Shopping, meeting Desire, Smoker?

Jacob soared through the sky, his blue flames leaving a streak across the horizon as he rocketed toward Syrup Village. The wind whipped against his face, Alvida clung tightly to him, still irritated about her abduction, while Yamato laughed, enjoying the flight as if it were an amusement ride.

As they approached the village, Jacob slowed down, gracefully landing in front of the house where his crew was waiting. The moment he set foot on the ground—

"JACOB!!"

Kaya's furious voice pierced the air, and before Jacob could react, she marched up to him, her hands on her hips, her face flushed red with anger.

"You kidnapped another woman?!" Kaya fumed.

Jacob blinked. "Uh… I—"

"How many more are you going to bring home…?" Carina groaned, rubbing her temples.

Even Nojiko, usually the calmest of them, looked bewildered. "First Reiju, then Yamato, and now her?" She pointed at Alvida, still in seastone cuffs, glaring at Jacob.

Alvida scoffed, flicking her silky black hair. "Yes. You should be mad at him! He kidnapped me!"

Nami rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I thought our crew had standards."

Jacob sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, Alvida's a devil fruit user, and strong, I think. She was fighting a bunch of passengers—"

"You kidnapped me before I could even show my strength!" Alvida snapped.

Kuina, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, finally spoke. "So? What now? Another new recruit?"

Jacob hesitated.

Alvida wasn't that strong in the anime. She was also arro, and vain, was not exactly loyal.

"I haven't decided yet," he admitted. "But she's here now, and I won't let her go until I know what to do with her."

Kaya let out a frustrated groan before storming back into the house. "Unbelievable," she muttered.

The others sighed but eventually followed, leaving Jacob with Yamato and Alvida outside.

Yamato laughed, clapping Jacob on the back. "You've really got your hands full, huh?"

Jacob groaned. That was an understatement.

***

Night had settled over Syrup Village, and the Revenants gathered in the renovated house. A lantern flickered in the center of the room, casting shadows across the crew's tense expressions.

Jacob sat at the head of the table, leaning forward. "It's time," he said. "We need to enter the Grand Line."

The girls exchanged glances. They knew this was coming, but the reality of it made the room feel heavier.

"But before that," Jacob continued, "we need a proper base, preferably a mobile, aerial base." He turned to Nami, who had been mapping East Blue from above. Nami, you've flown around East Blue for months. How stable is your cloud construct?"

Nami leaned back, crossing her arms. "It's stable enough to hold a wooden house, a small patch of tangerines grove, and my mapping tools, but if you want me to build a mobile fortress, I don't think I can do that. If the Grandline is as bad as you said, we need proper protection from storms, unpredictable weather, etc."

Jacob nodded. "That's why I want you to come with me. I want you to study cloud construct in the Grandline and Nojiko; when Nami can create a strong cloud construct, I want you to fill it with beautiful plants."

Nojiko smirked. "So, you're finally putting me to work."

Kaya was mesmerized by the idea, and she looked at Jacob dreamily. 

Carina sighed dramatically and then lounged on the couch, away from the meeting table. "Sounds like hard work. But I guess a floating fortress would be legendary."

Jacob turned toward Kuina, who had been quiet. "What do you think?"

She closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "I trust your decision."

Jacob then looked at Reiju, who was not officially part of the crew yet. "Reiju, I want you in on this."

Reiju, sipping her tea, raised an eyebrow. "I was never part of your alliance, Fire King."

Before Jacob could respond, Yamato grinned. "Floating fortress, that sounds fun, Jacob. I'm in!"

Reiju smirked. "So now you agree to join him even If I don't."

Jacob said, "We are going to Loguetown tomorrow. We need to buy an eternal pose for Jaya."

***

The morning sun bathed Syrup Village in soft light as Jacob flew toward Foosha Village, where he visited Makino. He had visited her everyday since her first rejection. 

Jacob walked into Party's Bar, where Makino was already cleaning glasses behind the counter.

"Back again, Fire King?" she teased, not looking up.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Jacob said, leaning on the bar. "Come with us, Makino. You'd make a great mixologist, and we could use someone with your emotional intelligence in negotiations."

Makino chuckled. "Still not interested. My place is here."

Jacob sighed but smirked. "Fine. I'll be back tomorrow."

Makino laughed, shaking her head. She knew he wasn't giving up anytime soon.

Back at Syrup Village, Jacob found Nami preparing her cloud for flight. She had already heard about his plan.

"You're not carrying me," Nami said firmly.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even say anything yet."

"I know how you think, Jacob," she huffed, stepping onto her cloud platform. "I'll fly myself."

Yamato, leaning against a tree, grinned. "Then I'll fly with Jacob!"

Jacob laughed. "Fine, let's go."

With that, Nami soared into the sky, controlling her floating cloud as she led the way to Loguetown, while Jacob flew with Yamato on his back, his blue flames streaking behind them.

The trio landed in Loguetown's bustling marketplace, where merchants loudly advertised their wares. Pirates, bounty hunters, and Marines filled the streets, creating an atmosphere of tension and opportunity.

Jacob scanned the area and then turned to Nami. "Lead the way."

Nami had extensive experience dealing with maps and navigation tools. She marched toward a specialized shop.

Inside, the shopkeeper—a grizzled old sailor—squinted at them. "Eternal Pose? Where to?"

"Jaya," Jacob said.

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Jaya? That's deep in the Grand Line."

"That's why we need it," Nami said, placing a bag of Berries on the counter.

The shopkeeper inspected the money, nodded, and pulled out two glass orbs with a permanently fixed needle pointing toward Jaya.

Jacob took one, Nami the other, feeling a thrill of excitement. With this, Skypiea was within reach.

Getting out of the store Nami wanted to shop for new clothes while Yamato wanted to see the Execution Platform so they split, after promising to meet at the outskirts of Loguetown. 

The noon sun blazed over Loguetown. Jacob sighed as he followed Yamato toward the execution platform.

"I don't get what's so special about a wooden stage," Jacob muttered.

Yamato turned to him, eyes alight with admiration. "This isn't just a stage! This is where Gold Roger, the Pirate King, smiled at his execution! This place marks the beginning of the Great Pirate Era!"

Jacob glanced at the platform, unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah. And now every wannabe pirate stands here pretending they're the next Roger."

Yamato ignored him, walking into the railing that stopped any tourists from going up the platform. She looked around with awe as if expecting the Pirate King's spirit to still linger there.

Jacob leaned against the railing. "Alright, you've seen it. Can we go now?"

"No way!" Yamato grinned. "I want to feel what it was like standing here, looking down at the crowd… accepting destiny."

Jacob rubbed his temples.

***

Meanwhile, Nami strolled through Loguetown's markets, browsing through fabrics and accessories. The Grand Line was full of dangers, but that didn't mean she couldn't travel in style.

She picked up a sleek new outfit—a stylish mix of combat-ready and fashionable—and smirked. "This will do."

***

Jacob rubbed his temples, already regretting bringing Yamato along.

"I swear, if you jump—"

But before he could finish, Yamato had already leaped over the fence.

"I am Kozuki Oden!" she shouted mid-air before landing with a thud on the execution platform.

Jacob sighed so hard it felt like his soul was leaving his body.

"Of course she did…" he muttered.

Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.

Guards rushed forward, shouting, "Hey! Get down from there!"

Yamato stood tall, hands on her hips, beaming with excitement. "Ahh, this is incredible! The view from here is just like Roger's—"

"Yamato," he said flatly, looking up at her with flat eyes. "Get. Down."

"Why? I just got here!" she protested.

"Because the marines are—"

"HEY! STEP AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM IMMEDIATELY!"

Jacob turned. A group of marine officers was already forming at the base of the execution site, guns raised.

He sighed heavily. "And here we go…"

***

A marine ensign burst into a smoke-filled office, panting heavily. "Captain Smoker, sir! There's a disturbance at the execution platform!"

A muscular man exhaled a cloud of smoke through the thick haze, his boots propped up on his desk. Smoker barely glanced at the marine.

"What kind of disturbance?" he asked, his tone bored.

"A tall woman with horns jumped onto the execution platform, claiming to be…uh, Oden?"

Smoker's brow twitched. "Oden? As in Kozuki Oden?"

"Yes, sir! And another person appeared beside her—a man with dark, curly hair and a long nose."

Smoker's boots hit the ground with a heavy thud as he sat forward. He grabbed the fresh bounty posters from his desk and flipped through them.

Then, his eyes narrowed.

"…Fire King."

The marine saluted sharply. "Yes, sir! What are your orders?"

Smoker took a long drag on his cigars and blew out a thick cloud.

"Send reinforcements to surround the area," he ordered, grabbing his jitte. "I'll handle him myself."

Then, in a burst of smoke, he vanished from the office.

***

Nami examined her reflection in the shop's mirror, adjusting the new top she had just bought. It was stylish yet practical—perfect for their journey into the Grand Line.

After paying, she stepped out onto the bustling streets of Loguetown, feeling several curious gazes trailing behind her.

"Tch. Amateurs."

and 

She didn't need to look back. Her growing Observation Haki let her sense their presence—several people, all keeping a deliberate distance. They weren't Marines. Their movements were too fluid, too controlled.

Pirates.

A sly smirk crept onto her lips. She'd make them work for it if they wanted to rob her.

With a casual stretch, Nami hopped onto a small floating cloud and took off, zigzagging through the streets of Loguetown.

Her pursuers scrambled to keep up. Good. Let them get cocky.

Instead of directly going to their meeting point, she veered into a narrow alleyway, allowing the stalkers to think they had her cornered.

Three figures stepped out from the buildings when she landed gracefully on the cobblestone ground.

A tall, curvy, confident woman with long, wavy red hair with bandage covering her breast stood at the front. She twirled a card between her fingers, her smirk playful yet predatory.

"You're quite the tricky one," the woman mused. "That little stunt almost lost us."

Nami tilted her head. "You have been following me since the clothing shop. So? What do you want?"

The woman chuckled and tossed the card high into the air before catching it smoothly.

"Straight to business? I like that." She took a step forward. "The name's Desire. Captain of the Sweet Pirates. And I was hoping we could have a little chat."

Nami's smirk widened.

"Jacob might be interested in you," she said, flicking her orange hair over her shoulder. "And if he is, I get a bigger payday."

***

Yamato stood on the execution platform, hands on her hips, grinning down at the streets of Loguetown.

"This is where the Pirate King made his final stand!" she declared, her voice booming. "What a glorious place! If only I could have seen it back then!"

Jacob sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yamato… Can we go now? You just knocked out a squad of Marines, and I can already sense trouble coming our way."

Yamato crossed her arms. "They shot at me first! It's only fair!"

Jacob groaned. "That doesn't mean we must wipe out every marine we meet! If we stay any longer, someone serious will show up."

Just as he said, his observation Haki flared up—a presence was approaching at high speed. "Damn it. Here he comes."

A streak of white smoke shot across the rooftops from the distance, moving toward them like a bullet.

Jacob tensed. Smoker.

He wasn't sure how strong Smoker was, but fighting a Marine captain before reaching the Grand Line wasn't part of the plan.

"Yamato, we need to leave. Now."

Yamato grinned, cracking her knuckles. "But we just got here! I want to fight a strong Marine!"

Jacob flew toward her, grabbed her waist, his blue flames igniting around them. "You'll get plenty of fights in the Grand Line! Just trust me on this!"

Before she could protest, the clouds above them darkened, and a whirlwind of smoke engulfed the execution platform.

From within the smoke, a deep voice growled—

"Fire King… and whoever the hell you are. You're under arrest."