Chapter 8 - Navigating Is No Easy Task

『 Omniscient POV 』

"We surrender!!"

The remaining marines that were still standing all threw their weapons on the ground and raised their hands.

Seeing their actions, Coby and Zoro were speechless as it was a clear contrast as to how they were acting earlier.

"We're free!!"

"He defeated Captain Morgan!!"

"Fool! He doesn't have the right to be called a Captain. From now on, he'll be just Morgan!"

"That's right!!"

Some of them were even jumping out of happiness about the fact that their Captain had been defeated.

"What the..."

"Dam-"

*Tag!*

But Zoro doesn't have enough time to dwell on that anymore, as his body finally lost all of its strength.

『 Few hours later 』

Multiple burping sounds were once again heard inside the restaurant called 「 Food Foo 」.

Inside of this restaurant, almost all of the citizens of Shells Town could be found.

And all of them had a wide smile on their faces because today, they are finally free from Morgan's tyranny.

"I'm finally full!!"

And once again, Midoriya and his group can be found in this restaurant. But this time, instead of sitting beside the window, their table were at the center.

"I haven't eaten my fill for days, that bastard just gave me the bare minimum to survive!! If I didn't eat the food that he gave me bit by bit, I would've starved to death!"

"So that's how you survived, I wouldn't be able to do the same if I were you."

Luffy spoke to Zoro as he continued to eat his food.

"You're so thin yet you eat more than me, how is that possible?"

Asked Zoro once he saw the pile of plates that was being brought to the kitchen's sink, to be washed.

"I don't know, maybe because I'm a rubber human?"

Even Luffy was confused as he answered Zoro's question, but his response just confused the ex-pirate hunter even more.

"By the way, Midoriya... what did you do to Helmeppo?"

But before Zoro could even clarify what that meant, Coby managed to speak first before he do.

"Oh, him? Well, I just tied that bastard up somewhere in their base. It's his punishment for what he did to Zoro."

After apologizing for eating too much to Rika's mother, Midoriya finally managed to answer Coby's question.

"I-i see... haha..."

"So captain, what do you plan on doing now?"

After Coby's awkward response, Midoriya suddenly asked Luffy that question.

"Well, from here, we'll head to the Grand Line!"

"What?! You're saying crazy things again!!"

Of course, Luffy's answer once again made Coby's jaw drop to the ground before the later person exclaimed in protest.

"How can you enter Grand Line when there's only three of you!!"

"What are you so worried about? It's not like you're coming with us."

And of course, Coby's concerned words were once again ignored as Zoro said his honest thoughts without any hesitation.

As a response to his words, Coby stuttered as he explained that although he won't be coming with them, he's still going to be worried about them as they are friends... or so he thought.

Thankfully, Luffy and Midoriya agreed about them being friends, and surprisingly, Zoro also agreed.

But still, Luffy's decision to head to Grand Line was left unchanged.

"Luffy, although I'm also excited to go to the Grand Line, we can't go there yet."

That was the case until Midoriya suddenly spoke his thoughts.

"Even if we ignore the fact that we only have a small boat for a ship, we still lack the strength, food, and information to enter such a mysterious place."

As Midoriya spoke, he revealed to them that he found some journals that mentioned some short adventures at the Grand Line in the library that he went to earlier.

"Also, there is one absolute warning written inside of those journals, and that is to find capable crew members."

And it seems like Midoriya's words are being taken seriously as both Zoro and Luffy listen to him quietly.

"Members like a navigator who can navigate inside of any type of storms, a cook who can cook Sea Kings like a normal fish, a doctor who has a large amount of medecine knowledge to avoid being killed by sickness, and more."

As Midoriya began to list the types of members they would need, he brought up his fingers one by one until the end of his sentence.

"Because it was said in those journals that, in Grand Line, eating Sea Kings is the norm, and the ocean there would randomly change at any given time."

Even Coby was listening hard to Midoriya's words as just like he had said, his knowledge about the matter is only based on rumors.

"Now, if the two of you can look me in the eyes and say that you are capable of any of the first things I listed, then I'd gladly come with you to the Grand Line without any question."

By the end of his speech, both Luffy and Zoro are already avoiding Midoriya's eyes.

"Right, I thought so too."

The lost hero commented loudly for the two to hear before he released a wry smile.

"Okay! I changed my mind!!"

After some moment of silence, Luffy suddenly exclaimed as he wears his hat.

"Let's search for our navigator first, and then after that, we will head to Grand Line!!"

Hearing his words, both Coby and Midoriya just gave the straw hatted pirate a deadpan while silently watching him laugh.

"Shishishishi~!"

"I guess that's better than before..."

"Don't worry about it, Midoriya, you already did your best."

Midoriya muttered to himself helplessly. Thankfully, Coby was at his side and was ready to comfort him.

Zoro, on the other hand, just laughed alongside Luffy because of his own excitement of the thought of entering a dangerous sea where the strong sails.

'Maybe, I'll be able to sharpen my swords along the way.'

Zoro thought to himself before he began drinking his beer.

Shortly after that, the four of them finally joined the party that was happening around them because of Morgan's fall.

Then, as Zoro was drinking his beer, he suddenly warned Coby that he should be careful not to reveal anything about his past.

Because if the Marines were to learn about his history of being Alvida's chore boy, his chance to be a marine might just suddenly disappear.

This warning made Coby feel some nervousness, but then...

*Bam!*

... A loud noise suddenly sounded out, which interrupted the party that was just about to reach its peak.

"Excuse us!"

"Wha'cho you want, marine?!"

"Yeah!! what are you here for, huh?!"

Of course, such sudden entrances were not appreciated by the people inside the restaurant.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but this matter is important."

Answered the marine officer to the unhappy civilians, before he turned towards Luffy and the others.

"We're just wondering, are you guys really... pirates?"

Midoriya managed to identify the speaking marine officer as the officer that Morgan attacked earlier.

But despite that, the young hero did not speak up or did anything and just decided to listen to his words carefully.

"Yes, I'm the captain, and I just gained the second member of my crew!!"

Luffy answered the marine's question honestly as he showed a toothy smile.

"Even though you are pirates... in reality, you saved our village and base, for that I am grateful."

The officer removed his cap and bowed his head as he said his genuine words before he stood straight and wore his marine cap again.

"But since you are pirates... as marines, we can not allow you to stay here any longer. Please leave this place immediately, and as for the events that happened here, we will be reporting it to the headquarters!!"

Once his words were heard by all, every person inside the restaurant began yelling at him for being ungrateful and such.

After a short moment of thinking, Luffy nodded his head in agreement before he thanked Rika's mother for the food that she had served.

And then, once he walked towards the exit, Zoro and Midoriya shortly followed.

But just as the trio were about to stepped outside of the restaurant, they heard the marine officer ask some questions to Coby.

"I'm... I'm... I'm not with them!!"

Yelled out Coby as he bit his lips.

What followed after that was a short drama where Luffy provoked Coby into punching him and Zoro pulling away his Captain from attacking back.

Because of that delay, Luffy and Zoro had to run just to catch up with Midoriya.

"You've overdone it, fool."

Midoriya whispered to Luffy before walking forward, leaving behind the chaotic goodbye between civilians, marines, and pirates.

『 Three Days Later 』

As the sun rose at its peak, in some unknown corner of East Blue, a small boat could be seen sailing towards the unknown.

"Izuzu~, how far till we reach the next island~?"

"I'm hungry~!"

And at this boat, two weak voices of men can be heard.

"We're almost there, just one more hour..."

"You've said that sentence for the 50th time!!"

A third voice replied to the first one, but his words only angered the second one.

The owners of those voices are, of course, Luffy, Zoro, and Midoriya.

The novice trio pirates who are currently lost in the weakest sea of the Blues.

It has been three days since they left Shells Town, and what should have been a day of travel to the next island had turned into three days... and counting.

Because of that, they don't have any foods left for themselves to eat.

Even the emergency foods that they brought with them had already been eaten by them just this morning.

"Look, an island!!"

Thankfully, Midoriya's words this time seemed to be true as he finally saw a shadow of an island.

And as if his words had magic in them, the duo suddenly gained some strength and paddled their rows with all their might.

As a result of their effort...

"Are we there yet?"

"How far till we reach it?!"

... They lost the island that Midoriya saw.

"What the heck had you guys done!?"

Cried out the lost hero as he was slowly losing the hope to find an another nearby island.

'Should I just carry them and fly away? But that would leave the only boat that we have! And I doubt Luffy would agree to that.'

Thought Midoriya as he remembered how Luffy and Zoro reacted when he revealed that he could fly.

It was an understatement to say that they were just amazed by that revelation.

But although both of them are excited about the thought of flying, none of them wants to leave behind the only boat that they currently have in the middle of the ocean.

Even more so, when none of them actually had a slightest idea where to fly to.

'I should've just bought some books rather than just reading in the library!'

Thought Midoriya as he stared at their chest that was full of gold but is useless in the middle of the sea.

"No use on crying at a spilled milk... get some rest you two, I'll row the boat."

Luffy and Zoro instantly let go of their paddles before they laid their back on the wooden ground of their boat.

""Soo~ hungry~!"

Yelled the two as Midoriya began to row the boat in their place.

"Oh, a bird."

"It looks tasty."

Zoro and Luffy's words quickly made Midoriya look where they were staring at.

And when he did, he saw a bird which has quite the size and is enough for the three of them to eat.

"Let's eat that bird!"

And it seems like he's not the only one that took notice of that as Luffy suddenly exclaimed those words with excitement.

"How do you plan to eat it?"

"I'll go get it! Watch my specialty!!"

When Zoro heard Luffy's words, the former person couldn't help but ask the later one with a confused expression.

"Gomu-gomu no-"

"Oi wait-!"

"Rocket!!"

"Woah~!? I can't believe he came up with that."

Although Midoriya realized what Luffy planned to do, he was a second late to stop his captain from launching himself up.

Zoro, on the other hand, just watched Luffy flew into the air with amusement.

He had been told about the ability of Luffy's body, which was why Midoriya revealed his flight ability in the first place.

'Wait, now that I remember that-'

"You idiots!! Why wouldn't you just wait for me!!"

Yelled Midoriya as he followed behind the bird that Luffy tried to catched but instead, it just bit Luffy's head and flew away.

"Oi wait for me!!"

Realizing what's happening, Zoro hurriedly tried his best to follow their path.

But he failed to do so because some people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked for his help.

"Were you trying to run us over?!!"

"Thank God we're alive..."

"Oi, stop this boat! This is our crew's territory...?"

When he allowed them on the boat, however, instead of thanking him, they suddenly began threatening Zoro.

"You ungrateful bastards!!"

Of course, that stunt of theirs resulted in them being Zoro's punching bags.

But because of doing that, the ex-pirate hunter lost track of the direction where Midoriya and Luffy went.

"You better bring me to my nakamas if you three don't want a round two of my fists."

Said Zoro to the trio who identified themselves as some members of the pirate crew called, Buggy Pirates.

『 Meanwhile 』

Six kilometers ahead of Zoro's current position, Midoriya can be seen floating forward as he holds Luffy's extended arms.

"Whoohooo~! This is so cool!!"

Exclaimed the straw hatted pirate as he messed around using his flexible body, like a professional performer of some random place like a circus.

"Luffy, close your mouth!! Because a bug, or worse, a bird might just suddenly enter it!!"

And of course, because of Luffy's rubber body, its reaction to the air resistance that the duo are facing was coincidentally forcing his face to make some funny faces too.

As a result of that, Luffy's overall appearance from a distance was not that of a person but an abomination in human shape.

Quite a terrifying sight for the norm, which was why some guards of a certain clown pirate released a loud yelp because of shock and fear.

"What the-!"

"Inform Buggy-sama that an unidentified object is heading to this direction!!"

Thankfully, or not, one of those guards quickly recovered from their previous state and was able to think what they are supposed to do, fast enough.

"What are you bastards waiting for?! Use the cannon and shoot it down, idiots!!"

"Aye captain!!"

Fearfully screamed of a group of pirates as a reply to the command of a clown-looking-guy who was comfortably sitting on a particularly large chair.

This pirate was named Buggy, the Captain of Buggy Pirates.

He has a noticeable red nose, has a clown theme makeup on his face, and wears a small pirate hat on top of his head as well as a comfortable looking coat resting on his shoulders.

And although Buggy looked like a clown, there is no doubt that if a bunch of children were to be put in front of him... those children and their families and friends would die by his command because of their honest opinion about Buggy's nose.

"And bring me my map back!!"

"Ye-yes Buggy-sama!!"

Just as the poor group of pirates were about to move their asses to prepare shooting a cannonball, they once again released a fearful scream to reply at Buggy's command.

「 To Be Continued 」

××× 『 A. N. 』 ×××

Okay, imma be honest here... I don't have a single idea how a person should sail, so don't expect a full-on detail about that kind of stuff from this fic. And that same thing applies to many more topics, but I'll try to research those topics to the best of my abilities, to hopefully satisfy you bunch.

I just hope that you guys will cut me some slack when I make a mistake about something, or if I forget to mention something important, I'm just an average human after all... I don't have photographic memory to back me up here or a vast knowledge of things to help me, and so there's no doubt that mistakes will be made.

So in case some of you are perfectionist, then this is my message for you lot; fuck off of my fic if you don't like something, than to spread negativity in it... thanks :)

Also, I think I need some break... thinking about the plot that I have in mind is making my head ache... that's why I won't be writing tomorrow, and no chapter will also be released as well, cause imma touch some grass, lol.

With those things being said, see you on the next chapter, bye!

××× 『 END 』 ×××