On the deck of the Going Merry, a certain love-struck cook was currently brewing black tea for his "angel"...
Usopp paused his repair work, casting a scrutinizing side-eye at the beautiful woman Sanji had invited onto the ship. On the other side, a certain shy, blue-nosed reindeer was hiding behind the mast—and, as usual, he was hiding backward.
(How did I end up getting dragged onto their ship by this guy? He seems to know me? Hmm... his love-struck behavior does look a bit familiar. What kind of creature is that little thing over there? And this long-nosed guy—is he a relative of Kaku's?)
Carter sat primly in her chair, a look of utter bewilderment on her face. The two tufts of hair on her head, which bore a striking resemblance to cat ears, stood up exaggeratedly in response to her shifting emotions. They looked just like real cat ears—quite adorable. It seemed she still hadn't quite grasped what was happening.
(And that pirate emblem... they must be the Straw Hat Pirates.)
Looking up at the skull wearing a straw hat on the sail, Carter's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly as she began to ponder in silence.
The teapot tilted slightly, and the dark, lustrous tea flowed out. A faint white steam rose, carrying a rich aroma that filled the air.
"Please enjoy, Miss Carter," Sanji said with the utmost gallantry, making a polite gesture.
"Ah, thank you." Carter hurriedly took the teacup. She didn't drink it immediately, instead asking cautiously, "Um, how did you know my name? Have we met before?"
Crack! Sanji felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. His brain, previously fogged by her beauty, finally realized that the lovely woman with short black hair in front of him had forgotten who he was.
"No way! Miss Carter, don't you remember? I'm the chef! Back then, in the East Blue..." Sanji then proceeded to recount, in grueling detail, exactly how he and Carter had met in the East Blue.
Setting sail on a supply run → encountering his "angel" → being incredibly attentive → getting scammed... (PS: For details, see East Blue Arc, Chapter 3. Truth be told, if Carter hadn't swindled Sanji out of all his money, Sherlock would probably still be on that deserted island hunting Sea Kings.)
"Oh, so you two knew each other before you joined the Straw Hats. To think you could recognize her at a single glance after all this time—Sanji, your memory is actually pretty impressive!"
Usopp clicked his tongue in admiration at first, but then the long-nosed man suddenly realized something. He pointed an accusing finger at the "Scammer Lady," whose expression had turned extremely awkward, and cried out:
"Wait a minute, Sanji! This woman is the big-time swindler who conned you out of all the grocery money back then! Now that you know the truth, why are you still being so nice to her?!"
Of course, hearing Usopp call someone else a "liar" felt about as ironic as hearing Luffy call someone a "dummy."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!" Chopper, hiding behind the mast, nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Idiots! What do you know?" Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring. He then turned to everyone and declared with righteous conviction:
"A man who can forgive a woman's lies is a real man!"
"Eh?!"
At those words, the two men and the reindeer froze simultaneously. They stared at the curly-browed cook who practiced his code of chivalry to his very soul. Their expressions were a mix of confusion and disbelief; for a moment, they didn't know what to say.
A little while later...
Since the victim of the scam had no intention of pursuing the matter, Usopp and Chopper naturally saw no reason to make a fuss.
Carter appeared quite harmless, the type who easily earned the goodwill of others. Combined with the constant flattery of a certain love-struck cook who forgot his own name the moment he saw a pretty face, the group was soon chatting and laughing together. It was a truly bizarre sight.
Scammers and pirates, it seemed, shared plenty of common ground.
(These pirates really are strange. They're nothing like the ones I've met before.)
Carter picked up her teacup and took a small sip. Her fair, pretty face immediately lit up with delight; it was clear she was greatly impressed by the flavor of the tea.
(So delicious! This tastes way better than the tea Kalifa brews!)
"How is it, Miss Carter? Is the black tea to your liking?" Sanji asked expectantly.
"Oh, it's very delicious. Thank you for the hospitality, Mr. Sanji." Carter flashed a bright smile and took another sip. Then, ignoring the curly-browed man who was starting to swoon, she turned to Usopp.
"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you happen to know someone named Kaku?"
Carter looked at Usopp's signature long nose with a very peculiar gaze.
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone with a nose as long as his."
"No, I don't know him." Usopp instinctively rubbed his long nose, then shifted into his usual exaggerated bragging mode: "But if this man named Kaku has a magnificent long nose just like Captain Usopp, then he must be a powerful and famous pirate of the sea! After all, a long nose is the symbol of a brave warrior of the sea!"
"Eh? A long nose is a symbol of a warrior?! So cool!" Innocent little Chopper looked on with an expression of "I don't really get it, but it sounds impressive."
"No, he's not some great pirate. He's just a shipwright. He should be in Water Seven right now."
As she spoke, Carter finished her tea in one gulp. She turned her head to scan the battered state of the Going Merry and added, "You guys should really get this ship repaired. If you go see him, he might give you a twenty-percent discount for the sake of your nose."
(Ah... is a long-nosed man's destiny inescapable? Is it always ship repairs? Orz) Usopp collapsed onto the deck in a classic pose of utter dejection.
Sanji refilled Carter's empty cup and asked, "By the way, Miss Carter, you looked like you were searching for something earlier. Are you looking for an item? Do you need our help?"
For a beauty like Carter, this love-struck cook would gladly jump through hoops!
"No, no, no, don't worry about it." Carter waved her hand with a smile. "It's just a silly, playful dog. He won't get lost; he'll probably come jumping out on his own in a little while."
Just then, the two cat-ear-like tufts of hair on Carter's head suddenly stood straight up, as if she had heard something. She turned toward the shore and said in surprise, "It looks like your companions are back. Huh? It seems they've been in a bit of a fight."
(A fight?)
Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper were startled. They rushed to the railing and looked into the distance, only to be stunned by what they saw.
"Hey! Luffy! Zoro! How did you get hurt like that?!" Usopp cried out in shock. "What on earth happened?"
"Nami-san, are you hurt?" The love-struck cook's priorities remained as consistent as ever.
"Doctor! Where's a doctor?! Oh wait, that's me!"
The group frantically helped Luffy and the other two onto the ship. In the chaos, Sanji was shocked to find that Miss Carter had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only an empty teacup. This left the curly-browed cook feeling deeply dejected.
As Dr. Chopper began bandaging the two injured men, the orange-haired navigator, who was bursting with suppressed rage, began to vent. She grumbled and snapped at anyone within earshot; her aura was so demonic that it terrified the long-nosed marksman and the little reindeer.
In contrast, Luffy and Zoro—the two who had actually been beaten—looked completely calm, as if they didn't care at all about being clobbered.
"My, you're all back. Why is it so noisy? Did something happen?" a mature, sultry female voice called out from nearby.
Nico Robin strolled onto the ship. Her provocative black leather outfit immediately snapped the love-struck cook out of his dejection over Carter's departure, filling him with renewed vitality.
"Oh, right! This is all your fault, Robin!"
Robin's appearance gave Nami a new target for her frustration. she immediately turned her "artillery" toward the unsuspecting, beautiful woman.
"If you and Sherlock hadn't been so adamant that Sky Island exists, why would I have... Eh? Wait, where's Sherlock? Why didn't he come back with you?"
"He went to see an 'old friend.' He might be delayed for a while."
Though she felt a twinge of suspicion regarding the "old friend" the Sorcerer mentioned, Robin remained composed, perfectly masking the slight worry in her heart.
"Let's wait for him here first." Having said that, Robin handed a map of Jaya to the simple-minded captain.
(That guy sure knows a lot of people. He ran into another acquaintance? I guess that's a merchant for you—friends all over the world.)
Usopp and the others thought to themselves, instinctively assuming that Sherlock's "old friend" was someone of the same ilk as Rovick.
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