One Piece - I Am A Different Luffy! BOOK1!

Chapter 36 - Trip to Baratie 06.

[Chapter Size: 2211 Words.]
Third Person POV
Somewhere at sea, East Blue.

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Patiently waiting, all crew members and the recently rescued civilian couple gathered at the corner of the naval ship, awaiting Lami's arrival. A speedboat with an empty raft followed closely behind, approaching the ship as soon as it came into view.

Next to the Navy ship, Lami executed her Room ability, teleporting herself with Bepo and a suitcase full of money directly onto the deck. A smile lit up Luffy's face as he crossed his arms, welcoming his companion's arrival.

"You finally made it," Luffy commented, his smile revealing a hint of relief.

"I guess so. The Marine base was quite a distance away, and the sailors asked a series of questions, as they always do," replied Lami, directing her gaze towards Luffy.

"I hope you guys are okay," Luffy added, expressing his concern before anything else.

"We're fine. In the end, we got the money and came back here," assured Lami, highlighting the success of the financial mission.

"We earned a considerable amount, Captain!" announced Bepo, his enthusiastic voice echoing through the group, and he finally noticed new faces on the ship.

"New people?!" exclaimed Bepo, surprised to see unfamiliar individuals around the captain.

"A talking panda!" exclaimed Usopp, displaying fascination like a member who hadn't seen the unusual creature before.
"Nyke've dōrī ūndegīon iā dȳñes bona talks gō," the woman spoke, capturing everyone's attention, even though no one understood what she really meant.
"I'm sorry!" Bepo said after hearing the woman.
"Wait, do you understand her?" curious Nami asked.
"Hmm... No," Bepo said, causing everyone to fall to the ground in disbelief.
"THEN WHY IS HE APOLOGIZING?!" USOPP SHOUTED.
"I see the crew has grown quite a bit in these days away..." Lami said, raising an eyebrow after hearing the woman.
"Iksan daor rēbagon rȳ kesīr, nyke ȳdra daor sytilībagon naejot se crew," Marta said, so only her husband understood, and everyone continued to ignore her.
"Some pretty weird ones, from what I can see..." Lami murmured about the strange woman.
After hearing Marta and ignoring her, Luffy turned his attention back to responding to Lami.
"It's true, but this couple doesn't belong to the group; we're just helping them until the next point." Luffy said calmly.
"I understand," said the tattooed woman.
"Anyway, rest a bit because I'll need you again in the next few days. We have a few more pirates for you to deliver to the Marines..." Luffy said, and she stared at him for a while with raised eyebrows.
"Why am I surprised... Anyway, I can do that, but I don't want to fall behind the team." She warned while crossing her arms, knowing that with Luffy, the rest of the group would be training while she did these services.
"Don't worry; I want you to deliver this and two more batches of pirates in the future. After that, we're heading to the Grand Line. Once we've done everything we need here, I guarantee I'll personally train you enough to defeat any of your enemies!" Luffy affirmed, as many looked at him with questioning eyes, as only Luffy and Lami knew about the agreement they made.
"Now that we're all gathered, let's take advantage and celebrate! How's our stock, Usopp?" Luffy casually asked; being a pirate, a routine of banquets among his crew was necessary whenever possible.
"Kaya gave us a supply for 6 months, and there are still many things in the Navy's stock, so we're doing very well, Captain!" He affirmed.
"Great, let's drink and eat for the rest of the day!" Luffy announced, and everyone smiled, liking the idea.
"Is the maid still in the group?" Lami asked curiously next to Luffy, seeing Nami still with them and no longer dressed as Baby 5, since she saw how Nami had ulterior motives when Luffy recruited her, the doctor also knew that Luffy wasn't a fool to let this woman abuse them, so she believed that the captain would get rid of her on the next island.
"I'M NOT THE MAID ANYMORE!" Nami shouted with a comical face, listening to Lami next to Luffy.
"Don't worry; she's one of us now. After a serious talk, I trust her, and she's a great navigator!" Luffy affirmed; the rest of the crew already knew this since Luffy's announcement yesterday, so they just nodded and trusted his decision. They changed their behavior and relationship with Nami as well, improving a lot and trusting her more after hearing her sad story, which she opened up to them.
Nami was also amazed by each story told by her new nakamas; one was a prisoner of her father, another returned from the dead. Needless to say, the cat-thief had a reality check. But the person in the group with whom Nami seemed to connect better was the young mermaid, who shared a similar story since both mothers were killed in front of them and understood that pain very well.