East Blue, somewhere at sea, aboard the Going Merry.
Johnny finally explained to Alex and the others why he had attacked their ship.
While he and his partner Yosaku were resting behind a rocky outcrop, Luffy and Usopp—completely unaware—had fired a cannon in their direction. The blast nearly sent them flying into the ocean.
Furious, Johnny boarded the Merry to demand payback… only to be defeated instantly by Luffy.
Alex glanced over at Yosaku, lying on the deck. The man's skin had turned a sickly purple, his face pale, teeth falling out, and his wounds showing signs of worsening infection. Pus seeped from them—he looked like he was on the brink of death.
Johnny had the word "SEA" tattooed on his left cheek, while Yosaku bore the word "THIEF" on his. The two were bounty hunters.
When the truth came out, Luffy and Usopp—the culprits—froze, jaws dropping and cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
"Sorry!" they both blurted, bowing deeply to Johnny in sincere apology.
"It's already happened. Don't worry about it," Johnny muttered, sitting on the deck with one hand covering his face. But as Yosaku's complexion worsened, Johnny's shoulders began to shake from grief. His voice trembled as he said, "If an apology could fix everything… why would we need the Marines?"
Luffy and Usopp started sweating even more, at a complete loss for words.
"Yosaku's been my partner in bounty hunting for years," Johnny said, tears streaming down his face. He turned to Zoro. "Big bro, do you think he's going to die?"
Zoro's expression darkened. Unsure how to comfort him, he stayed silent.
Scanning the deck, Alex spotted the remains of smashed barrels and a broken railing from Johnny's earlier rampage. He gathered some pieces and fetched a hammer and nails.
Clang! Clang!
He quickly fashioned a small makeshift wooden boat.
"What are you doing?" Luffy asked.
"If he's going to die, we should at least give him a proper sea burial," Alex replied. Yosaku was, after all, an old acquaintance of Zoro—this was the least he could do.
"Thanks… I never thought my best partner would die like this," Johnny sobbed.
"Don't mention it. This is all I can do," Alex said—only for Nami to suddenly snap, "Are you an idiot?"
"What did you say? Can't you show some respect for life, you cold-hearted woman?" Alex shot back, his voice sharp. Johnny's face had already twisted in anger at her remark.
"That's right! Stupid Nami!"
"Nami, you idiot!"
"One more word and I'll cut you down!"
Luffy, Usopp, and even Zoro—his tone deadly serious—backed Alex up. Yosaku was Zoro's friend; he wouldn't tolerate anyone insulting him on his deathbed.
BANG! THUD! CRASH! CLANG!
In the blink of an eye, Nami had knocked all four of them flat on the deck.
Johnny had been ready to scold her, but seeing her single-handedly wipe the floor with the others left him frozen in place.
"You idiots don't know a thing. Making hasty judgments like that can get people killed," Nami scolded before turning to Luffy and Usopp. "Go to the kitchen, squeeze some limes into juice, and bring it here. That will cure him."
She explained, "It's scurvy—a disease that once terrified sailors. Turns out it's just caused by a lack of plant-based nutrition during long voyages without fresh produce. Feed him vegetables and fruit, and he'll recover."
Johnny's eyes widened with hope. "Really? Big sis?" His sudden form of address made Nami twitch—being called "big sis" made her feel old.
"You're amazing, like a doctor," Luffy said in awe as he returned with lime juice.
"I knew you had skills," Usopp added, conveniently forgetting that he'd called her an idiot minutes earlier.
"So it's just a nutrition imbalance? No big deal," Alex said in relief.
"You dare sail without knowing something so basic? You'll be dead in no time!" Nami barked, before glaring at Alex. "You're a fisherman. Haven't you been out to sea plenty of times? How do you not know about scurvy?"
"I only ever fished near the coast and returned home the same day. I've never gone on long voyages," Alex explained. Then he frowned. "I once went nearly a year eating only fish with hardly any vegetables or fruit, and I never got scurvy. Are you sure?"
"I eat meat all the time and never touch plants, and I've never had it," Luffy chimed in.
Both of them laughed. "Guess our bodies are just that tough! Hahaha!"
"Shut up, you freaks!" Nami exploded, unable to stand their cluelessness.
"Come to think of it, I've never had it either," Zoro said, stroking his chin.
"That's not surprising—you've got a natural plant growing on your head," Usopp quipped, eyeing Zoro's green hair. Luffy and Alex nodded seriously in agreement.
Moments later, the three were wrestling with Zoro.
Eventually, after being force-fed lime juice, Yosaku's color returned. A bit of rest and he'd be fine.
The incident made Luffy decide to find a cook for the crew—not only for delicious food at sea, but also to keep everyone's diet balanced.
Johnny suggested a famous floating restaurant in the East Blue, not far from the Grand Line. Since that was their next destination anyway, it was right on the way.
At the mention of a certain man called "Hawk-Eye" rumored to be near the Grand Line, Zoro's face suddenly changed. He gripped his sword hilt tightly, shoulders trembling with excitement. Alex instantly knew this man was important to Zoro, but didn't press.
The Merry's course shifted slightly north—destination: the Baratie.
A day later, they arrived at the famous floating restaurant.
"Zoro! Luffy! Alex! Usopp! Nami! We're here!" Johnny shouted.
In just a day, he and Yosaku had learned the hard way—Nami really did deserve to be called "big sis." She was terrifying.
"That's a big fish!" Luffy yelled when he saw the massive ship shaped like a fish's head.
"This place looks fun," Nami said, intrigued.
"If it were a real fish… how would I catch it?" Alex wondered aloud.
"Don't ruin the mood, idiot," Nami muttered, giving him a light punch to the face.
Just then, Usopp spotted another ship approaching and stopping nearby.
"Oh no—it's the Marines!"
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