CHAPTER 3 - ORANGE TOWN: BUGGY'S BIG BLUNDER
The journey to Orange Town was, as expected, a masterclass in controlled chaos. Luffy's boundless energy meant constant detours for "adventures," which usually involved chasing after strange creatures or trying to fish with his bare hands. Zoro, true to form, managed to get lost on the deck of their tiny boat, once nearly falling overboard while trying to find the "north side" of the ship. Adam, meanwhile, spent his time observing, planning, and occasionally intervening to prevent total disaster.
"Are we there yet?" Luffy asked for the tenth time, dangling his rubber arm over the side of the boat.
"No, Captain, we are not," Adam sighed, consulting a crude map he'd drawn. "And if you keep doing that, you're going to attract a sea monster. Or worse, a really aggressive school of angry sardines. You do not want to tangle with angry sardines. They're surprisingly judgmental."
Zoro, who had somehow ended up facing the wrong way while sitting, grunted. "Just get us to land."
"Working on it, Mr. Directionally Challenged," Adam retorted, a smirk playing on his lips. "Though, I'm pretty sure if I let you navigate, we'd end up in the Grand Line by accident. Which, while exciting, would be a tad premature."
They finally spotted land: a small, colorful town nestled against a cliff face. Orange Town. And, more importantly, the domain of the flamboyant, clown-nosed pirate, Buggy.
"Alright, team," Adam announced, rubbing his hands together. "New town, new adventures. And new opportunities for me to annoy people. My personal favorite."
As they neared the shore, they saw a young woman, her orange hair a vibrant contrast to her serious expression, running towards them. She was carrying a large sack, and her eyes darted nervously around. Nami. The future navigator. And, currently, the bane of Adam's existence.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NAMI][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 0%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: NONE]
"Zero percent. Perfect. The canvas is blank. Time to paint a masterpiece of mutual exasperation. I'm going to make her regret every single Beri she's ever hoarded."
Nami, seeing their small boat, stopped abruptly, her eyes widening. "Pirates!" she gasped, then quickly composed herself, a cunning glint in her eyes. "Oh, hello there, handsome pirates! Are you perhaps... looking for a navigator?"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Smooth. Very smooth. Almost makes me want to trust her. Almost. But I know what's coming. The money obsession. The betrayal. The tears. And then the glorious, glorious recruitment. But first, the pranks. Oh, the glorious, infuriating pranks."
"Well, we are looking for a navigator," Luffy said, grinning. "Are you good at it?"
"The best!" Nami declared, puffing out her chest. "For a price, of course."
Adam stepped forward, a charming smile on his face. "A price? My dear lady, we are pirates. We take what we want. And what we want, apparently, is a navigator who doesn't charge us for the privilege of sailing with the future King of the Pirates."
Nami's smile faltered. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong," Adam continued, his voice dripping with mock sincerity. "I admire your entrepreneurial spirit. Truly. But there's a fine line between 'savvy businesswoman' and 'person who would sell her grandmother for a handful of Beri.' And I suspect you've crossed it, then built a toll booth on the other side."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NAMI][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 5%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: NONE]
"Five percent hate. Excellent. We're off to a strong start. She's already bristling. This is going to be a beautiful friendship, built on a foundation of mutual annoyance."
Before Nami could retort, a group of Buggy Pirates appeared, led by the man himself, a large, red nose prominent on his face.
"There she is!" Buggy roared, pointing at Nami. "The thieving cat! Get her!"
Nami, startled, bolted. Luffy, intrigued by the commotion, followed. Zoro, ever the stoic, just shrugged and walked after them. Adam, however, paused, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Buggy. The Chop-Chop Fruit user. Immune to slashing attacks. His weakness? Being separated from his body parts. And, of course, seawater. Hmm, seawater. That gives me an idea. A very, very messy idea."
He followed the commotion into the town square, where Buggy was already demonstrating his powers, separating his body parts to avoid attacks. Luffy, as usual, was fighting head-on, completely unaware of Buggy's weakness.
Adam surveyed the scene. He noticed a large, suspiciously leaky water barrel near a fruit stand. And then he saw it: a small, rickety ladder leading to the roof of a nearby building. Perfect.
He casually strolled towards the water barrel, whistling an innocent tune. As Buggy's detached hand flew past him, Adam "accidentally" bumped into the barrel, sending a small stream of water splashing onto the ground.
"Oh dear! Clumsy me!" he exclaimed, then quickly moved on. He climbed the ladder, making sure to make a lot of noise, drawing the attention of a few Buggy Pirates.
"Hey! What are you doing up there, brat?!" one of them yelled.
"Just admiring the view!" Adam called back, then "tripped" on the roof, sending a cascade of loose tiles clattering down onto the pirates below. "Oops! Gravity! Always gets you in the end, doesn't it?"
While the pirates were distracted, Adam positioned himself directly above Buggy, who was currently laughing maniacally as Luffy's punches sailed harmlessly through his separated body. Adam then, with the precision of a seasoned prankster, nudged the leaky water barrel. It teetered, then slowly, agonizingly slowly, tipped over.
A torrent of water cascaded down, drenching Buggy's separated body parts.
"AGH! SEAWATER!" Buggy shrieked, his voice filled with horror. His body parts, now soaked, were unable to float or separate further. He was stuck, a flailing, sputtering mess.
Luffy, seeing his opponent suddenly vulnerable, didn't hesitate. "Gum-Gum Pistol!" he roared, sending Buggy flying.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: BUGGY][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 30%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: CHOP-CHOP FESTIVAL (UNSTABLE)]
"Thirty percent hate! And 'Chop-Chop Festival (unstable)'? So I can probably detach my limbs, but they might just fall off and roll away. Useful for, say, reaching for that remote that's just out of reach. Or maybe for a really elaborate magic trick. The possibilities are endless, and equally ridiculous."
Adam descended from the roof, a picture of innocent bewilderment. "My goodness! What happened? Did he just... melt? I told you, Captain, water is dangerous. Especially to clowns."
Luffy just laughed, completely oblivious to Adam's deliberate actions. "Shishishishi! You're so smart, Adam!"
Nami, however, watched Adam with a suspicious glint in her eye. She knew a setup when she saw one.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she accused, crossing her arms.
Adam feigned shock. "Me? Never! I'm a pillar of accidental misfortune. Besides, how was I to know a little splash of water would turn a grown man into a soggy, crying mess? You'd think pirates would be more resilient. Clearly, this one needs to invest in a good raincoat."
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NAMI][LIKE METER: 0%][HATE METER: 15%][ACQUIRABLE SKILLS: BASIC NAVIGATION, CARTOGRAPHY (THEORY)]
"Fifteen percent hate. And 'Basic Navigation, Cartography (theory)'? So I can probably read a map without holding it upside down. Excellent. This will be very useful for finding the nearest pizza place. Or, you know, not getting lost at sea. Details, details."
Later, after the Buggy Pirates were routed and the town was safe, Nami, still wary, agreed to join them, but only temporarily. Adam knew her true intentions, but he also knew she'd come around. Eventually. After he drove her absolutely bonkers.
He saw her sneak off to a secluded spot, carefully digging up a small chest. Her hidden stash of Beri. Adam's eyes gleamed. "Oh, Nami. You poor, unsuspecting soul. You're about to learn that money isn't everything. Especially when it keeps mysteriously disappearing. Or, in some cases, getting a very, very unfortunate 'accident' involving a rogue spark and a small, controlled fire."
He waited until she was gone, then approached the spot. He dug up the chest, revealing a modest pile of Beri. He carefully counted out a small portion, perhaps a few thousand, and then, with a heavy heart (and an even heavier dose of sarcasm), he set it alight with a small, carefully controlled flame from a lighter he always carried.
"Such a tragedy," he murmured, watching the Beri curl and blacken. "A terrible, terrible accident. Perhaps a rogue spark from a passing firefly? Or maybe it was just... spontaneous combustion of greed. It happens."
He then replaced the rest of the Beri, leaving a faint smell of smoke and a few charred notes. He then pulled out a small, rolled-up scroll from his satchel. It was a temporary copy of a future map, generated by his system from Nami's future self. He carefully tucked a few high-denomination Beri notes, also generated by his system, into the map, then placed it near the chest.
"There. A little compensation for her trauma. And a subtle hint that there are other ways to get money. Ways that don't involve hoarding every single coin like a neurotic dragon. This is going to be a long, glorious war."
He walked away, whistling, a satisfied smirk on his face. The sound of a distant, enraged shriek echoed through the town. Adam's smirk widened.
"Ah, the sweet symphony of Nami's fury. Music to my ears. This is going to be a fun trip."