Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

Echoes of Freedom

"To think we would be saved by pirates…” Genzo mumbled under his breath.

The villagers stared in shock at Arlong's defeat, but quickly recovered and rushed back to the village, eager to spread the news.
…

The crew, minus Nami, sat around a table in the local restaurant, the scent of freshly cooked food filling the air.

“That fight was surprisingly easy.” Zoro remarked, lazily picking his teeth.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you gang up on the leader.” Ryomen replied, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“We should just do that every time.” Usopp added, a glimmer of relief in his eyes, finally sensing the ordeal was over.

“No way! I barely fought today!” Luffy, sitting with a plate of meat in hand, crushed Usopp’s hopes. He turned toward the kitchen. “Sanji! Bring another plate!”

A surprised voice echoed from the back. “Already!? Wait a second!”

“I can't believe they actually let him cook.” Usopp commented, scratching his head.

“Right? If someone came into my kitchen and said my food wasn’t up to par, I’d just beat them and throw them out.” Ryomen replied, his gaze shifting toward the couple who owned the restaurant, happily watching Sanji work. “But I'm not a cook, so who knows.”

Luffy suddenly sprang to his feet, eyes gleaming. “Hey! Let’s go look for Nami!”
…

Meanwhile, at Naval Base Sixteen, Nezumi paced back and forth angrily, a den-den mushi placed in front of him.

“I’m calling about an urgent request!” Nezumi shouted.

“I can hear you just fine, even if you don’t yell.” The man on the other end replied calmly.

Nezumi angrily described how the pirates had opposed him and managed to defeat Arlong, detailing each of their appearances.

At Marine HQ, the officer listened intently, but his expression changed at the mention of a certain crew member.

“Could you repeat the description of the last one?” The officer asked, eyes narrowing.

“Pink hair, red eyes, and some kind of marks under his eyes.”

The marine sifted through a folder of bounty posters, pulling out one with a drawn image of a younger Ryomen. His eyes grew serious.

“I’ll transmit your intel to the higher-ups.” He said curtly, ending the call.
…

“Is this what you were actually looking for?” Ryomen asked with a wry smile.

Luffy and Ryomen stood beneath one of Nami's beloved tangerine trees, orange peels scattered around their feet.

“Hahaha! They’re really good, you know!” Luffy replied, his belly bloated from his indulgence.

“Just don’t let Nami find out. Who knows what she’ll do.” Ryomen warned, watching as Luffy quickly fell asleep under the tree's shade.

Ryomen sighed, a faint smile on his lips. “Typical Luffy…”

With that, he settled down beside him, closing his eyes for a short nap of his own.
…

About an hour later, a swift kick jolted both of them awake.

“Aaahh!” Luffy and Ryomen yelped, clutching their sides.

“What do you think you two are doing!?” Nami’s voice rang out, her eyes blazing with irritation.

“N-Nami, we just—” Ryomen began to explain, but his words trailed off as he watched Luffy roll down the hill in a panicked attempt to escape. ‘Damn you, Luffy!’