Chapter 3: Cache 'em! Ash is Now a Pirate!
Bad luck? Misfortune? Whatever the case, Ash and Pikachu couldn't believe it. One of the last things they wanted to do, they did by helping the Straw Hat Pirates captained by Luffy. Speaking of, he and Usopp brought Ash back to get changed. Nami had a map out with land nearby. There was a marker with "Marine Fort" which looked like a anthills. "Knowing the Marines attacked us so soon after our arrival," she began to explain to Sanji, Zoro and Robin. "Their base must be close by… and that's where we'll make our raid."
"About damn time," Zoro mulled. "With how scarce our food is, a night raid is a good option. Still, it feels rather silly that Ash had to be the one helping us. I almost feel embarrassed for that to happen as a swordsman."
"You should be," Sanji grunted. "Anyone showing you up would make you a failure, Moss-head!" This started an argument that Robin pulled Nami away from.
"I know I'm stepping away from the discussion but…" she whispered. "That Ash… what did you think of him?" Nami's cheeks turned red from the questioning.
"What?" she gasped.
"Rather cute, and I don't mean his mouse. Don't you think so?" Nami's mind raced for a little bit about how Ash came to their rescue, despite not necessarily needing it. She also thought of how selfless he acted to the crew and his smile had her thinking calmly.
"Well, I guess so. He's still young, no doubt younger than Chopper… and…" A giggle slipped through her lips and hand trying to silence it. The doors opened to find Usopp and Luffy exiting. All but Franky turned to the door, also stopping the argument between Zoro and Sanji.
"Alright, Ash's makeover is done!" announced Luffy, Pikachu occupying his shoulder. All stood to see Ash appearing, no longer in his clothes. He wore an open black sleeveless vest with blue streaks and blue denim pants cut-off at the knees. This gave room for new brown boots. He also donned a green bandanna and his arms and hands only showed skin. The Straw Hats awed the new Ash look.
"Spiffy," nodded Zoro. "Not bad, you two."
"I'll say!" agreed Sanji. "You look more of a pirate than I do." The positive reviews didn't return Ash from the negative of his action. Pikachu also felt terrible for aiding Ash in stopping the Marines from arresting the crew.
"I stop Team Rocket from taking Pokémon on a weekly basis!" mulled Ash. "Yet, here I am helping scourges of the sea instead of stopping them." Pikachu squeaked in sympathy.
"Don't feel bad about helping us," Chopper assured. "You instinctively came to us and it didn't help that our sails had been furled at the time." Ash itched his head, slowly understanding the ordeal.
"Here I was, heading to compete in the full battle against the leader of the Orange Crew." To the Straw Hats, the Orange Crew was another band of pirates.
"What kind of flag did they use?" asked Usopp. "Was it an orange pirate flag?" Ash gawked to the answer.
"No, the Orange Crew are a group of gym leaders around the Orange Islands. In fact, I won all their badges. Take a look."Ash pulled four pins from his new pocket. One was a pink clam shell with a teal round jewel. Another a white oyster shell with orange shade and a green jewel. Then, a spike spiral shell with a pink jewel in the center. Finally, a conch shell with a green 6-point star in the middle. The Straw Hats looked at the tiny items.
"Little trinkets…" gawked Sanji.
"They're proof that I beat their gyms and earned the badges. Robin took a moment to understand Ash's point.
"So the battles where you're from involve little Pikachu and the rest of your creatures, right?" she guessed.
"Yeah, and fights between people is not allowed." The Straw Hats began to understand.
"Sounds like your world is exciting!" cheered Luffy. "But does it compare to the Grand Line?" Ash and Pikachu blinked, not familiar with what the captain brought up.
"The Grand Line?"
"Yeah, and we crossed it in order to find the greatest treasure: One Piece!" A name like that left Ash and Pikachu confused.
"You get the feeling that this place is weird?" Pikachu shrugged its shoulders in response. Nami waived Ash over to which he felt forced to play along. "Like I've got a choice…" Regrouping, Nami laid out the details.
"So here's where the Marines came from," she pointed out on the map to a piece of land. "And knowing the location, a fort will be there as well."
"Good," Usopp nodded. "They should have what we need." Ash came to see the meeting. "We're nearly out of rations: medical supplies, food, other tools…" Ash listened to the details occurring.
"So it's a raid you guys are going for?" he guessed.
"Hey, it's not a choice we make lightly, Ash," Nami argued. "Like Usopp said, our supplies are a little scarce. That Marine ship you sunk carried this map leading to a nearby fort. I got the map and Franky sailed away but they gave a good chase. We thought we'd be clever with our sails and flag furled but they found us and furled their sails to steady their cannon fire." Ash remembered hearing cannons at the fort he, Misty, Tracey and the Pokémon heard. Tracey believed it was mere special effects.
"So the cannon fire my friends and I heard before Pikachu and I fell here was from the Marine ship?" This astonished some of the crew.
"I know cannon fire's loud but I didn't think it'd be that loud," Franky awed. "And those were mere warning shots."
"Of course, that somehow led you to see the Marines attack us and you stopping them with your creatures," Zoro concluded. "I guess I shouldn't complain too much, it does reserve our energy for this raid… and you'll be a part of it as well." Ash gulped but soon nodded to the situation he put himself in.
"So, how do we approach the fort and loot these Marines?" he wondered.
"One thing: they'll be expecting us," Nami started. "The Thousand Sunny will absorb any cannon fire these guys will shoot at us. Once we neutralize the front line, everyone race in and grab anything to bring back to the ship. Luffy will shield us in the front while others flank to cover sides. Ash, you'll be with me, Robin and Chopper. You and Chopper lead the front door breaking before we loot it." Others nodded to the plan, including the captain.
"It's so simple, I can understand and make sure everyone comes back to the Sunny before Franky lets it fly," Luffy agreed.
"Yeah, it's simple," Ash nodded. "It's practically straightforward."
"Perhaps, but then… straightforward is fast and unpredictable," Sanji added. As the sun began to set, Usopp eyed a series of smooth and narrow hills on a palace-like structure. A "MARINES" flag waived, a pair of blue curves connected together over a line, connected to two crescent moons mirrored over the namesake. Around the landscape was a brick wall, several layers thick.
"Marine fort, Ahoy!" shouted Usopp. Pikachu in her arms, Nami waived him back down from the perch high on the mast.
"Alright, Usopp!" she acknowledged. Nami turned to the crew, ready for action. The Marines found the oncoming ship with a yellow lion figurehead on the front. They realized who came.
"They're here!" a Marine warned as the ship reached land.
"Cannons ready?!" another Marine called out.
"Aye, sir!" more Marines replied.
"Aim…!" Cannons adjusted at the oncoming ship. "Fire!" Cannons shot iron balls from their barrels. Luffy stood on the figurehead, grinning at the incoming fire.
"You know what to do, Luffy!" advised Nami.
"Sure do!" cheered Luffy before he leaped in the air while the cannonballs closed in. "Gum-Gum Balloon!" Luffy inflated himself into a balloon, awing Ash and Pikachu. The cannonballs nailed Luffy but instead of knocking him down, he flexed his ballooned body and deflected the cannonballs back at the fort. The cannonballs crashed all over the place, destroying some cannons. The ship came to shore. Aside Franky, the Straw Hats disembarked the ship, the Marines running at the pirates. Zoro came forward with his swords. Ash still felt a little hesitant to aid Luffy and his crew.
"I still don't feel good about everything happening, and I bet Pikachu feels the same way," he mentioned. Pikachu lowly squeaked, confirming Ash's suspicions. Nami understood Ash's doubts.
"Being a pirate isn't an easy thing to accept," she reasoned. "However, these guys ruined most of our first lives. That's why we fight them. Besides, your Pokémon will be a big help to our cause." Hearing Nami's explanation, Ash started to picture the Straw Hats' purposes.
"So, are you really pirates or freedom fighters?" Nami thought Ash joked and laughed a little.
"Good one." Zoro cocked two of his swords.
"Three-Sword style..." he started. "108 Caliber Phoenix!" He swung his swords in a circular fashion which inherited air pressure. The pressure nailed the Marines and a horde of them flew back from the swing. The wall didn't stand a chance as a hole blew open by the doors. Ash and Pikachu gulped from the attack.
"Awesome!" he gawked in awe. Luffy jumped in, arms revving rapidly.
"Gum-Gum… Gatling!" he shouted as he fired punches so fast, he appeared to have a lot of arms flying all over. The Marines couldn't evade the barrage of punches and most lost consciousness. Astonished, Ash wondered about the Devil Fruit Luffy ate.
"Ash, come on!" ordered Chopper. Ash heard the reindeer and followed to the fort's entrance. Chopper lowered his head and aimed at the door. "Horn Point!" The antlers morphed to ram horns and bashed into the door, knocking it down. Usopp, Sanji, Chopper and Ash stood by the entrance. Ash turned to see Robin with her back to the Marines. Her arms crossed, cherry blossoms came out.
"Doce Fleur!" she chanted. The blossoms distracted the Marines when arms appeared from their backs. The arms wrapped around the heads and waists, making the Marines freak. "Clutch!" The arms yanked the Marines' heads back, the sounds of bones cracking from the force. Ash cringed at seeing the Marines crumble from the back breaking strike.
"That's gotta hurt…" he groaned. Pikachu agreed. Robin glanced to Ash with a smile. Her sweet smiling face triggered something with Ash about her. 'What's up with that smile? And why do I feel I've seen it before?' Before he could ponder.
"You're mine, Straw Hat!" another Marine emerged as he tried to strike from behind. Robin saw the attack and soon nodded.
"Pierna Fleur!" she called out. "Crush!" From beneath the Marine, a foot emerged and flew up, kicking him in the groin. PING! The shot to the groin caused him to drop his sword. The foot vanished and he started to fall. This gave Ash a chance to fight as he decked the Marine with a jaw-smashing uppercut. The Marine fell and his colleagues came to his aid. This gave Ash the opportunity to take a bunch out.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he commanded. Pikachu emitted a blast of Thunderbolt, shocking the Marines unconscious.
"Ash!" shouted Usopp. "Let's go!" Ash and Pikachu joined the others entering the fort. Inside were more Marines. A few charged at Chopper but he morphed to twice his size with his neck not appearing. His hooves gained tone in muscle and length.
"Kung Fu Point!" he announced. In the blink of an eye, Chopper… chopped and stomped many Marines to the ground. More came at Brook who prepped a sword of his own.
"Three-Verse Humming: Arrow-Notch Slash," he called out. In the blink of an eye, Brook stood from in front of the Marines to behind them as he sheathed his sword. The Marines he passed fell. Even more Marines appeared. Usopp had Ash go ahead.
"I'll cover you," he promised. "You get going!" Ash nodded before running out. "I'll buy time with my Green Stars." The others split to find loot. Ash searched with Pikachu keeping an eye and ear out. That's when they passed but returned to find Zoro looking around.
"Where was I suppose to go to again?" he wondered as he itched his head. Out of his good eye, he spotted Ash. "Did you find where the storeroom is?" Ash shook his head.
"Still looking." Zoro nodded but suddenly, Ash sensed someone behind Zoro. "Look out!" Ash pulled Zoro down, ducking a sword swing missing by fractions of a second. The sword came from a lean but strong blond man in a similar colored jacket.
"Dammit, I missed!" he grunted. Ash sprung from the crouch before palming his abdomen. Then he flashed a grin. Like lightning, Ash scored a fast uppercut that reeled the man's head back. He staggered but he remained on his feet. "A kid's punch, huh? And against a World Government agent? How stupid of you…" To Zoro, he knew the ordeal.
"Don't worry," he muttered with a sword's handle in his teeth. "I can train him to be better against the likes of you." The agent balked. Zoro sprung back up and delivered several slashes, knocking the agent down. The ordeal over, Ash pondered about who the agent called himself.
"World Government?" he repeated.
"Long story. Get going and loot." Pikachu listened and led Ash. Seeing Ash attack the agent gave Zoro a chance to smile. "He's got potential. When we leave, I may need to train the trainer." As the two continued, Ash heard different noises and found Nami and Sanji in a storeroom stocking all sorts of food: breads, grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, herbs and spices. They also stored different drinks like juice, soft drinks and what seemed like beer.
"That's a lot of food!" gawked Ash. Pikachu wondered how they'd be able to take it all back to the ship.
"I know, right?" snickered Sanji. "With all this, you can imagine the feasts we'll have." Pikachu couldn't wait to see what food Sanji can dish out. More Marines cornered the three.
"If it isn't the Cat Burglar and the Black Leg," one taunted.
"And they have the Beastman on hand," another pointed out. "We're in for a big haul tonight." Sanji and Nami put their loot down before she brought out a long cyan staff.
"What did they do, pack a lot of sardines in one tin can like this?" mocked Sanji. That's when Nami disconnected an end to her staff and pointed to the Marines.
"You still have to return something, Ash," Nami pointed out. "Allow me… Gust Sword!" A burst of wind blew the Marines away. "Go!" Ash departed and moved to another part of the fort.
"Those guys are strong!" awed Ash. He slowed down in the middle of the hallway when Pikachu heard something but Ash. Listening, it reached an entrance.
"Listen, the Straw Hats can take every piece of food but they must never get this scroll," a man snarled.
"Are you sure?" another man questioned.
"Did you forget, you numskull? If the inscriptions are what I believe it is, this could lead us to Gol D. Rodger's treasure."
"Sounds like a lot being in this little scroll," one more debated. "Then again, these are the Straw Hat pirates who don't know what's in front of their faces before it's too late." To the first man, it wasn't that straightforward.
"Intel did say they have someone from Ohara on there who could read this gobbledygook. If she has it, the treasure's practically in their hands." Ash nodded to Pikachu that the scroll the three inside were bragging about was important.
"Hey, isn't that the woman who ate the Flower-Flower Fruit and was part of Baroque Works?" the second guessed. Before Ash could break in, a Marine sneaked behind with a bazooka aimed at Ash.
"How many rats must infest this fort?" he sneered. Ash turned as he pulled the trigger. Out came a large fishing net and ensnared Ash inside with blue plates on the knots. Hearing the shot and coming out were more Marines. One was a man with a mouse hat and whiskers on his face.
"Look what my cats have dragged in," he snarled. "The so-called Beastman, the one who stopped my men from arresting the Straw Hat pirates!" Ash turned to the man in the mouse hat.
"I guess saying that I wasn't aware of who either of you were doesn't help my case?" he thought. Not caught in the net, Pikachu came to see if Ash got hurt.
"It doesn't matter if it was an honest mistake, especially the drab you're wearing… and now you won't be able to command another creature while in our special net made of Sea-Prism. We've suspected you of taking a Devil Fruit. The question we have for you is what kind and how it's used to control that… disgusting freak of a rat? Where are its whiskers?" Finding himself able to move after the disruption, Ash stood up, startling the Marines. "What is this?" You're suppose to be under the Sea-Prism's effects!" Pikachu emitted sparks from its cheeks.
"Thanks for the advice. Now would be a good time to apologize to Pikachu. He's my partner… you disgusting freakish human!" The Marines trained their swords at Ash.
"How dare you call Captain Nezumi disgusting!" one bellowed. Ash brought out a red/white ball and opened it, revealing Bulbasaur.
"Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur sprayed leaves at the net, cutting it to ribbons. Not only did it freak the Marines, but revealed the truth about Ash.
"Captain, he's not a user!" another screeched.
"That can't be!" gawked Nezumi.
"You're right," Ash mocked. "It's not all. Bulbasaur, Leech Seed! And Pikachu, one more Thunderbolt!" Firing seeds, Bulbasaur ensnared the Marines which appeared to be draining their energy. Pikachu emitted one more Thunderbolt while Ash hooked and crossed his arms, nailing a bunch on the jaws and livers, immobilizing or knocking out Marines left and right. Nezumi's last and Ash delivered a right cross to the mouth. His fingers latched onto his whiskers and he pulled them off his face. The pain from the removal caused Nezumi to emit a blood-curdling scream.
"My whiskers! My beautiful whiskers!" Ash felt compelled to silence the captain.
"Your whiskers shouldn't be on your mind now." He delivered one solid uppercut to the chin, lifting him to the air before a painful thud on landing. No Marine stood. Bulbasaur saw a slip of paper and used a vine to pull it out. "Hey, what did you find?" Bulbasaur handed the slip to Ash who unrolled it. On there were various symbols that he couldn't make out. "Is this what they don't want us to have? Maybe Robin knows." Ash needed to sit and recover. He saw an open chair and sat. However, he slumped and tilted the chair over. Just before he fell over, the chair stopped. Pikachu and Bulbasaur came to see if Ash was okay. That's when a secret compartment opened. All looked inside, awed to their finding. "Seems pirates weren't the only deceiving ones with treasure." As he and the Pokémon salvaged their findings, Zoro emerged.
"Damn, this fort's bigger than we thought," he muttered to himself. "I should be able to smell the booze from a mile away…" Pikachu squeaked after hearing Zoro just as Ash finished filling a sack about Ash's size and a half. He also saw the swordsman.
"Hey, Zoro! I could use a hand!" Looking again to Zoro… he wasn't there. "Uh, Zoro?" Pikachu shrugged its shoulders, not knowing where Zoro departed to. "Let's get the rest and use Charizard to escape." Outside, Luffy saw Nami and Sanji getting on board the ship.
"Great, now we need Ash to come out," he counted. "I hope they didn't get caught." Before deciding to charge back in…
"Luffy!" shouted Ash. Luffy turned to see Ash with the big haul with Charizard carrying another sack as big as the first.
"Whoa, man! What you bring?"
"Later, we got company!" Marines recovered from knockouts and pursued Ash, now with Luffy and Charizard running or flying. Ash had an idea. "Charizard, get to the ship and wait there!" Charizard nodded before flying back to the ship.
"Don't you need him to fly away?"
"I got an idea with these guys! Get back to the ship and depart!" Luffy didn't want to abandon Ash.
"No way! I never abandon any of my crew!" To Ash, he had something no one expected him to have.
"Don't worry! I'll be with you guys eventually! Trust me!" Luffy sensed a determined Ash and nodded.
"Okay! Don't fall to them!" Luffy broke away and Ash faced the Marines.
"So you guys do better in the sea than you do on land?" Pikachu added to the taunt before they led the chase. Using his rubber body, Luffy reached the ship where the others waited, including Zoro.
"Luffy, where's Ash?" asked Brook.
"Still at the fort!" gasped Luffy.
"And you left him there?!" yelled Nami. Usopp looked over the rail to see Ash and Pikachu running for their lives against the Marines.
"He's gonna get swamped!" yelled Usopp. This got Nami to glance to Charizard.
"Hey, your master will get mauled if you don't do something!" she snapped. Charizard bowed and growled to Nami which Chopper understood.
"Charizard says he's got confidence in Ash and knows what he's doing!" translated Chopper. Nami gawked to the translation. She darted to Ash, now at the empty dock and facing the Marine horde. Luffy saw this and sensed Ash's confidence from afar.
"He'll be okay…" he muttered. Ash glared at the Marines with a grin. He dropped a ball to the sea which opened.
"Any last words?" one Marine questioned.
"Just two…" he snickered. "Ice Beam!" Ash ducked to reveal Lapras who then shot blue beams to the shocked Marines. All the Marines took the beam and froze on contact. Luffy, Chopper and Usopp awed the sight of Lapras.
"That's awesome!" they cheered. Seeing the frozen group, Ash boarded Lapras who then swam to the ship. Getting to the side, Ash called for a lift.
"Anyone wanna give me a hand?" Luffy obliged and stretched his arm to grab Ash and lift him and Pikachu to the deck. Ash recalled Lapras to its ball.
"That was awesome," Chopper cheered. "Charizard and now that?" Ash snickered to the reindeer's discovery. Franky came to the rail in front of the wheel.
"We'll discuss more when we're clear," he warned. "Brace for take off!" Everyone ran to grab something that anchored to the deck. The ship facing away, a burner emerged and began to gather energy. "On three…" Everyone grabbed on, including Ash. Nami secured Pikachu. One… Two… Three… Coup de Burst!" A cannon-like shot blasted the ship like a rocket, propelling it from the surf. Flying, everyone clasped down hard. After a minute in the air and cleared from the fort's sight, the Straw Hats became curious to Ash's haul. The ship rested on calm waters.
"This calls for a celebration on the plunder of the fort!" cheered Luffy. All cheered to the accomplishments.
"I'll get some food ready," Sanji offered before going inside. Ash and Charizard gathered the sacks together.
"So, what did you get? Food? I bet he found extra food!" Instead of explaning, Ash turned to Charizard with Pikachu on its head.
"Ready?" he asked. Charizard nodded before both untied the sacks. Out poured gold, lots and lots of gold. There were crowns, scepters, coins, chests, anything that fit inside the sack had gold. Everyone gawked in surprise, astonished at Ash's haul.
"Look at all this gold!" awed Brook. "If I had eyes, they'd be bulging out of my head!"
"I wouldn't blame you," Robin agreed. "This has to be worth billions all together!" An excited Nami collected Ash in her arms and cheered.
"I can't believe it!" she cheered as she pulled Ash's head to her chest, splitting between the bosoms. Her shriek summoned Sanji to see Nami with Ash's head on her body. Brook's and Sanji's jaws dropped in shock and dismay. Lifting his head for a brief moment, Nami pressed her lips on him several times on end.
"No fair!" the blond complained. "He brings in a haul and he's getting Nami-Swan's love?"
"It makes me feel less of a man at that sight, my heart's breaking," Brook mulled. "Well, it almost feels glad that I don't have a heart to begin with." Usopp began to wonder about the effort.
"I can't believe you got all of this gold out of there," he awed. Ash nodded but not with a smile.
"I would've had an easier time if Zoro didn't run off when I needed him," he complained. All turned to Zoro, Nami not pleased.
"Really?" he murmured. "I thought you were doing fine. I was trying to see if there was more booze in the fort to-" WHAM! Nami shut Zoro by clubbing his head with her staff.
"You idiot!" she snapped. The clobber knocked Zoro down in pain. That's when Ash remembered the scroll from Nezumi.
"By the way, I also picked this from the fort's captain with whiskers and a rat hat while offending Pikachu," he added before pulling it out and handing it to Robin. She unfurled it to find writings on it. She gasped to it.
"This…" she hushed. "This is Poneglyph. And it seems to be about One Piece!" Ash and the Pokémon blinked to Robin's briefing. The others gathered to know what it read. "I'll need to read through this but from what I can decipher, it's no question it involves Gol's treasures. Ash, you've given us a chance to reach our goal. Thank you!" She stood only to kneel and take Ash from Nami to hug him, his head on her shoulder. "Oh, thank you!" With a nod, Nami and Robin gave Ash a kiss to each cheek. Ash's face bled red in embarrassment while Sanji and Brook crumpled to their knees.
"Stop the loving, Nami-Swan!" whined Sanji.
"Yes, stop breaking Sanji's heart and my soul, Robin!" cried Brook. Soon, everyone gathered with various drinks in hand. A lot had what seemed to be beer while Chopper and Pikachu had juice. Franky handed Ash a bottle with "COLA" on the label.
"I know you're too young to have booze so a Cola should work," he pointed out.
"Sweet!" laughed Ash. Also having Cola was Usopp who gathered the Straw Hats together.
"I could say that it's a fluke we've been given someone like Ash," he started. "However, his ability to stop the Marines from taking the Sunny and bringing the most from the raid, it's official that Ash Ketchum and his Pokémon is our newest Straw Hats, making him our tenth member!" Luffy agreed, raising a glass.
"Yeah, let's hear it for Ash!" he shouted. "Welcome aboard!" All raised their glass and cheered. Meanwhile, Nezumi seemed to have recovered from the knockout Ash gave him.
"That boy…" he growled. "That nuisance! I'll get him and that Straw Hat!" A Marine, miraculously untouched, came in with a camera.
"Captain Nezumi!" he called. "I got the picture… though, he did take everything from the hidden compartment." Nezumi looked to find the compartment bare. His face read dismay.
"Even the treasure?!" He pounded the floor before seeing the photo of Ash and Pikachu turning at the dock with a grin on his face, his teeth glinting.
"I heard his name's Ash Ketchum, and we've already determined he's not a Devil Fruit user… and he punched a World Government agent." Nezumi grabbed the photo, willing to choke Ash out.
"That son of a bitch! Get me the Transponder Snail!" The Marine grabbed a snail with a communicator on it. Nezumi received the speaker. "Navy HQ? Navy HQ, respond!"
"This is Navy HQ!" someone on the other side answered.
"This is Captain Nezumi of Marine New World Fort Hiller. Marine Code: 00733. I'm transponding to make an update about the Straw Hat Pirates: they have a new recruit. He goes by the name Ash Ketchum, nickname: Beastman. He raided my fort with different creatures like a mouse that can shoot lightning, a dragon with a flame on its tail… and there's more. I demand a high Berry bounty!" Navy HQ had a request.
"Do you have a photo of him?"
"I do. Let me send it." Nezumi put Ash's picture under the snail who then squirmed over it. Navy HQ saw the photo.
"He's… a little young. Are you sure about this?"
"Don't question me! He tore off my whiskers, stole all the gold in my hidden compartment, snatched a scroll that was meant for Marie Jois and battered a World Government agent! Don't let his young face fool you!"
"Understood. We'll evaluate the details and send out notices. Also, captain?" Nezumi wondered what else Navy HQ wanted. "If this is true, you may receive… disciplinary notices." Nezumi shuttered at what notices he'd be getting. For Ash, he's started a new journey with Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirates. It also meant starting a life as a fugitive.
TO BE CONTINUED…