"Ow!" Barn winced and grabbed his nose as the bird's nest fell to the ground. The little bird flapped its wings, landing on his arm, then hopped its way up until it settled comfortably on his head.
Yorki had been laughing the whole time. Barn, meanwhile, was a little irritated by the bird taking over what would've been his hat's rightful place—if he actually wore one.
Eventually, Yorki's laughter died down, and he asked, "Barn, what do you think pirates are like?"
Caught off guard by Yorki's sudden seriousness, Barn replied without much thought, "Pirates? They're criminals—arsonists, murderers, thieves… evil through and through." That was how pirates were portrayed in his past life: ruthless and lawless.
Yorki opened his mouth to respond but then closed it again, visibly awkward. "And what about us?" he asked. "What kind of pirates do you think we are?"
"You guys are good people! Hehe."The vague compliment only made things more awkward. Then, as if to shake it off, Yorki stood up and exclaimed, "To me, pirates are free spirits who live joyfully without restraint! I started this crew because I wanted to chase freedom and spread happiness! I dream of finding others who share that ideal—singing, dancing, drinking together wherever we go. What do you think, Barn?"
Barn couldn't see Yorki's face, but he could hear the warmth and sincerity in his voice. Such a pure-hearted guy, Barn thought. He's probably smiling ear to ear right now. "Sounds amazing," Barn replied, smiling himself, caught up in Yorki's infectious energy.
"Then join us, Barn! Let's chase freedom together!" Yorki said with a grin.
As someone who had lived a past life, Barn already knew how Yorki's story would end. He felt a pang of regret—Yorki really was a good man.
"What are you talking about? I'm already on the ship, aren't I?" Barn replied.
Yorki paused, then burst out laughing. "Haha! That's right! You've been part of my crew this whole time! Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha!" Barn laughed along with him.
"Barn, meet your new friend!" Yorki said, gently lifting the bird from Barn's head and placing it in Barn's hands.
Barn cradled the tiny bird. "Hey there, little one. We're shipmates now. I'll call you Fitz. I'm blind, so I'll be counting on you to be my eyes, alright?"
Amazingly, Fitz seemed to understand. He gave a little nod and chirped in response—then promptly pecked Barn on the nose again.
"Ow!" Barn clutched his nose as Fitz hopped back onto his head and settled in once more.
"Haha!" Yorki burst out laughing again.
"What's so funny?!" Barn snapped, both annoyed and embarrassed.
Yorki just laughed harder. "Hahahahahaha!"
Some time later, after the Rumbar Pirates had emptied the island of its gold, they set sail again—this time with two new members. Barn was calmly fishing, while Fitz, the little bird, boldly helped himself to the bait. Not sneakily, either—Barn couldn't see, after all. No one could explain why a bird was so fond of fish bait.
"Barn! Come over here!"
It was the ship's doctor, Mundo, calling. He had been researching the Devil Fruits that Barn and Brook had brought back. Barn reeled in his line and made his way over. Fitz flew up to perch on his head, watching the surroundings closely. Whenever he chirped, Barn would adjust his path as if he understood the bird perfectly. The two had clearly built a strong connection.
Barn sat on a barrel, while Fitz remained on his head like a little sentry.
"Barn, I've been studying the Devil Fruits you and Brook found," Mundo began. "Yours is the Life-Life Fruit. Over a century ago, someone else had it—it grants immense vitality. As long as the wound isn't fatal, you'll recover quickly."
Then Mundo turned to Brook. "Yours is the Yomi Yomi no Mi—the Revive-Revive Fruit. I couldn't find much info on it, so it's your call whether to eat it."
Pushing up his glasses with a serious expression, Mundo stepped back. Brook looked at Barn. "Well? Should we?"
"Of course!" Barn replied without hesitation. "Why wouldn't we? Devil Fruits are rare and powerful. It's not the fruit that makes you strong—it's how you use it. Develop your power properly, and that's what really matters!"
With that, Barn took a bite of the Life-Life Fruit. His face immediately turned a deep purplish color.
Seeing Barn take the plunge, Brook stopped hesitating and bit into the Revive-Revive Fruit.
"Ugh, that tastes awful!"