One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

Damn it—this was absolutely ridiculous.

On the very first day Alex met Zoro, he gained a profound understanding of what true lack of direction looked like.

Every time Zoro gave Alex directions, he'd suggest a completely different route. And by the time Alex realized it, they were already in another dead-end alley.

The most outrageous part? Somehow, they ended up in the same dead-end twelve times.

Alex could've sworn they took different paths each time, yet they all led to the exact same dead-end. At one point, Alex was on the verge of a full mental breakdown.

Luckily, they bumped into little Rika—out running errands—on their way, or else Alex figured he and Zoro would've wandered Shells Town till sunset without ever finding Luffy.

When Alex saw Rika, it was like spotting a divine angel descending from the heavens. With her adorable pigtails and bright eyes, he could almost see glowing white wings fluttering behind her.

Meanwhile, Zoro—strapped to his back—felt like a cursed green-haired demon.

As they followed Rika back to the restaurant, Alex felt like he had just been saved from purgatory.

Originally, Alex had suggested asking the townsfolk for directions. But Zoro insisted—repeatedly—that Alex just had to "trust him one more time." When words didn't work, he even went so far as to grab Alex by the collar in desperation.

And that's how Alex ended up believing in Zoro's internal compass... twenty-nine times.

By the time they finished, Alex had nearly walked the entire perimeter of Shells Town—while carrying a full-grown swordsman. And they still hit twenty-nine dead ends. Eventually, even Alex lost his sense of direction entirely.

"Hey, see those guys? Word is, they're the pirates who defeated Captain Morgan."

"I've seen them pass by here at least five times. What are they doing?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's some kind of pirate training. Look at that guy sweating like crazy while carrying the other one—must be an intense workout."

Alex overheard the locals' commentary as he walked by, his face turning crimson with embarrassment. Workout? Please. This wasn't training—it was a full-blown directional disaster. That sweat pouring off him wasn't from exertion—it was fear. Fear of Zoro's terrible sense of direction.

At that moment, Alex swore to himself: Never again. He would never trust Zoro with directions. Ever. If anyone dared say Zoro wasn't directionally challenged, Alex would be the first to argue them into the ground.

"Just eat your food and stop talking," Zoro growled at Luffy, who was still cracking up about their scenic tour of every alley in town.

"Big brother, you're so cool! Koby told me you really taught that meanie Helmeppo a lesson. What about the pretty lady with the orange hair? She's the one who told you to beat him up, right? I knew she wouldn't lie to me!"

As Rika helped Koby clean up the wounds on Alex's back, she beamed up at him.

Seeing her smiling face—this little girl who had saved him from Zoro's navigation—Alex's expression softened instantly. "Yep, I stormed into the Marine base and gave that bully Helmeppo a serious beatdown. He won't be bothering anyone again."

Alex thought back to when he first met Rika. Nami had been with him then. The moment she heard someone was bullying a little girl, she boldly declared she'd teach that jerk a lesson.

But once she found out the bully was Captain Morgan's son, she passed the task to Alex and left without hesitation.

Back then, Alex hadn't even acknowledged her.

Now, with Helmeppo thoroughly beaten and Nami nowhere in sight, Alex felt a strange emptiness in his chest.

"Why did it take you so long to show up? If you'd been even a little later, we might all be dead," Alex asked, finally voicing the frustration he'd been holding in.

"What could I do?" Luffy said as he chomped down on a piece of meat. "I had to search the entire Marine base to find Zoro's swords. That took time."

Alex blinked. "Wait—you didn't know where his swords were? You had to search the whole base?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied, mouth full. "That Helmeppo guy never told me where they were."

"You mean bowl-cut?"

Luffy nodded. "I ran into him on the upper floor. He was already knocked out. Looked like Morgan smacked him. Real hard."

Hearing that, Luffy added with a sheepish grin, "Oh yeah—sorry about your statue. I kinda broke it while I was up there."

Alex's eye twitched. "How many times do I have to tell you—that wasn't my statue! It was Morgan's!"

Suddenly, Alex leaned in. "Wait. Why was bowl-cut knocked out in the first place?"

"Let me think…" Luffy said, chewing thoughtfully. "I jumped up onto the second floor and overheard some Marines saying someone broke into the captain's room. Morgan got mad and slapped Helmeppo unconscious."

Luffy's casual explanation sent a tidal wave of realization crashing over Alex.

It was him and Nami—when they snuck into Morgan's quarters to steal the Grand Line map, Luffy accidentally triggered their discovery. Morgan, furious that someone had broken in, must've mistakenly taken it out on Helmeppo and knocked him out cold.

Because of that, Luffy couldn't ask Helmeppo where Zoro's swords were. And because of that... Luffy had to scour the whole base, wasting precious time. Time that nearly cost all of them their lives.

So much chaos—all because of that one small incident.

"You… were seriously looking for Zoro's swords?" Alex asked, his tone skeptical.

"Honestly, I was surprised too. Turns out his swords were in the same room where I stopped to eat snacks. Hahaha!"

Alex's face went pale. "What... do you mean by that?"

"Well, I was looking for the swords and wandered into a nice-looking room. There were snacks on the table, and I was hungry... so I sat down and ate for a while. But there wasn't any meat, so I didn't get full," Luffy said with a hint of regret.

Alex's expression darkened by the second.

"After I ate, I kept searching every room in the base. Couldn't find the swords anywhere. Eventually, I circled back to the snack room and—surprise!—there they were. Three swords, right on the table. I totally missed them the first time—HAHAHA!"

The next moment, in front of the stunned onlookers, Alex lunged across the table and grabbed Luffy by the collar, shaking him furiously.

"You idiot! If you hadn't been so obsessed with food, you would've seen the swords right there and saved us all that time—and trouble! Do you even realize how dangerous it was out there?"

Alex was livid. If Luffy had messed up during his search, that'd be one thing. But this guy? He delayed everything because he couldn't resist dessert. Absolutely infuriating.

Sure, Helmeppo never told Luffy where the swords were. And Luffy didn't know it was Helmeppo's room. But how the hell do you walk into a room, see snacks, but miss three giant swords?

That snack break nearly got them all killed!

Alex's grip tightened. Luffy started coughing—and accidentally sprayed Alex in the face with chewed meat.

Things got tense. The air around them sizzled. Zoro, alarmed, was just about to step in when—

"That's why I knew I could count on you," Luffy said with a bright, beaming smile. "I knew you had things covered. You're a reliable guy, Alex. A real partner."

Alex froze. Luffy's simple, sincere words and sunny smile hit him like a wave. His hands loosened. His heart felt warm and strangely light.

Still coughing slightly, Luffy kept grinning like nothing had happened.

Zoro stared, mouth open. Moments ago, Alex had been ready to murder Luffy. Now?

"Of course I'm reliable," Alex said with a big grin as he slung an arm around Luffy's shoulders. "Next time, you just make yourself some tea and enjoy those snacks. I'll handle everything. After all, I'm trustworthy! HAHAHA!"

Luffy burst into carefree laughter, and soon the two were laughing together like idiots, their voices filling the restaurant.

"Idiots," Zoro muttered, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips as he leaned back in his chair.

Nearby, Koby and little Rika watched in awe, completely baffled by the sudden emotional whiplash.

"What... are they doing?" Rika asked, pigtails swaying as she turned to Koby.

"I think... it's that thing they call 'manly friendship,'" Koby replied uncertainly, adjusting his glasses with a confused expression.

-------------------------

To access 40+ advanced chapters, head over to Patreon:

patreon.com/Samorash

~~ Support me and Do leave a comment.