Chapter 46

Nami's hands trembled as she stared at the log pose, then back at the unfamiliar island surrounding them. The needle pointed stubbornly in the exact opposite direction of where they'd landed. Her carefully planned route - gone. Wasted. Because of...

She slowly turned to face Zoro and Yachiru, who were suddenly very interested in examining the clouds. 

"How," Nami began, her voice dangerously calm, "did we end up on the complete opposite side of where the log pose was pointing?" 

Zoro crossed his arms. "This feels right." 

"Yeah, yeah!" Yachiru nodded enthusiastically. "My tummy says this is the correct way!" 

Nami's eye twitched. She grabbed fistfuls of her own hair, screaming into the sky. "AHHHH!! I'M LOSING MY MIND! ACTUALLY LOSING IT!" 

Robin chuckled from her perch on the floating Nimbus cloud, where she sat comfortably despite the others' failed attempts to join her. Chopper pouted nearby, still rubbing his bottom from when the cloud had unceremoniously ejected him earlier. 

Luffy, completely missing the tension, stretched his arms excitedly. "Hey Sanji! Since we're here anyway, let's have a—" 

WHAM! Nami's fist connected with his rubbery skull. "THIS ISN'T A PICNIC!" she roared. "You! You're the one who put Zoro in charge last night! That's why you were so quiet!" 

As Nami's rant continued, Robin calmly sprouted several arms from the Nimbus to gently pull the navigator aboard. The moment Nami sank into the cloud's soft embrace, her tense shoulders relaxed. The magical fluff seemed to absorb her frustration like a sponge. 

"Everyone... is... an idiot..." she mumbled, her anger melting into exhausted resignation. 

The crew set off toward the village they'd spotted earlier, hoping for directions. But as they approached, their cheerful mood evaporated. 

Smoke rose from burning huts. The acrid smell of gunpowder hung heavy in the air. And worst of all - the laughter. Cruel, mocking laughter that made Luffy's usual grin disappear entirely. 

A group of pirates stood in the town square, their leader casually pressing his boot into the back of a wounded villager. "C'mon, old man," the pirate sneered, raising his cutlass. "Beg a little more! It's funnier when you—" 

CRACK! 

A sandal-clad foot smashed into the pirate's face before he could finish. 

The Straw Hats didn't need to exchange words. They'd seen enough. As the remaining raiders turned in shock, they found themselves facing a very different kind of pirate crew. 

Robin recognized the jolly roger flapping above the attackers - a warlord's insignia. A warning died on her lips. After all, what were warlords to the crew who'd destroy Enies Lobby for her sake? 

Luffy cracked his knuckles. Zoro drew his swords. Sanji lit a cigarette with deliberate calm. 

The message was clear, Wrong village. Wrong day. 

The Straw Hats moved like a storm through the village. Pirates flew left and right before they even knew what hit them.

Usopp's slingshot snapped again and again. "Take this! And this!" Each shot sent another pirate crashing into barrels or walls. His usual nervousness was gone - replaced by cold anger at what these men had done.

Sanji's legs became blurs of motion. One kick sent three pirates tumbling like bowling pins. "Disgusting," he muttered, lighting a new cigarette off the one in his mouth. "Picking on people who can't fight back."

Zoro's three swords flashed in the sunlight. He didn't even need to use named techniques - just precise strikes that sent weapons flying and pirates collapsing. "Weak," he grunted as another opponent fell.

The raid leader's face twisted in rage as he watched his men fall. "You idiots!" he screamed, pointing at their flag. "See this? We work for a Warlord! You're messing with the World Government!"

For a brief moment, everything stopped. The leader grinned, thinking he'd won.

Then - WHAM!

Luffy's fist stretched across the square like a cannonball, smashing straight into the man's nose. Cartilage crunched. Blood sprayed. The leader's feet left the ground before he even felt the pain.

Before he could hit the dirt, Luffy was already above him. "I don't care who you work for!" The rubber man's fists became a blur, pounding the pirate into the ground with brutal punches. Dust flew up with each impact. "Hurting weak people makes you the worst!"

The remaining pirates turned to run - only to freeze as the ground beneath them sprouted dozens of pale hands. Robin sat calmly on a broken wall, crossing her legs. "Ojo Fleur."

The hands multiplied, grabbing arms, legs, collars. Pirates screamed as they were lifted bodily into the air.

Chopper, now in Heavy Point, cracked his knuckles. "Doctor's orders," he said seriously. "You all need to take a long nap."

The last thing the pirates saw was the entire Straw Hat crew surrounding them, looking very unhappy.

.

.

.

The last pirate crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Luffy wiped his hands together, looking over the defeated raiders with satisfaction. At least they'd arrived in time - only one villager had been killed, though many more bore injuries.

Before Luffy could even turn to check on the villagers, a ripe tomato exploded against his forehead. Juice and seeds dripped down his face as stunned silence fell over the square.

Not cheers. Not thanks. Just cold, hard stares from every villager.

Another vegetable flew - this time a rotten cabbage that smacked against Zoro's chest. The swordsman's hand twitched toward his blades, but Luffy's voice stopped him cold.

"Let's go back."

Their captain's tone left no room for argument. He adjusted his straw hat low over his eyes and turned toward the Going Merry without another word. The crew followed, though confusion and anger burned in their chests.

Franky watched as villagers continued throwing whatever they could find - clumps of dirt, broken wood, even stones. None hit their mark now that the Straw Hats were moving away, but the message was clear.

"Your captain's... something else," Franky muttered, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Robin kept her eyes forward, a small smile playing on her lips. "He's an idiot who understands people better than most."

The villagers' hatred needed no explanation. Today's wounds ran too deep for gratitude. What difference did it make if some pirates stopped other pirates? The sea would remain cruel, and their homes would still smell of smoke and blood.

On the Going Merry's deck, Chopper fumed as he bandaged a cut on Usopp's arm. "After everything we did! They should be-"

"They're hurting." Luffy's simple words cut through the chatter. He sat against the mast, his hat still shadowing his eyes. "We don't need thanks."

Franky leaned against the railing, his metal fingers tapping a restless rhythm. His gaze kept drifting to the Merry's hull, to the patches and repairs that were holding less and less each day. How could he tell them? How could anyone say aloud what the shipwright in him knew was true?

Below deck, the Going Merry's wood creaked - almost like a quiet sigh of relief that the villagers' suffering hadn't been worse. Almost like it understood too.

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