp continued, "There's a mansion not far from here, and that ship belongs to the mansion's owner. Although she's the owner, she's a pitiful young girl. A weak and sick girl who always lies on her bed."
Nami, intrigued by the situation, asked, "Eh, then how come she's the owner of the mansion?"
Before Usopp could reply, Luffy, always focused on his appetite, ordered, "Obasan, another plate of meat."
Zoro, with a thirst for sake, chimed in, "I want some more sake."
Naruto, with tears in his eyes, complained, "Why is there no ramen? Although the food is tasty..."
Usopp yelled, "Are you even listening to me?"
He then continued his story, "It happened around a year ago. The girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance and the mansion. Even if you're really rich, it doesn't exempt you from sorrow."
The conversation continued for a while, but eventually, Usopp excused himself from the group.
After some time, the three kids who were earlier with Usopp burst into the tavern on their mission to rescue their captain. One of them declared, "Usopp Pirates group is here!"
Nami, puzzled, asked, "What? Who are they?"
One of the kids anxiously explained, "Captain isn't here."
Another kid chimed in, "It can't be that he's been eaten up."
Nami and Zoro exchanged glances, wondering what was going on. Then, one of the kids yelled, "Hey, pirates! What did you do to our captain?"
Luffy, fully absorbed in his meat, exclaimed with satisfaction, "Yum yum, what delicious meat!"
One of the kids panicked, "Huh, meat?"
The other kid added, "He... he ate the captain!"
Zoro, with an evil expression, looked at them and said, "Your captain? We ate him."
All three kids turned toward Nami, yelling, "Gyaaahhh!! Onibabaaaa!!!"
Nami, shouted back, "Why are you looking at me?"
Luffy, Zoro, and Naruto couldn't contain their laughter.
After their playful teasing, Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and Naruto assured the kids that they were just joking. They continued to listen to the kids as they shared more about Usopp.
The three kids explained how Usopp went to the mansion every day to tell tall tales and amusing lies, all in an effort to cheer up Kaya, the sickly girl who owned the mansion. Usopp had quite the reputation in the village for his Lies.
Luffy, with his usual enthusiasm, declared, "Alright, then! We shall go to the mansion and ask for a ship!"
Outside the grand mansion's gate, Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Naruto, and the three curious kids stood. Luffy, ever direct, called out, "Good afternoon! Please lend us a ship."
Naruto added his own request with enthusiasm, "A big one!"
Nami sighed, "Why are you saying that here?"
But Luffy paid no heed and started climbing the tall gate. Nami looked exasperated as she muttered, "We can't stop him."
Zoro replied, "Since we can't stop him, then let's follow him."
Inside the mansion, a man in a butler uniform with a pair of glass in his eye exclaimed, "Trespassers? Where is the guard?"
Merry replied "They went for lunch."
As Usopp continued his story, Kaya, who had been listening intently, asked, "Then what happened to the Goldfish?"
Usopp replied with a grin, "Well, I sliced it up into little pieces and sent them to the country of dwarves. The people of that country still call me..."
But before he could finish, another voice chimed in, "Captain!"
Usopp continues "Yes, Captain, huh!"
He then turned toward the voice and was surprised to see the three kids and luffy crew. Usopp asked, puzzled, "Why are you here?"
The kids replied "We brought them here!"
Kaya, puzzled by the newcomers, asked, "Who's that?"
Luffy, with his usual enthusiasm, exclaimed, "So, you are the Ojousama."
Usopp, trying to play along, placed one hand on Luffy's shoulder and confidently stated, "These guys heard about my reputation and traveled far here to join the Usopp Pirates."
Luffy responded, "No, that's not it."
Kaya asked hesitantly, "A request?"
Luffy replied with a grin, "Yeah, we need a big ship."
But before they could discuss it further, the butler interrupted, demanding, "What are you doing here?"
Kaya exclaimed, "Clahadore!"
Clahadore sternly told them that trespassing was not allowed. Kaya attempted to intervene, but Clahadore continued, disdain in his voice. He made it clear that they should not be there, questioning why Kaya had to talk to the likes of them.
Usopp tried to intervene, but Clahadore's insults escalated. He started saying vile things about Usopp's father, hitting a nerve with the young pirate. Kaya attempted to stop the escalating situation, but Clahadore wouldn't relent.
In a fit of anger, Usopp couldn't take it any longer. He punched Clahadore and, with unwavering pride, declared that he was proud of the fact that his father was a pirate.
Even after taking a punch from Usopp, Clahadore seemed undeterred. He continued hurling insults at the young pirate. Usopp, filled with rage, once again grabbed the butler, ready to deliver another blow. However, he halted when he saw Kaya crying and begging for them to stop. She pleaded with them, explaining that Clahadore wasn't a bad person and that he only cared for her well-being.
Usopp, his anger subsiding, released Clahadore. He walked out of the mansion, declaring that he would never return. Luffy and Naruto, both seething with anger at the butler's behavior, were about to confront him, but Nami and Zoro stepped in, preventing any further conflict.
As they left the mansion behind, Naruto turned back to glance at the crying Kaya.
Naruto, Zoro, Nami, and the kids sat near the fence, Nami inquired about Luffy's whereabouts. Zoro casually responded, "Oh, he went chasing after Usopp."
Naruto got up, dusting off his backside, and started walking away. Nami turned her attention to Naruto and asked a bit irritated, "Now, where are you going?"
Naruto replied with a carefree smile, "Just strolling."
Naruto quietly sneaked inside the Mansion's premises without being detected. He carefully peeked inside Kaya's room, where he saw Kaya looking sad as she sat on her bed. The butler was also present, engaged in conversation with her. Kaya attempted to convince him that Usopp was not a bad person, but the butler seemed unyielding. He abruptly got up and walked out of her room, leaving Kaya alone and distressed.
Naruto gently knocked on the window, and Kaya turned toward the window, and her eyes widened in mild shock as she saw Naruto there. He greeted her with a cheerful grin as she cautiously opened the window.
"Aren't you with them? What are you doing here?" Kaya asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Naruto's smile brightened even more. "Don't worry, nobody has seen me. Luffy has gone to cheer up Usopp, so I decided to come here," he explained.
As Naruto tried to enter through the window, he encountered a minor mishap, tripping and landing face-first inside the room. He winced in pain,"Ow, ow, it hurts" and Kaya rushed to his side, her expression filled with concern. " Are you okay?" she asked.
Naruto managed to regain his footing and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." Kaya noticed a small bruise on his nose and promptly retrieved some ointment, applying it gently. Naruto initially resisted but eventually relented.
Kaya then shared her dream with Naruto. "I want to become a doctor. It's my dream to cure people's illnesses."
Naruto's eyes widened in awe. "Wow," he exclaimed.
Curiosity piqued, Kaya inquired, "How did you climb up here? It's on the second floor. What if you had fallen down outside?"
With a grin, Naruto responded, "I'm a ninja. I'm trained to do this kind of thing."
Kaya smiled warmly but couldn't help but raise another question. "But aren't you a pirate?"
"Huh?" Naruto responded with surprise, seemingly lost in thought. As he mumbled to himself, he began pondering his unique situation aloud.
"I am a ninja, and then I became a pirate. Does that mean I'm not a ninja anymore? No, that's not it. I'm still a ninja, but I became a pirate. Does that make me a Missing Ninja? But it's not like I betrayed the village or anything. But technically, Tsunade Granny and the village don't know where I am. That does make me a missing ninja, right? Are Hunter Ninjas going to come and hunt me down because I'm missing and also a ninja? But now I'm a pirate, so that means I'm a Missing Pirate."
As Naruto grappled with these existential questions, his overactive mind seemed to overload, leading to a metaphorical mental explosion. Smoke pour out of his ears, but it was a clear sign that his brain had temporarily shut down from the intense overthinking.
Kaya started laughing, "Ha ha ha ha ha, you are funny. Hmmm, how about Pirate Ninja?"
Naruto's ears perked up, "Hmm, Pirate Ninja? That sounds good! Yosh, I will become the greatest Pirate Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki! And then, I will become Hokage! Ha ha ha ha."
Kaya joined in the laughter, "Ha ha ha ha."
Their conversation continued as Naruto shared stories of the pranks he had pulled in his village, and Kaya recounted the tales of Usopp's adventures.
Naruto leaned in and asked, "You know what was behind Kakashi-sensei's mask?"
Kaya leaned in with intense concentration, "What is it?"
Naruto replied with a serious expression, "It was another mask."
Kaya burst into laughter once again. She had lost count of how many times Naruto's stories had made her laugh.
When it was time to go, Naruto jumped out of the window. Kaya panicked and looked down, relieved to see Naruto was completely fine.
"Don't scare me like that," Kaya scolded.
Naruto grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "I'm good."
Kaya said, "Thank you, Naruto. I really needed that. I'll also talk to Merry to see if we can do something about the ship." She winked at him.
Naruto exclaimed, "Really?"
Kaya nodded, and Naruto raised his hand above the air, shouting, "Yatta!"
Kaya quickly shushed him, and Naruto waved goodbye, saying, "We'll come back."
With that Naruto left the Mansion in search of his friends.