Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

As Ryomen scouted the landscape from atop his pterodactyl, his sharp eyes caught sight of two giants locked in battle. Curious, he leaned forward, ready to descend and investigate. But before he could, Vivi's startled voice stopped him.

"What is it?" Ryomen asked, his gaze shifting to her in concern.

"Down there!" Vivi pointed toward the jungle below, eyes wide. "That's Mr. 3 and Ms. Golden Week!" Her voice trembled with fear.

"What!?" Ryomen exclaimed, eyes narrowing. "They found us?" Without hesitation, he veered the pterodactyl toward the pair below.

…

Deep in the jungle, a man with candle-shaped hair marked with the number three led a young girl with pigtails toward a giant's cave.

"So…what are we doing?" The girl asked, her tone flat, as if uninterested.

"We're going to spike the rum that the giant brought with him! How many times do I have to tell you!?" Mr. 3 snapped, clearly irritated.

"Oh. And then what?" She continued in the same nonchalant tone.

"Then, we're going to kill those idiotic pirates and show them why they should've feared us." Mr. 3 said with a twisted grin.

The girl suddenly pointed skyward. "Are you talking about those pirates?"

"Huh?" Mr. 3 followed her gaze, spotting a pterodactyl approaching. "They came straight to us, huh? Fighting them from the air will be difficult…" He mumbled, trying to strategize.

"Just tell them to come down." Ms. Golden Week suggested as though it were the most obvious solution.

"Like that would work! Even pirates aren't that stupid!" Mr. 3 dismissed her with a wave.

"Hey! Come down so we can fight!" Ms. Golden Week suddenly shouted at the approaching pterodactyl.

Mr. 3 gawked at her in disbelief. "Don't you understand!? That won't—"

…

On the pterodactyl, Ryomen and Vivi exchanged glances.

"I think they've spotted us." Vivi muttered, her tone wary.

"Yeah." Ryomen replied absently, already calculating their next move.

Then, they heard the shout from below. "Hey! Come down so we can fight!"

Vivi blinked. "Huh? Do they really think we're that stupid?" She mumbled incredulously.

Ryomen, however, surprised her by calling back, "Alright! Wait a second!" He then began lowering the pterodactyl toward the ground.

Vivi's jaw dropped. 'I don't remember him being this much of an idiot. Is staying on that ship really that contagious?' She thought, her growing concern for her mental stability surfacing.

Meanwhile, Ryomen's thoughts were elsewhere. 'There's a child down there…maybe I could resolve this in a more peaceful way.'

…

Ms. Golden Week watched as the pterodactyl descended. "See? It worked." She said, her tone as plain as ever.

Mr. 3 stared in disbelief, mouth agape. "Is this really the pirate crew worth a hundred million berries? How did those two morons even lose?" He grumbled, thinking of the previous agents' failure.

Ryomen and Vivi dismounted the pterodactyl, Ryomen stepping forward protectively. "You can leave this to me, Vivi." Se said with concern.

"No!" Vivi shook her head, her expression determined. "I don't want to always rely on others. I have to fight my own battles."

Ryomen paused before nodding. "Alright, but stay close to me." He turned to face Mr. 3 and Ms. Golden Week, his eyes scanning the situation.

"Were you sent here to kill us?" Ryomen asked, his voice calm yet commanding.

"Yeah." Ms. Golden Week replied without hesitation.

"Don't tell them!" Mr. 3 barked angrily. "But, hm, I guess it doesn't matter. You'll die here either way." He added with a smug grin.

Ryomen's expression darkened, realizing they were serious. "I'll give you one chance. Leave now, and we won't pursue you." He said, directing his words toward Ms. Golden Week.

Mr. 3 burst into mocking laughter. "You think you're in any position to negotiate? Hahaha! I can't believe this!"

Ryomen, seeing there was no point in diplomacy, frowned. "Fine then. Dismantle!" He commanded, his hand slashing the air toward Mr. 3.

But instead of the man, a nearby tree was sliced clean in two. "Huh!?" Ryomen's eyes widened in confusion.

"Ryomen, what are you doing?" Vivi questioned, looking between him and the tree.

"I…I don't know!" Ryomen tried again, but once more his attack went astray, cutting down another tree instead of his target.

Ms. Golden Week spoke up casually. "It's my power. I can control you using colors. Now you'll always attack that red spot."

Ryomen's eyes flicked to a red mark on the tree he'd just attacked. "What!?"

"Why did you tell them!?" Mr. 3 shouted, his frustration mounting.

Vivi swiftly pulled out two yoyos, her eyes locked on Ms. Golden Week. Without hesitation, she aimed to stun the girl, but Mr. 3 reacted faster, shooting a stream of wax in their direction.

"Look out!" Ryomen shouted, lunging toward Vivi. He tried to push her aside, but the wax reached them first, encasing both of their arms in hardened wax.

Ms. Golden Week wasted no time, painting another mark with her palette just before Vivi's yoyo whipped through the air, smashing the palette into pieces. The girl's calm expression remained unchanged.

Mr. 3 sneered as wax armor began to encase his body, thick and glossy, resembling hardened steel. "What are you going to do now?" He taunted, his voice filled with arrogance. "You can't destroy my armor—it's as hard as steel. And you certainly won't harm my partner, not after seeing how you reacted to her." He grinned cruelly before charging at them, his heavy footsteps thudding against the jungle floor.

Ryomen cursed under his breath, trying to pull Vivi away. "Dammit! Vivi, follow me!" He tugged, but she wouldn't move.

"What are you doing!?" Ryomen demanded, panic creeping into his voice.

"Why would I listen to you!?" Vivi snapped, her face twisted with anger. "I can't believe I got stuck with someone like you! Your recklessness got us trapped!" Her voice escalated with frustration as she hurled insults at him, leaving Ryomen momentarily stunned by her outburst.

Ryomen's eyes darted down, catching sight of a black mark beneath Vivi's feet, and realization hit him. 'She's under Ms. Golden Week's control!' But it was too late—Mr. 3's armored body collided with them, sending both Ryomen and Vivi crashing through the dense jungle, tumbling over rocks and vines.

Wounds began to appear on their bodies from the force of the impact. Ryomen winced, trying to protect Vivi from the brunt of the blow.

"Uuh...I'm sorry, Ryomen." Vivi murmured weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean what I said…"

Ryomen grunted as he helped her to her feet. "It's alright. Don't worry about it."

Before either of them could catch their breath or strategize, another figure stepped into the fray.

"Mr. 3, what are we gonna do? This duck won't tell us where the princess is…" Mr. 5 trailed off as his eyes landed on the two injured fighters. "Seems like we didn't need you after all." He smirked and threw Karoo, Vivi's loyal duck, toward them.

"Quack!" Karoo cried out in pain as he hit the ground, rolling toward Vivi and Ryomen.

"Karoo!?" Vivi gasped, rushing to her companion's side. "Are you alright?" She asked, her voice laced with concern.

"We won't be defeated again." Mr. 5 growled, pulling a small booger from his nose and preparing to throw it.

"Wait, don't!" Mr. 3 shouted in alarm, but it was too late. With a flick of his finger, Mr. 5 launched the explosive booger at Ryomen and Vivi.

Ryomen reacted on instinct, moving to shield his friends. "Get down!" He barked, throwing himself in front of them as the explosion ripped through the jungle, fire and smoke erupting around them.

"Kya kya kya! Now they're done for!" Ms. Valentine cackled, her eyes gleaming with sadistic glee.

As the smoke began to clear, the agents stared at the obliterated landscape. Trees lay in splinters, and the ground was scorched black. But there was no sign of Ryomen, Vivi, or Karoo.

"You idiot!" Mr. 3 roared, his face contorted with rage. "You helped them escape!"

Mr. 5 stood in stunned silence, realizing his blunder.

Mr. 3's eyes glinted with fury as he glared at the agents. "Let's move. We need to execute the next phase of the plan before it's completely ruined—because of you!"

…

The group sprinted through the dense forest, their bodies battered, clothes torn and scorched from the explosion. Each step was painful, but they pressed on, their determination unwavering.

They finally reached an open clearing, where they spotted Luffy, wide-eyed and amazed, watching two giants locked in battle.

"Luffy!" They shouted in unison.

Luffy turned toward them, his expression shifting from wonder to surprise at the sight of their bruised and ragged state and then wonder again as he finally saw Ryomen's four arms. "You really have multiple arms!? That's so cool!"

"Everyone has multiple arms, Luffy! But that doesn't matter right now! Baroque Works are here!" Ryomen said breathlessly, wiping blood from his brow. "They've sent more agents after us."

"Hm? Really!?" Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's beat them up!" He declared, fists clenched in determination.

Before anyone could respond, Usopp came barreling toward them, his face pale and stricken with panic. "Guys! This is bad! Nami…Nami was killed!" He cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Luffy's eyes narrowed, his voice trembling with fury. "Are you sure, Usopp!?"

Ryomen stood frozen, the words feeling like a punch to his chest. "What…?" He mumbled, his mind reeling with disbelief. 'Nami…killed?'

Usopp, shaking, quickly explained how he and Nami had been running from a dinosaur. "She was slower than me, and then…I heard her scream. When I turned back, she was gone! Just gone!" His voice broke as he relived the moment.

"Wait!" Vivi suddenly exclaimed, her mind racing. "Baroque Works agents are here, right? Maybe they took her!" She suggested, her tone hopeful despite the fear in her eyes.

Ryomen clenched his fists, trying to shake off the dark thoughts clouding his mind. "Yeah…you're right. She's not gone." His voice was firm, though doubt gnawed at him.

Luffy didn't waste another second. "Let's go find her!" He commanded, charging into the jungle, the rest of the group following close behind.