Luffy's Call: My Journey with the Straw Hats

"Hey, Luffy, that's a Warlord of the Sea!" Usopp shivered. "A big shot on the same level as Hawkeye! We're just small-time pirates! How can we be a match for someone like that?" The mere mention of the name was enough to fill him with a terrifying dread.

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven great pirates recognized by the World Government," Sanji said, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. "It's too early for us to be facing someone like that, Luffy."

"As powerful as Hawkeye," Zoro muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A fierce, determined sparkle shone in his eyes.

"Hehe, so you're surprised that our boss is a Warlord," Miss Valentine said, a sneer on her face as she and Mr. 5 looked at each other, a shared shock on their own faces. "But you've ruined our plan, so whether you get involved or not, you're all going to die." Among all the members of Baroque Works, none of them had ever seen their boss, the legendary Mr. 0. All of his orders were relayed through phone snails or his second-in-command, Miss All Sunday. This was the first time they had ever heard his true identity.

"Quiet, you little pirates," Mr. 5 added, his own sneer matching hers. "There are countless crews like you in the Grand Line, but there are only seven men in the world like our boss. You dare to provoke him? You're asking for death." In the face of a Warlord, Luffy and his crew were nothing but a joke.

"Luffy!" Nami's voice trembled. A man of that caliber... they really couldn't afford to make an enemy of him. The others all tried to persuade him as well. They had just arrived in the Grand Line; they didn't need to be picking a fight with a Warlord.

Luffy said nothing, but his face was more solemn than it had ever been.

"You don't have to help us at all," Igaram said, a look of despair on his face. "And there's no reason for you to fight against a man like a Warlord." He had been thinking too much. On this sea, anyone would shudder at the mention of that name.

"My country... my people... my father... Crocodile, you bastard!" Vivi growled, her face a mask of broken despair. He was a Warlord. What could she possibly do to fight him? Why... why was all of this happening to her? Everything she had was about to be lost.

"Vivi!" Nami's heart ached. The scene was all too familiar.

Zoro and the others were also moved.

"Do you need a reason to send a guy like that flying?" At that moment, seeing the tears streaming down Vivi's face, Luffy clenched his fists, his teeth gritted, his eyes burning with a righteous fury.

"Luffy!" Nami cried out.

"You guys..." Igaram was stunned. What did he mean?

"You..." Vivi looked at Luffy, her own tears blurring her vision.

"Of course not," Zoro said with a grin, his eyes filled with a fierce fighting spirit. A Warlord... great. He would be a perfect whetstone for his blades.

"To make a beautiful lady like Miss Vivi so sad... I can't forgive a guy like that," Sanji said, his head bowed, his voice a low, solemn growl.

"You... you guys..." Usopp trembled. To fight a Warlord... he didn't have the courage. But since everyone else had agreed, he was willing to risk his life with them.

"A Warlord," Moonlight said with a faint smile. Perfect. He had been sailing all this way, and he had finally found a worthy opponent. He had always wanted to test his current strength.

Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 were stunned. They looked at the Straw Hats in disbelief. They were actually choosing to make an enemy of a Warlord? They were looking for death. But they didn't have the energy to say anything. Moonlight's level 3 Conqueror's Haki was too powerful. They had been holding on by a thread, and now, at their limit, they both fainted.

"Without further ado, let's set off for Alabasta now!" Luffy declared, ready to act immediately.

"Wait," Igaram said quickly. "Our opponent is a Warlord, and now we have the entire Baroque Works hunting us. To protect the princess's safety, let me act as a decoy first to lead away their advance forces. Then, I'll ask you to escort the princess to Alabasta."

"A decoy? After all, our opponent is a Warlord," Sanji said, nodding as he glanced at Igaram. He hadn't expected him to have such a strategic mind.

"Alright, that's a feasible plan," Nami agreed. "We'll depart separately."

Luffy, seeming to understand, had no objections since everyone else had agreed. Igaram disguised himself as Vivi and set off first, and after a safe distance had been established, the Straw Hats and Vivi boarded their ship and left as well.

"Although this method may not deceive our enemy, to confuse the members of Baroque Works..." Vivi said, her expression grim as she said her goodbyes to Igaram. But before she could finish...

BOOM!

A shocking explosion erupted on the sea. Igaram's ship was blown to bits, a massive fireball covering a hundred-meter radius. The light of the flames illuminated the horrified faces of everyone on the Going Merry.

"This..."

"What happened?"

"Old man!"

"Igaram!" Vivi screamed.

"The chase came so fast! Quick, let's get over there!" Nami commanded, a desperate hope in her voice. Maybe Igaram was still alive.

"Haha," a silver-bell-like laugh suddenly echoed from the mast.

"Who's there?" the crew cried out, startled as they spun around. Under the moonlight, a beautiful woman in a black top hat, black dress, and black boots was sitting on the mast, her chin resting in her hands, looking down at them.

"Miss All Sunday!" Vivi gasped, the hair on her body standing on end as she trembled. How could she not know the woman before her? She was the only high-ranking agent in Baroque Works who had ever seen Mr. 0, their boss.

"Is she Miss All Sunday?" the others asked, their eyes fixed on the woman in black. They had already heard about her from Vivi.

"What are you doing here?" Vivi asked, her voice shaking. "Did you kill him?"

"Of course..." Miss All Sunday said with a soft smile. Zoro and the others immediately went on guard, protecting Vivi.

Miss All Sunday's eyes then fell on Luffy's straw hat, a thoughtful look on her face. But as she was about to move her hand, a longsword was suddenly at her neck, and a cold voice whispered in her ear, "Don't move."

Miss All Sunday's body went rigid. It was Moonlight. He had appeared behind her, at some unknown point, without making a sound.

"Moonlight!" Luffy and the others cried out in surprise. When had he made his move?

"Well, I won't move," Miss All Sunday said, her voice a mask of calm solemnity. "It's hard to imagine that there's a swordsman like you among them." She didn't dare to move. She could feel the raw, murderous intent radiating from Moonlight. If she made the slightest move, he would surely kill her.

"What's your name? Did you do what happened just now? And what is your purpose here?" Moonlight asked, his voice a low, steady growl.

"Nico Robin," she replied. "I did what happened just now. My purpose in coming here was to see you. And, by the way, to tell you that the next island you'll pass is called Little Garden, and it's extremely dangerous. I was going to give you an Eternal Pose that would allow you to bypass it." As she spoke, she took a strange, compass-like device from her person. Even with a sword at her throat, her voice was elegant and calm.

"Why would you do that? What is your purpose?" Nami couldn't help but ask.

"Last question," Moonlight said, waving his hand to silence Nami, his eyes fixed on Robin. "Do you know of the D family?"

At this, Robin, who had been so incredibly calm, suddenly trembled, and she looked at Moonlight with a look of pure disbelief. How could he know that name? It was a name recorded in the lost history. And what did he know about her?

"Luffy," Moonlight said, sheathing his sword and turning to his captain. "I'm not going to kill her. No one is going to kill her. I want to bring her into our crew. What do you say?"

"What?!"

"Moonlight, are you crazy?!"

"Are you kidding? She's a senior agent of Baroque Works! And she's the right-hand woman of Mr. 0!"

With the exception of Luffy and Zoro, everyone was completely stunned.

"This guy has never been interested in anyone," Zoro thought, a look of contemplation on his face as he studied the woman who was like a night elf. "For him to say something like that... it's definitely not without reason."

"Alright," Luffy said, nodding in agreement.

"You actually agreed?!" Nami and the others cried, looking at him in surprise.

"Luffy, Moonlight, everyone, this woman is not a good person!" Vivi said, gritting her teeth as she looked at Robin, as if she were seeing something terrifying. "She's... she's a demon!"

"A demon?" the others repeated, their gazes all turning to Robin.

"Hehehe, what a funny swordsman," Robin said with a laugh, her curiosity piqued. "You actually want to bring me into your crew. Did you not think to ask if I would agree?" She had originally just wanted to see Luffy, to see what a descendant of the legendary D clan looked like. But now, she was suddenly very curious about this man, Moonlight.

"You will agree," Moonlight said, his sword at his side, his voice filled with an unshakable certainty. Under the moonlight, he looked as calm and serene as a celestial being. "I am also investigating the things that you are investigating. But I am unable to decipher them. And you... you want to uncover the complete truth. You can't do it alone. But I can."

"Is that so?" Robin's eyes flashed. She took a deep look at Moonlight, then leaped from the mast onto the back of a large, listless turtle that had surfaced beside the ship. "Mr. Swordsman, I am very interested in your proposal. The next time we meet, I will give you a satisfactory answer." With that, the turtle gave Luffy and the others a disdainful look and then swam away.

"You just let her go? She's Miss All Sunday!" Vivi said, gritting her teeth as she watched Robin leave.

"Moonlight," Nami said, her voice a mixture of confusion and frustration. "Don't you think you owe us an explanation? Why would you want to bring a person like that into our crew?"

"Yeah, Moonlight," Usopp added. "I can't believe you would take the initiative to recruit someone, but that woman is too dangerous."

"I don't know what you're thinking," Sanji said, his voice a low growl, "but she's Vivi's enemy, a woman who's trying to steal her country and kill her."

Zoro said nothing, but a thoughtful look was on his face as he watched Moonlight.

"An enemy?" Moonlight said, looking at Vivi. "She may be, or she may not be. Who can say? You may not even know who your own enemies are."

"Moonlight!"

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Moonlight, you...!" Nami and the others shouted, their frustration growing.

But Vivi, at this, fell silent. As Moonlight had said, who were her enemies? Even if Crocodile were killed, would that really solve everything? Was he the only reason her country had become the way it was?

"Can you tell us your reason?" Zoro asked, his voice calm and steady.

"My purpose in coming to the Grand Line," Moonlight said, nodding, "besides finding the One Piece, is to trace the true history of the world."

"The true history of the world?" Hearing this, the others were all puzzled. But Vivi suddenly raised her head, a flash of shock in her eyes. As a member of the royal family, she knew exactly what Moonlight was talking about.

"Yes," Moonlight said, his eyes fixed on the vast, open sea, a look of excitement on his face. "The world has 900 years of recorded history, but only 800 years are documented. The 100 years in between have vanished without a trace. Not a single word has been left. It was obviously covered up, and the only ones who could have done it are the World Government. I'm curious about what happened in that 100-year period, and what kind of truth has been hidden. And Nico Robin... she is the only person in this world who can decipher that truth."

"A 100-year void?"

"The Poneglyphs?"

"Luffy, what do you think?" the others asked, their faces a mixture of shock and astonishment. They had never known that the world had such a hidden history. This was the truth that Moonlight was chasing. "You're the captain. You have to make the final decision."

"No problem," Luffy said, pulling a pile of food from somewhere and taking a big bite of meat. "Since Moonlight wants to bring her into the crew, he must have his reasons. Besides, I'm really lacking a crewmate like her."

"..."

"Hey, Luffy, where did you get that meat?" Sanji asked, a bad feeling suddenly rising in his heart. The ingredients they had gathered were only enough for one more day. Thinking of this, he rushed to the kitchen.

"I took it from the kitchen, of course," Luffy said, his mouth full.

But when they heard this, the faces of the rest of the crew turned green.