Luffy's little boat was… tiny.
I mean, REALLY tiny. Barely big enough for three people, with a pathetic sail and no equipment worthy of the name. My rowboat would have been roomier, but at least Luffy's floated without effort.
"You're really planning to become King of the Pirates with this?" I asked, eyeing the vessel dubiously.
Luffy laughed. "Shishishi! It's temporary! We'll get a real ship soon!"
"If we survive that long," Zoro muttered.
The people of Shells Town had gathered at the port to say goodbye. Children waved makeshift flags, women cried tears of joy, and men thanked us over and over again.
And the Marines? They were there too.
The soldiers—those who hadn't been corrupted by Morgan—lined up on the pier. At their head, an officer I didn't recognize raised his hand.
"ATTENTION!"
Everyone snapped to attention in perfect unison.
"SALUTE THE HEROES OF SHELLS TOWN!"
A flawless military salute. Strict. Respectful.
Koby, wearing his brand-new Marine recruit uniform, saluted with visible emotion in his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he was smiling.
"Thank you… thank you for everything, Luffy-san! Marc-san! Zoro-san!"
Luffy waved at him enthusiastically. "Do your best, Koby! We'll meet again someday!"
"YES!" Koby shouted with determination. "I'll become a great Marine! I promise you!"
I smiled despite myself. That kid had guts.
We boarded the boat—well, we squeezed into it—and Luffy hoisted the sail. The wind filled the pathetic canvas, and we slowly drifted out of the harbor.
"GOODBYE!" the townspeople shouted in unison.
"GOOD LUCK!"
"BECOME GREAT PIRATES!"
I watched Shells Town shrink on the horizon, then turned to the system.
"Can you guide us to the next island?"
[AFFIRMATIVE]
[NEXT SUGGESTED DESTINATION: ORANGE TOWN]
[HEADING: SOUTH-SOUTH-EAST]
[ESTIMATED TIME: 6–8 HOURS]
"South-south-east," I repeated aloud.
Luffy adjusted the sail. "Got it! Onward to adventure!"
Questions and Revelations
The sea voyage was… calm. Too calm. Three men in a tiny boat with nothing to do but stare at the horizon.
Naturally, the questions came quickly.
"Hey, Marc," Luffy began, stretching lazily. "Why did you become a pirate?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I am a pirate."
"You're in my crew, so you're a pirate!"
"That's debatable."
Zoro, leaning against the mast, opened one eye. "That's true. Why did you take to the sea? You look like you've got a clear goal."
I thought quickly. Telling the whole truth was out of the question. But an overly elaborate lie would be suspicious.
"I'm a collector," I finally said with a crooked smile. "Of mysterious treasures."
"Treasures?" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Like the One Piece?!"
"More… specific. Weird objects, strange artifacts, things no one really understands."
Zoro frowned. "Why?"
"Because it's interesting." I shrugged. "This world is full of mysteries. Floating islands, legendary creatures, inexplicable powers… I want to find them. Understand them. And… collect them."
[VIABLE LIE]
[COVER ACCEPTED]
"That's awesome!" Luffy exclaimed. "We'll find tons of weird stuff together!"
"Probably," I admitted.
"And your door?" the straw-hat boy pressed. "What is it exactly? A Devil Fruit?"
"Yeah. The Door-Door Fruit." I smiled. "I can summon doors at will."
"SO COOL! Show me again!"
I sighed and summoned the door. It materialized on the deck of the boat, perfectly stable despite the waves.
Luffy immediately jumped on it, trying to open it with both hands. He pulled. Pushed. Shook it. Nothing.
"It won't budge!"
"It only opens for me," I explained.
"And it's solid?"
"Indestructible."
Zoro opened both eyes. "Indestructible?"
"Completely."
The swordsman slowly stood up, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. A predatory smile spread across his face.
"We'll see about that."
"Oh no…" I muttered.
Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji in a flash and slashed horizontally at the door.
CLANG!
The blade bounced off without leaving the slightest mark. Not a scratch. Not even a dent.
Zoro frowned. "Interesting."
He tried again. And again. With one sword, then two, then all three in a combined technique.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"It really is indestructible," he murmured, visibly impressed.
Luffy burst out laughing. "THIS IS AWESOME! We've got an indestructible magic door! We can hide behind it during fights!"
"It's NOT a shield," I protested.
"But it can be a shield!"
[HE'S NOT WRONG]
I closed my eyes. "We'll talk about this later."
The Phantom Foundation
Night gradually fell. The sky burned red and orange before plunging into darkness, dotted with bright stars. The sea was calm, almost motionless.
Luffy and Zoro settled down to sleep—well, Luffy sprawled out like a pancake on the deck and immediately started snoring. Zoro leaned against the mast, arms crossed, apparently capable of sleeping standing up.
Me? I looked at the tiny boat, my two companions taking up all the space, and sighed.
"No way I'm sleeping folded in half."
[SUGGESTION: USE THE FOUNDATION]
"Yeah, good idea."
I discreetly summoned the door and opened it. Luffy was snoring too loudly to hear anything, and Zoro already seemed asleep.
I slipped inside and closed it behind me.
The silence hit me instantly. No waves. No wind. No snoring. Just… the absolute silence of the Foundation.
I walked slowly through the empty corridors, my footsteps echoing strangely. It was weird. This place was empty, sterile, cold. And yet…
I felt good here.
Safe. Almost at home.
[PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACHMENT DETECTED]
[THE FOUNDATION IS YOUR DOMAIN]
"My domain…" I smiled faintly. "Yeah, I guess so."
I headed toward the D-Class quarters and opened a random cell. A simple bed, a sink, a toilet. Spartan. Functional.
I lay down on the bed. It was hard. Uncomfortable. But strangely, it suited me.
[SYMBIOSIS: 58%]
[BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATIONS DETECTED]
[NEED FOR SLEEP: DECREASING]
"I know," I murmured as I closed my eyes. "But I still need to sleep a bit. Mentally."
The mental fatigue was real. The whole day—the fight, the doors, the questions, the stress of sailing with a future Pirate King who was completely insane…
I drifted off to sleep.
A strange sleep. Dreamless. Just… darkness.
Morning Battle
I woke up abruptly.
Shouting. Sounds of fighting.
"LUFFY! GIVE THAT BACK TO ME!"
"NO! I'M HUNGRY!"
"YOU ATE EVERYTHING LAST NIGHT, YOU IDIOT!"
I jumped up, left the cell, and opened the dimensional door.
On the deck of the boat, Luffy and Zoro were fighting like children. Zoro was trying to grab something Luffy was holding out of reach with his stretchy arms.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I shouted.
"HE ATE ALL THE FOOD!" Zoro roared furiously. "ALL OF IT!"
"I WAS HUNGRY!" Luffy protested.
"WE WERE ALL HUNGRY, MORON!"
I rubbed my temples. "It's not even eight in the morning…"
[WELCOME TO THE STRAW HAT CREW]
"Shut up."
After a few minutes of chaos, they finally calmed down—well, Luffy calmed down after Zoro bonked him on the head.
The straw-hat boy turned to me with puppy-dog eyes. "Marc… do you have food behind your door?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"You've got a magic door! There's gotta be food on the other side, right?"
[TECHNICALLY, YES]
[THE CAFETERIA IS FULLY STOCKED]
"Uh… yes, but—"
"THEN GIVE US FOOD!"
"I can't take it out," I lied quickly. "It's… stored differently."
"Then invite us inside!"
I grimaced. The idea of Luffy inside my Foundation, with access to a fully stocked cafeteria…
[HE WOULD EMPTY THE SUPPLIES IN 10 MINUTES]
"Later," I promised. "When we're in an emergency. For now, I've got a better idea."
"WHAT IS IT?!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with hope.
"Wait."
Improvised Fishing
I looked around the boat. No fishing rod. No net. Nothing.
Then I looked up at the sky.
Seagulls were circling above us. Not the messenger seagulls—those I didn't want to mess with and end up on a blacklist—but other seabirds.
A plan formed in my mind.
"Luffy, can you catch a bird?"
"Easy!" He stretched his arm like rubber and grabbed a small bird that flew too close. "Gomu Gomu no… CATCH!"
The bird squawked in panic.
"Perfect. Now we'll use it as bait."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
"Completely."
I tied the bird with a piece of rope (without hurting it), then dangled it just above the surface of the water. Low enough to attract attention, high enough so it wouldn't drown.
A few seconds later…
SPLASH!
A huge fish burst out of the water, jaws wide open, aiming for the bird.
"NOW!" I shouted.
Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed the fish mid-air. "Gomu Gomu no… FISH!"
He hauled it onto the deck. A magnificent sea fish, easily ten kilos.
"WE'VE GOT FOOD!" Luffy yelled, stars in his eyes.
"Not bad," Zoro admitted with a smirk.
I freed the bird, which immediately flew off, chirping angrily.
"Sorry, little guy," I murmured. "But we had to eat."
Orange Town on the Horizon
After an improvised breakfast of grilled fish (Luffy ate three-quarters of it by himself), we resumed our journey.
The sun climbed into the sky. The sea sparkled in the light. And ahead of us…
"Look!" Luffy shouted, pointing. "An island!"
On the horizon, a dark shape gradually took form. Buildings. A port. A town.
[ORANGE TOWN CONFIRMED]
[ESTIMATED ARRIVAL: 30 MINUTES]
"What kind of place is it?" Zoro asked.
[STANDARD PORT TOWN]
[POPULATION: ~5,000 INHABITANTS]
[PIRATE ACTIVITY REPORTED: BUGGY THE CLOWN'S CREW]
I froze. "Buggy the Clown…"
"You know him?" Luffy asked.
"I've heard of him," I replied cautiously. "A pirate with a Devil Fruit. He can split his body into pieces."
"COOL!" Luffy's eyes shone. "I can't wait to meet him!"
"He's dangerous," I warned.
"Even better!"
Zoro grinned. "This should be fun."
I sighed as Orange Town grew closer.
Somewhere in this city, Buggy the Clown was terrorizing the inhabitants. Nami would soon appear. And most importantly…
[ALERT: POTENTIAL ANOMALY DETECTED]
[DISTANCE: 2 KILOMETERS]
[ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS…]
My heart sped up. "System? What is it?"
[PROBABILITY OF SCP ENTITY: 67%]
[INSUFFICIENT DATA AT THIS DISTANCE]
[RECOMMENDATION: ON-SITE INVESTIGATION]
"My first anomaly…" I murmured.
Luffy looked at me curiously. "What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just… I'm looking forward to seeing this town."
The boat glided slowly toward the port of Orange Town. The adventure continued.
And somewhere in this city, my real mission was about to begin.
[END OF CHAPTER 5]
[ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 1/???]
[POTENTIAL ANOMALY DETECTED: ORANGE TOWN]
[AFFILIATION: STRAW HAT CREW]
[SCP-006 SYMBIOSIS: 58%]
[DESTINATION: ORANGE TOWN]
[KNOWN THREAT: BUGGY THE CLOWN]
[NEXT STEP: INVESTIGATION]