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The Strongest Frost Loli (152)
🕑 Added 2024-11-05 17:00:02 +0000 UTCChapter 152- Dawn of Adventure/ROMANCE DAWN
East Blue.
Under a clear, sunny sky, a ship sailed across the waves, heading towards their next destination.
The young man at the helm, wearing a straw hat, was Monkey D. Luffy.
His crewmates, Zoro, Usopp, and Nami, had joined him during his journey. And Sanji, the cook, had just become their newest member at the Baratie, a floating restaurant.
Along with them were Yosaku and Johnny, bounty hunters who had become Zoro’s underlings.
Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku were currently on the ship.
“What a beautiful day…”
“Yeah…”
“Are you sure this is the right direction?”
“Leave it to me. It’s fine.”
Yosaku was the only one with any navigation skills, so he was in charge of steering the ship.
Originally, Luffy had planned to set sail for the Grand Line with Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji… But Nami had stolen their ship and treasure and run away.
Zoro, Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny had gone after her, and once they had a general idea of her destination, Yosaku had returned, and they were now pursuing her with Luffy and Sanji.
“Where did Nami go?”
“This is just a guess, but… I figured it out based on the wanted poster she was looking at and the direction the ship was heading.”
“So, where is it?”
“I don't know the name of the island…”
Sanji looked at Luffy, wondering if they were going to be okay.
“It’s fine!” Luffy said with a grin.
“Don't worry, I know where we’re going!" Yosaku said confidently.
“…That’s not very reassuring.”
Sanji, though Yosaku seemed confident, couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Luffy, oblivious to their concerns, was sitting on the edge of the ship, kicking his legs.
“I just want to get Nami back and set sail for the Grand Line!!”
“With five people? That’s suicide.”
“We can always find more crewmates on the Grand Line! It’s Paradise, after all!”
“Paradise? You mean the “Pirate Graveyard”?”
“The owner of the restaurant told me! Some pirates call the Grand Line “Paradise”!!”
“Huh… So, the old man said…”
Zeff, the owner of the Baratie, was a former pirate who had sailed the Grand Line for a year before returning to the East Blue.
He knew the situation, and had valuable information.
“I should have asked him a few more things,” Sanji thought. Luffy, their captain, was too optimistic and clueless.
He didn't want to get shipwrecked.
“Well, I’d go anywhere with Nami-san… Even if it was just the two of us…”
Sanji, dreaming about sailing with Nami, smiled.
Yosaku, disgusted, stood up and shouted, “You’re naive!!”
“You guys are underestimating the Grand Line! If Zoro and the others had known what it was really like, they wouldn’t have come back!”
“I’m hungry.”
“Me too.”
“And me!”
It was Yosaku's heartfelt plea, but it was ignored.
***
Luffy was eating meat, Yosaku was eating stir-fried bean sprouts, and Sanji, remembering something, spoke.
“So, who was on the wanted poster Nami was looking at?”
“I’m glad you asked! This guy!”
Arlong, the “Saw-Tooth” – with a bounty of 20 million berries.
Yosaku thought they would finally understand the danger they were in.
But Luffy and Sanji’s reaction was simply, “Huh."
“That’s it?! There has to be more… Something… else!”
“What’s with you?”
“His bounty’s not that high. It’s about the same as Krieg, whom Luffy just defeated.”
Sanji pointed at Luffy.
A few hours ago, Luffy had defeated Don Krieg, the self-proclaimed “Pirate Armada Admiral."
Krieg’s bounty was 17 million berries. It was considered an exceptionally high bounty in the East Blue, where the average bounty was 3 million berries.
Arlong’s bounty wasn't that much higher.
“A bounty represents a pirate’s threat level to the World Government. Don Krieg caused a lot of damage and attracted attention. Arlong, on the other hand, has been quietly expanding his territory. They’re different!”
Moreover, the fact that Arlong’s bounty was higher, despite attracting less attention, meant he was probably stronger.
Yosaku considered him to be a greater threat than Don Krieg.
And there was another reason.
“Do you two know about the Seven Warlords system?”
“No,” they both replied.
“I knew it…”
Yosaku slumped his shoulders, feeling defeated.
He doubted they would listen, but he had to warn them. He began his explanation.
“The Seven Warlords are seven pirates recognized by the World Government.”
“What? Why would the government recognize pirates?”
Yosaku patiently explained.
The Seven Warlords were allowed to plunder unclaimed territory and other pirates, as long as they paid a portion of their loot to the government.
And Mihawk, “Hawk-Eyes”, who had defeated Zoro at the Baratie, was one of them.
“Wow!! There are seven of them?! That’s amazing!!”
Luffy had witnessed Mihawk’s overwhelming strength firsthand. Even though they knew they might become enemies someday, it was natural to be surprised that there were seven pirates on that level.
“One of the Seven Warlords is Jinbe, the “Knight of the Sea.” He’s the captain of the Fish-Man Pirates.”
“A Fish-Man, huh? I’ve never met one before."
“This Arlong guy’s a Fish-Man, right? Judging from the wanted poster.”
Sanji, looking at Arlong’s nose, said this.
“Yes, and that’s the problem,” Yosaku said with a serious expression.
“Fisher Tiger was their captain. But after he joined Twilight, the Fish-Man Pirates split into several factions."
“Twilight… You mean the Twilight Pirates?”
“Yes, the ones famous for their radio broadcasts."
“Huh.”
Sanji, who knew about them, was surprised.
He had listened to their radio broadcasts when he was at the Baratie. Receiver Den Den Mushis were expensive, so he couldn’t listen often, as it wasn’t his personal property.
Besides, the Baratie occasionally traded with Twilight. They had some rare ingredients, so Sanji remembered them.
But that wasn’t the point.
“We’re heading to Arlong Park! The territory of a man who once fought alongside Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords!”
“Did someone call my name?”
Suddenly, they heard a voice.
They looked around, and a figure emerged from the sea.
“It’s a Fish-Man!” Yosaku shouted.
He was much larger than Luffy and his crew, his skin a different color… He was clearly a different species.
“J-J-J-Jinbe?! Why is a Warlord here?!”
Yosaku, his legs trembling, backed away, tears welling up in his eyes.
Luffy and Sanji, however, simply watched as Jinbe, emerging from the sea, placed his hand on the edge of their ship.
Jinbe didn’t seem hostile. He didn’t look like he was there to attack them.
“Oh, sorry if I startled you. I smelled something delicious, and couldn’t resist coming over.”
“What?! You’re not getting any of my meat! It’s mine!”
“Don’t be stingy. If you’re hungry, just wait. I’ll make you something.”
“No, no, there’s no need.”
Their ship was small. It was too small for Jinbe to board.
So, he remained in the water, talking to them.
“I wanted to ask you something. I heard rumors about a man named Arlong operating in this area. Do you know anything about him?”
“Yeah, we’re looking for him too. Right, Yosaku?”
“Well, we’re heading in the same direction… but we don’t know if he’s involved yet.”
They were simply chasing after Nami, who had stolen their ship and treasure. It just so happened that she was heading for Arlong’s territory. They didn’t know if he was involved.
“Might as well go together, then. We’re heading that way anyway.”
“I see. I’d appreciate a guide."
He couldn’t board their ship, so he would swim alongside them. It wasn't a long distance, so it wasn't a problem, Jinbe said.
They finished their meal, and with calm seas and nothing to do, they decided to pass the time chatting.
“Hey, Sanji, want to listen to the radio?”
“No, I don’t have one. They’re expensive.”
“What? Are they expensive here?”
“They cost a lot… Are they cheaper in the Grand Line?”
“I thought they were mass-produced and sold cheaply…”
The East Blue wasn’t exactly Twilight’s territory. Perhaps that’s why they were so expensive.
It was the same type of Den Den Mushi as usual, but they had added a machine to make it usable by humans. If they left it on all day to listen to the radio, it would quickly break down. So, they had three connected to the same machine, rotating automatically.
Even then, it cost three times the price of a regular Den Den Mushi… Plus, there was the cost of the technology. It was expensive.
“I see… Well, it’s all part of the experience.”
“Luffy, does your ship have a radio?”
“Yeah. It came with the ship."
They had gotten their ship, the Going Merry, in Usopp’s hometown.
Kaya, Usopp’s childhood friend, had given it to them as a reward for saving them from pirates. It came with a radio, so Luffy had never thought about its price.
Well, he wouldn’t care even if he had to buy one himself.
