The ship, Going Merry sailed smoothly through the East Blue. Usopp scanned the horizon with a telescope.
Usopp lowered the telescope, pointing. "Hey, there's a small boat out there with two guys on it!"
Zoro squinted, recognition flashing across his face. "Huh, that's Johnny and Yosaku. My old bounty hunter partners."
'Haven't seen those guys in ages,' he thought.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Since they're Zoro's friends, let's say hi!"
'More friends, more fun!' he thought, stretching his rubbery arms toward the boat. Before anyone could react, he grabbed Johnny and Yosaku, yanking them back to the Going Merry.
The two men flew through the air, crashing onto the deck with a thud, their swords clattering.
"What the fuck…" Johnny groaned, rubbing his head. He froze, eyes widening. "No… Yosaku!"
'My partner's already sick, and now this?!' he thought, scrambling to check on Yosaku, who lay sprawled, pale and shivering.
Luffy grinned, waving. "Hi, Zoro's friends!" 'They seem cool,' he thought, oblivious to the chaos that he had caused.
Johnny spun, glaring at Luffy while clutching his sword. "What friends?! You bastard, Yosaku's ill, and you might've given him a head injury!"
Zoro stood, calling out, "Johnny!"
Johnny's eyes watered, and he tackled Zoro in a hug. "Zoro-san!"
'He's alive! I thought that Captain Morgan would have killed him or the pirates that took him were torturing him. But he looks good!' he thought, tears streaming down his face.
Kon laughed, nudging Goku. "He's crying like a baby!"
Johnny pulled back, wiping his face, and glared at Luffy. "Yosaku's got some weird disease. I was looking for a doctor, but this guy might've given him a head wound!"
Luffy's grin faltered, and he scratched his head. "Oops, sorry! Didn't mean to hurt him!"
'Hope I didn't break Zoro's friend,' he thought, laughing nervously. "I thought it'd be a cool way to say hi!"
Nami sighed, stepping forward. "Move, I know some medicine."
'Better fix this before Luffy causes more trouble,' she thought, kneeling beside Yosaku. She checked his pulse and skin, her brow furrowed.
"He's got scurvy—vitamin C deficiency. No head injury, just weak from the disease."
'Thankfully, it's an easy fix,' she thought, grabbing a crate of limes from the ship's supplies.
Luffy's eyes widened, and he clutched his chest dramatically. "Phew! I didn't kill Zoro's friend!" He laughed, flopping onto the deck. "I was worried I'd have to apologize forever!"
Kon burst out laughing, pointing at Luffy. "You looked like you saw a ghost!"
'Luffy's so funny when he's scared,' he thought
Nami poured lime juice into Yosaku's mouth, and he coughed, his color slowly returning. "He'll be fine after some rest," she said, wiping her hands.
The crew carried Yosaku to a cabin, laying him on a bunk.
"So you became a pirate Zoro san? How ironic for the great pirate hunter Zoro to be more apart of a pirate ship. But I am glad you are safe Zoro-san." Johnny said as both of them chatted.
Nami checked the ship's rations, frowning as Kon and Luffy scarfed down bread and dried fish nearby.
'They eat like animals,' she thought, exasperated. "We need a cook," she said to Zoro, Jango and Usopp, who nodded.
Zoro glanced at Goku, who was now juggling limes. "Maybe a banana tree garden for the monkey too."
Usopp raised a hand. "A cook's a must. No more scurvy for us."
'I'm not ending up like Yosaku due to poor diet and eating stored food,' he thought, shuddering.
Johnny, sitting by Yosaku's bunk, spoke up. "There's a place called the Baratie—a ship that's a floating restaurant. They've got great cooks there. You might be able to recruit someone for your crew there. They serve everyone there including pirates."
Luffy clapped, jumping up. "To the Baratie! We're getting a cook!"
'And a feast,' he thought, his stomach growling despite just eating dried fish
"Nami, set the course!"
Nami smirked, steering the ship. "Maybe we should get a vegetarian cook who doesn't know how to cook meat—to punish you for your reckless actions, Luffy."
'That'd teach him,' she thought, chuckling at his horrified expression.
Luffy's jaw dropped. "No meat?! That's cruel!"
'A cook who doesn't make meat isn't a cook,' he thought, clutching his hat like it was his lifeline.
Before Nami could reply, a gunshot rang out, the bullet whizzing past her ear and splashing into the sea.
She yelped, nearly falling over. "What the hell did I do now?!" she shouted, glaring at Goku, who stood with one pistol raised, his other three arms crossed.
Kon laughed, watching Goku's gestures. "Goku says he wants a chef who'll cook him meat with bananas for dessert!"
He mimicked Goku's stern face, waving his arms dramatically. "He's serious about his bananas, Nami!"
Nami's face paled, and she forced a smile, sweating. "Fine, meat and bananas it is!"
'That monkey's gonna be the death of me,' she thought, her heart racing.
As the Going Merry sailed toward the Baratie, Kon leaned back, munching another rice ball. 'A cook's gonna make this ship perfect,' he thought.
The crew sailed on, their spirits high, ready to find a cook to join the Straw Hat Pirates and keep them fed for the journey to the One Piece.
-----Author Notes------
Y'all can read 15 extra chapters on my pat*reon for this fanfic!
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