One piece :I open the locks of the heart

"Two days... TWO DAMN DAYS OF SWIMMING," I thought with a heavy sigh, climbing back onto the deck of the boat with a dead shark on my shoulder. The effort hadn't tired me much physically, but the repetition of the same task was starting to wear me down mentally. Luffy, meanwhile, kept punching the sea water randomly, as if fighting an invisible enemy. Each hit sent the water splashing around his fists, creating small bursts, but despite his enthusiasm, he couldn't ignore the reality of his weakness against seawater.

He didn't take it badly when I told him I was behind the Sans-Coeur on his island. I explained that my dream was to help the oppressed, and by releasing the Sans-Coeur, he would be defending the innocent. He supported my dream and even accepted my plan of having a dual identity.

"Oi, Luffy," I shouted as I approached. "I've already told you it's useless to punch the ocean. You should focus on finding a way to better resist seawater, you know." I let out another sigh. Of course, Luffy just did as he pleased.

He paused for a moment, giving me a perplexed look before grinning widely. "Yeah, but it's fun to punch the water! You should try it! Who knows, maybe I'll get stronger if I punch it hard enough!"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "Good thing my body isn't as vulnerable to water as yours, or I would've been dead a long time ago," I said aloud as I began preparing the shark to make a snack out of it.

The past few days of swimming had tripled my appetite. The amount of food I could devour had become impressive, though, honestly, I was still far from rivaling the ogre of a captain standing in front of me.

The meal was quick. Sitting on the deck, Luffy devoured a large portion of the shark without much thought, while I chewed slowly, thinking about what lay ahead. After a while, Luffy stood up, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Hey, hey, I've got an idea for some new techniques!" he declared, stretching as if nothing had happened. "I can't wait to get back to Destiny Island to try them out!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Techniques, huh? And how do you plan on testing them in the middle of the sea?" I asked, a bit skeptical. "We can't exactly open a dungeon in the ocean, you know. We need to reach the island for that."

Luffy frowned for a second but quickly shrugged, his enthusiasm undiminished. "Eh, we'll figure it out! The island's not far, right? We'll get there soon, and then I can train like crazy!"

I took the spyglass and looked ahead, spotting an island. "Land ahead, Captain," I said with a smile as we moved closer.

Luffy could barely contain his excitement, bouncing around like a child. "Awesome, we're finally going to have some fun," he said with a grin.

As we approached the port, I noticed a varied fleet of pirate ships docked. There was everything: brigantines, massive galleons, and even rowboats. But what caught my attention were the large ships sporting locks, an unusual detail since normally only islands have them. This anomaly deserved some investigation.

As we got closer, a cannonball was fired from a nearby brigantine. Instinctively, I raised my hand and intercepted the projectile with a Dark Ball, a technique I could use thanks to the power of the Darkside. I could launch between one and five at a time, and one was enough in this case.

"Luffy, looks like someone wants to test our skills," I said with a smirk.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, a fierce smile spreading across his face as he positioned himself on the ship's railing. "Gum-Gum Catapult!" he yelled before launching himself like a living cannonball toward the enemy ship.

While Luffy dove headfirst into action, I calmly maneuvered the Excalibur to dock at the port, observing the pirates standing there. They remained surprisingly calm, watching the scene with amused smiles. Apparently, battles didn't faze them much.

When I finally boarded the brigantine, I saw that Luffy had already cleared the deck. All the pirates lay groaning in pain. In the center of the scene stood their captain, a corpulent man with a black goatee, holding a wanted poster in his hands. I took it and read it aloud:

Marlo the Nuisance

Bounty: 1,000,000 Berry

Crime: Launches random attacks on merchant ships, rarely plundering his victims and mainly causing property damage.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the reason for his bounty. "Really? Wreckers in this world? Is that all you do?" I said to the scattered crew, but no one responded.

"Jordan, come on, they're lame," Luffy said, shaking his head in disdain.

I nodded, but my gaze turned to the remaining pirates on the port. An idea crossed my mind, and I asked Luffy, "Captain, can I transform them?"

Luffy gave me a puzzled look. "Didn't you say you had to disguise yourself to do that?"

I slapped my forehead. "You're right. I was just too eager to get some new Sans-Coeur. Forget it."

As we stepped off the brigantine, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks. "HELP! STOP!!" I immediately recognized the voice, much to my surprise.

Luffy and I exchanged a glance before stealthily moving forward to see what was happening. There, on the dock, Nami was being held by a group of men with lecherous looks.

A lanky man with pale skin and a twisted, creepy grin stood before her. "So, you thought you could steal from the great Harron Jones and get away with it, huh?" he said as he approached Nami, his sickly sweet tone sending shivers down my spine. "Do you have any idea who I am?! I've got a 6 million Berry bounty on my head!"

Around him, a few pirates chuckled. One whispered to his companion, "Harron isn't just a thief, he's a real creep. This isn't the first girl he's made cry… but he likes to toy with them first."

Another nodded with a grimace. "Yeah, he's got that reputation. Even pirates avoid letting their wives or sisters near him."

My blood started to boil hearing this, and I felt a wave of anger rising within me. But before I could react, Luffy, who had also heard everything, clenched his fists in visible rage. His face, usually smiling, now carried a cold fury.

"Makino told me that men who force themselves on women are the worst kind of men," Luffy began, his eyes locked on Harron Jones and his men.

Without another word, Luffy launched himself toward Harron Jones with impressive speed. "LET HER GO, NOW!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the port.

Harron turned just in time to see Luffy coming, but it was already too late. "Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled, his fist smashing into Harron's jaw with devastating force. The man was sent flying backward, crashing hard into the dock before collapsing with a groan.

The other pirates froze, unsure whether to intervene. Nami, now free, rushed back, throwing me a grateful glance. I stepped forward, and seeing Harron's men trying to recover, I raised my Keyblade.

"You have two choices," I said calmly, my voice laced with cold determination. "Either you leave now, or I kill you."

The pirates, seeing the dark gleam of my Keyblade, froze. They didn't need further explanation. One by one, they began backing away, then fled, leaving Harron groaning on the ground, still unconscious.

Luffy looked at me, a smile slowly returning to his face. "That was quick, but we could've wiped them out," he joked, his tone light again.

As we walked away from the scene, Luffy and I headed quietly toward our ship, the Excalibur, docked at the port. The pirates who had witnessed the confrontation kept their distance, visibly impressed by our intervention.

It was at that moment that Nami, still a bit shaken from the altercation, approached us. She quickly wiped away a few tears and hesitated for a moment before speaking, her eyes shining with a clear determination. "Wait..." she said softly but firmly.

We turned to her. Luffy, true to himself, was smiling. "Hey, you're not hurt, right?" he asked, looking her up and down.

Nami shook her head, taking a deep breath. "No, I'm fine. Thank you... thank you both for helping me. I'm Nami." She hesitated for a moment before quickly following us. As we neared the Excalibur, she suddenly froze, her eyes widening as she saw the black flag raised on the mast.

It wasn't a typical pirate flag, but a dark banner with no distinct emblem, which seemed to trouble her.

"Are you... pirates too?" she asked, her gaze shifting from me to Luffy.

Luffy shrugged with a laid-back smile. "Yep, I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate King! And this here is my first mate, Heartless D. Jordan."

I smiled slightly at Luffy's enthusiasm, then turned to Nami. "The flag doesn't have a symbol yet, but it will. Feel free to come aboard if you want... We're going to train for a while, but if you need to rest, you can."

After a brief hesitation, Nami nodded and boarded the ship with us. I could see that despite her brave facade, she was still shaken by what had happened. Her hands trembled slightly, and she kept her arms crossed as if trying to protect herself.

We entered the kitchen, and I got to work cooking while Luffy sat at the table. Nami sat across from Luffy, staring at an imaginary spot, her gaze lost in thought.

The silence stretched for a moment before she spoke, her voice almost a whisper. "You know... I can't run forever."

I turned my head toward her, intrigued. "What do you mean?" Is she about to reveal the Arlong Park plot now? I wondered as my hands instinctively worked on preparing the meal.

She took a deep breath before continuing, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "My island... it's under the control of a terrible man. A Fish-Man named Arlong." Her voice trembled slightly at the mention of his name. "He conquered my village and... he extorts us. Every month, we have to pay him a sum of money so he doesn't kill the villagers. And... I'm stuck."

I could feel the weight of her words. Nami was trying to stay strong, but the anguish of what she had endured was slowly overwhelming her. This was likely one of those rare vulnerable moments where her tough exterior cracked, revealing the young woman burdened by her struggles.

Luffy, hearing the conversation, approached. "Why don't you just get rid of him?" he asked with disarming sincerity.

Nami shrugged, a look of sadness in her eyes. "I want to, of course I do. But Arlong and his men are monsters... far too powerful. And..." Her voice caught. "I'm doing all of this to protect my people, even if it costs me."

She clumsily wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek. "I made a deal with him to buy back my village, I've tried everything I can... but each time, I end up even more trapped."

I moved closer and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone anymore. Luffy and I will help you."

She looked up at me, surprised by my words. "Really? But... why would you do that? You don't even know me..."

Luffy smiled his usual big smile. "You're our friend now, right?"

Luffy's words were simple, but full of meaning. Nami burst into silent sobs, overwhelmed by emotion. "Thank you..." she murmured, her eyes wet with tears.

After a moment, her shoulders relaxed, and the fatigue, combined with the stress of her experience, finally took its toll. She gently fell asleep, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

I carefully covered her with a blanket to shield her from the night's cold. Nami, exhausted, had drifted off, her face still marked by anxiety and pain. I watched her for a moment, a sense of determination taking root within me. We couldn't let this injustice continue. Not for her, not for her village.

"We're going to get you out of this, Nami," I whispered before heading to the front of the ship, where Luffy had sat, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

Luffy had that serious face, one I rarely saw on him. He wasn't joking around. I approached him, knowing exactly what was on his mind. But I had to be honest with him.

"Luffy," I said calmly, "I know what you're thinking, but I'll tell you right now... we're not ready to take on Arlong and his men. At least, not yet."

Luffy turned his head towards me, his eyes filled with anger. His fists clenched, and he stood up abruptly. "We're not just going to leave her like that!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with rage.

I raised my hand, my gaze firm, which quieted him. I knew he felt the same frustration I did, but we had to be strategic.

"Don't misunderstand me," I continued, my tone softer but resolute. "We're not abandoning her. But if we rush in now, we'll just get crushed. We came here to get stronger, to keep you away from your grandpa... and that's exactly what we're going to do."

Luffy crossed his arms, struggling with his natural impulsiveness. He grumbled a bit, but I could see he was listening. His expression darkened slightly, then he sat back down, thinking over my words.

I placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "Listen, we have a plan. We'll add Nami to our crew. She can train with us in the dungeon. If she gets stronger, she'll be able to defend herself better and gain abilities that will help her against Arlong. You and I will also get more powerful. And I'll hunt at night in disguise, so we avoid trouble until we're ready."

Luffy took a deep breath, his expression gradually softening. He finally nodded, accepting the plan. "Alright, I get it... but we won't take too long. I want to help her as soon as possible."

I smiled slightly. "Promise, Captain. We won't take too long. But when we go to face Arlong, it'll be to win. We can't afford to fail."

Luffy turned back to the horizon, staring into the darkness with renewed determination. "Yeah... you're right. I'm going to get stronger... for my dream and to protect my friends."

(Author's note: I hope you enjoy this chapter. I just wanted to quickly mention a small detail you may have already noticed: the personality of my main character might seem a bit odd to some, but that's how I imagine him. I'll try to publish another chapter tomorrow. Have a great evening! ^^)