"Pa." Zoro sheathed his swords.
"Eh?" Luffy made a puzzled sound.
"Why'd you put your swords away?"
"Enough already. I'm having a drink and getting some real rest." Zoro pointed at Johnny and Usopp. "Have those two keep you company."
He walked off, yanked out his flask, and took a long pull.
He glanced at his own trembling hands. Embarrassing. In sheer willpower, it wasn't clear whether he or Luffy was stronger.
Who can't do endless jump squats and sit-ups?
Most people in this world had bodies like supermen. The only things that decided whether you became strong were spirit and will.
If the captain worked this hard, a crewmate slacking off wouldn't cut it.
Zoro was a proud man. Since leaving the Shimotsuki Dojo he'd pushed toward his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, even working as a bounty hunter to seek out that man.
On endurance, he admitted he lagged behind Luffy.
That instant-sleep, instant-wake, back-to-full-energy thing was broken.
And Luffy's bottomless-stomach, instant-digestion was the scariest of all.
The goof who used to joke around wasn't joking now—he was grinding like mad.
[ Warning: Punishment countdown. ]
Before the voice even sounded, Luffy had already turned to Usopp and Johnny.
Habit had taken over.
His body didn't need a whip anymore. By the time Luffy realized it, he could only hate it and accept it.
Mind and body weren't on the same page.
It was like someone had baited the waters inside him—Rapid Recovery and Rapid Movement sprinkled down like chum.
Usopp had just been spectating when his eyes met Luffy's.
Bad. Very bad.
He'd confirmed it with a glance—wrong guy for this.
"Eh?"
The hairs on Usopp's back stood up.
What was this guy planning?
Not that, please.
"Fight fight fight!"
Usopp missed the happy days of fishing with Luffy right after he'd come aboard.
We agreed to slack off—how did you suddenly turn into a grinder?
In under an hour, Usopp was sprawled out. He wasn't a training fanatic like Zoro.
[ Auto-adjusting to body condition. Daily training achieved. Begin Devil Fruit development. Countdown: thirty seconds. ]
[ Warning: Punishment countdown. ]
"Even if you say that, I can't think of a better idea…"
Luffy was troubled. During Rapid Movement a flash had hit him, but when he tried to work it out, the idea slipped away.
Devil Fruit development was tied to imagination. He had plenty of natural imagination—what about the rest?
Imagination came from seeing, living, and reading.
The more you read, the more you can think.
Usopp had mentioned giants because he'd devoured stories since childhood and admired them.
Back in Windmill Village, the only learned one was Makino.
Makino taught Luffy and Ace. They started out enthusiastic; in the end she gently declared them idiots and told them to find smart crewmates when they set sail.
Language, math, history, geography.
Luffy counted on his fingers, and halfway through he'd grin and announce he was quitting.
[ Adjusting to the user's current state. Essential knowledge is necessary to become Pirate King. This will aid Fruit development. ]
[ Random study… Basic medical knowledge selected. Begin immediately. ]
What the hell?
This time Luffy really broke.
Even learning swordsmanship, at least there was a teacher.
Medicine? There wasn't even a doctor on board.
As the countdown ticked down, the muscles of Luffy's face twisted into something abstract.
Half his face still held the battle-high from a moment ago, mouth tugged in a would-be grin, while the other half clouded over with the strain of holding back and not knowing what to do.
His eyes rimmed red, like he'd burst into tears any second.
Frozen in that half-cry, half-laugh mask, his pupils ticked mechanically.
"Hey, hey—Luffy, what's with that face? You're scaring me!"
Usopp had been flat on his back, too tired to move. Seeing Luffy lose all control over his face sent a chill from his heels to his scalp, and he jumped up at once.
He was terrified Luffy would think up some new insanity.
Luffy had no time to answer.
There was no doctor aboard.
Even if he wanted to study, he couldn't.
The punishment countdown flashed before his eyes. No shocks yet, but those socially fatal random punishments flooded back.
Suddenly, his fear-widened pupils snapped into focus, as if he'd grabbed a lifeline.
Right.
Nami.
Just from Yosaku's symptoms she'd named the illness.
Like a drowning man finding driftwood, Luffy snapped to life.
Usopp and Johnny saw a blur. With a thud, the deck was empty. Only the cabin door still swung wildly.
A beat later, a soprano scream blasted from Nami's room.
"Eek—Luffy? You jerk!" Nami's voice carried terror and furious shame.
"Oh—oh—"
Usopp and Johnny traded a look; knowing grins bloomed.
Usopp jabbed Johnny's shoulder with an elbow, waggled his eyebrows, and snickered. "Told you."
"Sure is."
In Nami's room, she was mired in a messy midday nap.
The chaos on deck kept tangling through her mind; sleep came poorly.
Half-dreaming, she could almost hear Luffy's loud, careless laugh.
"So annoying. In my dreams too?"
She muttered it, teetering on the edge of sleep, when a dark shape slammed her door like a battering ram.
Clack.
Her heart leapt to her throat.
Shock snapped her bolt upright, eyes wide, sleep gone in an instant.
Anyone would've thought a Marine admiral had arrived.
"Na—Nami!"
"Aaah! Luffy?!"
She saw the intruder. Her heart still pounded; her face had gone pale.
"Are you trying to scare me to death?"
"And I told you—no coming into my room!"
She grabbed the nearest pillow and hurled it, cheeks flushed from fright and anger.
Luffy didn't seem to hear. Full of survival instinct, he rushed to the side of her bed. "Nami, save me!"
He rattled off a rapid-fire explanation.
If he didn't hurry, he'd blow the chamber.