Luffy's Call: My Journey with the Straw Hats

Zoro's comment about his victory was technically true. He had been injured at the time, but that was from his duel with Mihawk; it had nothing to do with Hachi.

"You, get out of the way!" Usopp snarled, drawing his slingshot and aiming it at Hachi. "This man has committed an unforgivable sin! We can't let him go!" He had never forgotten the near-death experience he had suffered at Arlong Park. Now, face to face with his enemy, his anger boiled over, especially remembering what they had done to Nami.

"For bullying Nami-san, you are unforgivable!" Sanji growled, rubbing his right foot against the ground, his expression grim.

"Anyone who bullies Nami is a bad guy!" Chopper added, jumping up and down.

"Yohohoho, what a headache..." Brook let out a dry laugh.

"You... everyone... why is this happening?" Camie was shocked. She thought she had brought saviors, but they were acting like enemies.

"You can't bully Hachi!" Pappag stepped forward, standing bravely in front of the octopus fish-man. Though his small body wouldn't stop even a mouse, his resolve was firm.

"Camie, Pappag, get out of the way!" Hachi shouted urgently. "Don't get involved because of me! This is all my fault!" The effort of shouting seemed to aggravate his wounds, and his face twisted in pain.

"No, Hachi! I won't let them hurt you!" Camie shook her head, her expression resolute. She looked at the crew and suddenly dropped to her knees. "Please, I'm begging you, spare Hachi!"

Pappag knelt beside her. "I don't know what he did to offend you, but please, forgive him!"

Seeing their desperation, the crew was moved. Perhaps Hachi had done many wrong things in the past, but his current situation seemed like fitting retribution. Still, no one spoke. This was deserved.

"Nami," Luffy said, looking to her. Nami's expression was complicated. The shadow of Arlong still lingered in her mind, and though the face of the octopus fish-man before her was hideous and hateful, seeing his scarred body and his expression of misery and regret, she felt a flicker of pity. What should she do? Her heart was at war with itself.

"Nami," Moonlight said, walking up beside her. "People always have to look forward. That's what it means to be alive, isn't it?"

"Moonlight," Nami whispered. His words struck her like a bolt of lightning, and a spark of clarity flashed in her eyes. He was right. People had to look forward. The past, no matter how hateful, couldn't be changed by killing him now. The memory would never be erased. It was better to let it go, to find relief in moving on. Besides, thinking back, while Hachi had done many terrible things, he wasn't pure evil, nor was he the main culprit.

With this thought, Nami stepped forward. "You said the Arlong Pirates are disbanded?"

"Yes," Hachi nodded, his voice firm despite his pain. "After you defeated us, the Marines came and arrested everyone. I was lucky and escaped. Nami, I'm sorry for what I did to you. If you want revenge, I have no regrets."

"Is that so?" Nami said, a cold smile on her lips. She raised her Clima-Tact, and a bolt of lightning shot across the sea, striking Hachi.

"Nami, spare me!"

"Hachi!" Camie and Pappag screamed.

The crew looked on, but they saw that the lightning hadn't harmed Hachi. Instead, it had severed the ropes that bound him. Though he was shocked, he was otherwise unharmed—he had been given a new life. He looked down at his freed hands, stunned. He hadn't expected Nami to save him. He fell to his knees, tears flashing in his eyes. "Nami!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Camie and Pappag cried, sighing in relief and thanking her profusely.

But Nami simply turned away. "Moonlight is right. The past is just a memory. I can't change it. Besides, I'm the navigator of the future Pirate King's ship. I have to look forward. How can I stay stuck in the past?"

"Nami!"

Hearing her words, the crew was stunned for a moment, then broke into happy smiles. This was the Nami they knew. Though the hatred was unforgettable, she wouldn't let it restrain her. Nami had her own way of measuring things.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Hachi sobbed, kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you so much, Nami!" Camie and Pappag added, overjoyed.

"BOOM!"

Suddenly, a cannonball slammed into Hachi. He let out a scream and collapsed in a pool of blood, on the verge of death.

"Hachi!"

The sudden attack shocked everyone. The next moment, a group of men riding flying fish swarmed out of the harbor.

"It's the Flying Fish Riders!" Pappag gritted his teeth. Camie was already at Hachi's side.

"Chopper!" Nami yelled. The little doctor nodded and ran over to help.

The Flying Fish Riders turned their attention to the Straw Hats, and the two groups faced each other. A man wearing an iron mask, who seemed to be their leader, rode forward. He stared at the crew, his gaze lingering on Sanji. He suddenly burst into laughter, but his words were filled with a monstrous hatred. "What an unexpected prize! It's the Straw Hat crew! Get them for me!"

At his command, the Flying Fish Riders shifted their targets and charged at Luffy and the others.

"What's going on? They seem to know us," the crew muttered, confused. Weren't they after Hachi? Why were they suddenly attacking them?

"It's more than just knowing us," Zoro grinned, slicing a flying cannonball in two. "It looks like they have a deep-seated hatred for us."

"Indeed," Sanji said, taking a drag from his cigarette and kicking another cannonball away as he stood protectively in front of Nami. "It seems we are their target."

"So, they want a fight?" Luffy cracked his knuckles, a cold look in his eyes as he faced the approaching riders. The Flying Fish Riders might have seemed capable, but they were no match for the Straw Hats. With a combined bounty of over a billion, these small-time thugs stood no chance. The crew prepared to fight.

"Hmph."

At that moment, Moonlight suddenly moved, deflecting an attack aimed at Chopper and Camie. A crescent of sword energy shot out, instantly cutting down the sneak attacker. The sword qi continued on, slashing across the sea and creating a massive wave that sent the Flying Fish Riders into a panic.

"Moonlight, you bastard!" Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy all grumbled, annoyed that he had beaten them to the punch.

But just then, with a sharp clank, the iron-masked man's helmet fell off, revealing his face to everyone.

A dead silence fell over the port. Everyone stared, speechless. Camie, Chopper, Pappag, and the rescued Hachi looked from the iron-masked man to Sanji, their mouths agape in disbelief. Luffy, Zoro, Franky, and Usopp did the same, a look of sheer bewilderment on their faces. Even the members of the Flying Fish Riders stopped in their tracks, looking stunned.

Sanji himself stood frozen, his mouth open wide enough to stuff a duck egg in. In front of him was a face that was an exact copy of his own—if a bit swollen and fatter. Sanji was much more handsome, but the face was undeniably the same one from his wanted poster.

What is going on? Sanji's long-lost twin brother?

"Ah..." Luffy let out a strangled cry, looking back and forth between Sanji and the iron-masked man.

Zoro stared, dumbfounded. "He's the spitting image!"

Franky's jaw dropped. "Are there really two identical leaves in the world?"

Nami clutched her chest, shocked. "That's terrifying! It gave me a start!"

Usopp rubbed his eyes, convinced he was dreaming. "Is this a miracle?"

Robin pursed her lips. "This could be very interesting."

Chopper pulled out Sanji's wanted poster, made a careful comparison, and concluded, "This person is exactly the same as the one on Sanji's wanted poster!"

Brook had already collapsed to the ground, laughing so hard he was about to die.

Moonlight just stood there, speechless.

The Straw Hats were silent. Kemi, Hachi, and Pappag were completely dumbfounded. Even the Flying Fish Riders looked like they had seen a ghost, rubbing their eyes as if in a dream.

Only the iron-masked man seemed to understand. He glared at Sanji with pure hatred. "You bastard, Black Leg! You bastards, Straw Hats! I'll kill you!" he roared and charged.

You've got to be kidding me, Sanji thought, his mind reeling. He remembered the moment he first saw his wanted poster and the overwhelming desire to die. Now, facing the man from that poster, he didn't even dodge, letting the man punch and kick him as he stared at the uncanny resemblance.

Soon, Sanji's face was bruised and swollen. Finally, as the iron-masked man launched a final, fierce attack to finish him off, Sanji calmly lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He then pulled the wanted poster from his pocket, a wide, relieved grin spreading across his face. "Hahahaha! So it finally wasn't me!" With that, he kicked the iron-masked man with a powerful blow, sending him flying.

Though the iron-masked man's offensive had been fierce, he was no match for Sanji. He was knocked to the ground, unconscious. Sanji then lifted the man up, held him next to the wanted poster, and showed him to Luffy, his voice filled with joyous relief. "Look! It's not me! I knew it! The heavens have finally given me justice!" He paraded the man around to everyone—Moonlight, Usopp, Zoro, Chopper, Nami, Robin, Franky, Brook, even Camie, Hachi, and Pappag—shouting the good news.

Finally, he looked up at the sky and cried, "God! The truth is finally out!"

"..."

"What happened to Sanji?" the crew wondered, looking at each other.

"He's gone crazy," Zoro muttered.

"After suffering such a huge blow, it's understandable that he'd be so relieved to have his name cleared," Usopp sighed.

The crew understood. The wanted poster had been a source of deep depression for Sanji for a long time. To finally see the man from the poster in person was a huge weight off his shoulders. His over-the-top reaction was completely normal.

"Boss!"

"Big Brother!"

"You Straw Hat bastards! What did you do to our boss?!"

The Flying Fish Riders finally reacted, rushing to help the iron-masked man. They shouted viciously and launched another attack, even sending a huge manatee charging at them.

"Bring it on!" Luffy and Zoro grinned.

Ten seconds later, the entire Flying Fish Riders crew was on the ground, bruised and swollen, unable to move. They were no match for the Straw Hats. The manatee was even bandaged up, looking pitifully at the crew. Chopper kindly treated its injuries.

"Hey, why were you attacking us?" Luffy asked, approaching the iron-masked man, whose name they learned was Duval.

"Why?! You dare to ask why?!" Duval burst into tears. "It's all thanks to you that I've been so miserable!"

As he explained, everyone understood. The picture on Sanji's wanted poster had been a hand-drawn sketch, as the photographer had failed to get a clear shot. It looked nothing like Sanji himself. But by some bizarre coincidence, there was a man in the world who looked exactly like the drawing: Duval. He had become a scapegoat, hunted by the Marines and bounty hunters. He had been forced to live in the shadows, his life ruined. Now that he had finally met the man responsible, he was out for blood.

Hearing his story, the crew couldn't help but look at each other. In a way, they really were at fault.

"You Straw Hats! I'll kill you!" Duval roared, thinking of all he had suffered. He lunged at Sanji again. But he was no match for the Straw Hat cook.

Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, blew out a smoke ring, and delivered a series of powerful kicks. Duval was sent flying, and when he finally landed, his face had been completely reshaped, now thin and handsome.

"Plastic Surgery Shot!" Sanji announced calmly.

"What?!" The Flying Fish Riders stared at Duval in shock. It was like they were seeing a ghost.

"You bastard!" Duval, not knowing what had happened, jumped up again, ready to attack Sanji. But one of his men held up a mirror in front of him. When Duval saw his reflection, he froze.

"So handsome!"