"So, what exactly are we doing?"
"Infiltrating the marine base to retrieve some documents – the Captain here has been abusing his power and embezzling funds for a while, so they're hoping to get him caught, prosecuted, then replaced with… proper management."
Nami snorted. "Of course. And how are you planning on getting in, exactly?"
"By using him as a distraction."
"Who—"
"Oi! Monkey D. Luffy!"
Nami groaned in embarrassment as all eyes turned to them, startled by the loud exclamation – including the boy with the straw hat eating like a pig four tables away, and the other boy with pink hair sitting right next to him. The latter paled almost dramatically, as if he'd just been caught doing something illegal, but Brynlee didn't even spare him a glance as she reached their table and extended her hand to the other.
"Who're you?" he blinked.
Brynlee's grin widened as echoes of Luffy's greatest desire filled her senses. "Lucky D. Brynlee. I'm Sabo's best friend."
"Oh! You're the mystery girl!" He laughed, eagerly shaking her hand. "Sabo talks all the time about you! It's great to finally meet you!"
"Funny, he talks all the time about you," she replied, distinctly amused. "Speaking of, he was headed to Dawn Island to see you before you took off on your journey, but it looks like you beat him to the punch, huh? What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Oh! My ship sunk so I floated in a barrel for a while, and then I met Koby on an ugly cow's ship, so I beat her up and we left and got here! Also I'm gonna recruit a pirate hunter!"
The pink-haired boy, probably Koby, sweatdroped. "Luffy, if you say it like that, then no one could possibly understand—"
"I see! That sure sounds like a fun adventure already!"
Koby almost fell out of his seat. "You understood that!?"
"Who's that pirate hunter, anyway?" continued Brynlee, unperturbed.
"A guy named Zoro! He's trapped in the marine base right now, but I don't think he's a bad guy so we're gonna go and free him," grinned Luffy. "Wanna come?"
"Sure! My friend and I were headed that way, anyway—huh? Nami, what are you still doing back there? Come here!" She returned Luffy's grin as Nami reluctantly joined their noisy table. "Nami, this is Luffy, Sabo's brother, and his friend Koby! Guys, this is my best friend Nami! She's the greatest navigator in the East Blue!"
Nami instantly flushed, though she seemed pleased by the praise – but before she could say anything, Luffy gasped, his eyes almost sparkling.
"A navigator? Awesome! Koby just said I needed one for my crew! Hey, Nami, join my crew! And you too, Bryn! Sabo said you were super strong!"
Koby started sweating even more. "You can't just ask everyone you meet to join your crew—"
"Sure! It'll be fun!"
Koby definitely fell out of his seat this time around, and Nami promptly slapped Brynlee's shoulder, a bit annoyed.
"Don't make that kind of decision on your own! I haven't made up my mind just yet," she huffed, before glancing towards Luffy. "Maybe. I'll join your crew for now but it's a trial period – if I don't like it, I'm leaving."
"Yosh! New crewmates!" cheered Luffy, who most definitely did not register half of what Nami said. "Cheers, cheers!"
"Cheers!" laughed Brynlee, grabbing a nearby mug to chug it down.
Nami groaned, slumping on the table a bit. "Oh god, there's two of them…"
[TITLE ACQUIRED]
Straw Hat Pirate
So... yeah, that's pretty much going to be the vibe with these two xD I hope you liked this first meeting, please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and expectations as well!
Also, one last thing: now that we're officially entering canon, I have a feeling a few "purists" will constantly nitpick in regards to "following the timeline" and "characters acting out of character" and that sort of stuff. And in answer to that, right now, I'll simply say: lay off. This is going to be fun little ride with sometimes more serious issues popping up, but I'm doing it my way so if you don't like it, just don't say anything and leave. Okay? Thank you~
