After hearing Fang Yi's words, Jaba fell into deep thought.
Fang Yi didn't press him. He simply handed over a small pill and said, "Teacher Jaba, think it over carefully. I'm heading out to hunt. If you decide, just follow the plan."
—
Back on the ship, Buggy and Shanks were growing impatient. They'd been stuck on the ship for days. Now that they'd finally reached a new island, they were eager to explore.
"Hold it right there!"
Rayleigh grabbed Buggy just as he was about to hop off the ship, shooting him a glare.
"What's the rush? Wait for Fang Yi and Jaba to come back first!"
"Eh? Why?" Buggy asked, completely oblivious.
Shanks, who had also geared up, glanced curiously at Rayleigh and at Captain Roger, who was trying hard not to laugh. He had a hunch something was up and wisely stayed quiet.
—
"Ahem… Yameng," Roger called after a while, walking out with a straight face. "It's been a while, and the boys haven't come back yet. Why don't you go check on them?"
His awkward tone made Rayleigh—who was in on the plan—so uncomfortable he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
The rest of the crew, picking up on the vibe, exchanged meaningful glances. Some looked at Roger, others at Yameng.
Yameng, however, didn't react much. She simply grabbed a bottle of wine and stepped off the ship without even bothering to take her weapon.
As soon as she left, the rest of the crew swarmed around Roger and Rayleigh.
"Captain, what's the plan exactly?" Petem asked teasingly.
"Don't ask. It's not the time to talk," Rayleigh said stiffly, trying to maintain order.
"Seriously?" Chef Yao looked at Yameng heading into the woods, then recalled that Fang Yi and Jaba had gone ahead. He asked cautiously, "Are you guys trying to… match up Yameng and Jaba?"
"Shh!" Roger hissed, suddenly serious. "Nothing's been decided yet. Don't say anything. It'll be super awkward if it fails!"
"Oooh~"
The crew nodded, understanding dawning on their faces.
Only Buggy and Shanks were completely confused. Being kids, they hadn't a clue. Unlike Fang Yi, they weren't reincarnated adults—romantic setups were still way out of their league.
Rayleigh shot Roger a glare. "You might as well have just told them everything…"
"Hey! Yameng's gone out of sight!"
The lookout, Golan, pointed toward the island. "Shouldn't we follow now?"
"Crap—we're late!" Roger exclaimed and immediately jumped off the ship.
The others snapped to attention and followed. Ship doctor Brumarlin, recalling Fang Yi's instructions, grabbed his medical kit and sprinted out.
Shanks and Buggy exchanged a look and quickly followed too, though still utterly clueless.
—
Rustle… rustle…
Jaba, still hesitating with the pill Fang Yi had given him, was startled by a sound in the nearby bushes. In a panic, he tossed the pill aside and dropped to the ground, pretending to be unconscious.
"Enough. Stop faking it."
Sure enough, Yameng emerged. She walked over, gave him a swift kick, then casually sat down beside him.
Jaba tensed. Now what? Keep playing dead? Or get up?
But getting up now… wouldn't that be even more awkward?
Yameng glanced at him and smirked.
"If you keep lying there, the Captain and the others will be here soon."
Her words sent a chill down his spine. He sat up immediately, stunned.
"You… you knew?!"
"Hmph. No more playing dead?" she snorted.
"I… I…" Jaba opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.
"Come on. Fang Yi said you had something to tell me. I want to hear it—what exactly made you all stir up such a fuss?" Yameng took a sip of wine and said quietly.
But her trembling hands revealed her inner nervousness.
When Fang Yi had visited earlier and explained Roger and Rayleigh's "big plan," she'd almost flipped the table.
But his sincerity had convinced her this wasn't a prank—it was real.
"So Fang Yi told you everything?" Jaba asked with a bitter smile.
"What, were you planning to trick me?" Yameng asked sharply.
"No, no!" Jaba waved his hands. "I never wanted to lie to you. Fang Yi came up with the idea!"
At this point, he couldn't hold back anymore and sold Fang Yi out completely.
From his hiding spot in a nearby tree, Fang Yi shivered.
"That pill he gave you—did you take it?" Yameng asked, glancing at him.
"No… I couldn't bring myself to. It didn't feel right." Jaba rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Hmph. At least you have a shred of conscience." Yameng rolled her eyes, then tossed him the wine bottle. "Anyway… I get it now. I understand how you feel."
Jaba caught the bottle, took a big swig, and looked at her seriously.
"Well, since you already know… I won't beat around the bush. I like you. Be my wife?"
Yameng hesitated, then glanced toward Fang Yi's hiding spot. She picked up a stone and threw it.
"Oh no!"
Fang Yi bolted as soon as he saw her arm move.
By the time he tried to sneak back, Jaba had already caught him.
"You little brat… feel good selling us out, huh?"
With Roger and Rayleigh's bruised and battered faces, and Jaba fuming, Fang Yi didn't stand a chance. Despite activating multiple dodge skills, he was still pounded into the ground. His head was covered in lumps, and even Wanza had his tail tucked between his legs in sympathy.
"Teacher Jaba… so… did it work?" Fang Yi asked weakly from the dirt.
"Hmph. Why don't you ask your precious Teacher Yameng?" Jaba huffed.
"Do you think I'd survive if I went to her now?" Fang Yi smiled bitterly.
"Get ready for a banquet tonight," Roger said with a smile as he walked off.
Fang Yi's eyes lit up. That could only mean one thing.
He jumped up in excitement.
—
In truth, the trio hadn't hit him hard at all. They were just mad he hadn't told them the full plan.
But they also knew that if Fang Yi had told them, the effect wouldn't have been half as good.
Especially after seeing Jaba and Roger's incredible acting, even Rayleigh had to admit: Beautifully done.
Of course, someone had to take the fall, and Fang Yi was the perfect scapegoat.
The earlier events had simply been too awkward.
Because Yameng had already been told the plan ahead of time, once the encounter ended, Roger and the others had rushed over.
The ship's doctor, remembering Fang Yi's instructions, tackled Jaba and loudly declared that he'd been poisoned—and would soon die without help. Roger and Rayleigh even threw in some over-the-top dramatics that almost made Yameng laugh out loud.
Eventually, Jaba had to whisper to Roger:
"Uh… Captain, I didn't take the pill. And… Yameng and I already talked it out."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Even Roger couldn't find anything to say.
After that, no one mentioned what happened. Even Shanks and Buggy had been silenced, much to Fang Yi's regret.
That night, the Roger Pirates threw a simple wedding ceremony for Jaba and Yameng.
Pirates were like that—Yameng's words summed it up best:
"We're children of the sea. A wedding is just a ritual. Simple is fine."
The crew partied all night, going wild until dawn.
They rested for three more days on the uninhabited island. On the fourth day, the Oro Jackson set sail again, resuming their journey.
Fang Yi didn't know whether helping Jaba and Yameng come together had altered the course of history. But somewhere along the line, as he became more and more integrated into the Roger Pirates, he stopped caring about history.
Because to him, these people weren't fictional characters from a manga anymore.
They were real.
They laughed with him, cried with him, fought beside him, bled with him.
They were his family.
—
"Captain! Look! It's bad news!"
One day, as the Oro Jackson sailed peacefully across the sea, lookout Golan ran toward the cabin, waving a newspaper.
"What's going on?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and asked.
"Mr. Rayleigh, take a look," Golan said, handing him the paper.
Rayleigh scanned the headlines—and his expression darkened.
"Hmm?"
Roger, munching on food nearby, peeked over curiously.
"What happened?" the others asked, sensing something serious.
Rayleigh set the paper down and said grimly:
The Golden Lion Pirates… have destroyed Impel Down.