𝙈𝙔 𝙋𝙄𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙀 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍, 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 (𝙡𝙖)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆

"Luffy?" Nami calls, her voice tinged with concern as she looks around the room.

"Luffy, are you here?" you ask, following close behind her. Then, your eyes land on him, slumped over on the table, completely unconscious.

"Luffy!" you shout, rushing to his side. You quickly check his breathing while Nami inspects his eyes, her face tight with worry.

Suddenly, you hear footsteps approaching, and without thinking, you and Nami dart into a nearby cabinet, barely managing to close the door quietly. Your heart pounds as you listen carefully.

"Nami, those are swords..." you whisper, your voice barely audible as you glance through the crack in the cabinet. Nami turns to you, her eyes wide with panic.

"I just left Miss Kaya in her room," a voice says from outside.

"What's he doing here?" another voice, sharper and more menacing, replies. You recognize it—it's Kuro.

Sham, one of Kuro's lackeys, walks closer to Luffy, inspecting him. "What's wrong with him?" Kuro asks, his tone cold and detached.

"The little guy couldn't get enough of my latest recipe. I was chasing that perfect balance between bitter and savory. Just wish I could've asked him how it tasted," another voice, Buchi, replies with a satisfied smirk.

"It tasted like poison, idiot," Sham retorts, rolling her eyes.

"Not while I'm the cook," Buchi snaps back, clearly offended.

"You're not a cook. I'm not a maid. We're pirates," Sham shoots back, crossing her arms.

"Sell yourself short, Sham, but leave my cooking out of—" Buchi starts, but he's cut off by a sharp yell.

"Enough!" Kuro's voice slices through the air, silencing both of them. "I can't hear myself think over your inbred nonsense!"

You tense up, barely breathing as the tension in the room rises. Nami squeezes your hand in the dark, urging you to stay quiet.

"Now, how much of the soup did he eat?" Kuro asks, his voice icy.

"All of it," Buchi replies.

"How fortuitous. Go ahead and take him to the well with the green-haired oaf," Kuro orders. Your eyes widen in shock.

"Oh, I'm going to kill them all—" you start to whisper, anger boiling inside you, but Nami quickly puts a hand over your mouth, stopping you.

"Aye aye, Captain," Buchi responds with a smirk.

"And don't you dare track mud all over my floors again," Sham says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Says the maid," Buchi mutters under his breath. Sham gasps in mock offense, but before she can respond, the doorbell rings.

"Who'd ring the bell at this hour?" Sham asks, her annoyance clear.

"Just stay put. Understood? Let's not allow the night to get the better of us," Kuro orders, and Buchi and Sham both nod in compliance.

"Nami, I can teleport us to where Zoro is—" you whisper urgently, but Nami shakes her head, signaling for you to wait.

"Just hold on a few minutes. We'll knock out the girl, then you go save Zoro while I head to Kaya's room. Got it?" Nami whispers, her voice low but determined. You nod in agreement.

A sudden voice breaks the quiet tension. "Buchi, the Marines are here. They've come to collect the drunken Straw Hat Pirate. Bring him to the front of the house at once," Kuro orders through a den den mushi.