The Shark Superb sailed quietly across the calm sea.
"What's your name?!"
On the ship, Nami looked at Luffy, who was locked inside a cage, and questioned him.
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" Luffy declared seriously, his usual playful demeanor entirely gone.
"Pirate King?!" Nami's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Before she could respond, Coby, who was steering the ship, turned around and couldn't help but question Luffy. "Pirate King? Do you even know what being the Pirate King means?"
"Of course I know… the Pirate King is the freest person in this world," Luffy answered resolutely.
"This brat really has guts," Nami thought to herself. "Yet he's just someone who owes me a huge debt."
However, despite her skepticism, Luffy's unexpected determination intrigued her. A fleeting thought crossed her mind, "If it's this kid, perhaps he might really achieve something great…"
Then she laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head. "What am I even thinking? Pirate King is not something a brat like him could ever become."
"The Pirate King is the freest person in the world, huh?" Eden, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, interjected thoughtfully. "I admit, before our arrival, the Pirate King was indeed the freest person in this world, but not anymore. Because now, the wizards of Fairy Tail have arrived."
"What nonsense! Even if you're some wizard or whatever, you're not the freest! Only the Pirate King can be the freest person in this world!" Luffy immediately argued.
Though Luffy had no idea what Eden meant by "guild" or "wizard," he was firmly convinced that the Pirate King represented ultimate freedom.
"Fairy Tail is," Eden insisted firmly.
"Pirate King is!" Luffy continued to retort.
"Are you two kids or something?" Nami interrupted, looking exasperated at the childish bickering.
"We're arriving," Coby announced, looking at Eden and Luffy arguing.
"I'll deal with you later. Let's eat first," Eden said impatiently.
Without waiting for the ship to dock, Eden leaped off the boat, running lightly across the water towards the visible town. He couldn't stand being seasick any longer.
"Wait for me, Eden!" Nami shouted after him, frustrated. She didn't want to swim and get wet.
"Leave it to me, Nami\~" Happy said, unfurling his snow-white wings and carrying Nami through the air toward the town.
"Happy, you really can fly!" Nami exclaimed in shock.
"Aye!" Happy replied cheerfully.
"What's with the 'Aye'?" Nami muttered, confused.
"I'm starving," Luffy said, breaking open the cage with a casual punch.
"You could've broken out this whole time?!" Coby exclaimed.
"Hey, Coby, I heard the naval base in this town has someone really interesting imprisoned, right?" Luffy asked.
"You mean the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro? He's incredibly dangerous. Rumor says he has horns and kills without mercy," Coby responded nervously.
"Haha, it'd be great if I could get that guy as my crewmate," Luffy said, eyes sparkling.
"Keep dreaming," Coby said skeptically.
"Well, gotta give it a try!" Luffy was confidently optimistic.
In town, Eden, Nami, and Happy gathered information from locals. "Have you seen these people?" Eden conjured miniature magical images of Fairy Tail's Tenrou Island team, asking tavern-goers.
"Uh… never seen them," the tavern owner nervously replied, sensing Eden might be a Devil Fruit user.
"Magic again?" Nami stared in amazement.
"Magic can do all sorts of things, not just fighting," Eden explained.
"Can I learn magic too?" Nami asked hopefully.
"Well, theoretically everyone here has potential. But honestly, I'm terrible at teaching. Our guild master, Makarov, is the best teacher," Eden replied honestly.
"I see," Nami said, somewhat reassured.
A sudden explosion from the nearby naval base drew their attention. "What's happening?" Eden asked, intrigued.
"Let's check it out," he said to Nami and Happy.
Arriving at the naval base, they found the gates destroyed, with dozens of marines surrounding Luffy, Coby, and a fierce-eyed, green-haired man tied to a cross.
"Need some help?" Eden asked calmly, a plan forming in his mind.