One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

Zoro crossed his arms, gripping a sword in each hand with a third clenched between his teeth. His legs were in a wide, solid stance—the iconic Three Sword Style. With a single motion, he blocked over a dozen incoming marine blades.

"Ro... Roronoa Zoro!"

Captain Morgan, his face already swollen beyond recognition, broke into a cold sweat as he witnessed Zoro effortlessly deflect his men's attacks.

"Whoa! That's insanely cool!"

Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement at the sight of Zoro's Three Sword Style. He couldn't help shouting in awe.

"You'd better stay still. Anyone who moves… dies."

Zoro's overwhelming aura, like that of a demon god, radiated such a terrifying presence that the attacking marines trembled uncontrollably. Tears welled in their eyes as the same thought echoed in all their minds: He's terrifying!

"Before we go help our other companion, there's something I need to make clear."

Still holding his Three Sword Style stance, Zoro spoke seriously through the sword in his mouth. "I agreed to join you and become a pirate. Since I've already stood against the Marines, I'm a criminal now anyway."

"But listen carefully—I have my own ambition!"

Zoro's eyes burned with resolve. "I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! And to achieve that, I don't care how filthy my reputation becomes. Even if I'm infamous across the world, I'll make sure everyone knows my name!"

"You were the one who invited me—if you ever stand in the way of my dream, you'd better commit seppuku to make it right."

As Zoro laid down his terms with intense seriousness, a cloud passed overhead, casting a shadow over him and Luffy—just in time to match the heavy gravity of his vow.

"The world's greatest swordsman, huh? Sounds awesome. To be a crew member of the future Pirate King, you'll need at least that kind of title."

Luffy grinned at him, full of confidence—not arrogance, but something so deeply rooted in his bones that it felt completely natural.

"Hmph, you talk big," Zoro snorted. "Then the first crew member you recruited must be some big deal, right?"

Suddenly reminded of Alex, Zoro narrowed his eyes. Even someone like himself—aspiring to be the strongest swordsman in the world—was just "qualified" in Luffy's eyes. That meant Alex had to have some enormous ambition of his own.

"Oh, you mean Alex? He's great at catching fish. We'll never go hungry!"

Luffy replied while swallowing a little drool, clearly thinking of delicious meals.

Zoro stared blankly. That ferocious fighter… just a fisherman?

Before they could process this further, both heard a furious roar from Alex:

"Have you two talked enough? Get your asses over here and help me already!"

Turns out, while Luffy was untying Zoro, Alex had been mercilessly scolding Nami—shouting at her so fiercely he sprayed her face with spit.

To his surprise, Nami didn't resist. She just lay in his arms, seemingly deaf to his yelling. But Alex didn't care. He was venting, and it felt great. He'd never felt so liberated.

With how hard I chewed her out, she probably won't dare smack me with that iron fist anymore. If she didn't even fight back, she must be scared stiff.

The idea of finally being free from Nami's abuse aboard the Straw Hat ship filled Alex with such hope that even the sunlight seemed warmer.

But mid-rant… he suddenly fell silent.

Because Nami had wrapped her arms around him and started crying—hard. Between sobs, she pounded his chest and choked out:

"You jerk! I should've let you die! I should've let you die!"

What the hell?! I'm clearly alive and kicking here!

Alex stared, stunned, at Nami's sudden emotional outburst.

All I did was yell a little. Is that really worth wishing me dead?!

But to Nami, it wasn't the words—it was the warmth of his body, the beat of his heart. He was real. He was alive. The memory of him getting shot by the marines still haunted her. That fear of losing him hadn't passed. She instinctively hugged him tighter, trembling with tears pouring down her cheeks.

What's going on with her?

Alex was completely lost. Nami wasn't supposed to be this emotional.

Since when did the "Cat Burglar" become such a crybaby? This doesn't add up.

What he didn't realize was how much he'd done for her that day—and how much trust and dependence had quietly built between them.

At first, Nami found Alex irritating. After all, on the day they met, he'd Shamelessly groped her chest.

But traveling with him in that small boat to Shells Town, she'd seen a different side. The Alex who trained obsessively, who pushed himself past human limits. His drive stunned her—and sparked a question: What drives someone to such lengths?

Alex would never know that during those exhausting boat rides, when he trained until he couldn't even lift a finger, Nami had seriously considered throwing him overboard.

He was that helpless.

If she had, he would've died.

But she didn't. In fact, she even took small steps to care for him. Something about him felt oddly… trustworthy. And that trust made her feel warm—something she hadn't felt in a long time. The icy walls she'd built around her heart began to crack.

Nami had spent years stealing from pirates, trusting no one, always sailing alone. Her trauma as a child had poisoned her view of companionship.

But the moment Alex shielded her from Morgan's falling statue, something changed.

Then she saw him, already wounded, throw himself into battle again—just to draw the Marines' attention and give Zoro a chance.

To Nami, "comrades" had always been tools—mutual users in a game of survival. Yet watching Alex fight and nearly die, all without regret… something inside her snapped. She ran to help him without thinking—and nearly lost her life too.

Thankfully, Alex managed to defeat the marines and save her.

But it wasn't until he was nearly executed that she truly realized how important he'd become to her.

If not, she never would've risked everything to save him—especially with her hometown's fate still weighing on her.

During Alex's brutal takedown of Morgan, Nami had countless chances to slip away unnoticed from the base.

But she didn't.

She stayed.

Because she needed to see, with her own eyes, that he would be okay.

Now, pressed close to him, she could smell the faint scent of her own perfume clinging to him. His arms were warm. Her arms were wrapped around his waist, chest-to-chest.

…Shouldn't we still be fighting marines? What am I doing?

Alex forced himself to focus. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, one of the marines he'd previously kicked down came charging again.

"They're coming back—let go of me!"

Alex shouted, realizing he couldn't move with Nami latched on like an octopus.

"No! I'm not letting go!"

Nami yelled, clinging even tighter.

She knew she'd soon leave to steal the Grand Line map from Buggy the Clown—who was rumored to be unkillable. She might never see Alex again. So just this once, she wanted to be selfish.

Sis… you're killing me here.

Alex felt utterly hopeless. He tried to pry her arms off, but Nami's grip was so fierce even he couldn't break free easily. He ended up dodging left and right while holding her, narrowly avoiding the marines' attacks.

Being bear-hugged by Nami, he couldn't fight back properly. His movements were sluggish, and he couldn't swing his weapons.

She was like a madwoman—totally unhinged. Alex couldn't even bring himself to curse her anymore.

Talking sense to a hysterical woman makes me the idiot, doesn't it?

Because of Nami, Alex was taking hits left and right. He had no chance to counterattack. At first, he wanted to call Luffy for help—but then he overheard Zoro talking seriously with him.

Out of respect, he decided to wait until they were done.

He waited…

And waited…

While fending off marine blows like a human shield.

Eventually, Alex had had enough. He'd been hit multiple times, all while trying not to jostle Nami too roughly.

And those two idiots were still chatting.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Have you two talked enough?! Get your asses over here and help me already!"

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