When Fang Yi finally woke up, it was already the day after the battle had ended.
Even though he was awake, his body still ached all over, and he was starving.
Turning his head, he saw Shanks and Buggy sleeping nearby—both of them had bandages wrapped around various parts of their bodies. It seemed they'd been the ones looking after him all along.
"Heh… This is how you guys take care of someone?" Fang Yi smiled faintly and spoke softly.
"Mm? Yi-bro, you're awake? How are you feeling?" Shanks perked up instantly at the sound of Fang Yi's voice and beamed with joy.
"Ugh… Still a bit sore all over… and starving," Fang Yi laughed weakly. "What's the situation outside? How's Teacher Yameng?"
"We made it out of the Marine encirclement thanks to your attack. It played a huge role in helping us break through! Teacher Yameng's fine too!" Shanks said, hurrying to Fang Yi's bedside. "I'll go see if there's any food!"
"Thanks. Bring me some, and then you should get some rest too." Fang Yi nodded with a smile, noticing the red veins in Shanks' eyes—he hadn't been sleeping well.
"I'm fine!" Shanks smiled as he walked off to get food. Buggy, on the other hand, was still snoring loudly, completely oblivious.
Before long, Shanks returned with food, and accompanying him were Yameng and Jaba.
"Teacher Yameng! Teacher Jaba!" Fang Yi still didn't have the strength to sit up, so he just smiled bitterly and greeted them from the bed.
"You brat, you pushed yourself way too hard!" Yameng said as she plopped herself down on the bed, causing Buggy to jolt awake. "Brumarin told me you were drained! Don't even think about getting out of bed for another few days!"
"Huh? What happened?" Buggy mumbled, looking around in confusion at the suddenly crowded room.
"Heh… I didn't know that move would take so much energy. It just… came to me in the heat of the moment," Fang Yi said sheepishly.
He had no way to explain how he suddenly pulled off "Flame Dragon Burst," so he left it at that.
"Well, at least you're okay. Rest up for now. Let Shanks and Buggy help out," Jaba smiled.
"Okay, Teacher Jaba!" Fang Yi replied.
After the two teachers left, Buggy mumbled something under his breath and slumped back into his chair, ready to resume his nap.
But before he could, the door opened again.
"Woof woof!"
This time it was Wanza.
"Alright, alright, I'm fine now! Stop licking! I'm in no shape to shower, and you're getting slobber all over my face!" Fang Yi said with a laugh, pushing the affectionate dog away.
"Whine… woof!" Wanza seemed a bit dissatisfied, but obediently sat down next to him, clearly intending to stand guard.
"Ugh! Stupid dog! This room's tiny already—get out of here!" Buggy grumbled. Now that Wanza was here, there was barely enough space for him to sleep.
"Buggy, you've done enough. Go get some rest," Fang Yi said with a shake of his head.
"Eh? Well… since you're saying so, I guess I'll go. But remember—you told me to leave, not the other way around!" Buggy grinned.
He walked to the door, then turned and asked, "You're sure this was your idea, right? Not mine?"
Fang Yi rolled his eyes. "If you want to stay, I'll ask Shanks to rest instead."
Before he finished speaking, Buggy had already vanished from the doorway.
"Haha… Looks like it's just you and me now, Shanks," Fang Yi said with a wry smile.
"No problem! I've already rested a bit," Shanks said, sitting at the edge of the bed and helping Fang Yi eat some food.
"Go find a spot to rest. Sorry, the room's a mess," Fang Yi said, feeling more alive after eating. Still, he knew he couldn't overdo it.
The next day, with Shanks' help, Fang Yi was able to get out of bed, though he still moved slowly. Seeing this, Wanza offered to carry him and trotted out onto the deck with Fang Yi on his back.
"Yo! Yi! Back on your feet already? Wait… are you riding a giant dog?"
"Hah! That looks like fun! Yi, get off—I want a turn!"
Seeing Fang Yi riding Wanza, the crew members gathered around curiously. After Fang Yi explained, they laughed and dispersed, leaving only Yameng walking over with a bottle of booze in hand.
"Teacher, are you fully recovered? Should you even be drinking?" Fang Yi asked with a frown before she could speak.
"Brat! You think I'm as fragile as you? Still need days in bed? That was a tiny wound!" Yameng barked, gulping down two more swigs to prove her point.
Fang Yi's mouth twitched, but he didn't press further.
In this world, especially among the strong, people had absurd physical resilience. If the booze posed any danger, someone on the ship would've stopped her already.
"Looks like that last battle hit us pretty hard," Fang Yi said, glancing at the lingering damage on the deck and all the bandaged crew members.
"Could've been worse! The Marines got it way tougher. I heard you trashed one of their warships?" Yameng laughed heartily.
"I wouldn't say I destroyed it—just set the deck on fire. Things were chaotic, and there didn't seem to be a commanding officer on that ship, so the fire spread out of control," Fang Yi shrugged.
Yameng nodded, then stepped closer to Wanza and patted his head.
"Can't believe how big Wanza's gotten! Have you ever thought about fighting alongside him?"
"Fighting with him?" Fang Yi tilted his head in confusion.
Wanza also looked at Yameng, clearly interested.
He had always wanted to join the crew in battle, but the others never let him. It was too dangerous.
But now, he seemed to understand Yameng's suggestion.
"That's right—fighting together," Yameng said. "Among jungle warriors like me, having an animal partner is completely normal. I only stopped because I became a pirate. I used to have a black panther who grew up with me."
"You mean… make Wanza my battle companion? Train him in combat techniques?" Fang Yi's eyes lit up.
"Exactly! You're light enough for Wanza to carry easily. This setup—him moving and you attacking—is perfect! He's fast, you're strong. Work together, and you'll be more than twice as effective!" Yameng said enthusiastically.
Fang Yi froze. This is mounted archery!
Mounted archers had high mobility and didn't need to move on their own, allowing them to keep attacking from a distance.
Though not ideal for close-range combat, this combo would work well with Fang Yi's skillset. Plus, he wasn't just any archer—and Wanza wasn't just any mount.
What kind of results could they achieve?
Yameng's words sent Fang Yi into deep thought.
Wanza hadn't been in any real battles, but during past hunts, he'd shown amazing instincts and reflexes. He had the potential to be a proper combat partner.
Beasts naturally had better endurance and danger perception. With Wanza's help, Fang Yi could evade many attacks just by relying on Wanza's movement.
And Wanza's greatest advantage? Underwater survivability.
Paired with Fang Yi's underwater breathing pills, their team could adapt to all kinds of combat situations—whether attacking or retreating.
He wanted to test it out right away, but his body hadn't fully recovered. For now, he could only get used to riding Wanza.
Wanza, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He had long wanted to fight alongside his crewmates. Now, with this chance, he couldn't be happier.
So the pair began running all over the ship, training and building synergy. The sight made the rest of the crew jealous—especially Roger and Buggy.
Roger was too big to ride Wanza, and Buggy… well, his relationship with the dog was meh at best.
As Fang Yi recovered, he began practicing shooting while riding Wanza, though it turned out to be harder than expected.
One day, while they were training as usual, Yameng appeared with a mysterious smile and handed Fang Yi… a wanted poster.