Nami's keen eyes, as precise as a cash counter, scanned the treasure. Something was off.
"Wait a minute! Wasn't it supposed to be 25 million Berries in treasure and bounty? Why are we missing five million?!"
She turned suspiciously to look at the three men on the other boat: Luffy, Kaito, and Zoro. They were still in the small fishing boat, while Nami, unwilling to squeeze in with three men, had taken a boat she'd "acquired" from Buggy's crew, swapping out the sail marked with Buggy's insignia. The two boats were tied together with ropes to keep them close.
Facing Nami's interrogation, Zoro was peacefully asleep, Kaito continued fishing with a serene focus, and Luffy… was left to deal with this brewing storm.
"Well, Kaito and I talked about it," Luffy began, scratching his head. "Most of the town was destroyed, right? They need money to rebuild, so we decided to leave one bag of treasure behind."
Actually, it was Kaito's idea, not Luffy's, but Luffy figured if he said it was Kaito's idea, maybe Nami's wrath would be directed at Kaito instead of him.
"What?!" Nami shrieked. "That was five million Berries! You just gave it away?!"
She nearly stormed over to give Luffy a piece of her mind, yelling at the top of her lungs. However, after a few moments, she calmed down, deciding that what was done was done. There was no going back to reclaim it. She secured the remaining 20 million Berries in the cabin carefully.
"Twenty million Berries… so close to my goal," she muttered to herself. But as she put the treasure away, her excitement faded, replaced by a distant, somber expression. Then, with a sudden turn, her face brightened again.
"Good start! Let's keep going! More treasure awaits us!"
"Where to next?" she asked cheerfully, studying the map. Kaito glanced over, noting her focus.
More riches indeed. And this time, he thought, no one else would take a share. Up next was likely "Captain Usopp's" grand entrance.
The boat sailed hand-in-hand with the waves. Kaito guessed that their next destination was Usopp's hometown. But soon, an overgrown island covered in trees appeared in their path. Kaito squinted, recalling a man trapped in a box there.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Nami bickered about supplies, with Nami scolding Zoro for setting out without food or water, saying it was practically a death wish. Still, she handed him a piece of bread, while Luffy and Kaito both noticed the island to their left.
"Hey, there's an island!" Luffy exclaimed, excited.
"Yeah, technically it's an island, but it's barren. There's no point in stopping; we should stick to the route," Nami replied. But before she could finish, Luffy grabbed the oars and started paddling toward the island, with Kaito just watching, curious. After all, it wasn't every day you saw someone stuck in a box.
"Maybe we'll find a new friend! And if there's food, even better. Nami's right, though; we should be more prepared," Luffy said as he paddled.
"Hold on! That's even more reckless!" Nami shouted, exasperated but ultimately following along.
"Here we are," Luffy said, pulling the boat ashore and taking in the tree-filled island.
"There's nothing but forest here," Nami muttered, annoyed at the detour. Luffy called for Zoro to join them, but he was already dozing off, happily oblivious.
"Let him rest and guard the boat. We'll be fine exploring on our own," Kaito suggested, securing the boat tightly. He tied it well; if it drifted off, it wasn't likely that Zoro would notice—or care.
With Zoro "watching" the boat, Kaito, Luffy, and Nami ventured into the forest, where they encountered all sorts of strange creatures.
A fox with a rooster's comb. A snake with rabbit ears. A pig with a lion's mane.
"Look at this bunny! It's so weird!" Luffy shouted, grabbing the snake with bunny ears.
"Weird… is one way to put it," Nami replied, struggling for words. "But I think it's a snake, Luffy. You should put it down."
Luffy, however, was mesmerized by the creature. "Kaito, what do you think?"
Kaito was equally captivated by the strange animals. "It's adorable! Luffy, do you think we could keep it on the ship?"
Kaito cradled a three-tailed milk cat in his arms, enamored with it. Nami rubbed her forehead in frustration, convinced the two were hopeless.
Then, a tiny white snake slithered down from a nearby tree and coiled itself around Kaito's wrist, its eyes fixed on the silver bracelet he wore. Kaito noticed something unusual about this snake—it had a small horn on its head.
"That's… actually pretty cool," he said, amused. "Hey, little guy, you like my bracelet?"
The small white snake gazed at him, its eyes glinting with a strange intelligence. Then it coiled more tightly around his wrist, as if claiming a place there, transforming into a second "bracelet." It seemed to be saying it would come along for the adventure.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a new friend," Kaito chuckled, patting his new companion.