Luffy, Zoro, Alex, and Nami all fell silent after hearing Usopp's words.

"I'm going to pee."

Without looking back, Luffy walked away.

"I'll nap a bit."

Zoro yawned and went to lean against a rock to sleep.

"I'll rest too."

Alex sprawled out on the ground, gazing up at the night sky speckled with stars.

"It's a little chilly."

Nami shivered and stepped away from Usopp.

A gust of cold wind blew through the darkness, and no one paid attention to Usopp standing there all alone.

"You guys are seriously hurtful, you know that?"

Usopp was deeply offended by their reactions.

Later, Alex asked Usopp about Captain Kuro. From what he learned, Kuro was infamous in the East Blue—strong, crafty, and once single-handedly took down an entire Marine warship. Officially, Kuro had been publicly executed by the Marines three years ago, but he was clearly still alive. It showed just how deceptive he was—he'd even fooled the Navy.

"I'm wondering," Alex said, lying flat on the ground, arms spread wide, "why don't we just take out that butler directly?"

"You saw it yourself—Kaya doesn't believe a word I say. If we just storm her house and go after Kuro, she'll definitely stop us. I've already disappointed her today—I don't want to hurt her again."

Usopp sat beside Alex and added, "If we can intercept those pirates here, we'll ruin Kuro's plan. He'll have no choice but to come check the situation himself. Then we take him down right here. I won't let him return to the village or to Kaya—that would be best for her."

"I see... well, do what you want. I'm just helping out because I feel like it."

Alex laced his hands behind his head and stared at the twinkling night sky until he dozed off.

Nami glanced at Alex, his body still bandaged from previous wounds. She recalled how he'd been drenched in blood in Orange Town barely twenty days ago, and now he was once again about to face danger with unhealed injuries. Her heart softened. An idea came to her.

—

By early morning, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, Alex—still sleeping—started to hear chaotic voices around him.

"There's treasure worth five million Berries on that ship! Get it now!"

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

"Kill him, toss him into the sea to feed the fish. That idiot dared to sleep soundly while we, the Black Cat Pirates, are launching an attack. A fool like that doesn't deserve to live."

"Yes, Captain Jango!"

Alex stirred. Were they… talking about me? And did they just call me an idiot?!

He opened his eyes sharply just in time to see a pirate with a black cat eyepatch raising a blade to strike him.

Boom!

Alex launched a powerful kick, sending the attacker flying across the beach. "Who the hell called me an idiot? You looking for trouble?"

Using the ship's edge for leverage, Alex climbed to his feet and saw a large group of men—each holding weapons and wearing black cat eyepatches—glowering at him from the shore.

"Who are you?"

Jango, holding his signature bladed rings, stepped forward and asked.

"By the looks of you, I'd say you're with the Black Cat Pirates, right? What a coincidence. I was looking for you guys."

Alex noticed a large ship anchored nearby, flying a pirate flag with a cat's face. That confirmed it.

Though Alex appeared calm, inside he was cursing: What the hell is going on?! Why am I the only one here?! Where the hell are Luffy and Zoro?!

What baffled him even more was that he clearly remembered falling asleep with Usopp and the others at a different part of the coastline. How did he end up here alone?

It dawned on him—there were two slopes leading into Syrup Village. They'd guarded the wrong one.

—

Elsewhere, Luffy and the others finally realized their mistake.

"We saw Kuro and his crew land on this beach earlier, so I assumed they'd attack from here… But it looks like they're coming from the north slope. We had a 50/50 chance, and we bet on the wrong one."

Usopp looked anxious. "It's only a three-minute run north from here. The terrain's the same—we just have to block them on that slope."

"Right! Zoro, let's go! Alex is still there by himself—we need to help him!"

Luffy dashed off without a second thought. Usopp ran right after him.

Zoro turned to Nami. "Damn it, this is your fault. If anything happens to Alex, I'm coming for you."

Just as he was about to run, Nami clutched her head and cried, "No!"

Zoro paused, thinking she might be genuinely worried about Alex, and tried to reassure her—but before he could speak, Nami shouted, "Our ship is docked at the north beach! The treasure will be stolen!"

Even in this urgent moment, she only cared about her treasure. Zoro was so shocked, he slipped—right onto the oil Usopp had spread earlier. He tumbled down the slope and couldn't get up.

"You idiot! What the hell are you doing?!"

Nami screamed at Zoro as he kept slipping and falling in the slick oil.

"Shut up! This is your fault! Help me up already!"

"Figure it out yourself. I need to go save my treasure!"

Nami waved him off and sprinted away.

"I'm going to kill her…"

Zoro muttered, gritting his teeth as he struggled to get up.

Last night, Zoro had suggested staying on the other slope with Alex, but Usopp and Nami were so confident that this one would be the attack point. They'd insisted it was better not to divide their strength. Now, their overconfidence had left Alex facing the enemy alone.

—

"Why are you getting in the Black Cat Pirates' way?!"

Jango demanded, shocked that one man had already taken down several of his fighters.

"Who knows? Maybe I just don't like the way you look. Is that answer good enough?"

Alex knocked out two more pirates and glared at Jango.

Though he looked relaxed, his mind was still spinning with questions: Damn it, can someone explain to me why I'm the only one here?! What are those idiots doing?!

What he didn't know was that Nami, seeing him asleep and bandaged, had quietly told Luffy that Alex should rest and sit out the battle. After some discussion, even Usopp agreed—Alex was still injured and mostly useful for fishing, not fighting.

So they'd moved him back onto the ship to sleep peacefully.

Ironically, Alex ended up being the first one to face the Black Cat Pirates head-on—while the others were wasting time elsewhere.

This wasn't what Nami intended. She'd genuinely wanted to protect Alex, but in trying to help him, she'd put him in more danger.

Now realizing that, she sprinted toward the northern slope with all her might.

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