On the Going Merry.
Nami, who was chatting with Vivi, saw the boys being loud and chaotic again.
She sighed, rubbed her forehead, and shouted,
"I'm telling you to quiet down! The ship's about to dock!"
As she spoke, Nami glanced at Ace. Oh… his new hairstyle actually looked good.
She smiled and said, "Ace, you look more handsome now."
Ace froze. He'd never really been called handsome by a girl his age before.
Scratching his head shyly, he said, "Thanks for the compliment. Sandy's the one who gave me this hairstyle, hehe…"
Sanji, who couldn't stand watching Ace get praised, immediately ran to Sandy with puppy-dog eyes.
"Sandy! Give me a hairstyle too! I want Nami to praise me like that!"
Sandy ignored him completely and instead tossed a pair of sunglasses to Ace.
"Nami said we're about to dock. Everyone, act a little mature for once and get ready."
Everyone gave Sandy a collective look of disdain but still went to prepare their things.
Ace, however, walked over and asked,
"Hey, these sunglasses you gave me… am I supposed to wear them now?"
Sandy nodded, "Yeah. Without them, that hairstyle just feels incomplete."
Ace chuckled, feeling more at ease around Sandy after spending time together.
He slipped on the glasses, stepped forward confidently, and said, "Sandy, everyone else said I look handsome… but you haven't said it yet."
Sandy stared at Ace, feeling strangely irritated. This guy didn't even say thank you, and he still wants praise?
"As long as you don't talk, you're pretty handsome," Sandy replied flatly.
Ace smirked, "I'll take that as you being jealous of me."
Sandy snorted, "Jealous? Of you? You're dreaming."
Ace raised a brow, looped an arm around Sandy's neck, and teased, "Would it kill you to just say I'm handsome?"
Sandy deadpanned, "Yes."
And just like that, the two of them started bickering like children on the deck.
Luffy walked over and frowned.
"You two are too immature. We're supposed to be getting ready, and you're still fooling around—"
Before he could finish, Sandy and Ace punched him at the same time.
A little later, Nami asked, "Ace, we're heading to Alubarna—the capital of Alabasta—and then to Rainbase. What about you?"
Ace shot Sandy a side-eye, put his hat on, and said.
"We're headed in the same direction, so why split up? But I'm warning you—Crocodile probably already knows you're coming. A pirate trying to seize power? That's a big joke. Or… he's planning something else."
Luffy tugged at Sandy's arm.
"Sandy, can we switch? Let me and Nami go after Crocodile, and you guys go to that Alaba-what's-it-called place!"
Sandy ignored him and turned to Ace with a grin.
"Look at this idiot. Crocodile's a Logia user, and Luffy doesn't even know Haki. He'd be walking straight to his death."
He casually threw Luffy aside.
But Luffy ran back stubbornly, "I don't care. I won't lose!"
Ace looked at Luffy helplessly.
"Luffy, Sandy's right this time. If you can't even touch him, how do you expect to fight him? Crocodile's a Shichibukai. Sandy, are you sure you can handle it?"
At that moment, Zoro tilted his head to the sky, already sensing where this was going.
Sure enough—
Sandy looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, his face solemn and full of fake profundity.
"Back in the day… I plucked stars with a single hand, buried the setting sun, and had no opponent for eternity."
He turned dramatically to Ace, "You think I can't beat Crocodile?"
Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy all gasped.
"Sugoi!"
"No opponent for eternity? Sugoi!"
"Sandy, can you really pluck a star for me?"
Sandy waved his hand coolly.
"Calm down. It's just stars. Back then, I had a sword that could move mountains, overturn seas, and—uh…"
He paused. He'd forgotten his lines again. With a straight face, he pulled a small notebook out of his spatial backpack and started reading from it.
Everyone stared at him with dark lines on their foreheads.
If you're gonna act cool, at least memorize your damn lines!
And the worst part—he was doing it in front of everyone without even blushing.
(Author: Honestly, even if someone paid for acting classes, no one would dare take Sandy in!)
"Wait… he was reading from a notebook?"
"I thought Sandy was actually amazing!"
"Luffy, did you seriously believe that crap?"
"Yeah, it's always like this. Usopp's still better at bullshitting."
"Yo, Chopper, good taste. I'll tell you my thrilling adventures later."
"Really, Usopp? Adventures? That's awesome!"
Meanwhile, Nami and Vivi were covering their mouths, trying not to burst into laughter.
Sandy's face flushed bright red.
"You bastards! Don't even think about touching my alcohol again! Or my cola!"
Nami finally walked over, still trying to hold back her laughter.
"Alright, alright. We're docking soon. Everyone get ready."
The moment they heard "dock," the crew instantly forgot about Sandy's embarrassing performance.
After all, the desert awaited—hot, dangerous, and full of adventure.
Vivi clapped her hands, "Everyone, bring warm clothes!"
Nami raised a brow, "Why?"
Vivi explained, "In the daytime, the desert can reach fifty degrees Celsius, but at night, it can drop to minus ten."
Luffy's eyes sparkled, "Sugoi! I wanna go play in the desert right now!"
Nami sighed, "Luffy, hurry up and pack your clothes. Do you even understand what Vivi said?"
Luffy grinned, "Yeah, yeah—it's an incredible desert. Sounds fun! Usopp, help me pack!"
Everyone fell over in exasperation.
...
Author's Note:
This fanfic will be uploaded on Patreon within the next 2 days.
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