Chapter 39: Departure from Little Garden – Nami's Mystery Illness & Alabasta's Crisis
The sails of the Going Merry billowed in the wind, ready to depart Little Garden's coast.
Dorry and Brogy stood on the reefs on either side, immovable as mountains.
"Listen, friends!" Dorry's voice thundered like a storm. "The reason people who come to this island can't reach the next one—lies ahead!"
"What?" Everyone looked puzzled toward the distant sea.
Brogy laughed heartily: "But you're our friends! So your enemies are our enemies!"
"We will never let a friend's pirate flag be broken!" Dorry raised his giant sword high; sunlight danced on the blade.
"Trust us—" both giants roared in unison. "Go straight ahead! No matter what's in front!"
Luffy pressed down his straw hat, a determined smile on his lips: "Got it! Straight ahead!"
The moment the Going Merry surged forward at full speed, the sea ahead suddenly churned violently! A colossal creature burst from the water—
"Wh-What is that thing?!" Usopp's legs buckled as he pointed ahead.
A gigantic goldfish the size of an island opened an abyssal maw lined with mountain-like fangs. Usopp suddenly felt the monster looked strangely familiar; he trembled and muttered: "This… this couldn't be…"
"Island Eater…" Sol narrowed his eyes. "The legendary deep-sea overlord that devours entire islands."
Nami's face turned deathly pale. She clung desperately to Sol's arm: "Quick—think of something! We're going to be eaten!"
Sol gently patted the back of her hand, calm: "Trust them."
The instant the jaws closed, darkness enveloped the Going Merry. As the ship was swallowed into the fish's belly, everyone felt the world spin.
"We're gonna die—we're gonna die!" Usopp curled up hugging his head.
But the next second—
"ROOOAAAHHH!!"
Dorry and Brogy's roars shook heaven and earth! The two giants had already assumed battle stances, black lightning crackling around their Haki-wreathed weapons.
"Listen, monster!" Dorry's giant sword blazed with fighting spirit. "In this world—except for the 'Blood-Stained Serpent'—"
"There's nothing our blades can't pierce!" Brogy's battle axe hummed in response.
"Overlord!!!"
Two slashes fused into one, becoming a heaven-piercing shockwave! It tore through the darkness, precisely penetrating the fish's belly—yet flowed around the Going Merry's outline like water, harming nothing.
"This… what insane control…" Zoro's pupils trembled, watching the slash not only carve an escape path but also turn into thrust that propelled the Merry out of the fish's stomach!
The ship shot out of the sea like an arrow, sunlight flooding the deck once more. Behind them, the giant beast sank into the deep with a mournful cry.
"Goodbye, friends!" The giants' voices echoed from afar.
Luffy stood at the stern, waving vigorously: "Thank you! Giant uncles!"
"Don't look back—fly straight ahead! Go!"
Crack!
The giants' sword and axe shattered in response. The companions of a hundred years of war finally completed their final mission under the second "Overlord."
"Weapons… broken?" Brogy stared at the broken blade in his hand; a relieved smile spread across his rugged face.
Dorry laughed boldly: "Guhahahaha! Worth it! For friends—this was worth it!"
The Going Merry sailed smoothly across calm seas. The setting sun bathed the deck in golden light. Usopp and Luffy had their arms around each other's shoulders, happily singing an improvised song:
"Elbaf Elbaf Everyone's so tall, everyone's a giant~"
Nami leaned tiredly against the railing with a wry smile: "I'm so jealous of those two—they've got endless energy…" She rubbed her temples. "I felt pretty good after bathing in the lake earlier… why am I suddenly so exhausted…"
"Vivi—hold onto this recording pointer for now," Nami handed the permanent pointer to Vivi with a relieved smile. "We can finally head back to Alabasta… I hope the rest of the journey is smooth."
Vivi nodded firmly: "Yes—I'll definitely make it back alive and save my country!"
"Don't worry, Vivi-san~" Sanji approached carrying an elegant afternoon tea tray. "I'll protect you." On the tray, cream puffs gave off a tempting aroma; red tea steamed gently.
"Wow! Afternoon tea!" Luffy and Usopp instantly appeared behind Sanji, drooling.
"Your share is in the kitchen," Sanji said without turning. "Hurry up or Sol will eat it all."
"What?!" The two dashed toward the kitchen at incredible speed: "Sol! Save some for us!"
At the stern, Zoro was sweating profusely while lifting dumbbells: "2605… 2606… I have to get stronger… I need to master cutting steel…"
At that moment—
Thud!
Nami suddenly collapsed onto the deck. Vivi panicked and felt her forehead: "She's burning up! Everyone—come quick! Nami has a high fever and fainted!"
When Nami opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on the bed in her room. Sol was holding her hand tightly; a gentle healing magic glow emanated from his palm.
"I'm…" Nami felt a little better mentally. She looked at Sol in confusion: "It's just a fever, right? No need to be so tense… I'll be fine after some rest."
But Sol's expression was unusually serious. He didn't answer—instead, he suddenly lifted Nami's shirt.
"Eek! What are you—!" Nami blushed, but then saw Sol staring intently at an inconspicuous mosquito-bite-like mark on her side waist.
"This was from the lake when you were bathing?" Sol asked.
"Y-Yeah… with Vivi… what's wrong?" Nami finally sensed something was off.
Sol's fingertip gently touched the red spot; the magic glow grew brighter—but his brows furrowed tighter: "This is a special virus… my healing magic can temporarily relieve symptoms, but it can't eradicate it. It's continuously infecting your body."
Seeing Nami still looked doubtful, Sol temporarily withdrew the magic maintaining her strength.
Instantly, Nami felt the world spin. Scorching heat surged from within; she swayed and barely caught the bed's edge to steady herself.
"Sol—is Nami going to be okay?" Vivi anxiously grabbed Sol's sleeve.
Luffy suddenly poked his head in from the doorway, mouth still stuffed with meat: "If she's sick, just eat meat and she'll be fine, right? Isn't that so, Sanji?" He mumbled unclearly, meat crumbs flying from his mouth.
"You idiot!" Sanji sent him flying into the wall with a kick. "Sickness isn't that simple to fix!"
Luffy bounced back off the wall like a rubber ball: "Sol—is Nami's illness really serious? Aren't you a doctor?"
Sol nodded gravely: "My healing magic has little effect on this disease. We need to find a proper doctor for treatment."
"Is this sickness really that bad?" Luffy pressed.
"Dunno—we've never gotten sick before," Usopp and Sanji said in perfect unison, tilting their heads at the same angle.
"What time do you think this is to be doing a comedy routine?!" Vivi stomped her foot in frustration, her long hair practically exploding outward.
At that moment, Nami tremblingly pulled a newspaper from the drawer. Vivi took it—and her face instantly turned deathly pale. The headline read: Out of 600,000 royal soldiers, 300,000 have defected to the rebel army. The situation has completely reversed—700,000 rebel troops are now advancing on the capital.
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