"Hey, thanks for the meal!" Luffy shouted with his mouth full of food as Benson walked into the room.
Zoro, without a care in the world, ate quickly. He was starving too.
"Are you two the only ones in this town?" Zoro asked, putting down his food as a hint of suspicion crept into his voice, betraying a faint sense of danger.
Benson noticed Zoro's murderous intent. He likely had seen the destroyed town and assumed Benson was a pirate.
"Everyone in the town was driven away by a pirate named Buggy the Clown. I chased them off last night," Benson said, resting his chin in his hand. "As for where the townspeople went, I don't know."
Just as Benson reached for some bread, Luffy had already slurped it all into his mouth.
"Is that so..." Zoro relaxed a little, nodding as he had prepared to draw his sword moments ago.
"So, you're pirates?" Benson asked, turning his attention to Luffy and Zoro.
"Yeah," Luffy nodded enthusiastically.
"How can there be a pirate crew with only two people?" Nami chimed in from the doorway.
"Hey, I'm still looking for crewmates. Want to join me?" Luffy laughed, completely undeterred.
"Luffy, you shouldn't just invite suspicious people onto the ship," Zoro scolded.
"What's the harm? He gave us food, so he must be a good guy!" Luffy argued.
"Who'd want to join a pirate crew? Pirates are bad news," Nami scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Okay," Benson said, nodding.
Both Luffy and Nami were caught off guard by his immediate acceptance.
The reason Benson agreed was simple: Nami. It was the perfect chance to keep an eye on her, capture her later, and create a false identity while tagging along with Luffy. In the East Blue, whose bounty was rising the fastest? It was bound to be Luffy.
Of course, Benson wasn't worried about the World Government or the Marines; he just wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble. He didn't fancy being chased by swarms of bounty hunters, nor did he plan on becoming the babysitter for the Straw Hat Pirates. After capturing Nami and assuming a fake identity, he would leave Luffy's crew and embark on his own journey for One Piece.
"Wait, you're really joining?" Nami's mind was racing. If that was the case, she'd join too—then run off with the treasure at the first chance!
"Alright, I'll join too!" Nami decided after thinking it over.
"This guy's a thief. Be careful, Captain," Benson said, pointing at Nami.
"Really?" Luffy glanced at Nami.
"My name is Nami, and my goal is to save 100 million beli! I might be a thief, but I'm also a navigator. You need one of those if you're heading to sea!" Nami said, trying to make her case.
"A navigator? We definitely need one!" Zoro said quickly. Just yesterday, the two of them had been drifting aimlessly on the sea without any clue where to go.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
"I'm Roronoa Zoro."
"Well, I'm Clover Benson," Benson introduced himself, knowing Luffy wouldn't be hard to convince, especially in these early stages. Luffy was eager for anyone to join his crew.
"Let's get along!" Luffy said with his trademark grin.
"You said you drove away Buggy the Clown. So, you're a fighter, right?" Zoro asked, eyeing Benson cautiously. Even though he didn't know much about Buggy, if someone could wreak such havoc on a town, they weren't ordinary. And if Benson defeated him, then Benson must be pretty strong.
"Well, you could say that. I can fight, cook, navigate, play music, handle firearms, manage finances, and sail." Benson began counting his skills on his fingers. After all, in his past life as a mercenary, he'd learned quite a bit.
"Wow, you know a lot," Nami said in surprise, not expecting a guy who looked like a wandering drifter to have such a wide range of talents.
"So reliable, Genson!" Luffy exclaimed, enthusiastically patting Benson on the arm.
"My name is Benson..."
"Really? Sure, Genson!" Luffy laughed heartily.
"Benson... Forget it. Call me whatever you like," Benson sighed, resigning himself to the nickname. If not for his long-term goals, he wouldn't have given in so easily.
After finishing their meal, the crew packed some food and fruit, preparing to leave. They chose Benson's larger fishing boat to serve as their pirate ship.
Along the way, Zoro remained somewhat wary of Benson. The guy was strong, could do practically everything, and those two large bags he carried seemed full of treasure. It made no sense for someone like that to join Luffy, who had no ship, no money, no crew, and not even a pirate flag to call his own.
But what was Benson's true goal? Zoro couldn't figure it out. After all, Luffy didn't have a bounty yet, and neither did he. Benson clearly wasn't a bounty hunter.
As for Nami, her intentions were obvious. She spent the whole journey eyeing Benson's two treasure-filled bags. Earlier, they had seemed to be arguing when they arrived in town, and Benson had outright called her a thief. So, her plan was clear.
Thus, the motley crew of pirates—each with their own hidden motives—set sail, with Luffy blissfully unaware of it all.
Back in Orange Town, the village chief returned to find the Buggy Pirates gone. Overjoyed, he quickly called all the villagers back. Though they didn't know who had saved their village, they were content just to have a home again.
After three days of sailing, Benson and the others arrived at a port in a small village.
"Finally, land!" After floating at sea for three days, the crew had been close to vomiting from seasickness. Now, they couldn't wait to step ashore.
"Nothing beats solid ground," Zoro said, stretching. But just as he did, he froze, hand hovering over the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji. "Careful, I sense someone."
"Eh? Where? Where?" Luffy asked excitedly, looking around but seeing nothing.
"Danger!" Zoro suddenly shouted.
At the same time, countless pebbles flew toward Luffy's feet. Whether the attacker missed on purpose or Luffy dodged just in time, none of the pebbles hit him.
Moments later, several pirate flags were raised from behind the grass.
"Awesome!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning at the sight.
"Are you seriously admiring their numbers right now?" Benson said, exasperated.
"Is now the time to be impressed?" Nami yelled.
"Hahaha! I am Usopp, leader of the great pirate group in this village! People praise me and call me 'Our Captain, Captain Usopp!' If you plan to attack this village, you should give up now! My 80 million men won't let you get away!"
[T/N] As you see I removed the D from his name. Thus I went back to the first chapter and changed it there as well.