"Remember—listen, don't speak. Leave everything to me."
"Our goal is to reach the sky island. Don't cause unnecessary trouble."
As the Straw Hat Pirates' ship came into view, Zeke adjusted his glasses with elegance and turned once more to remind Blackbeard, Van Augur, Burgess, and Doc Q.
The four nodded. Zeke had already emphasized these instructions multiple times before setting out.
"Who are you people?"
As they approached the Going Merry, several figures appeared on deck. Luffy and Zoro were still absent, but Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Usopp, and Nami were all present.
They were about to set sail, waiting only for Luffy to return from his clash with Bellamy, and for Zoro—who had, as usual, gotten lost.
The sudden arrival of Zeke and his four companions immediately drew the crew's attention.
"Oh—such a lovely lady. My name is Zeke, a merchant who survived a shipwreck. I've been stranded in Mock Town for days, and I'm hoping to hitch a ride to the next island aboard your ship."
"If you're willing, I can offer thirty million berries as payment."
Standing by the shore, Zeke smiled politely as he looked at Nami with her short orange hair, praising her beauty before naming the sum—thirty million berries—without hesitation.
"Th-thirty million berries?!"
The moment Zeke finished speaking, the previously wary Nami, Usopp, and Chopper instantly froze, their eyes bulging and shimmering with berry signs. Their hearts thudded wildly in their chests.
Only Sanji and Robin remained skeptical.
No matter how they looked at it, Zeke's group seemed suspicious.
After all, they were pirates. Normally, merchants would avoid pirates at all costs—especially since pirates loved robbing merchants more than anyone else.
"Very suspicious—"
"I think so too."
Usopp and Chopper had just been counting out what thirty million would look like on their fingers when Sanji smacked the backs of their heads, snapping them back to reality. They quickly shifted into cautious mode, watching Zeke and the other four warily.
Only Nami remained entranced by the idea of thirty million berries.
To her, that was a massive sum.
It couldn't be helped.
Their expenses on the ship were out of control—especially thanks to their idiot captain, who demanded meat at every meal, and Zoro, who drank like a fish.
"I'm sorry, our captain isn't here right now. You should try another ship."
Sanji lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and refused them flatly.
He didn't want to attract trouble. Even though the lead man looked frail and scholarly, the four standing behind him were clearly dangerous.
Especially the two hulking brutes.
"Forty million berries!"
"We'll leave right after reaching the next island. Please, I'm begging you."
Suddenly, Zeke held up four fingers and explained he meant no harm.
As expected—
Nami's eyes grew even wider at the mention of forty million. Usopp and Chopper instinctively gulped, their defenses slowly crumbling.
"We're pirates. You should still look for another ship."
Sanji remained unmoved.
Robin, brushing her bangs aside, continued to study the five strangers. Having seen her share of darkness, she agreed with Sanji—they were suspicious.
There was something off about this group, no matter how you looked at it.
"That's unfortunate. I had planned to pay forty million upfront and another ten million upon arrival as a thank-you."
"I guess I'll have to look elsewhere."
Zeke sighed with visible regret.
At that moment, Blackbeard and Burgess stepped forward and opened the leather suitcase they'd been carrying. Inside were neat stacks of berries, shimmering as if radiating gold.
This was the limit of the Blackbeard Pirates' finances.
They were broke too. Their pirate ship had been cobbled together from three giant logs—luxury was not their reality.
On the deck—
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper stood frozen, eyes glued to the money.
The moment the suitcase opened, Sanji and Robin felt a chill. Their eyes flicked toward Nami, who was now gripping the ship's railing, neck stretched as long as possible, eyes glued to the cash like she wanted to dive into it.
Sure enough—
In the next instant, Nami leapt off the ship with incredible speed and landed in front of Zeke, her pretty face lit up with a smile so warm it was as if she had reunited with a long-lost brother.
She even reached out and gently took Zeke's hand.
"Mr. Zeke, you're too polite. We have room aboard the ship and we'll absolutely get you safely to the next island."
"Please, come aboard."
As she spoke, she smoothly took the suitcases from Blackbeard and Burgess, acting as if this were the most natural thing in the world. Blackbeard and Burgess, following Zeke's subtle glance, let go of the cases without a word.
At that moment—
Blackbeard, Burgess, Van Augur, Doc Q, and even Stronger the horse exchanged satisfied glances with Zeke.
Everyone had played their roles well.
"Much appreciated."
Zeke let out a faint breath of relief. He had feared Nami wouldn't take the bait. If she hadn't, he would've been forced to switch tactics—like having Blackbeard take the Straw Hat crew hostage and threatening them.
If that failed, he was prepared to start stabbing throats one by one until they caved.
He *had* to reach the sky island.
"Haha, you're too kind!"
Feeling the weight of the suitcases, Nami was overjoyed.
Forty million!
And another ten million after they reached the next island!
Just thinking about fifty million berries made the world seem brighter.
Back on the ship—
Nami was quickly pulled aside.
"Nami, wasn't letting them aboard too reckless? I don't think they're good people," Usopp said, eyes locked on the suitcase in her hands, torn between greed and concern.
"Mhm, mhm, mhm."
Chopper nodded like a pecking bird, his eyes flickering toward the suitcase.
Sanji was still puffing away, clearly uneasy.
"Nami, our next stop is the sky island. Isn't it inappropriate to bring strangers along?" Robin hesitated but finally spoke.
"It is inappropriate—but this is fifty million! With Luffy and Zoro's spending habits, our finances are running dry. We need this money."
"Besides, none of you have any pocket money left, do you?"
Nami's face darkened as she imagined Luffy devouring piles of meat and Zoro chugging down liquor. Then she gave Usopp and Chopper a sinister look.
The moment she mentioned pocket money, Usopp and Chopper instantly stood behind her, clearly siding with her to improve their odds of getting a cut.
"If I'm not wrong, Sanji still needs to replace his cookware. And Luffy broke the refrigerator. Robin, your makeup's running low, and you haven't bought new clothes in ages."
"The meat's nearly gone. The liquor too."
"Now, you do the math—do you think fifty million will even be enough?"
Nami hugged the suitcases tightly, clearly ready to fight anyone who tried to take them from her.
"Whew—"
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, raised a brow, and in the next instant his demeanor flipped. Hearts sparkled in his eyes as he circled around Nami like a noodle in love.
"Nami-swan is absolutely right. I completely support her decision."
"Could I get a little extra budget? I want to replace the baking machine."
"Me too, me too!"
"I want some too!"
Usopp and Chopper looked at each other, then dropped to the ground hugging Nami's legs, pretending to be poor just for a bit more cash.
Robin sighed and rubbed her forehead, unable to watch Sanji's fawning or the antics of Usopp and Chopper.
Those three were hopeless.
As expected, even if Luffy and Zoro came back, their opinions wouldn't matter. One cared only about meat, the other about booze—neither could put up a fight against Nami.
And if they tried, Nami would settle things with her fists.
Not far away—
Blackbeard, Van Augur, Burgess, Doc Q, and Stronger all gathered around Zeke.
No words were exchanged, but their expressions said it all.
Their act had been flawless.