After defeating Morgan and claiming the clearance rewards, including the addition of Zoro to the crew, Kaito Sakamoto and Luffy, along with their new friend, made their way to the town's dock, ready to set sail again. The goal: find the next adventure, the next island, and the next comrade to join them on their journey.
The familiar small boat awaited them. As the three of them boarded and began to set off, Koby appeared on the dock. With excitement, he expressed his heartfelt thanks. A group of navy soldiers stood behind him, not to thank Koby and the crew but to salute them. It was the first time in history that the Navy and pirates exchanged salutes.
So, the question arose: in this salute between a Navy commander and pirates, who truly stands for justice, and who represents evil? This was a dilemma. Once this was figured out and a new order was established, the answer would be clear.
Kaito Sakamoto and Zoro sat at the back of the boat, each at the edge, gazing out at the sea. Meanwhile, Luffy stood up and waved goodbye to Koby and his companions. The small boat slowly drifted away, disappearing into the horizon, leaving Koby and the others behind.
In the vast ocean, a lone boat sailed. A serious problem loomed.
Luffy and Kaito didn't know how to navigate, and Zoro... forget sailing—he didn't even know the roads on land!
Thus, their journey turned into another aimless drifting, carried by the winds. Kaito could have easily replicated Koby's sailing skills, but he didn't. He felt that the path they were drifting toward was fate, something destined to happen before Nami joined them.
"I'm so hungry!" Luffy and Zoro complained, lying flat on the deck.
Kaito was fishing, using his bracelet as a fishing rod. However, without any bait, it was more of a "let's see who bites" kind of fishing. He called it "Kaito's Grandpa Fishing"—those who wanted to bite, would.
"Hungry or not, Luffy, don't go chasing birds in the sky! You might not catch them and get snatched away instead," Kaito warned.
"The fish should be biting soon," he added, though Luffy didn't understand why Kaito said this. "Do I look like someone who would chase a bird and get snatched away?"
"Forget Luffy for a moment, Kaito. You don't even have bait—how are you supposed to catch anything..."
"Here it comes!!"
Before Zoro could finish his complaint, Kaito swiftly flicked his fishing rod, and a fish flew out of the water, smacking straight into Zoro's face. However, something unexpected happened.
Kaito had pulled too hard, and the fishhook flew high into the sky. A bird, spotting what it thought was lunch, snatched the fish right out of the air. The hook got caught on the bird's beak, and Kaito was dragged along by it.
"Damn!!!"
Dragged over the sea, Kaito was not about to let go—he was a Devil Fruit user, after all!
Zoro, seeing the spectacle, couldn't help but laugh, finally getting a good laugh at Kaito's expense.
"Hahahaha!"
Luffy also joined in, "You used to tease me, Kaito, but now you're the one being dragged away by a bird! Hahaha!"
It wasn't until the giant bird carried Kaito far away that they realized the situation was turning serious.
"Oh no!" Luffy shouted.
"My fish!!" he added, clearly more focused on the fish than Kaito's predicament.
Zoro gave Luffy a puzzled look. Is this really the priority right now?
Luffy scratched his head awkwardly. "Wait, no! I meant Kaito!"
"Quick, let's go save him!!"
Luffy immediately grabbed an oar, and Zoro followed suit, paddling fast in the direction Kaito had been dragged.
"Help! Help!"
Along the way, they encountered three men floating in the sea.
"The boat won't stop. You'll have to climb aboard yourself," Zoro shouted.
Surprisingly, the three men managed to climb onto the boat despite their apparent desperation.
"They really made it up," Zoro said, half-impressed and half-mocking.
Before Luffy could ask who they were, the three men pulled out knives.
"We're the feared subordinates of 'Buggy the Clown,'" one of them declared.
"We'll—"
"Sorry, we didn't know who you were!"
The three men quickly backed down. "You're the famous Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro, and... and..." one stammered.
"I'm Luffy," Luffy cut in. "And this is Captain Luffy!" he added with a grin.
The three men, who had just drawn knives, were now on the receiving end of a beating from Luffy and Zoro, both of whom were far more dangerous than they had realized.
"Alright, you guys made us lose track of our friend."
Zoro leaned against the boat's pole, giving them an order. "Row hard, and don't stop until we see land."
"Yes, sir!"
Forced to comply under the threat of Zoro's gaze, the three men began rowing.
Meanwhile, Kaito's situation was quite different.
"Stop right there!!"
"Thief woman! Give me the map!!"
"Damn it! If we don't get the map back quickly, we're as good as dead!"
"Right! I don't want to die from the captain's cannon fire!"
Nami, following the thread of fate, had stolen Buggy's map to the Grand Line and was now desperately trying to escape her pursuers.
Fate, however, had other plans. The falling figure that had collided with Nami and Buggy's men was none other than Kaito.
Boom!!
Kaito landed right between Nami and Buggy's men.
"Ouch! My back!"
"Luckily, I replicated Luffy's body, or I would've been a goner," Kaito muttered, rubbing his back.
As the smoke cleared, Kaito and Nami locked eyes. Nami's eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Kaito interrupted.
"Boss!"
"I'm here to back you up, boss!"
Nami blinked, confused. Who's your boss? These are my lines!!