They almost didn't make it back to the Merry in time – almost. Despite Zoro's clash with Tashigi and Luffy's first encounter with Smoker, Seastone, and his father alike (he obviously didn't know about the last one), though, they somehow managed to pull a miracle out of their asses and safely made it back to their ship. Brynlee also counted her blessings when Tashigi failed to notice her, too enraged by Zoro's "betrayal" to notice hers.

As they sailed away from Loguetown, they even managed to wave goodbye to Sabo, who'd appeared at the docks in the nick of time to see them off.

And now… now, it was almost time to properly begin their journey.

"Alright, everyone. We're a little less than a week away from the Red Line. The map we managed to obtain from Buggy depicts the most direct route and should allow us to avoid most, if not all, marine patrols – but there's no telling what we might run into, still," explained Nami, gesturing to the map laid out on the table. "So, I want you guys to stay vigilant, alright? We should probably practice some emergency drills, and—what the hell are you doing?"

Brynlee stifled a laugh as Nami finally noticed that A) no one but her and Sanji were listening and B) Luffy had shoved chopsticks up his nose and was now making silly faces at Usopp and Zoro. Nami groaned, letting her head hit the table.

"I'm surrounded by idiots… We're all gonna die…"

"There, there," chuckled Brynlee, patting her back. "We'll be fine. These guys might be idiots, but they can act when it counts. Just let them have their fun. And if they end up causing too much trouble, then I'll help you run them ragged with chores."

"Promise?" asked tearily Nami.

"Promise. Though, now that reminds me… Oi, everyone!" The boys immediately snapped to attention, startled by her sudden shout. "Let's all go out on the deck. There's a really cool trick I wanna show you guys!"

"Ooh, I wanna see it!" instantly beamed Luffy, rushing outside.

"Trick?" echoed Nami, a bit confused.

Brynlee grinned. "It's about time we roped them in our training, don't you think?"

Nami's eyes started shining, and she promptly hurried outside. Brynlee slipped on her cloak, then headed out as well, joining the others on deck.

"Wait! Before we start, I have a question!" said Usopp, raising his hand.

"Yes?"

"What's that new cloak and how does it conceal your wings so well?"

She blinked, then shrugged. "Magic."

"You have a magic cloak? That's so cool!" gasped Luffy.

"That's not an answer…" grumbled Usopp.

She offered him an apologetic smile but didn't expand on the subject. Right now, she didn't have a better way to explain how the cloak worked or how she'd come to obtain it, so they'd have to settle for non-answers.

"Alright. First thing first… Nami, please hit Luffy – but don't aim for the head."

"Huh? What's that gonna do?" wondered Luffy, a bit confused.

"Even if she aimed for his head, it's not like it'd hurt him," scoffed Zoro. "It's—"

"Ow! Nami, that hurt!"

A startled silence followed Luffy's pained shout as Nami lowered her fist, grinning from ear to ear. It took a moment for everyone to process the fact that, somehow, Nami had managed to bypass Luffy's innate resistance to blunt force trauma.

"As far as we know, there exist three ways to fully counter a Devil Fruit user. Can anyone name any of them?"

"The sea!" grinned Luffy, waving his hand around. "I can't swim at all!"

She smiled, proud he'd answered at all. "That's right – that's one. Another?"

"Seastone – like the one that marine guy used back in Loguetown," recalled Sanji.

"That's two. Can anyone give me the third one?"

"I'm guessing it's whatever Nami just used?" drawled Zoro, though there was a definite, interested glint in his eyes.

"Yup. It's called Haki – an ability that is mostly known and used in the second half of the Grand Line, or by big-shots in the marine corps," she summarized. "There are three types of Haki: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror. What Nami used just now on Luffy is Armament – it can basically create an invisible armor that grants you great defensive and offensive abilities alike, namely the ability to injure Devil Fruit users generally immune to all sorts of damages."

"Armament and Observation Haki can be taught and learned by pretty much anyone with a basic affinity for them and with enough training," added Nami. "That's how Bryn and I learned to wield it, along with Sabo."

"Though their Armament is much better than mine, and pretty much all of our Observation is basic, at most," shrugged Brynlee. "But in any case, we'll be teaching you guys so you can be better prepared for the enemies we'll undoubtedly make in the Grand Line."

"What a terrifying power," muttered Usopp, looking a little green. "And- and everyone there can use it?"

She offered a reassuring smile. "Not at all. In fact, I doubt we'll run into anyone capable of using it – or willing to use it against us, at the very least – before we've completed the first half of our journey and, by then, we'll all have grown much stronger already."

"What about the third type?" asked Sanji, curious.

"That one cannot be taught. Only a select few can use it, and it's usually triggered by extreme emotions. It's also called 'the Color of the Supreme King', since it's an ability that basically forces one's will upon another's. The late Pirate King himself was a user."

"The Pirate King!?" gawked Usopp.

"And as far as I'm aware, I believe Luffy will eventually be able to use it, too," she added. "Though there's no telling when he'll awaken it."

"Wait, you're saying Luffy will get one of the greatest powers this world has to offer? The power that was wielded by the Pirate King himself?" repeated Usopp, aghast.

"Shi-shi-shi! That's neat!"

"That's terrifying! A moron with such power…"

A mild shudder ran down everyone's spine – they did not think about that particular aspect, and now kind of dreaded it. But Brynlee's smile remained completely unaffected.

"We've got a long road ahead before any of you can use Haki at all, so don't worry about it for now. Now, let's get to work!"

And we're back, baby! I debated doing a chapter focused on their escape from Loguetown and their run-ins with Smoker, Tashigi and Dragon, but decided against it because I simply didn't feel like writing it. It's basically the same as in canon, anyway.

And now, we're but a few chapters away from the Grand Line! Look forward to it~