After dealing with Morgan and earning the reward for clearing the level, Zoro officially became part of the crew. They also helped Koby join the navy, which triggered a special reward: "The Future Navy Admiral's Friendship."
With that chapter closed, Luffy, Kaito Sakamoto, and their new crewmate Zoro arrived at the town's dock, ready to set sail once again in search of their next adventure and companion.
As usual, the small boat awaited them. As the three boarded and gently drifted out, Koby appeared at the dock, filled with gratitude. Behind him, a group of navy soldiers saluted as well, not concerned with Koby's thanks or Luffy's crew. This marked the first time that pirates and the navy saluted each other in unison.
It raised an important question: with both the navy and pirates saluting, who exactly represents justice, and who represents evil? Understanding this question and establishing a new order wouldn't be much of a problem once this is clarified.
Kaito and Zoro sat at the back of the boat, each leaning on opposite sides, watching the sea, while Luffy stood up and waved goodbye to Koby and the others as the small boat gradually disappeared from sight.
...
Out at sea, on a tiny boat, a serious issue emerged. Neither Luffy nor Kaito knew how to navigate, and Zoro... well, he could barely find his way on land, let alone on the sea.
Thus, they began another journey, drifting aimlessly with the wind.
In fact, Kaito could have replicated Koby's navigation skills, but he chose not to. He felt that until Nami joined them, wherever they drifted to was meant to be.
...
"I'm so hungry!" Luffy and Zoro lay sprawled on the deck, groaning in hunger.
Kaito, on the other hand, was fishing. His fishing rod had transformed from his bracelet, though he had no bait. It was like the old saying, "the wise fisherman waits for the fish to bite of their own will."
"Yeah, we're hungry, but Luffy, don't go chasing after the birds in the sky. You might not catch one, and instead, get carried off by it."
"The fish should be biting soon," Kaito reassured them. Luffy, perplexed, wondered why Kaito said that. Did he really look like someone who would chase a bird and get carried away?
"Don't tease Luffy, Kaito. You don't even have any bait. How are you gonna...?"
"It's here!"
"...."
Before Zoro could finish complaining, Kaito suddenly yanked the rod, pulling a fish out of the water—and straight into Zoro's face!
But then, something unexpected happened. Kaito used so much force that the hook flew into the sky, and a bird, spotting the free meal, swooped down and bit into the fish. The hook caught in the bird's beak, and it ended up dragging Kaito away.
"Whoa!"
Being pulled over the sea, Kaito, a Devil Fruit user, couldn't let go of the hook. Seeing this, Zoro finally had a chance to laugh at Kaito.
"Hahaha!"
Luffy joined in, "You were just warning me, and now you're the one getting dragged off by a bird! Hahaha!"
Only after the bird had dragged Kaito far off did they realize the seriousness of the situation.
"...."
"Not good!!"
"My fish!!" That was obviously Luffy speaking.
Zoro gave him a look—was that really the main concern?
Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment. "I mean, Kaito!"
"We need to go save Kaito!!" Luffy shouted, and both he and Zoro grabbed the oars, furiously paddling toward the direction Kaito had disappeared.
...
"Help! Help!"
Along the way, they came across three people flailing in the water.
"The boat's not stopping! Climb on yourself!" Zoro yelled.
Motivated by survival instincts, the three men managed to scramble aboard the fast-moving boat.
"They actually made it up," Zoro commented mockingly.
Before Luffy could ask who they were, the three pulled out knives.
"We're followers of the infamous 'Buggy the Clown.' Hand over your..."
...
"We're so sorry! We didn't realize you were the famous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro and... and..."
"My name's Luffy."
"...and Lord Luffy! Hahaha."
Before they could finish their threats, Luffy and Zoro had already knocked them out with a few well-placed punches. Who were they even trying to threaten?
"All right, since you made us lose track of our friend, start rowing! Keep going until we see an island!" Zoro ordered, leaning against the mast.
"Yes, sir!" Intimidated by their authority, the three could only comply.
...
Meanwhile, Kaito's situation had taken a different turn.
"Stop!!"
"Give back the map, you thief!"
"Damn it! If we don't get the map back, we're dead."
"Yeah! I don't want to die under the captain's cannons!"
Nami had stolen Buggy's map to the Grand Line and was now fleeing, with Buggy's henchmen in hot pursuit.
As fate would have it, the person who fell from the sky this time was Kaito.
Boom!
Kaito landed squarely between Nami and Buggy's men.
"Ouch! My back!" Kaito groaned. "Good thing I copied Luffy's resilience beforehand. Otherwise, I'd be done for."
As the smoke cleared, Kaito and Nami locked eyes.
Nami's eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Kaito beat her to it.
"Big sis! I'm here to back you up!"
Nami froze for a moment—who was he calling big sis?! Isn't that supposed to be my line?!