After several days at sea, the crew finally arrived at their first island. As they anchored the ship along the coast in what appeared to be an abandoned area, a collective sense of relief washed over them.
"Finally, some land!" Te exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That boat was starting to feel cramped."
"HEY! Don't talk about my ship like that!" Koby shot back, eyes narrowing. "There's more than enough room on that ship for everyone."
"I'm just saying," Te replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"I don't care about what you're saying! That boat is a masterpiece!" Koby insisted, crossing his arms defiantly.
"Really? If it's such a masterpiece, then why haven't you named it yet? And we don't even have a pirate flag to fly!" Te countered, raising an eyebrow.
Koby hesitated, a flush of embarrassment creeping onto his face. "Well... I… you didn't put up a pirate flag either!" he retorted, deflecting the pressure back onto Te.
"Touché," Te admitted, chuckling as he realized the absurdity of their argument.
"Koby, you've got to stop getting worked up when you talk to Te. He's clearly just trying to bait you into a rage nine out of ten times," Lila chimed in, shaking her head.
Koby hopped off the ship, determined to put some distance between himself and Te before another argument could ignite.
"I've actually been working on a pirate flag in my room. Want to see it?" Ronin interjected, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"REALLY?!" Te and Lila exclaimed in unison, their surprise palpable.
"How did you manage that? You spend most of your time sleeping. When did you even find the time?" Te asked, his brow furrowing in disbelief.
"You're right, it took longer than it should've," Ronin admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "But I started it as soon as we left Greed Island. I just finished it not too long ago!"
A minute or two later, he returned, proudly holding up the flag for everyone to see.
"Holy shit, that's actually pretty good!" Te exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Now we just need to decide on a name for our crew."
"How about the Krueger Pirates?" Lila suggested happily, her pride evident in her expression.
"Eh, that's kind of basic," Te said, dismissing her idea with a wave of his hand. Lila's face fell at his criticism. "Using our last name is kind of lame."
Ronin looked between them, sensing the tension. "Well, what do you suggest then?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Te shrugged, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "I don't know, something cooler. We need a name that strikes fear into our enemies!"
"Hmmm. How about the Hunter Pirates?" Ronin suggested hesitantly.
"Lame! That's even worse than my idea," Lila chimed in, crossing her arms with a smirk.
Te turned to Ronin, a devilish grin creeping across his face that made Ronin uneasy. "That's actually a fantastic name!" Te exclaimed, excitement bubbling over as he grabbed Ronin's shoulders and shook him. "Where did you come up with that?"
"I don't know, it just sort of popped into my head," Ronin stammered, trying to shrug off Te's iron grip while fighting back a smile.
Te's excitement stemmed from the fact that much of their actual strength came from Hunter x Hunter, and he saw the name as a fitting homage to that legacy. "For now, we'll be known as the Hunter Pirates!" he declared, a grin spreading across his face.
With their new name settled, the crew erupted with enthusiasm, the excitement of their new identity igniting a spark of camaraderie. Te grinned, feeling a sense of pride swell within him, while Ronin, still a bit dazed from the unexpected praise, found himself smiling despite the lingering grip on his shoulders.
"Let's go show Koby our pirate spirit!" Te declared, his voice full of energy.
As they rushed off the ship, the salty breeze tousled their hair, invigorating them with a sense of freedom. Lila led the way, her spear held high like a flag, embodying their newfound resolve.
Koby had ventured ahead, his silhouette visible against the backdrop of the abandoned coastline.
"YOOO, Koby! We came up with our pirate name and raised the flag while you were gone!" Te called out, a gleeful grin on his face. "I always suspected you were a slacker, but for us to figure everything out without you? That's just impressive!"
Koby turned to face his brother, his expression flat and unimpressed, deftly sidestepping Te's obvious bait. "Boring. Anyway, what island are we on?"
"Sorbet Kingdom," Koby replied, his voice steady.
"Sorbet… Sorbet… SORBET KINGDOM?" Te echoed, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"What's wrong with Sorbet Kingdom?" Ronin asked, looking between the two with curiosity.
"The Warlord Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma is from here," Te said, his tone shifting to one of concern.
"Oh, if that's your worry, he shouldn't be here. He should be in the Grand Line," Lila interjected, attempting to alleviate the tension.
"Yeah, never mind. I overreacted," Te admitted, shrugging off his unease. He didn't want to delve into the deeper implications of their location—especially not about Bonney.
Te knew Koby hadn't Caught up to One Piece before they reincarnated and didn't want any spoilers even after they came back, but right now he knew it was best to talk to him later about the situation and rescue Bonney from here.