After a stomach-churning spin, Fang Yi didn't even have time to check his surroundings when he suddenly felt the walls of the intestinal passage begin to squeeze inward toward him. Moments later, a strange sound rang out—
"Pfffft~~ Glug-glug-glug~"
"Everyone, watch out! Grab—ugh!!…"
"Bleeghhh!"
There was a noise that unmistakably resembled a fart, followed by an eruption of orange-yellow gas. The nauseating stench hit Fang Yi like a wall, and he nearly passed out on the spot. From below deck, he could hear the sound of other crewmates vomiting.
A painful realization hit Fang Yi:
"Don't tell me… we were farted out by the Island-Eating Goldfish?!"
He wasn't the only one with that thought. Many crew members wore expressions of mixed relief, indignation, and grief—the smell alone was enough to haunt them for days.
"Everyone, stay alert! We should be exiting soon! Sambel, Wanzai—prepare for rescue!" Roger, ever the seasoned captain, maintained composure and began issuing commands even amidst the chaos.
"Roger! Tie the Devil Fruit users to your body!" Rayleigh shouted, tossing him a rope. He was already tying one around himself, understanding what was coming.
BOOM!
KRA-KOOM!
Suddenly, a brilliant beam of light pierced the darkness. Fang Yi thought it might be the sun, but he knew that was just wishful thinking.
Before long, he realized: they had made it back to the ocean. Water was all around them, and sunlight shone from above.
But something was off…
"Wait… why aren't we submerged?" Fang Yi blinked. They had exited from the goldfish's body—shouldn't they be underwater?
Shaking off the dizziness, he managed to peer outside—and then understood: that vile gas expelled by the fish had blasted away the seawater around them. That's why they weren't surrounded by water—they were still inside the gas cloud.
BOOM!
With an explosive force, the sea surface burst apart, launching the Oro Jackson skyward.
"It's air… the taste of freedom!" someone shouted joyfully.
SPLASH!
The Oro Jackson landed solidly back on the ocean.
"HAHAHAHA! We're out!!"
"Unbelievable! That was insane—but we made it!"
Cheers erupted across the deck. The crew, shaken but alive, celebrated their survival.
Fang Yi, however, felt completely sore and bruised. Though the ordeal hadn't lasted long, the intensity had pushed his body to the brink.
"Brumarine, check everyone for injuries! Rayleigh, inspect the ship!" Roger, now relaxed, began issuing orders.
"Captain… I'm sorry. This was all my fault," Fang Yi said as he climbed down from the mast, visibly upset.
But Roger simply clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "What a fantastic adventure, eh? The seas are like that—anything can happen! This one's not on you! Wahahahaha!"
Fang Yi knew Roger wouldn't blame him, but that reason was still absurd. He could only smile bitterly.
"A fantastic adventure, huh…"
Fang Yi muttered, watching Roger laugh like a child.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the deck, Bucky stared dejectedly at the ocean.
"My gooooold…"
"Hey, Bucky! Look what I've got!" Shanks suddenly shouted, pulling a golden crown from his coat.
"Gold?!" Bucky's eyes lit up. "Wait—did you stash that away?! When?!"
"Nope! It landed in my hands when we got blasted out of the fish! I think it came out with us!" Shanks laughed.
"Damn lucky bastard…" Bucky muttered, fuming with envy.
Fang Yi finally allowed himself to relax. Had the Roger Pirates died because of him, he would never have forgiven himself.
"Can't believe we just got farted out of a giant goldfish,"
Peterm chuckled bitterly in a corner.
"Hey, at least we made it out. As long as we don't tell anyone… nobody has to know," Dongino added nervously.
But as soon as he said that, they both looked at each other in realization—
"The Captain!"
Sure enough, Roger was on deck, enthusiastically recounting the story of how they were farted out of a massive fish.
"Um… Captain… I don't think anyone wants to hear about that…" Fang Yi said awkwardly.
"Huh? Really? But everyone looks like they're enjoying it!" Roger said, genuinely confused.
Eventually, after collective effort and protest, the crew managed to convince Roger that this particular story was best kept a secret from the outside world.
After this harrowing ordeal, Fang Yi resolved to never use the mysterious fishing bait so casually again. You never knew what you'd reel in—next time, they might not be so lucky.
But of course, the adventure was far from over.
A few days later, the crew arrived at a small island. After resupplying their ship, the members relaxed at the local tavern, enjoying food and drink.
"Hey, Barrett. What's with you lately? You've been quiet," Fang Yi said, plopping down beside him with a mug in hand.
Barrett shot him a glance but didn't reply.
"You're not still thinking about how to beat the captain, are you? Don't worry—you're young. Someday, you'll surpass him!" Fang Yi said cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder.
He could feel that Barrett's desire to grow stronger was even fiercer than his own.
Now that Fang Yi could hold his own in battle, he wasn't training quite as obsessively.
"You're younger than me," Barrett grunted.
Fang Yi chuckled but didn't argue.
Though Barrett had the upper hand in sparring, if they were truly in the wild, defeating Fang Yi wouldn't be easy—at the very least, he could escape, and they both knew it.
"So tell me, why are you so obsessed with becoming stronger? Is there something you want to protect? Or something you have to accomplish?" Fang Yi asked curiously, sipping his drink.
"Huh?" Barrett looked puzzled. "To be the strongest, of course. I've got nothing to protect."
"I see… so you seek strength just for the sake of it," Fang Yi replied with a faint smile.
Barrett frowned. There was something strange about that answer—almost condescending.
"People without a goal get lost easily. You're confused, aren't you? Wondering why you lost to the captain?" Fang Yi asked casually.
Barrett's heart skipped a beat—he had been confused, but he'd told no one.
"How did you—"
"There's nothing strange about it," Fang Yi interrupted. "You're just strong for strength's sake. But the captain—he has something to protect. That gives him purpose and direction. If you're feeling lost, try finding a goal—whether it's to protect something, or to destroy something."
"To protect… or to destroy?"
Barrett fell silent, deeply pondering Fang Yi's words.
By the time he looked up, Fang Yi had already returned to the others, laughing and drinking with the rest of the crew.
"So Fang Yi… are you trying to protect something… or destroy it?"
Barrett stared at him, eyes glittering with a new light.
"Tsk tsk… the seas are crawling with monsters these days," Rayleigh muttered in a corner, flipping through a newspaper.
"Oh? Some new hotshot making waves?" Fang Yi asked as he passed by.
"You know this one quite well," Rayleigh smirked, showing him the page.
Fang Yi's eyebrow twitched when he saw the massive figure on the paper.
"That freak… even worse than Barrett. My attacks don't even scratch her."
The paper featured none other than Charlotte Linlin, captain of the Big Mom Pirates—also known as "Big Mom."
She had changed since the God Valley incident—her once voluptuous figure was now growing plump. Though not yet the round, monstrous figure she would become, the difference was noticeable.
"There's also some guy named Kaido making trouble. I hear Sengoku went to deal with him. He's probably in a world of pain right now, hahaha," Rayleigh added.
But Fang Yi knew better.
Sengoku vs Kaido?
That wouldn't be easy—not by a long shot.
"Oh, right, how come you always know stuff we don't?" Fang Yi finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
"Hahaha! That's because Rayleigh has his intel network. None of us can compete with that!" said Jabba, walking in with Yamon.
Since Yamon married Jabba, Fang Yi noticed she visited the tavern far less than before. Previously, it was the first place she'd go—but now, she often wandered the island shopping with Jabba before joining the crew for drinks.