Chapter 26: Their Respective Positions

"Let's go, Usopp!"

Luffy called out cheerfully, his broad grin contagious as always.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one had any objections. After everything they had gone through, Usopp had already proven himself. He had become one of them—no longer just a village boy, but a true companion.

The Going Merry slowly drifted away from the coast. On the shore, a girl stood watching quietly, her figure growing smaller with distance. Usopp had made a promise to her before setting sail:

He would return after a long, thrilling adventure and tell her all about the incredible journey.

"It's time for a party!"

"For the new ship—and new crewmates!" someone cheered.

A festive energy filled the deck. Luffy was already stuffing himself with food, while the others joined in the celebration. But soon, the laughter and chatter calmed, and the ship quieted again.

Curled up in a corner after eating his fill, Luffy seemed unusually busy with something. He kept turning away whenever Leo or the others tried to peek.

After a while, he jumped up, proudly holding a flag with a wildly crooked skull design painted in black.

"Clang clang~ Finished! Our pirate flag!" he announced with a huge grin. "I thought really hard about it and decided to use this as our symbol!"

Leo smacked his own forehead, sighing heavily.

He had known Luffy lacked artistic skills, but this distorted drawing was worse than he'd expected.

"You can instantly tell this guy has no artistic talent," Usopp said with his mouth hanging open.

"No... I mean, from a certain perspective, it's kind of... art?" Nami tried to rationalize it, scratching her head and forcing a strained smile.

"It's not scary at all," Zoro added, arms crossed. "A pirate flag is supposed to strike fear—this one looks like a child's doodle."

"What?! Hehehe!" Luffy grinned even wider, completely unaffected by the criticism.

"No! Your drawing is terrible!" Usopp exclaimed, grabbing the flag with both hands. "I'll do it properly."

After a small scuffle with Luffy and Zoro, Usopp finally calmed down and redrew the pirate flag. The result was far better—sharper, cleaner, and much more striking. Leo, watching from the side, immediately recognized it. Though not an exact replica of the anime version, it was vivid and carried the right spirit.

"Alright, hang it on the lookout tower," Leo said with a nod. "And paint another one on the sail."

Now with a real pirate flag fluttering above, the ship felt more complete.

"Now that we have our flag, we should decide on everyone's position and responsibilities," Leo suggested, gathering everyone together. "It's important that we understand our roles, especially as the crew grows."

"Yeah," Nami agreed. "As more people join, we need some order. I'm in as the navigator—and I'll also clean up the battlefield when needed! Hehehe!"

"I'm the captain, obviously!" Luffy shouted, puffing out his chest.

Zoro stepped forward. "I'm a swordsman, and a combatant. That's my role."

Usopp grinned. "I'll be the sniper! I've got excellent aim, so I'll cover us from a distance!"

He paused for a second, clearly tempted to claim the captain role, but the mood was too serious. He settled on what he was best at.

Leo smiled. "I'm a magician, a fighter, and until we find a proper doctor and cook, I'll cover those roles temporarily."

"No way! You're also our deputy captain!" Luffy said, walking over and slapping Leo on the back with a hearty laugh.

The others nodded in agreement. Leo had proven his value time and time again. His strength, intelligence, and calm under pressure had earned their trust and respect.

Now that their roles were clear, the atmosphere on the Merry felt different. A sense of belonging spread through the crew. They weren't just a bunch of strangers on a ship—they were a team, a pirate crew with a shared dream.

Life at sea, however, wasn't always exciting.

Leo spent most of his time practicing magic and refining his control over elemental forces. Zoro trained obsessively, pushing himself even harder under Leo's watchful eye.

Nami holed herself up in the cabin, gleefully counting every last Bailey and jotting down notes on weather patterns and sea charts.

But Luffy and Usopp—both naturally restless—grew bored quickly. Their curiosity turned to mischief. Soon, their eyes locked onto the cannon on the deck.

Boom!

The loud explosion startled everyone.

Zoro nearly dropped a dumbbell on his leg and roared, "What the hell are you doing?! You almost scared me to death!"

Luffy, holding a now-smoking fuse, grinned sheepishly. "We've got a cannon! I thought I'd try it out. But my aim's kind of... off."

"Let me try!" Usopp said, eyes sparkling. "I've never used one of these before."

"Hit that rock over there!" Luffy said, pointing.

Boom!

Another blast echoed across the water. This time, the cannonball struck its target dead-on, shattering the rock.

Leo, who had been teaching Nami how to manipulate airflow inside the cabin, paused mid-lesson. He exchanged a glance with Nami and sighed.

"That should be Johnny and Joseph's rock..." Leo muttered.

Nami blinked. "You mean—Zoro's friends?"

Leo nodded. "If they're here, and something happened to them because of those two idiots..."

Sure enough, when Leo and Nami stepped out, chaos awaited them.

Johnny was on his knees, apologizing profusely. Joseph lay nearby, clearly weak and sickly. Zoro had already recognized them and was giving Luffy and Usopp an earful.

The rock that had been destroyed was the very one the two had been resting on.

"We're sorry! We didn't know anyone was there!" Usopp said, eyes wide in panic.

"If apologies could fix everything, we wouldn't need the police!" Johnny barked, a quote that made Luffy and Usopp shrink in guilt.

Leo shook his head and walked over, inspecting Joseph closely.

"Scurvy," he said simply. "Lack of vitamin C. He needs fruit, especially citrus—he'll recover in a few days."

He turned to Luffy and Usopp. "Kitchen. Now. Get the limes. Squeeze some juice and bring it here."

Nami chimed in, her hands on her hips. "Move it! I just bought those limes too, so make sure you don't waste any!"

The two scurried off, bumping into each other as they rushed to obey.

Leo crouched beside Joseph and offered a few simple instructions to help stabilize him until the juice was ready. The moment was chaotic, but it also showed just how far the crew had come. Even when things went wrong, they worked together—albeit in their own messy, ridiculous way.

With Joseph resting and drinking the lime juice carefully, Johnny finally relaxed a bit.

Leo leaned against the railing, watching the sun dip low over the ocean. The ship rocked gently, and the salty wind brushed across his face.

Things were moving forward. The crew was slowly coming together.

A captain. A swordsman. A navigator. A sniper. A magician. A growing family.

And ahead of them, countless adventures still waited—danger, discovery, and maybe even destiny.

pàtreøn (Gk31)