The System's voice, cool and precise, had barely faded from Nami's mind – "Anomaly detected… drawing attention." – when Usopp's terrified shriek ripped through the otherwise mundane morning air from the crow's nest.
"S-S-SHIP! HUGE SHIP! A-AND IT'S… IT'S NOT FLYING ANY FLAGS I RECOGNIZE! IT LOOKS… WEIRD!"
The effect was instantaneous. Luffy, mid-pester of Zoro, froze, his head snapping towards the direction Usopp was frantically pointing. Zoro, already on his feet from Luffy's antics, had his hand instinctively moving towards his katanas, his single eye narrowed against the morning sun. Sanji, who had been collecting breakfast plates, dropped a fork with a clatter, his usual suave demeanor replaced by a tense alertness.
Nami's heart hammered against her ribs. The blinking eye icon on her mental interface seemed to pulse in time with her dread. Drawing attention? This quickly?
"What direction, Usopp?!" Nami yelled, her voice sharp, already moving towards the railing, her navigator's mind kicking into gear despite the System's unnerving pronouncements.
"Starboard bow!" Usopp wailed. "And it's fast! Really fast!"
The Going Merry, bless her sturdy sheep-like heart, was not built for speed.
Luffy was already scrambling up the rigging for a better look, agile as a monkey. Zoro joined Nami at the railing, his gaze sweeping the horizon. Sanji stood poised near the galley door, a grim set to his jaw.
"See anything, Zoro?" Nami asked, her own eyes straining. The sun was bright on the water, making it difficult to pick out details at a distance.
Zoro grunted. "Dark silhouette. Big. Definitely not a merchantman. Too sleek." He sniffed the air. "And I smell trouble."
Nami didn't doubt him. Not after his comment about the "charged air" and her System's warning. The unblinking eye icon in her mind suddenly sharpened, and a faint, translucent overlay appeared in her vision, highlighting a distant speck.
[Target Acquisition: Unidentified Vessel. Class: Marine Pursuit Cruiser – Modified. Armaments: Heavy. Speed: Superior.]
Marine Pursuit Cruiser? Nami's blood ran cold. Modified? Heavy armaments? This wasn't some random patrol. This was a hunter.
"It's Marines!" Luffy shouted from above, his voice losing its usual cheerfulness, replaced by a grim excitement. "A really big, mean-looking Marine ship! Shishishi! Think they wanna fight?"
"Luffy, get down here!" Nami snapped. "This isn't a game!"
The approaching vessel was growing larger with alarming speed, resolving from a dark speck into a formidable warship. It was painted in the standard Marine blues and whites, but Usopp was right – it looked weird. Its prow was sharper, more aggressive than standard models, and it bristled with an excessive number of cannon ports along its flanks. Even from this distance, Nami could see the disciplined movement of uniformed figures on its deck. No jolly roger, but the stark, imposing flag of the World Government – the seagull emblem – whipped arrogantly in the wind.
[Projected Intercept Course: Imminent. Hostile Intent Probability: Extremely High.] The System's calm voice was a stark contrast to the frantic thumping of Nami's heart.
"They're not changing course," Zoro observed, his hand now firmly on Wado Ichimonji's hilt. "They're coming straight for us."
Sanji lit a cigarette, the quick flick of his lighter a small, sharp sound in the growing tension. "Well, isn't this just a lovely morning cruise?" he drawled, though his eyes were like chips of ice. "Suppose they heard about Arlong Park and decided to send a welcoming party for the new troublemakers in the East Blue."
"Usopp!" Nami yelled, her mind racing, trying to process the System's information and the unfolding reality. "Can you see their captain? Any distinguishing features?"
"Uh… hold on!" Usopp fumbled with his goggles. "There's a guy on the foredeck… tall… wearing a fancy coat… He's got… a really shiny whip! And a mean face! Like he eats nails for breakfast!"
A chill snaked down Nami's spine. A whip?
Suddenly, a puff of smoke erupted from the bow of the Marine cruiser, followed a heartbeat later by the deafening BOOM of a cannon. A cannonball screamed through the air, impossibly fast, and smashed into the water a mere twenty meters off the Going Merry's port side, sending up a colossal plume of white water that rained down on their deck.
"Whoa!" Luffy yelped, ducking instinctively as the spray hit him.
"That was a warning shot!" Nami breathed, her face pale. "Or a really bad first attempt!"
"I'm betting on 'warning shot they expect us to ignore'," Zoro grunted, drawing his three swords with a smooth, dangerous hiss of steel. "They want a fight."
"Then a fight they'll get!" Luffy declared, his initial surprise replaced by a fierce grin. He cracked his knuckles. "Gomu Gomu no…"
"Hold it, Luffy!" Nami yelled, grabbing his arm. "Don't just charge in! We don't know who this is or what they're capable of! That ship is heavily armed!"
Another cannonball shrieked past, this one closer, clipping a wave perilously near their stern. The Merry shuddered.
From the Marine ship, now close enough for voices to carry across the water, amplified by what sounded like a Den Den Mushi, a harsh, commanding voice boomed out.
"Pirate vessel, Going Merry! This is Captain 'Steel Whip' Strasser of the Marine 17th Branch Pursuit Division! You are harboring the wanted criminal, 'Straw Hat' Luffy, with a bounty of 30,000,000 Beri! Heave to and prepare to be boarded! Resistance will be met with overwhelming force!"
Nami's eyes widened. Thirty million?! Since when?! Arlong's bounty was only twenty million! News traveled fast, but this… this was a significant jump, and this Captain Strasser seemed to know exactly who they were.
Luffy just grinned wider. "Shishishi! Thirty million! I'm famous!"
"This is not the time to be happy about your wanted poster, you idiot!" Nami shrieked.
The unblinking eye icon in Nami's mind pulsed again. A new set of translucent overlays appeared, this time focusing on the Marine ship. Red lines highlighted structural points on the enemy vessel, and faint trajectories showed potential incoming cannon fire.
[Tactical Overlay Active: Identifying enemy weak points and predicting attack vectors. Optimal counter-measures available via crew coordination.]
Crew coordination? Easier said than done with this lot! Nami thought, but a spark of an idea ignited.
"Zoro! Sanji! They'll try to board! Repel them!" Nami ordered, her voice surprisingly steady. "Usopp! Their cannons are reloaded! That forward portside battery is aiming for our mast! Try to disrupt them! Luffy… be Luffy, but try not to get us all killed in the first five seconds!"
"Aye, Nami-swan!" Sanji chirped, already leaping towards the railing where grappling hooks were likely to land.
Zoro just smirked. "Finally, some exercise."
"G-Got it, Nami!" Usopp stammered, fumbling for a smoke star. "Disrupt the cannons!"
The Marine ship was drawing alongside, its decks swarming with Marines, swords and rifles glinting. Captain Strasser stood on the foredeck, a tall, imposing figure with a cruel sneer, his namesake steel whip coiled menacingly in his hand. He was flanked by what looked like two lieutenants, both hard-faced and ready for action.
"Fire at will!" Strasser bellowed. "Disable their ship! Capture Straw Hat alive! The rest are expendable!"
A barrage of cannon fire erupted from the Marine cruiser.
"Here they come!" Nami yelled. The Tactical Overlay in her vision flared, showing the predicted paths of several cannonballs. "Hard to starboard! Usopp, now!"
Luffy, who had been waiting for an order, acted as the ship's rudder, grabbing the railing and stretching his legs to push against the mast, helping Nami wrench the helm. The Going Merry groaned but responded, lurching to the side just as several cannonballs screamed through the space they'd occupied moments before. One, however, was still on a collision course.
"Usopp!"
From the crow's nest, Usopp, despite his shaking hands, let fly a "Kayaku Boshi" (Gunpowder Star) from his slingshot. It soared through the air and, with a bit of luck and Nami's frantic mental calculations guided by the System's overlay, detonated prematurely near the incoming cannonball, the explosion nudging it just enough off course that it splashed harmlessly into the sea.
[Minor Threat Averted. GP Earned: +5]
Nami blinked. Five GP? For that? It was a pittance compared to the Shop prices, but it was something. A tangible reward.
Grappling hooks snaked through the air from the Marine vessel. Sanji, with a flurry of kicks, shattered two of them mid-flight. "Not on my watch, scumbags!"
Zoro met the first group of boarding Marines with a roar, his three swords a whirlwind of silver. "Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai!" It wasn't the full power of the technique, but a sweeping, multi-hit cleave that sent half a dozen Marines tumbling back onto their own ship or into the churning water between the vessels, their swords clattering uselessly.
"Hah! Small fry!" Zoro grinned, bloodlust in his eye.
Luffy stretched his arm out, grabbing the railing of the Marine ship. "Gomu Gomu no… ROCKET!" He launched himself across the gap, landing with a thud right in the middle of a startled group of Marines. "Shishishi! Who wants to play?"
"Straw Hat is aboard their vessel!" one of the Marine lieutenants yelled. "Contain him!"
Nami watched in a mixture of terror and awe. Her crew was insane. And incredibly effective. The Tactical Overlay was still active, highlighting Strasser, who was now barking orders, his steel whip cracking like a gunshot. It also showed new cannon batteries on the Marine ship preparing to fire, their trajectories aimed at disabling the Merry's rudder.
"Sanji! They're targeting our rudder!" Nami shouted, her voice hoarse. "Usopp, can you hit their gunners?"
"I'll try, Nami!" Usopp yelled back, frantically loading another special ammo type.
Sanji, after kicking another wave of boarders back, glanced at the approaching cannons. "Tch! Annoying pests!" He leaped onto the Merry's railing, then launched himself in a dizzying series of aerial kicks towards the closest cannon muzzle on the Marine ship just as it was about to fire. "Collier Shoot!" His heel connected with the barrel, knocking it wildly upwards. The cannon fired, the ball screaming harmlessly into the sky.
[Significant Threat Mitigated. GP Earned: +25]
Better! Nami thought, a grim satisfaction mixing with her fear.
On the enemy deck, Luffy was a rubbery whirlwind. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" His fist shot out, knocking a Marine into a pile of his comrades. "Gatling!" A flurry of punches sent more Marines flying. But they were disciplined, regrouping quickly, trying to pin him down with numbers and nets.
Captain Strasser watched Luffy's rampage with a cold, appraising glare. He uncoiled his steel whip, its segments glinting. "Enough of this circus. Lieutenant Harken, Lieutenant Shale! Engage the swordsman and the cook! Straw Hat is mine!"
The two lieutenants, one a burly man with a massive cutlass, the other a wiry woman with twin rapiers, broke off from the main melee and leaped across to the Going Merry, heading straight for Zoro and Sanji.
The fight intensified. Zoro found himself facing Lieutenant Harken, whose heavy cutlass blows were surprisingly fast and powerful, forcing Zoro to use more finesse than brute strength. "You're not bad, for a Marine dog!" Zoro grunted, parrying a heavy downward slash that sent sparks flying.
"Pirate scum! You'll pay for your crimes!" Harken roared, pressing his attack.
Sanji, meanwhile, danced around Lieutenant Shale's lightning-fast rapier thrusts. "My, my, such sharp toys for a lady," Sanji quipped, deflecting a thrust aimed at his chest with a well-aimed kick to her wrist. "But your footwork is sloppy!" He followed with a sweeping kick, forcing her to disengage.
"Silence, lecher!" Shale hissed, her eyes narrowed.
Nami watched all this, her mind a whirlwind. The System's Tactical Overlay was a constant stream of information – enemy movements, attack probabilities, structural weaknesses on the Marine ship. She felt like she was trying to play a dozen games of chess at once.
[Opportunity Detected: Enemy ship's primary powder magazine is currently less guarded. A precise, explosive impact could cause significant disruption.] The System highlighted a section below deck on the Marine cruiser.
Their powder magazine? Nami's eyes widened. If Usopp could hit that…
"Usopp!" Nami yelled, pointing. "See that section below their main deck, midship? Their powder magazine! If you can get an explosive shot in there…"
Usopp, who had just managed to shoot a "Kemuri Boshi" (Smoke Star) onto the Marine deck, momentarily obscuring some of their riflemen, looked where Nami was pointing. "Their powder magazine?! Nami, are you crazy? That could blow up their whole ship! And Luffy's on it!"
"Just a disruption, Usopp! Not a full detonation! We need to create an opening!" Nami insisted, though a cold knot of fear tightened in her stomach at the thought of Luffy. The System wouldn't suggest it if it was suicidal, would it?
[Calculated Risk: Moderate. Potential for significant GP gain and strategic advantage: High.]
Moderate risk… for them, or for us?
On the Marine ship, Luffy was having a tougher time with Captain Strasser. The steel whip was unlike anything he'd faced. It snaked through the air, too fast to easily predict, cracking with painful force against his rubbery body. It didn't cut him, but each hit stung, leaving welts.
"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Luffy roared, launching both fists forward.
Strasser sidestepped with surprising agility for a man his size, the whip lashing out like a striking viper, wrapping around Luffy's outstretched arms. "Not so fast, Straw Hat!" With a powerful tug, Strasser sent Luffy stumbling. The whip then retracted and lashed out again, cracking across Luffy's back.
"Ouch!" Luffy yelped, but he bounced back, grin still in place, though a little strained. "That tickles!"
"We'll see how much you're laughing when you're in an Impel Down cell!" Strasser snarled, his whip a constant, dangerous blur. He was skilled, keeping Luffy off balance, preventing him from landing any solid hits.
Nami watched, her anxiety for Luffy warring with the strategic necessities of the battle. The Tactical Overlay flashed again, highlighting a momentary lapse in the Marine ship's cannon fire as gunners were diverted to deal with Sanji's disruptive attacks on their cannons and Usopp's harassing fire.
Now's our chance!
"Usopp, the magazine! As precise as you can!" Nami urged.
Usopp took a deep breath, sweat beading on his forehead. He selected his most potent explosive star, the "Hissatsu: Kaen Boshi" (Certain Kill: Firebird Star), a risky shot. "Okay… Captain Usopp, the brave warrior of the sea, will now perform a feat of unparalleled marksmanship!" he declared, mostly to bolster his own courage. He took aim, factoring in the rocking of both ships.
The world seemed to slow for Nami. Zoro and Sanji were locked in fierce combat with their respective lieutenants. Luffy was being relentlessly hounded by Strasser's whip. The fate of this battle, her first real taste of combat with the System active, felt like it was teetering on a knife's edge.
The unblinking eye icon on her interface focused intently on Usopp's target, a faint green circle highlighting the optimal impact point on the Marine ship's hull, just above the waterline, where the planking might be weaker.
Come on, Usopp… Nami prayed, her fists clenched.
Usopp let out a yell and fired.
The Firebird Star arced through the air, a tiny speck of hope against the vast blue. Marines on deck saw it coming, shouted warnings.
Captain Strasser, in the middle of lashing out at Luffy, half-turned, his eyes widening slightly as he registered the trajectory of the projectile.
It struck the Marine cruiser's hull right where the System had indicated.
There wasn't a massive explosion, not like Nami had feared, but a deep, concussive THOOM that shook the entire Marine vessel. Black smoke billowed from the impact point, followed by panicked shouts from below deck. The Marine ship visibly listed to one side.
[Critical Hit on Enemy Vessel! Powder Room Damaged! Chaos inflicted! GP Earned: +150!]
One hundred and fifty! Nami felt a surge of triumph, quickly followed by renewed urgency.
The distraction was perfect. On the Marine deck, confusion reigned. Several Marines near the impact zone were thrown off their feet. Captain Strasser himself was momentarily unbalanced, his whip faltering.
Luffy seized the opening. "NOW'S MY CHANCE! GOMU GOMU NOOOOO…." He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding. "BAZOOKA!"
This time, with Strasser momentarily distracted and his footing unsure on the listing deck, the twin fists connected squarely with the Captain's chest.
"OOF!" Strasser coughed, eyes bulging, and was sent flying backwards, crashing through the railing of his own ship and disappearing into the sea with a tremendous splash.
"CAPTAIN STRASSER!" the Marines shrieked in disbelief.
The two lieutenants, seeing their captain overboard and their ship in disarray, hesitated for a critical second. Zoro and Sanji didn't.
"Shi Shishi Son Son!" Zoro roared, a more focused flurry of slashes overwhelming Lieutenant Harken, whose cutlass was sent spinning away before a pommel strike to the head dropped him.
"Party Table Kick Course!" Sanji yelled, performing a handstand and delivering a devastating series of spinning kicks that sent Lieutenant Shale crashing into the Merry's mast, dazed and defeated.
With their captain gone and their ship damaged, the morale of the remaining Marines shattered. Some were trying to fish Strasser out of the water, others were staring in horror at the smoking hole in their ship.
"They're retreating!" Usopp yelled triumphantly from the crow's nest. "We did it! We actually did it!"
Luffy, grinning from ear to ear, catapulted himself back to the Going Merry. "Shishishi! That was fun! That whip guy was tough though!"
Nami let out a shaky breath, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly. They had won. Against a Marine Captain and a pursuit cruiser. Her System hummed with satisfaction, the GP total now a more respectable 180. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
The damaged Marine ship, listing badly and with smoke still pouring from its side, was slowly turning, beginning its limping retreat. Figures were hauling a spluttering Captain Strasser back aboard.
Nami watched them go, a sense of weary triumph washing over her. The Tactical Overlay faded from her vision, the unblinking eye icon dimming.
"Well," Sanji said, lighting another cigarette, though his hand was a little shaky. "That certainly spiced up breakfast. Nami-swan, your directions were impeccable as always!"
Zoro sheathed his swords, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Not bad for a warm-up."
Luffy was already looking towards the horizon. "Alright! Now, for real, Loguetown!"
Nami leaned against the railing, exhaustion hitting her. She looked at her crew – battered, tired, but victorious. A real smile, genuine and proud, touched her lips. Maybe… maybe I can do this. With this System… with them…
Then, a voice, still amplified by the retreating Marine ship's Den Den Mushi, but weak and furious, drifted across the water. It was Captain Strasser, dripping wet and enraged.
"Straw Hat Luffy! You… you damn pirates! This isn't over! I'll report this! I'll see you all hang in Loguetown! Mark my words, the full force o Smoker will be waiting for you there! You've just sealed your doom!"