NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: CH 52
Everyone was gathering at the port to see the Straw hats off. The crew were loading up supplies as people were seeing them off and thanking them again for what they did. All the while this was happening, Luffy was running a few things in his mind without frying it from overuse. Especially last nights events.
-Flashback-
Luffy and Nami were cleaning themselves up and getting dressed after their night together.
"See you in morning Nami." Luffy said when he got dressed and was heading for the door. He waved goodbye, but missed the door handle. They both looked to see Nojiko standing in the doorway smiling.
"N-Nojiko?" Nami said in confusion as Luffy had a blank look.
"Hi." Luffy said as Nojiko walked in and sat at the table. "Well, I'm going back to the party. Later."
"Hold it." Nojiko said, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "I have a request."
"A request?" Luffy said as he turned to her, looking as confused as Nami. Nojiko looked at Luffy before smiling again. "I'd like to come with you on your journey."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
"You heard me." Nojiko said. "I'd like to be a Straw Hat pirate."
"EEHHH?!" Nami shrieked. "Sure." Luffy said with a blank look on his face.
"LUFFY?!" Nami yelled before she pushed him out of the house. "Give us a minute!" she said before she slammed the door. Luffy was confused, but listened in from the door. "What are you talking about Nojiko? Why would you want to come along?!"
"That Luffy kid interests me." she said as if it were a common fact. "That, and I need to make sure my little sister's safe."
"Of course I'm safe." Nami said. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You were screaming." she said.
"Screami-" Nami said before her words died in her throat. "H...how did...?"
"I saw from the window." she said, making Nami sweat a bit before she hung her head. "How much?"
"I got here...when he was admiring your new tattoo." she said as Nami sighed. "Good thing there was a party, or everyone would've heard you."
"Alright, I get it." Nami said in frustration. Nojiko only smiled before she stood up and went for the door.
"Also," she said. "I wanna personally see you make your dream a reality Nami." Nami smiled at her sister's concern before Nojiko opened the door, seeing Luffy stand next to the doorway. "So then Luffy, may I call you Captain?" she asked.
-Flashback ends-
"We're almost ready Captain." Nojiko said as she stepped out of the cabin of the Going Merry. She had a holster to her hip with a single flintlock pistol and a knife in a small sheath to her left leg.
"Alright." Luffy said as Sanji danced around, thrilled at the idea of Nojiko coming along.
"Oh yeah. Luffy." Sanji said before giving Luffy a hard kick to the back of his head. Luffy's body stayed put, but his head flew over the ship a few hundred feet before coming back with a bump.
"What was that for?" Luffy asked in irritation.
"I don't know." he said before he looked out at the town. "Where's Nami?" he asked.
"She's getting ready." Nojiko said as she gazed at her home one last time. As she did, the villagers were chatting about a few things. Why Nojiko was leaving, why Nami left all that money to them, and other things.
"Big Bro!" shouted Johnny and Yosaku from inside the crowd. Everyone looked to see them both with serious expressions on their faces.
"What's up you guys?" Luffy asked as Zoro noticed that each of them had a small bag next to them.
"We thought it over Big Bro." Johnny said.
"What are they talking about Luffy?" Gin asked.
"I asked them to join." Luffy said.
"What?!" some of the crew asked.
"Yeah. That was our reaction as well." Yosaku said.
"So what's the answer?" Luffy asked. Johnny and Yosaku looked at each other before smiling at Luffy.
"We're in." they said.
"YAHOO!" Luffy yelled. "My crew is bigger now!" He began to dance around as Johnny and Yosaku grabbed their things and came aboard.
"Never thought you guys would join." Zoro said. "I originally became a bounty hunter because one saved my village when I was a kid." Johnny said. "I did it because I wanted to help others like that bounty hunter did. But after seeing you guys fight for a village you owed nothing to, I thought 'Why not? These guys aren't bad'."
"Yeah. And I always wanted an easy life." Yosaku said. "But now that I think about it, being pirate sounds fun. Dangerous, but fun."
"Alright then." Zoro said as Luffy kept dancing around.
"SET THE SAIL!" Nami shouted from down the road. Everyone looked to see her start running towards them all.
"What's she doing?" Gin asked.
"Saying goodbye to her home her own way." Luffy said. "You heard her guys. Cast off!"
"Aye Captain!" they all said as they started unfurling the sails. "Nami wait!" Genzo said as he shoved his way through the crowd. "You're leaving without saying goodbye?!" Nami ignored him as she kept on running.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted as the sails caught the wind. Zoro pulled up the anchor and they began to pull away from the port.
"NAMI!" Genzo shouted as Nami was now weaving around everyone in town. Up, down, left, right, running past them all before making a running jump to the ship. She landed on the railing with all the villagers shocked that she would leave without saying goodbye. Nami just stood there before lifting her shirt a bit, letting wallets and coin purses fall around her feet.
"Huh?" some of the villagers said before they checked their pockets and realized that they've all been robbed. Nami pulled some money out of a wallet, kissed it, then winked at everyone. "Thanks a bunch everyone." she said.
"YOU LITTLE THIEF!" everyone shouted at her before tons of them demanded that she return their stuff.
"Should we be worried?" Johnny asked.
"Yes." Zoro and Usopp said in unison.
"Typical Nami." Nojiko said as Luffy laughed, Sanji gave her a thumbs up, Yosaku just stared, and Gin looked ready to fall at that.
"YOU ROTTEN THIEF! WE'LL MISS YOU BOTH!" townspeople shouted. Nami and Nojiko waved at them all.
the
"Goodbye everyone!" Nami and Nojiko shouted to them all.
"BOY!" Genzo shouted, getting Luffy's attention. "REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!" Luffy smiled before giving him a thumbs up. "Hey Captain Luffy." Nojiko said as she pointed to the island. "Hope you don't mind, but I convinced the villagers to put that up for you." Everyone followed her finger off to the distance. Luffy squinted before a huge grin came to his face. Flying in the distance where Arlong Park once stood was a tall pole, bearing the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"That's so awesome!" he shouted. Nami turned to them all with a smile.
"Alright everyone. It's time to set sail to the Grand Line!" she said.
"YEAH!" everyone shouted.
()()()()
Some time earlier.
"This is Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch calling Marine Headquarters! Code #00733." Nezumi shouted over the transponder snail. "This is Marine Headquarters. Stop shouting already." said the marine on the other line.
"I'm calling to inform you all about a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy! He wears a straw hat, has five people on his crew and effortlessly defeated Arlong. He is highly dangerous, so I'm formally requesting a bounty be placed upon his head! I'm sending a picture now!"
"Alright, we're receiving it now." the marine said.
"Couldn't you take a better picture?" Nezumi asked one of the marines.
"That was all we could get." said the marine. Luffy's picture was the same as last time. While Nezumi complained, the marine at HQ was looking at Luffy's picture before he remembered something.
'A Straw Hat?' he thought before his eyes widened in shock. 'Wait a minute! He couldn't be...' "Alright. We'll inform the higher ups." he said before hanging up. He then grabbed the picture before running through HQ, sweat forming on his face as he ran. 'There's no mistaking it. He matches the description perfectly!' he thought before he came to a higher ranking officer.
"What is the meaning of this?" the officer grunted. The marine was out of breath as he handed him Luffy's picture.
"Sir...I believe...he's the one...from the Goa Incident."
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