Sanji was stunned.
He glanced at the equally shocked Zoro.
Then at Nami, who was both crying and laughing in excitement.
His gaze turned toward the fluttering Sun and Moon flag.
Two simple words—could they really hold such power?
"The Sun and Moon Pirates? That's one of the Four Emperors, right?" Sanji muttered to himself, vaguely recalling hearing about them.
But even if they were one of the Four Emperors…
That alone shouldn't be enough to make Zoro and Nami react like this.
A former admiral had been standing right in front of them just moments ago, and they weren't nearly as shaken.
"Wait… Could it be that the pirate crew Nami has been searching for, the one she wants to follow… is the Sun and Moon Pirates?"
Sanji's face instantly fell.
Was Nami planning to leave?
No!
He couldn't accept that.
A deep sense of envy and resentment toward this unknown pirate crew swelled within him.
Sanji could accept anything—except Nami leaving the Going Merry.
"Nami, what's so great about the Sun and Moon Pirates? We came all the way from the East Blue, helping each other to reach the Grand Line! Besides, you don't even know the other members of that crew. What if the ship is full of ugly, perverted old men? That'd be way too dangerous for you! Stay with us instead—we can't do without you!"
Sanji pleaded desperately, practically wailing.
In an instant, he drew everyone's attention.
They all stared at him in silence.
"You must not know much about the Sun and Moon Pirates, do you?" Aokiji said, looking at Sanji.
Sanji blinked and nodded.
He didn't think he had said anything wrong.
Since setting out to sea, the Straw Hat crew had encountered many pirate crews, and they all followed the same pattern—more men than women. Most pirates were cruel, greedy, and lecherous.
So logically, a crew as powerful as the Sun and Moon Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, had to be even worse.
For Nami's sake—
Sanji swore he wouldn't let her walk into a den of wolves.
"Then you're completely mistaken," Aokiji sighed. "The Sun and Moon Pirates are the dream of every woman on the seas—the ultimate dream."
Sanji's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What do you mean?"
"Their captain is the envy of every man on the ocean."
"Of course!" Sanji huffed. "Nami is so fixated on them—obviously, that guy is the most enviable of all!"
His voice was thick with bitterness.
If only Nami looked at him that way…
Sanji wouldn't mind dying happy.
Zoro's gaze darkened.
He thought of his childhood companion—Kuina.
Aokiji turned his attention to Nami.
His eyes gleamed slightly.
He, too, was a man who appreciated beauty.
Sanji's heart skipped a beat.
He immediately became wary, glaring at Aokiji as if to say, What are you planning?
Aokiji ignored him.
Looking at Nami, he remarked, "You're a beautiful girl. If you weren't connected to the Sun and Moon Pirates, I would have invited you to dinner. What a shame."
Sanji exhaled in relief.
But at the same time, frustration welled up within him.
Why was it always because of the Sun and Moon Pirates?
Why couldn't it be because of him?
What was so great about that crew?
"You really are beautiful," Aokiji complimented Nami.
Nami, still somewhat afraid of the former admiral, didn't dare to respond.
"But the crew of the Sun and Moon Pirates isn't simple," Aokiji continued.
Recalling their members, he couldn't help but sigh.
That crew was home to the strongest women on the seas—the most powerful pirate crew in existence.
And also… the most beautiful.
"How so?" Sanji asked eagerly.
He wanted to know what kind of pirate crew was worthy of Nami's admiration.
"The Sun and Moon Pirates are made up entirely of women."
Sanji's jaw dropped.
His breathing quickened.
He gasped like a man deprived of oxygen.
"Nami! Take me with you! Let's go join the Sun and Moon Pirates together!"
Sanji had betrayed them.
A ridiculous grin spread across his face.
A crew full of women.
Just thinking about it—
He was convinced that had to be the happiest, most fulfilling life at sea.
"Sanji."
Luffy frowned in disapproval.
Sanji wasn't the least bit ashamed.
"Luffy, you can't blame me for this! If Nami leaves, my heart leaves with her! It's not that I don't like you guys—it's just that I can't stay here anymore!"
He had already mentally checked out.
Sanji was now daydreaming about his perfect future.
"Wait—what about the captain? Is the captain a woman too? The most beautiful and powerful woman on the seas?" Sanji asked, full of anticipation.
"No," Aokiji answered.
Sanji's excitement came crashing down.
The captain was… a man?
The captain of a pirate crew full of women was a man?
"Th-That's… That's just too unfair!"
Sanji let out the collective resentment of every male pirate in the world.
The captain of the Sun and Moon Pirates—someone he had never met—had just become his greatest enemy.
"Do they accept male members?" Sanji clung to a final shred of hope.
"Not a chance. The Sun and Moon Pirates only accept female crew members—everyone on the seas knows that," Aokiji replied.
He cast a sympathetic glance at Sanji.
Countless men—powerful warriors, famous pirates—had all dreamed of joining Kuke's crew.
None had succeeded.
Sanji least of all.
Sanji slumped to the ground, his spirit shattered.
The happiest life at sea had nothing to do with him.
His dream life… belonged to someone else.
"Nami, did you hear that? The crew is all women! The captain must be a total pervert—it's way too dangerous for you!" Sanji desperately tried a new approach to convince her to stay.
"Sanji, shut up!"
Hearing Kuke being slandered, Nami's eyes burned with fury.
She clenched her fist—
And punched Sanji so hard he flew through the air.
Landing in a heap, heartbroken, Sanji lay there, silently crying.
In his mind, he kept telling himself:
The women of the Sun and Moon Pirates must all be ugly.
Yes.
They had to be.
Definitely not beautiful.
"They're here, aren't they?"
Desperate to know the truth, Nami finally mustered the courage to speak to Aokiji directly.
"They are."
Aokiji looked toward the depths of the city.
The Sun and Moon Pirates were here.
Nami's eyes shimmered with longing.
She wanted—no, needed—to see them.
Zoro took a deep breath.
If they were here…
Then Kuina was, too.
A fierce determination rose in his eyes.
"Kuina… I've grown much stronger. This time, I won't lose."
Lying on the ground, Sanji pouted.
Just wait. They must all be ugly.
Luffy suddenly smacked his forehead.
"I remember now! He's the one who took Sister Makino away! Because of him, Ace and Sabo used to beat me up all the time!"
After an absurdly delayed reaction—Luffy finally recalled.
Like Sanji, he pouted, full of resentment.
"Hmph. So he still hasn't become the Pirate King after all this time? That means… I'm definitely the one who's going to be the Pirate King!"
Meanwhile, Crocodile had been silent for a long time.
His eyes darkened as he stared into the city.
Trouble.
If the Sun and Moon Pirates had taken control of Alabasta, his plans were doomed.
"If they're here… then that means Nico Robin is, too?"
The realization struck him.
His gaze burned with intensity—
But then, remembering Kuke's terrifying reputation, the fire in his eyes immediately died.
"They're coming."
Aokiji stopped speaking to the Straw Hats.
His gaze fixed on the distant street.
Three days ago, after hearing that the Sun and Moon Pirates were here, he had raced across the sea—
Just to meet Kuke.
"They're coming?"
The Straw Hats, lacking Observation Haki, couldn't sense anything.
But hearing Aokiji's words—
All of them craned their necks, eagerly looking toward the horizon.
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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