Ignoring Nami's warnings, Albert couldn't help but feel dejected. Despite having skills of his own, he frequently found himself being belittled. If only he could have a pirate to showcase his talents!
Beep...
"Nami, where are you steering the ship now?" Albert asked, twisting the helm in boredom.
Nami directed Albert's navigation: "Where? We're heading to trade the treasure for Berries."
Nami was completely at ease and enjoying herself, having realized that Albert posed no threat. She took charge of the ship as if it were her own.
Looking at Nami lounging on a sunbed, Albert sighed, "Then at least tell me our destination."
"Orange Town!" she replied.
"Orange Town?" Albert thought that name sounded familiar. Wasn't it the territory of Clown Buggy?
The name Buggy reminded Albert of his own past as a trainee pirate aboard the Pirate King's ship. That ship had very few Devil Fruit users; their strength came from Haki! Since Clown Buggy had once been a trainee there, he surely knew how to harness Haki. After all, Shanks, who had been in the same position, was a Haki master. Surely Buggy understood the learning process of Haki as well.
...
Orange Town was not far away. After a day of sailing, Albert's ship docked there. Upon arrival, Albert and Nami split ways—she went to cash in the treasure, while he sought out Buggy in the hopes of discovering a method to cultivate Haki.
Albert strolled through the town leisurely, taking in the sights instead of rushing to find Buggy.
Suddenly, he heard Nami's voice calling from behind him. He turned around only to see a gang chasing her with knives.
Albert's eyes brightened; this was an opportunity! He stood firm and greeted Nami, "Hey, Nami, having some trouble?"
Nami sprinted toward him, breathless. "You have to help me! Didn't you claim to be strong? Now's your chance to prove it." With a flirtatious grin, Albert pulled Nami behind him and spoke to the attackers, "Back off, I'll handle this. Go on home and find your mothers!"
Nami chuckled at his words, but the knife-wielding crew was furious.
"Hey, where do you think you're coming from? Do you know we're from the Buggy Pirates? Let the woman behind you hand over the map she stole from us!"
"That's right, give us the map!" the crew echoed.
...
Turning to Nami, who was clutching a map, Albert asked, "You took their map?"
Nami hugged the map tighter defensively and replied, "Yes, so what? You're not suggesting I just hand it over!"
Albert shook his head. "Not at all; they were robbed, and that's their own fault!"
Nami smiled at this, but the pirates fumed even more.
"Watch your mouth, kid! I'll cut you into pieces!" one of them screamed.
Albert drew the wooden sword from his waist and declared, "Enough talk! Come at me all at once!" Fuming, the pirates charged.
"Watch out, Albert!" Nami warned.
But Albert remained unconcerned, swinging his wooden sword and unleashing a sword aura that took the pirates down in an instant.
Dumbfounded, Nami gazed at the fallen pirates and then straightened her clothes. "Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Nami, a thief specialized in stealing from pirates. Do you want to partner up?"
Amused by her sudden shift in tone, Albert replied, "Nami, I've mentioned before that I'm really into you. Of course, I want to join forces. So, what do you think? Want to be my wife now?"
"Not a chance! We're in a partnership; I won't easily be your wife," she retorted.
Albert shook his head, feeling a twinge of disappointment. He regretted being so eager; after all, he had never been in love before.
"Well, let's focus on our partnership for now."
"Sure! Let's go to my room to discuss our plan."
"Alright, but just a moment." Albert then started picking up swords from the pirates on the ground. Soon, he found a good one and tucked it into his waist.
Nami looked at him curiously. "What do you need the sword for? Don't you have your own wooden sword?"
Albert sighed. The wooden sword was only because he was broke! Now that he was about to confront Buggy, a real sword would certainly be more practical.
"I prefer not to use a wooden sword; I'm just poor. With a real swrod now, it's only natural I'd take one," he explained.
"Oh... I forgot you didn't have money," Nami added, teasing him further.
...
Back at the room, Nami explained her scheme. Unbeknownst to them, while they were plotting, a young man wearing a straw hat fell from the sky!
...
"So, you want the Buggy Pirates' treasure and stole their map?" Albert asked.
"Exactly! Are you interested? Don't forget, you owe me twenty million Berries!" she countered.
"When did I ever owe you that much? You're the one asking!" Albert wanted to retort, but he knew it would be pointless. He understood Nami needed the money to buy back her village from Arlong. As a gentleman, he felt he should support her. He dismissed the part of the story where she had treated him like a prisoner and sent him off to Buggy, intending to win his trust.
"Fine, but keep the map for yourself. I won't be your captive; however, I can help you steal the Buggy Pirates' treasure without anyone catching on." Nami's eyes lit up. She was eager to steal without being noticed, but her skepticism lingered, "Are you serious? Can you really pull it off without getting caught?"
Seeing her doubt, Albert felt a little exasperated. Wasn't his Observation Haki supposed to help with this? Was his skill somehow inferior?
"Want to stand up and walk over now?"
"Huh?" Nami gasped in shock. "How do you know what I'm thinking?"
With a smirk, Albert said, "Now do you see that I can avoid detection?" Nami nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. "I believe you! If I can learn this, I won't get caught when I steal!"
Albert was sweating; when did this advanced skill, Observation Haki, turn into a high-level thief tactic?
"This technique is called Observation Haki. If you want to learn it, I can teach you later!"
"I absolutely want to learn it! Teach me right now!"
Coughing, Albert blushed at Nami's closeness, quickly changing the subject. "Let's go get the treasure first."
As soon as she heard "treasure," Nami dropped her curiosity about Haki and exclaimed, "What are we waiting for? Haven't you heard the treasure calling us?"
...
Thanks to Albert's Observation Haki, he and Nami arrived at Buggy's base without raising any alarms.
"Treasure, treasure... it should be here." Nami approached a large chest, opened it, and found it packed with valuables.
Nami's eyes widened in excitement. "There's about ten million Berries here! It's perfect! Let's get out of here!"
"Wait, I need to find something first." Albert then concentrated, using his Observation Haki to search thoroughly. He stopped in front of Buggy's bed, lifted a wooden panel, and uncovered a small box.
"Oops, I grabbed the treasure and ran without investigating!" Nami lamented. "I almost overlooked the real prize—open it and see what's inside!"
Albert opened the small box, revealing a map. Disappointment washed over him; there was no Haki training manual inside—just like he suspected, novels were often misleading.
Just then, the sound of chaos erupted outside. Activating his Observation Haki, Albert spotted the straw-hatted young man battling Buggy alongside a green-haired swordsman with three swords.