[One Piece: The Legend of the Star Sea] Chapter 34 (Patreon)

Late at night, the crescent moon hung high in the sky, and occasional cold winds blew, bringing a sense of chill.

In the East Blue, on a slope leading to Syrup Village, Eden and the others sat around a campfire, eating grilled fish and discussing their plans.

Because Luffy kept complaining about being hungry, Eden had gone to the shallow waters by the shore to catch a lot of fish.

These fish lived in the shallow waters and were small. To satisfy Luffy's unusual appetite, Eden made several trips, catching hundreds of fish, most of which ended up in Luffy's stomach.

"Didn't you lose your fishing net? How did you catch so many fish?" Nami asked curiously while eating a grilled fish beside Eden.

"I'm a professional fisherman. I can catch fish even without a net, unlike a half-baked thief like you," Eden chuckled, quickly handing another freshly grilled, crescent-shaped silver fish to Nami before she could get mad. "This is a rare Crescent Fish from the East Blue. It usually lives in deep waters and only occasionally comes to the shallow waters during the early nights of a new moon. It's hard to come by. I managed to catch one, so it's yours."

"This fish is really delicious, boneless, and the meat is tender. When fully grilled, the fragrance is sealed inside, making the first bite the most flavorful," Eden explained, noticing Nami staring at him silently with her big eyes, not reaching out for the fish. He thought she might doubt its taste, so he added more details.

Oh, this guy can be considerate sometimes, I guess I'll let what happened earlier slide.

Nami glanced at Eden, slightly lowering her head, the firelight reflecting off her face, masking the slight blush of embarrassment.

Just as Nami was about to take the Crescent Fish from Eden, a long arm suddenly reached out, snatching the fish from Eden's hand, leaving only an empty skewer.

"What kind of fish is this? It's delicious," Luffy said, swallowing the fish whole and licking his lips, clearly wanting more.

"Why did you steal my fish!" Nami stared blankly at the empty skewer Eden handed her, then exploded in anger, marching over to Luffy and giving him a thorough beating.

"Ow!" Luffy's scream pierced the quiet night.

Bam! Bam! Thud! Thud!

"This fish is pretty good. It would be perfect with some sake," Zoro said, seemingly unaware of Luffy's predicament as he chewed on a grilled fish, regretting the lack of alcohol.

"Hey, it's just a fish, and she beat him up like that. Is she a demon?" Usopp asked Eden in a whisper, watching Nami pummel Luffy with growing fear.

"Maybe," Eden said, looking at Luffy's swollen face, relieved he hadn't eaten the Crescent Fish himself. If Nami had found out, he would be the one in trouble.

I guess luck is on my side after all, Eden thought, feeling his spirits lift as he enjoyed a few more grilled fish.

Half an hour later, with their bellies full, they began discussing their battle plan for the next day.

"The pirates must come up this slope to attack the village," Usopp said, adding a log to the campfire, "so if we hold this position, the village will be safe."

"Sounds simple enough," Luffy said, patting his round belly, surrounded by neatly arranged fish bones.

Eden and Zoro nodded in agreement, feeling confident about their advantageous position.

"You guys are underestimating the enemy. They have many people, and there are only five of us. We need a strategy," Usopp said seriously.

"Why make it so complicated? Just punch them away," Luffy said.

"Why make it so complicated? Just cut them down," Zoro added.

"Why make it so complicated? Just knock them out," Eden agreed.

Luffy, Zoro, and Eden stood together, arms crossed, looking at Usopp, saying nearly identical things, leaving Usopp nearly speechless.

"You idiots, you'll get yourselves killed! Use your brains!" Nami yelled, showing her fierce side.

"We're all full, right?" Luffy said, feeling ready for the fight.

"Even without sake, I'm ready," Zoro said confidently.

"I figured out that butler was a pirate before anyone else. Who's the real idiot here?" Eden said smugly.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Nami knocked them all to the ground, "Where does your confidence come from? The enemy is the notorious Black Cat Pirates from East Blue. You're not even on a wanted poster yet. Get real!"

Minutes later, Usopp smeared a lot of oil on the middle part of the slope. "This will stop them from climbing the slope," he said, arms crossed, looking at the oil-covered path.

"Listen, our plan is to attack them while they're slipping down the slope," Usopp said.

"This could work," Zoro admitted.

"We must be careful not to slip ourselves," Nami warned, pointing at the oil.

"You're quite cunning," Luffy said, testing the oil with his foot.

"Of course, I'm very confident in my cunning and my shooting skills," Usopp said proudly. "You're looking for crew members, right? I can reluctantly be your captain. Under my command, you'll have a bright future."

Luffy, Zoro, Eden, and Nami fell silent.

"I need to pee," Luffy said, walking away.

"I'm going to take a nap," Zoro said, yawning and lying down by a rock.

"I'll rest too," Eden said, lying on the ground, staring at the starry sky.

"It's getting cold," Nami said, shivering slightly, and walked away.

A cold wind blew, leaving Usopp standing alone. "You guys are so heartless!" he shouted, feeling deeply hurt.

Later, Eden asked Usopp about Captain Kuro, learning that he was known for his cunning and strength, having destroyed an entire naval ship by himself. Though officially executed by the Navy three years ago, he was still active, proving his mastery of deceit.

"Why don't we just go take out that butler directly?" Eden asked, lying spread-eagle on the ground.

"You saw Kaya didn't believe me. If we storm in to deal with Kuro, she'll stop us. I've already disappointed her today; I don't want to hurt her more," Usopp said, sitting beside Eden. "If we stop the pirates here, Kuro's plan fails, and he'll come here. We can defeat him then, keeping him away from Kaya."

"I see. Do what you want. I'm just helping out," Eden said, resting his hands behind his head, staring at the stars until he fell asleep.

Nami, seeing Eden sleeping with bandages covering his body, remembered his bloodied state in Orange Town. His wounds weren't fully healed, and now he had to fight again. Feeling guilty, she came up with an idea.

The next morning, as the sky lightened, Eden heard noisy voices around him.

"There's a treasure worth five million berries on that ship. Take it!"

"But, Captain Jango, there's someone on board. What should we do?"

"Take the treasure and kill him. Throw him into the sea to feed the fish. Only a fool would sleep through our attack."

Eden realized they were talking about him. Who are these idiots calling me a fool?

He opened his eyes to see a man with a black cat eye mask swinging a blade at him.

Boom!

Eden kicked the attacker away, sending him crashing to the shore. "Who called me a fool? You looking for a fight?"

Eden grabbed the side of the boat and climbed up, seeing a group of men with black cat eye masks glaring at him.

"Who are you?" Jango, holding a ring blade, asked, stepping forward.

"Looks like you're the Black Cat Pirates. What a coincidence, I was looking for you," Eden said, noticing a large ship nearby flying a skull and crossbones flag with a cat face. Inside, he was fuming: How did I end up alone here while the others are missing?

Eden didn't know that after he fell asleep last night, Nami suggested letting him rest on the ship due to his injuries. Luffy agreed, thinking Eden didn't need to fight this time. After a brief discussion, even Usopp agreed, feeling Eden's help would be limited.

Thus, Eden slept peacefully on the ship while the others prepared for battle. But things didn't go as planned. Eden found himself facing the Black Cat Pirates alone while the others were obliviously waiting.

Meanwhile, at the wrong slope, Luffy and the others realized their mistake.

"Seeing Kuro meet his crew here, I thought they'd attack from this side. They must be attacking from the northern slope. We gambled and lost," Usopp said urgently. "It's a three-minute run north. The terrain is similar; we can stop them there."

"Zoro, we have to hurry. Eden's alone over there," Luffy said, running off, followed by Usopp.

"Damn it, woman, you left Eden alone. If he gets hurt, I'll cut you!" Zoro snapped at Nami, who looked worried.

"It's bad!" Nami said, holding her head in panic. Zoro, about to reassure her, was stunned when she said, "Our ship is on the north coast! The treasure will be stolen!"

Even in this situation, she worried about treasure, not Eden, shocking Zoro into slipping on the oil Usopp had spread, sliding down the slope.

"Idiot! What are you doing?" Nami shouted as Zoro kept slipping, unable to get up.

"Shut up! You caused this! Help me up!" Zoro demanded.

"Figure it out yourself. I need to save my treasure," Nami said, running off.

"I'll kill her!" Zoro swore, struggling on the oily slope, cursing their bad luck.

...

"Why are you opposing us?" Jango asked, seeing Eden alone, holding off his crew.

"Who knows, maybe I just don't like you. Does that answer satisfy you?" Eden replied, knocking down two more pirates, wondering: Why am I alone? Is everyone else slacking off?

He didn't know that Nami and the others had moved him back to the ship while he slept, thinking he didn't need to fight.

How did this happen? I was finally looking out for him, but now I might have endangered him. There are only two slopes leading to the village, and we picked the wrong one.

Nami, feeling anxious, ran towards the northern slope, hoping to save her treasure and Eden.