Two people were passing by the forest. "I-I s-s-swear i-i heard s-s-something in h-h-here!!!" A man stuttered his words out yet loud but scared. He was holding the women's arm for security

"It's nothing, don't worry okay!" A girl with ginger hair who was with him assured him

As two people strolled through the dense forest, a sudden chilling breeze sent shivers down the man's spine. "Did you hear that?" he gasped, clinging tightly to girl's arm.

"It's nothing, Idiot," his love replied, her ginger hair glimmering in the just walked in sunlight. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

The duo continued their journey, their footsteps barely audible over the soft rustling of leaves. Suddenly, they heard a voice, clear as day, coming from the darkest corner of the forest.

"Don't worry, everything is alright," the disembodied voice echoed.

The man jumped back in shock, the woman holding tightly to him. "What was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.

The woman looked around, but there was nothing to be seen except the shadows of the tall trees. "It's nothing," she reassured him, her voice confident.

As they continued on their way, they heard the voice again, coming from above. "Really," the voice said, with a slight hint of amusement in its tone. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

The girl smiled nervously, "See, I told you right...."

The duo stopped in their tracks and looked up, their eyes widening as they saw a pair of glowing greenish eyes peering down at them from the branches.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed, turning and sprinting away as fast as they could.

The creature in the trees shook its head, a faint smirk on its lips. "How quaint ~" it thought to itself as it slipped away into the darkness.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"What did you see?!" His words, spoken with excitement in his voice, echoed through the still air in the chip. The captain was left in a state of utter shock, his eyes wide with amazement. "A girl, Luffy. She was tall, with long black hair that flowed in the gentle night-time breeze, and she was holding three human hearts, all dripping with blood..." Said Usopp, the sharpshooter of the crew.

Sanji, caught up in the excitement of a woman he had not yet met, exclaimed. "I bet she'll be beautiful as hell!" Luffy, always the optimist, yelled back a hearty "Really? I wanna check it out!" His voice filled with excitement as he began to look around for this mysterious woman.

But Nami, always the voice of reason, was having none of it. She gave Luffy a hard slap, trying to knock some sense into him.

"What do you mean, 'awesome'?! Are you crazy? Let's just get our supplies, rest for the night, and leave in the morning."

Zoro, always the first to take action, was already walking off. "Hey, wait for us all to get off the ship, okay?" Usopp yelled at him, trying to keep up with the man.

But Luffy, ever the adventurer, refused to listen. He jumped off the ship, a huge grin spread across his face, ready to meet this mysterious woman who had caught his interest.

And so they went on, the crew of the Going Merry, each with their own thoughts and feelings about this mysterious encounter. But one thing was for sure, they were all bound together by their love of adventure and their strong loyalty to one another and they were always ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

As they walked through the empty streets, Luffy's stomach grumbled loudly, signifying the need for food. "Man, I'm starving! Let's go find some meat!" he exclaimed, eyeing the nearby shops with anticipation - but to his dismay, all of them appeared to be closed.

"We have to restock our supplies first!" Nami retorted, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of life, but finding nothing but the occasional bird perched on a nearby roof. Usopp, standing beside her, wondered aloud, "Why is no one around? It's like all of them have disappeared...you don't think the woman killed them right....?!"

"Stop your silly imagination already!" Nami groaned, pushing her hair back up in frustration. That's when they heard a group of children cheering and yelling in the distance, and so they followed the sound. "Come on! Come on! We will be late, we don't want to miss the fight now, do we?" a blonde-haired boy called out to the others. Another blonde- haired boy, shorter in stature, called out after him, "Wait up, alright! We are coming!"

They suddenly saw a girl with deep red hair emerge from behind a nearby building, jogging to catch up with the others. "Wait for me!" she called out.

Following the sounds, they stumbled upon a small group of children, all gathered in an open space.

"Hey! You guys!" Luffy called out as he waved to the group, causing their attention to turn towards him. "Where is everyone? I'm hungry!" he said, his stomach rumbling loudly.

The first boy with blonde hair looked at him, confused. "Oh, then you'll have to wait because there's a fight going on," he explained, his smile widening. "You see, this guy named Nick comes around here once a month to collect taxes-and every time he sets the tax too high, the people of this town fight him to bring it back down."

Zoro muttered to himself, "A fight, eh?"

"Yep," the shorter boy interrupted, "and this time an outsider is helping us too! Plus, there's this amazing girl with extraordinary powers who's trying to help us get back our town's pride and my necklace."

Nami raised her eyebrows at this news, intrigued. "And what does this necklace look like?" she wondered aloud.

"Oh, it's really beautiful!" the girl with red hair exclaimed, her eyes filled with excitement. "You should really come with us and check it out!"

"Mei, slow down!" the taller boy called out, running to catch up with her as Luffy took off running towards them, Nami and the others quickly following behind.

"Let's go and check it out, guys!" Luffy said as he ran ahead of them catching up with the kids. "Oi! Wait luffy!!" Nami called out for him as they followed after him

When our group arrived at the scene, they were greeted with a thrilling sight - a massive crowd gathered in a wide circle, watching a stunning exhibition of martial arts and battle. The crowd was electric, with groans and cheers rising up en masse.

Excited at the prospect of seeing a demonstration of hand-to-hand combat, Luffy pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, eager to get a better view. The rest of the group soon joined him, and they collectively managed to squeeze through the dense group of spectators until they found themselves at the very front of the arena.

When they reached the clearing, they saw before them a towering figure - a broad-shouldered, buff man adorned in a blue tie, his chest bared and his muscular arms on full display. He faced off against a diminutive figure standing before him - a young girl in a metal helmet, dressed in an all-black ensemble with only her mint sweater standing out.

As the two combatants locked eyes and prepared themselves for the battle, the man let out a ferocious roar, declaring his intentions with conviction. "You brat! I will crush you and bring you to your knees," he cried, his eyes fixed on his opponent.

The girl, however, remained unfazed, her expression calm and almost closed, as if in a meditative state. The tall man charged forward, but before he could reach her, the young girl easily sidestepped his strike and retaliated with a swift, precise blow to his back.

For the next few moments, the two combatants traded blows in a whirlwind of action, with the girl taking the lead. Her movements were fluid and graceful, but also deadly, as she effortlessly dodged the bulkier man's attacks and delivered devastating blows of her own.

As the fight progressed, the spectator's hearts raced, and gasps of shock and excitement erupted from the audience. It seemed that the young girl's victory was almost a certainty, as she continued to dance around her opponent, landing brutal strikes with ease.

For a moment, the silence was deafening, until Luffy let out a roar of his own, celebrating the victory of the girl. His companions soon joined in along with the crowd, cheering and clapping enthusiastically.

As the man lay defeated on the ground, the young girl approached him, her expression still calm and unruffled.

As the crowd cheered, Luffy and Usopp watched in awe, their hearts filled with admiration for the girl with the metal helmet. A sense of respect and adoration filled the air as she approached the man she had bested in battle, extending her arm to him with a warm smile.

The man, still reeling from the defeat but with a glimmer of dignity in his eyes, took her hand, and she pulled him up. They shook hands, a powerful gesture of mutual respect and understanding.

Smiling at him again as she released his hand, the girl opened her bag and searched for something inside. After a moment, she pulled out a small white pouch and handed it to him. "This contains gold coins," she said, her voice ringing out clearly over the din of the crowd. "I hope it can pay for some of the years of tax for this village. It's been through so much, and they don't want to lose anything. Please give it to your greedy boss and ask him to reconsider."

With that, the girl turned on her heel and walked away, her gaze focused on the dark wine-red haired girl who had accompanied her all day. The man looked on, feeling a growing sense of awe and admiration for this courageous young warrior. He knew in his heart that she had done more than just win a fight - she had provided a glimmer of hope to a village that had been struggling for far too long.

As she approached the dark-haired girl, she called out her name with a warm smile.

"Mei!" The girl bounded happily towards her, followed by the other two blond boys. "Onee-san!" They cheered, delighted to see her.

"Here is your necklaces," she said with a grin, plucking them from her backpack. "And remember to keep it safe." She ruffled their hair and smiled at them before turning to the man once again.

"Take care of yourself," she said, her voice earnest and sincere. "And do what's right."

The girl eagerly accepted the necklaces, delighted to have the valuable necklace back. The girl ruffled their hair and told them to keep them safe, and they promised to do just that. She turned to the tall blonde boy who had accompanied them and asked if he could protect the three of them. He quickly agreed to do so, giving a determined salute. The girl, satisfied with his response, turned around and waved goodbye to them as she left the crowd, still looking for someone.

She called out for the Mayor, who quickly responded from a few steps away. She handed the Mayor another bag of gold and told him to use it for the church, and to smile more. As she bounded away from the crowd, she became smaller and smaller in size, until she was nothing but a tiny dot in the distance.

The man watched her go, feeling a sense of awe and admiration for this young warrior who had done so much to help a village in need. He knew in his heart that he had encountered something truly special, and that he had witnessed the birth of a legend.

Sanji could not help but furrow his eyebrows as he watched her leave. That voice of hers, he knew it was way oddly familiar. Just as he was about to dwell deeper into his thoughts, Luffy interrupted his train of thought by exclaiming that he was hungry and was ready to find some food he had forgotten about. As the Straw Hats left the arena, Zoro raised his eyebrow at Luffy, slightly confused as to how his food-loving friend could suddenly forget about food.

<°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°>

The atmosphere of the bustling bar was filled with the sound of clattering mugs, the clinking of coins, and the laughter of jolly men and women who had come to enjoy a lively night out. The Straw Hats were amongst them, the only ones sporting the distinctive straw hats on their heads. Usopp let out a contented sigh as he rose from his seat, his stomach full from the delicious food and drink he had just consumed.

"I've got some fruit and other stuff prepared for our journey. They're already loaded onto the ship," he announced, a proud gleam in his eye.

"And I've got all the necessary ingredients for cooking up a storm," Sanji added with a satisfied grin, rubbing his hands together. "We're all set and ready to go."

The rest of the crew exchanged excited glances, eager to embark on their next thrilling adventure. With a hearty laugh, Luffy stood up and led the way out of the bar, his head held high as he called out to his crewmates.

Their journey had just begun, and they were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead but for now, they can sleep in before leaving.

The straw hat crew had arrived at a small, bustling harbor town just near the docks, the air thick with the sweet smell of salt and seaweed and some small snack stands. The sun was blazing down, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets, and the bar was packed with traders and pirates, looking to escape the heat and enjoy some food and drink.

Nami, the savvy navigator, approached the bartender, whose face was lined with the weight of a difficult life. She asked him about the situation in town since yesterday almost everyone was drunk to answer this question, and his response was dark and sobering.

The navy officers had imposed heavy taxes on the town, and the sacred church where the people worshipped had been destroyed. The people had fought back, but the navy was too strong, and they were unable to defend themselves.

Nami looked around the bar, taking in the mood of the patrons. They all seemed oppressed, their spirits broken by the weight of their situation. She turned back to the bartender and posed a single question. "Why don't you continue to fight them?"

Just then, Usopp, seated nearby, piped up. "Wait a minute, yesterday you all seemed like you didn't even care-"

"Then why don't you fight them? Someone told us that you used to rebel against the navy back in the days-" Nami butted in.

"Was it a kid?" He asked back.

"Umm yea, how did you know?" Usopp asked confused about how the bartender knew.

"Because children aren't told what happened to us, that's why. They did threaten us with a lot of majors but couldn't get us to agree. Then they started to send Nick, who we can't really fight since he is so strong but guess not anymore since the little lady has defeated him now" the bartender replied smiling as he refilled the empty cup of zoro

"And what are the children not supposed to know?" Sanji asked while raising an eyebrow

The bartender signed and looked at them sadly

"Many years ago we were known for being the richest island. We used to have everything, there wasn't a thing that lacked here.

"Food, education, defence system, shelter, you name it. That's why it is.....or maybe was named the land of gold. When the Marines found out about that we also had devil fruits, which were given by White Gem pirates as a return gift for saving their lives after giving them food. We didn't rely on it and just kept it safe so we could return it to them or give it to the navy. Of course, we would give it to them but their intentions weren't the purest and wanted to use it so they could become strong and rule the world starting east blue.

"Turns out the devil fruit was quite powerful and it was really valuable but we didn't give it to them and that's when they started to control us. It started easy on us but when they saw that we were stubborn they decided to go extreme on us by extracting all our resources drastically which made us poor and on the verge of death." He said and almost broke the bottle because of his anger.

Nami slapped her hand on Usopp when she saw he opened his mouth to say something and smiled at the bartender to continue.

"It's okay, I understand," the bartender replied, a sad smile on his face. "The children talk about it all the time, but the adults...they don't say anything about our situation. They don't want anyone to know how bad things are here."

He refilled Zoro's cup with a steady hand, his eyes casting a tired look on the straw hat crew. "I didn't know what she could do, but...seemed like she was the only ones I've seen who can stand up to the navy. Maybe she can bring us a difference."

The air in the harbor bar was tense, thick with the weight of the crew's conversation. The bartender's story of how the once vibrant island of gold had been reduced to nothing but a shadow of its former self was a devastating tale, full of hardships and injustice. The crew listened intently to the bartender's words, their expressions growing increasingly solemn as he talked about the once-thriving community that was now on the brink of destruction.

Sanji, who had been listening with a furrowed brow, suddenly perked up at the sound of shouting outside. They all turned to see a person burst through the door, yelling out as if something was wrong. They quickly jumped to their feet, ready for whatever was coming next.