Luffy's loud voice cut through the air. "Nooolaaan! Look! I made some new friends!"
The shout woke the two sleepyheads from their four-hour "nap"—though at that point, it was more like a full sleep. But to them, it was just a quick rest.
Nolan lazily opened his eyes and noticed something interesting—the sleeping patch over Aokiji's eyes.
"Hey, can you get me one of those? I want one..." Nolan mumbled, pointing at it.
Aokiji just gave a quiet hum—enough of an answer for Nolan. He sat up on his nimbus and looked around, only to see Luffy still being chased by the Franky Family.
Strangely, the group kept stopping to catch their breath—with Luffy actually waiting for them.
"Oi, are you guys done already? I wasn't finished playing!" Luffy pouted, looking disappointed.
The Franky Family exploded in anger. "SINCE WHEN WAS THIS A GAME?!"
At this point, they were ready to give up. Sure, their pride was bruised—but realizing Luffy was just toying with them? That was worse.
"Where are the others?" Nolan asked, yawning.
Luffy tilted his head left, then right, before grinning. "I don't know!" He said it like it was something to be proud of.
Nolan turned to the Franky Family and lazily shooed them away with a wave of his hand. They were furious—until they got a good look at him.
Their faces went pale.
They recognized him—not just for his unreal beauty, but for his massive bounty.
"W-We'll just... go now!" they stammered before bolting. No way were they sticking around!
Luffy stood there, scratching his head as the Franky Family scrambled away like scared cats. "Huh? Why'd they run? We were having fun!"
Nolan yawned, stretching his arms over his head. "Probably remembered somethin."
Aokiji, still lying on the nimbus with his sleeping mask slightly askew, mumbled, "Or maybe they just realized life's too short to waste around."
Luffy blinked. "That doesn't make sense." Then he immediately forgot about it, his attention snapping to Aokiji. "Whoa! Who's this guy?"
Nolan patted Aokiji's shoulder. "This is Kuzan. He's kinda like... a marine, but lazier than me."
Aokiji lifted the edge of his sleeping mask to peer at Luffy. "...You're shorter in person."
Luffy grinned. "Shishishi! You're taller than Zoro!" Then, without missing a beat, he asked, "Wanna join my crew?"
Nolan choked on air. Aokiji just stared.
"...No."
"Aw, why not?"
"Because," Aokiji said slowly, adjusting his sleeping mask, "if I joined your crew, I'd have to work. And that sounds terrible."
Luffy looked genuinely puzzled. "But we don't work. We just eat meat and have adventures!"
Aokiji considered this. "...Tempting. But no." He pulled the mask back down. "Now go away. Naptime isn't over."
Luffy pouted for about two seconds before perking up again. "Oh! Right. I gotta find the others! Hey, Nolan, where's Nami? I spent all my money already and I'm still hungry!"
Nolan sighed. "How do you always lose your entire allowance in under 4 hours?"
"Who knows, It just happens!" Luffy said cheerfully. "But it's fine! Nami always gives me more!"
Aokiji snorted under his mask. "Your navigator must be a saint."
"Nah," Nolan said, smirking. "She keep a secret tab for them"
Luffy, completely unfazed, was already turning to leave. "Okay, I'm gonna go find them. Bye, sleepy marine guy!"
Aokiji gave a half-hearted wave without looking. "Bye..."
As Luffy bounded off, Nolan flopped back onto the nimbus beside Aokiji. "...You know, for a marine, you're pretty chill about pirates."
Aokiji shrugged. "Too much effort to care." A pause. "...Also, your captain's kinda funny."
Nolan grinned. "Yeah. That's why we keep him around."
Somewhere in the city, Nami suddenly shuddered, sensing that Luffy was about to ask for more money. Meanwhile, Zoro and Yachiru had somehow ended up on the opposite side of the island, completely lost but insisting they were "definitely heading the right way."
After a few minutes, the whole crew finally regrouped at the Going Merry. Their faces were grim.
"Nolan! Nolan! Robin's missing!" Nami rushed over, her voice tight with worry.
Sanji's expression darkened as he recalled what he'd seen. "I remember seeing Robin leaving with some strangers earlier. They might've taken her," he said.
Yachiru, still perched on Zoro's head, tilted her head in confusion. "Isn't this bad, Zo-chan~? If that's true, this island might not be safe anymore," she said casually.
Zoro frowned. "Why? Because there are dangerous enemies here?"
Yachiru looked even more puzzled, her pink hair fluttering. "Enemies? The most dangerous one here is right there!" She pointed at Nolan, giggling. "I'm more worried he might burn this whole island down, nyahahaha!"
The crew froze at her words. Did Nolan really have that kind of power? Strangely, none of them doubted it.
They turned to Nolan, waiting for his response. He just sighed. "That Robin... She'll pay for not trusting me enough..."
Aokiji, waking up beside him, gave a sleepy grin. "Actually... it's the opposite. She trusts you too much. She didn't want to drag you into her trouble and ruin your peace."
Nolan was silent for a moment. "World Government, huh..." he muttered. Then, he made up his mind.
The crew fell silent as Nolan's words hung in the air. The usually lazy atmosphere around him had shifted – his pink eyes sharpened with an intensity they'd rarely seen before.
Nami fidgeted nervously. "So... what do we do?"
Nolan stood up slowly, cracking his neck. "We get her back." His voice was calm, but there was something dangerous underneath it.
Aokiji sighed, rubbing his face. "Man... and I was having such a good nap." He stretched his long limbs before standing too. "Guess I should probably leave before things get messy."
Luffy, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until now, suddenly grabbed his hat and grinned. "Shishishi! Then let's go beat up whoever took Robin!"
Usopp gulped. "W-Wait! Shouldn't we make a plan first? If it's some dangerous foe-!"
"Plan?" Nolan interrupted, already walking toward the edge of the ship. "Simple. I'll ask nicely once." A dark smirk crossed his face. "Then I stop asking."
The crew exchanged glances. Even Zoro looked mildly impressed.
Aokiji shook his head. "Yeah, I'm definitely leaving." He started walking across the frozen sea on his bicycle, but paused to glance back. "...Try not to destroy the whole island, okay?"
Nolan waved him off without looking. "No promises."
As Aokiji pedaled away, Chopper tugged on Nolan's sleeve. "H-How will we find Robin?"
Nolan closed his eyes for a moment, then answered. "I know where she is heading"
Sanji lit a cigarette, his expression grim. "Then what are we waiting for?"
The crew prepared to move out, but Luffy suddenly grabbed Nolan's arm. "Hey. You really care about Robin, don't you?"
Nolan didn't answer immediately. Then he smirked. "She's annoying. Always sticking close, always fussing over me... but..." His grip tightened slightly. "She's mine to fuss over. Nobody takes what's mine."
Yachiru giggled from Zoro's shoulders. "Ooooh~! Zo-chan, he's being cool!"
Zoro grinned. "About damn time."
And at the government building, unaware of the hurricane approaching, a certain masked agent was about to learn a very important lesson,
Never take what belongs to a lazy man.
Because when he finally gets up to take it back?
There's no force in this world that can stop him.
---
Crazyy, never expected the stones to reach 1k. Thankyou for the constant support everyone!