East Blue — A Peaceful Morning
The sea breathed in slow ripples that morning, a gentle rhythm that made it easy to forget how dangerous the world could be. The sky and sea matched in color— a clear, endless blue that stretched beyond sight— and only a few lonely seagulls circled overhead. The Going Merry glided peacefully through the East Blue, its white sails full and billowing like lungs inhaling the morning wind.
The Straw Hat crew — small, new, and still forming — rested across the deck in the uneven chaos that was slowly becoming their normal.
Monkey D. Luffy, captain and chaos incarnate, was hanging upside-down from the figurehead again, legs hooked around wood as if gravity had never applied to him. His straw hat swayed slightly with each breeze.
"I'm booooored!" he complained to no one in particular — or perhaps to everyone all at once.
"You could help keep lookout," Nami suggested dryly without looking away from her map.
"Nope," he replied cheerfully.
"Or help me balance the logbook," she continued, still not looking up from her notes.
"Still nope!"
"You could just be quiet," Zoro muttered from where he reclined against the mast, arms crossed, swords at his hip. He had been sleeping intermittently for the last half hour, the sun lazily warming his face.
Usopp lay stretched across the deck on his back with a dramatic groan. "I'm seasick... no wait— I'm not seasick—no, I am DEFINITELY seasick— I'm going to die! This is how I die!"
"You're not seasick," Nami said casually.
"You're not a doctor!" Usopp fired back.
"And you're not dying," Zoro added, not even opening his eyes.
Usopp took a shaky breath. "Maybe I'm dying emotionally."
"That, I might believe," Nami said.
Despite the bickering, the crew enjoyed the peace. It was rare. It was calm. It felt like they were between stories — like they were standing on the first page of something still being written.
Then something interesting finally happened.
At first, it was just a flicker. A trick of light. The kind of thing most people would ignore. But Luffy, hanging upside down like a human periscope, caught sight of something glimmering beneath the surface.
He squinted. "What's that?"
Nami sighed. "If it's treasure, I get first pick. If it's trash, you're taking it back to the ocean."
"You gotta see it!" Luffy shouted. "It's weird!"
"I've seen you," Zoro muttered. "Weird isn't new."
But Luffy was already scrambling down from the figurehead. He landed on deck with a loud stomp, sending a startled Usopp rolling across the boards. Luffy ran to the bow and leaned over the railing.
The sea below was clear – so clear it was like looking through glass. Something bobbed within the waves. Something round. Something pale. Something glowing just... a little.
A basket.
It floated in the water, half-sunken but strangely intact. It spun slowly with the current, wrapped in reed and cloth, almost ceremonial-looking. And nestled inside the basket...
"IT'S AN EGG!" Luffy screamed, pointing so aggressively he nearly fell overboard.
"Treasure egg?" Nami asked, perking up.
"Yes!" Luffy said confidently.
"...No."
"I don't know!"
"I'm getting it!"
"Hold— Luffy, DON'T—!"
Too late.
"Gomu Gomu no... Retrieve!"
His arm shot forward like a harpoon, plunging into the sea. It wrapped around the basket and yanked it cleanly onto the deck with a heavy, wet THUD that splashed seawater across everyone's legs.
The basket landed at their feet.
The moment it hit the deck — everyone fell silent.
Inside it was a large egg. Oval, perfect, beautiful in a strange and unearthly way. Patterns like frozen wind etched its surface — faint spirals and runes in seafoam green, pale blue, and soft white. It radiated warmth against the cool morning air.
Nami crouched beside it slowly, her voice lowering. "It feels warm... and this material... these weave patterns... they look ancient."
Zoro stood just behind her, eyes narrowed in thought. "You said it feels warm?"
"It is warm," Nami confirmed. "Too warm. Like it's alive."
Usopp backed away. "WHAT KIND OF EGG SURVIVES A WHOLE OCEAN JOURNEY?! THIS MUST BE A SEA MONSTER'S BABY!"
"No way." Luffy crouched down. "It's a giant chicken."
Nami blinked. "...Maybe it is some kind of bird egg. There are sea eagles and wind hawks on mountain islands. But this basket— this isn't wild material. It was made to hold it."
Zoro nodded once. "Someone wanted this protected."
There was a quiet pause.
The egg trembled.
Everyone froze.
Something inside... moved.
"Did that egg just shake?" Usopp squeaked.
The egg moved again — more definite this time.
Zoro's hand lowered toward the hilt of his sword — not in aggression, but in caution. "Something is alive in there. And it's hatching."
CRACK.
Nami jumped back.
A thin, delicate line split across the shell.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
As they watched, the egg gently began to open from the top. Bits of shell shifted like petals unfolding on a flower. A soft noise — like a weak chirp — escaped from within.
Luffy crouched even lower, fascinated. "It's coming out!"
Usopp hid behind the mast. "IF IT'S A SPIDER I'M LEAVING THE CREW!"
A chunk of shell fell away...
And something unbelievably small rolled out of the egg. No bigger than a loaf of bread.
It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a lizard. And it wasn't anything they recognized. It was small. Round. Fluffy—covered in damp cream-colored down. Its ears were tiny, barely peeking out from its round head—Its clawed feet were little more than dark stubs and its eyes were big and sleepy, half-lidded with pinkish tones near the edges. It had small barely formed wings with small claws.
It looked dazed. Alive. Soft. Curious.
It rolled onto its back.
And got stuck.
Its stubby legs kicked helplessly in the air.
"...Pyu."
Everyone stared.
"...It's..." Nami whispered, "...adorable."
"IT'S A CHICKEN!!!" Luffy screamed joyously.
"It's a wild animal!" Usopp objected.
"It's a marshmallow," Zoro stated thoughtfully.
"It's an unknown creature of mysterious origins," Nami muttered, eyes locked, soul draining from her body. "One that hatched the moment we pulled it aboard our ship..."
"IT'S A SNACK!!!" Luffy yells excitedly, practically salivating.
"NO IT ISN'T!!!" The rest of the crew yells back.
Luffy leaned down so close that his nose nearly touched its beak.
The little creature blinked at him.
"...Pyu?"
Then — to everyone's surprise — it reached its tiny wing claws toward Luffy's face. Not in fear. Not in attack. Just... curious.
"It's not scared," Zoro noted.
"It's... trusting," Nami added.
Luffy's smile grew impossibly wide. "I LIKE IT. I'LL TEACH IT TRICKS."
"LUFFY IT'S NOT A DOG! You can't teach it tricks!" Nami says in frustration only to be completely ignored.
He picked it up gently — perhaps the most gently he had ever handled anything in his life.
The creature nuzzled immediately into the crook of his arm.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Nami sighed exasperated then pulled out a dry towel and wrapped it around the little thing. It let out a breathy chirp, its tiny body settling.
Luffy stared intensely at it. "...I shall name it..."
"No," Nami interjected instantly.
"...'Dinner.'"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT."
"Alright... how about... Meat?" Luffy suggested.
"Luffy," Zoro said flatly, "you can't name everything Meat."
"Meat Jr.?"
"NO!!"
"It is fluffy," Nami said thoughtfully, ignoring them both. "Fuwa-fuwa..."
"Fuwa?" Luffy repeated. "Fuwako!"
The little creature tilted its head. "Pyu?"
"FUWAKO IT IS!" Luffy declared. And that was that.
The crew officially had a new member.
For the rest of the day, Fuwako waddled clumsily across the deck. Luffy tried to teach it tricks. Usopp tried to measure it (but got bitten lightly). Nami drew it ten times in her journal from different angles. Zoro let it sleep on his lap while pretending not to care.
That night, while the crew slept, the sea grew restless. Far in the distance, dark clouds began to form. Yet around the Going Merry — not a single wave grew rough. The wind softened. Almost protective.
Below deck, bundled in warm cloth, Fuwako chirped in its sleep.
Its tiny ears twitched.
Its feathers glowed faintly for just a moment.
It dreamed — and though no one heard it — the faintest echo spoke through the air:
"...not alone... anymore..."
The waves changed direction.
The Going Merry sailed on.
Unaware that legends sometimes begin...as eggs.
TO BE CONTINUED...