Chapter 15: Gecko Islands

While Oliver was practicing with his new combat style, Luffy and Nami had met a strange man who was trapped in a chest named Gaimon.

The man told them that he had been living alone on that island for 20 years, protecting it because there were treasure chests he had discovered when he first arrived. However, since he got stuck in the chest, he could only guard them.

In the end, they became friends, which wasn't surprising given how Luffy was.

"Are you staying here? Are you sure?" Luffy asked Gaimon.

"Yes, but I appreciate your invitation. Even knowing there's no treasure, I'll stay to protect the forest," Gaimon replied happily.

"Why?" Nami asked.

"Because there are many strange animals," Gaimon responded.

"Oh, that's true, like the pig and the mutant snake," Nami said, recalling the creatures.

"Everyone who comes here wants to take the animals away. I've been here for 20 years, and I've grown very fond of them. I don't want to leave them alone," Gaimon told them.

"Are you a mutant too?" Luffy asked.

"SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Gaimon yelled angrily. "The most important thing is that I feel at peace knowing there's no treasure. I'm happy staying here."

"Well, it's a shame because you're a curious guy," Luffy said.

"You'll be a great pirate. When you find the One Piece, buy the whole world, okay?" Gaimon said.

"Of course! I'll do that!" Luffy replied.

From deep within the forest, Oliver appeared, covered in leaves and scratches.

"Oliver, what happened to you?" Luffy asked.

"I tried something, and an animal attacked me," Oliver said.

"Well, get on board. We already have plenty of fruit," Luffy said.

Everyone got on the boats, where Oliver saw that they had gathered a lot of fruit.

"Alright, let's go!"

Once again, they left the island, continuing their journey toward the Grand Line, leaving behind the Great Warrior Gaimon.

"They're so reckless," Nami said.

"What?" Luffy asked.

"Do you really plan to go to the Grand Line like this?" Nami questioned them.

"Yeah, Gaimon gave us lots of fruit, but I want meat," Luffy said.

"I wasn't talking about food," Nami scolded him.

"Right, we also need sake," Zoro said, having just woken up.

"NO, WE DON'T!" Nami shouted angrily, frustrated that no one understood.

"I suppose you're talking about the ship," Oliver said.

"Yes, luckily, you have common sense," Nami replied.

'I only said that because I don't want them to get the idea of going in this boat without picking up Usopp first,' Oliver thought.

"The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world, and many other pirates are searching for the One Piece. Their ships will be massive. A ship without equipment or supplies won't last at all in the Grand Line," Nami explained.

"So what do we do?" Luffy asked.

"We need to think ahead. We'll head south. There's a town where we can buy supplies. Ideally, we should look for a good ship," Nami said while checking the map.

"AND MEAT!" Luffy shouted.

"You should set better priorities. It'll take us about a day to get there, but we'll arrive early in the morning," Nami said, ignoring Luffy.

With a new goal in mind, they set off for the island where they hoped to get a ship.

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By morning, they were all rowing toward the island.

After a few minutes, they reached the shore.

"Oh, so there really was an island," Luffy said.

"I told you. It's on the map, so of course it's here," Nami replied.

"Oh, yeah? Is there a town on the island?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, a small one," Nami said, verifying the map.

Oliver got up from the boat, a little tired.

'I hope nothing different happens this time.'

"That's good," Luffy said.

Everyone got off the boats, and Zoro stretched a little.

"It's been a while since I last set foot on solid ground," Zoro said.

"Of course, you're always sleeping," Luffy said.

"Hmm, I wonder… Who are those guys?" Zoro said, looking toward the hill where four people stood.

The moment Zoro said that, three of the figures screamed and ran away, leaving behind only a young man with curly black hair.

"AHHH! WHERE ARE YOU COWARDS GOING?!" the young man shouted, scared.

The four of them stared at him, making him sweat.

"I'm Usopp, the greatest pirate in this town. Everyone calls me Captain Usopp," he said confidently as he walked down to meet them. "If you're thinking of invading the town, you'd better forget it, or I'll summon my 80 million men to deal with you!"

"That's a lie," Nami said.

"AHH! I've been found out!" Usopp shouted, realizing his bluff had been exposed.

"Who would believe that?" Nami asked, sweat dropping.

"Yeah, it's not very believable that someone as weak-looking as you would have so many subordinates," Oliver said. 'Luckily, Usopp is here.'

"Damn! I exaggerated too much!" Usopp lamented, upset that he couldn't fool them.

"Hahaha, you're really funny!" Luffy laughed.

"Don't laugh at me! I take great pride in my lies, which is why everyone calls me Usopp the Proud!" Usopp declared.

"Hey, can you take us to a place to eat? Let's just say we haven't had a proper meal," Oliver asked.

"A-A place to eat?" Usopp asked hesitantly.

Guided by Usopp, they headed to a restaurant to refill their supplies and satisfy the hunger they had endured for a few days.

"What? You're looking for nakamas? And a big ship?" Usopp asked them while they ate.

"Yeah," Luffy said with a piece of meat in his mouth.

"And with that, you'll be able to have adventures," Usopp said. "If you want a ship, I can tell you where to get one."

"Really?" Nami asked.

Oliver started eating and realized he didn't feel as full as he usually would.

'Could it be because of the Accelerated Metabolism Talent?' Oliver wondered.

"There's a mansion in town. They have plenty of money and a ship. The owner is just a girl, and all she does is sleep because she's always sick," Usopp explained.

"Huh? And what's a girl doing with a mansion?"

Nami asked curiously, unlike Luffy and Zoro, who were more focused on eating and drinking.

"Are you even listening to me?!" Usopp shouted angrily.

Usopp went on to explain that the girl's parents had died a year ago, so she inherited all the wealth and servants.

To him, it seemed like she wasn't capable of being happy despite having everything.

That story felt somewhat sad to Nami, unlike the rest, who were still too focused on eating—although Oliver was happy that he was no different.

"Well... we'll find another ship in the next town," Nami said after hearing the story.

"Alright, it's not a life-or-death matter, and we've already eaten. Let's buy some meat and head out," Luffy said with a smile.

"You said earlier that you were looking for nakamas, right?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. Do you know someone?" Luffy asked.

"I could... be the captain!" Usopp said as if it were a great idea.

"Thanks, but no!" Everyone rejected him unanimously.

"You didn't even think about it!" Usopp yelled, shocked by their quick response.

Usopp checked the time and stood up from the table.

"Well, I'll leave you guys. It's time for me to go," Usopp said.

He left the restaurant, leaving them to finish eating and restock.

'Doing the math, we spent another 150,000 Belly just on food... How do they eat so much?' Oliver thought.

A few minutes later, three kids with wooden swords entered.

"We're here!"

"We're Usopp's pirates!"

The kids shouted.

"Who are they?" Nami asked.

"Huh? No idea," Luffy said while drinking a cup of tea.

"I think they were with Usopp when we arrived," Oliver said, happy to see the three kids.

"The captain isn't here!" One of the kids said fearfully.

"Did they already kill him?!" Another one asked, thinking the worst.

"Pirates!"

"Where's our captain?!"

"Bring him back!"

The three kids demanded Usopp's return, unaware that he had left on his own.

"Phew! The meat was great!" Luffy said, finishing his tea.

"Meat?!"

"The captain's meat?!"

The three kids were terrified, thinking he had been eaten, which made Nami laugh at their innocence for believing that.

"We ate him," Zoro said in a sinister tone, scaring the three kids.

"AHHH!! THE DEMON!!"

The three kids screamed in terror at Nami before fainting.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" Nami yelled angrily.

"Hahahaha!" Zoro started laughing at the sight of the unconscious kids.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!" Nami shouted at him furiously.