One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

"I'm doomed... Bell-mère, what do I do now?"

Nami sat dazed on the ground, still unaware that the strange-looking man with red and orange stripes all over his face lying beside her was actually Alex . Her mind was a tangled mess of emotions, and her mood had plummeted into a deep gloom.

Under normal circumstances, if a few throwing knives had narrowly missed her head, she would've broken into a cold sweat from fright. But at this moment, all she wanted to do was beat the man lying next to her to a pulp.

Where the hell did that idiot Alex disappear to!?

She couldn't tell that the man beside her with one red and one gold eye, and bizarre facial markings, was actually Alex. She figured he'd probably run off. She hadn't noticed that the clothes this man wore were exactly like Alex's. If she had, she might've stopped to think twice.

Meanwhile, Alex was thinking the exact opposite of her.

"Fantastic! Me and Nami are even now. Being debt-free is truly the best feeling."

He was smiling to himself, genuinely happy. Clearly, the thoughts running through their heads were polar opposites.

Nami glanced over and saw Alex grinning, a smug expression curling across the odd pattern on his face. She immediately assumed he was gloating over that accidental kiss from earlier. That infuriating smirk, combined with the red-orange streaks twisting across his face, gave him an almost demonic appearance. Her anger boiled over, and she raised her fist, ready to land a solid punch.

But just then, Alex spotted Buggy's upper body flying toward them through the air, knives in hand and face twisted with rage. Alarmed, Alex quickly shoved Nami out of the way. "Watch out!"

Nami, who had just raised her fist to clobber Alex, was pushed off-balance. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal—except in his haste, Alex had accidentally touched her somewhere he really shouldn't have.

It happened so fast that Alex didn't even register it. But Nami did. Clearly.

Already shaken, Nami now completely froze. She remained in her punch-ready pose like a petrified statue—stone-cold and lifeless.

Alex was confused by her sudden paralysis but didn't have time to question it. Buggy was closing in, and he needed to act fast.

"All this treasure is mine! Neither of you are getting a single berry!" Buggy snarled, his gaze locked on Nami with murderous intent as he flew closer.

What the hell? She's seriously not moving?

Alex had managed to push Nami aside, but she was still sitting on the ground. That limited his room to maneuver. Just as he was about to force himself to stand up despite the pain, Nami suddenly sprang into action.

With a furious scowl, she grabbed a large sack stuffed with treasure, stood up sharply, and with a surge of wild energy, hurled the heavy bag straight at the incoming Buggy.

"Quit joking around! Don't even think about stealing my treasure!"

"ARGHH!!!"

Caught completely off guard, Buggy took the full brunt of the treasure bag to the face—right on his already swollen nose. Alex had punched him there earlier, and now Nami had struck the same spot. The pain shot through his skull like lightning, and he screamed while clutching his face.

He never expected Nami to react so violently. His earlier boast about all the treasure belonging to him had clearly lit a fire in her heart.

Turns out, when it came to treasure, Nami could shake off any trauma in seconds.

Alex hadn't even had the chance to react before Nami handled the entire situation herself. The fierce energy she now radiated sent a chill down his spine.

She was just depressed a minute ago, and now she's back with a vengeance just because of treasure? Yeah... I'd better never owe her money. That's a death sentence.

He stared at her graceful yet dangerous figure and couldn't help but shudder.

"You did great. Now drop that bag and run before he comes after you again," Luffy called out. He saw Buggy had been hit hard, but not taken out completely—and Alex was still moving sluggishly. If Buggy retaliated, they'd be in trouble.

"Drop this? Dream on! Why should I abandon my treasure?!" Nami snapped, clutching the sack tighter, her face determined.

"Your treasure?" Buggy's expression darkened—clearly not impressed by her claim.

"Obviously! I'm a thief who specializes in stealing pirate treasure. I've got it now, so of course it's mine!" she declared with righteous confidence.

Luffy grinned. "You've got a point."

"What nonsense! It's mine! You think just stealing it makes it yours? Are you brain-dead?!" Buggy shouted, veins bulging on his forehead.

"And you, a pirate, have the nerve to lecture someone else?" Nami's retort left Buggy stunned. "What?"

"I haven't sunk low enough to be lectured by a pirate," Nami said sweetly, sticking out her tongue while hugging her treasure close.

"You little... you've got a death wish, don't you!?" Buggy growled, eyes full of killing intent.

"Chop-Chop..." he began, readying his technique.

But just as he was about to launch an attack, a hand reached out from behind Nami—fast and unexpected. In the next instant, Buggy felt a crippling pain that contorted his face.

Luffy, seeing that Buggy's body was right beside him, had launched a powerful kick directly into his torso.

At the same time, Alex reached out and grabbed Buggy's flying upper body before it could reach Nami.

Though Buggy's body split into two midair, the dual assault—Luffy's kick and Alex's grab—sent waves of pain through him. His face twisted in agony, turning greenish-purple as cold sweat poured down.

"Get lost!" Alex shouted, slamming Buggy's upper half into the ground with a loud crash.

"You're a good guy—thanks for helping us out," Luffy said cheerfully, watching the striped-faced man defend Nami and land a blow on Buggy.

"You... both of you...!" Buggy groaned, barely holding back tears from the pain. He glared at Alex. "I don't know who you are, but I'll never forget your face. I won't let this go!"

"What are you talking about? Don't you guys recognize me?" Alex looked puzzled. From the way Luffy and Buggy were acting, they genuinely didn't seem to know who he was.

He tried again, looking at Buggy. "Don't you remember? I punched your red nose earlier and made it even redder and rounder."

"You again?! So it is you! What the hell happened to your face?! You look like a damn monster!" Buggy roared.

He hadn't gotten a good look at Alex earlier because he'd been focused on Nami. But now the pain from his body was overwhelming, and Alex's words triggered his memory. The face looked different, but the voice—and attitude—were unmistakable.

"What?! You're Alex?!" Luffy gasped, staring wide-eyed at him. Then he noticed something strange—Alex's facial stripes were subtly shifting, and every time they moved, his eye color changed too.

Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Whoa! How'd you do that? That's awesome! I want to look like that too!"

Before Alex could even process what Luffy meant, Nami murmured softly behind him, "Good... it's really him..."

Alex turned and asked, "What do you mean, 'good it's me'?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Nami exploded. She slammed a fist straight into his head.

"You idiot! There's nothing good about you! What happened to your face? You look awful! Turn back to normal, now!!"

Alex was dumbfounded. Luffy thought his new look was amazing. But Nami?

She flat-out called him ugly. He was mortified.

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