The morning in Little Garden was draped in a veil of thin mist clinging to the sea. Thanks to Sanji—acting as "Mr. Prince"—stealing the Permanent Pose from the Baroque Works messengers, the Straw Hat crew didn't need to wait a grueling year for the Log Pose to set. They were ready to set sail immediately.
At the edge of the vast shore, Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre stood like twin lighthouses. The giant warriors of Elbaf were seeing off the tiny humans who had become their brothers-in-arms in such a short time.
"Gah-hah-hah-hah! Though our time together was short, you are pirates who truly possess the souls of warriors!" Dorry's laughter scattered the morning mist.
"Geg-gya-gya! There's a troublesome big fellow in the waters ahead, but since you are friends..." Brogy swung his notched giant axe, "We'll clear the path for you! Proceed without fear!"
Luffy stood on the Merry, waving both arms frantically. "Old guys!! Thanks for the meat!! Once I become King of the Pirates, I'll definitely visit you in Elbaf!!"
On the upper deck, Viktor stood by the railing. He bowed deeply toward the two towering silhouettes on the shore. It wasn't just respect for the strong; it was gratitude for the selfless "Haki lesson" they had provided the night before.
As the Merry caught the wind and began to move into the deep waters of the outer sea, the calm surface suddenly began to vibrate.
Rumble... rumble...!!!
The sea exploded. A massive shadow, hundreds of times larger than the Going Merry—a shadow that literally blotted out the sky—broke the surface with suffocating pressure! It was an impossibly large goldfish: the Island Eater.
Its mouth hung open like a moving black hole. Deep within its throat, one could see the undigested remains of islands and massive prehistoric trees.
"WAAAAAAAGH!!" Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he gripped the railing. "Is that a monster?! Is that a goldfish?! We're going to be eaten like a snack!!"
"This... this creature..." Nami's face turned paper-white. The sea charts slipped from her hand as she stared at the abyss of the creature's maw. "This isn't something a sailing ship can fight! Turn the rudder!!"
"That bastard goldfish!" Luffy yanked down his straw hat and rolled up his sleeves. "It's in the way!"
"Don't be in such a hurry, Captain." A hand stopped Luffy. Viktor stood behind him, his voice low. "Leave the stage to them. Someone is about to show us... what true 'strength' looks like."
On the shore, Dorry and Brogy looked at the beast that had swallowed many of their kin. They simultaneously raised their broken, century-worn weapons. The wind howled around them.
"For us, nothing can block the path of a friend!!" Dorry's voice rolled like thunder.
"We've dueled for a hundred years; our weapons have long since reached their limit. They could shatter at any moment..." Brogy added, his fighting spirit burning to a peak. "But this final strike is a gift for our friends!! This strike is named 'Faith'!!"
VROOOOOM—!!!
Two currents of terrifying energy erupted without reservation. It was the Haki of giants—the pure, Peerless Will of the Warrior. Red and blue spirals of energy coiled around their weapons, distorting the air and forcing the waves to flow backward!
"That's..." Zoro's pupils contracted. He felt as if he were seeing the pinnacle of the Way of the Sword.
"WATCH CLOSELY!!" The two giants roared in unison:
"SPEAR OF ELBAF—"
They swung their weapons of a hundred years of glory.
"HAKOKU (SOVEREIGNTY)!!!!!"
BOOOOOOOOM————!!!!!!
The world lost its color. A massive, spiraling shockwave of red and blue transformed into a pillar of light that could pierce the heavens. With a force that annihilated everything in its path, it roared forward.
"Muu?!" The Island Eater didn't even have time to let out a cry. The pillar of light instantly punched a clean, gaping hole through its colossal body. The blast didn't stop there; it literally "split" the vast ocean into a perfectly straight channel, sending walls of water towering on either side toward the horizon.
"So... so incredible..." Usopp and Sanji were stunned into silence.
Viktor stood on the deck, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning frantically to capture the flow of energy. His mouth hung open.
No Devil Fruit power... no chakra fluctuations... Viktor muttered to himself, his heart racing. Pure physical strength combined with that 'willpower' called Haki... can actually produce destructive power comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb? This is... the ticket to the New World.
After passing through the divided sea, the Going Merry sailed toward Alabasta through the Grand Line's erratic weather. On deck, the crew excitedly discussed the power of Haki.
"I want to learn that! It's so cool!" Luffy punched the air.
"That's a giant's move, you can't learn it," Zoro said while wiping his blades, though his eyes were full of longing.
Suddenly—
Thud.
Nami, who had been reading the newspaper nearby, let the paper slip from her fingers. In front of everyone's shocked eyes, she collapsed backward onto the deck.
"Nami-san?!" Vivi, being the closest, rushed over to support her. The moment she touched Nami's skin, she gasped. "So hot!! Nami-san is burning up!!"
Nami's face was flushed crimson, her breathing ragged and painful. She had lost consciousness, her body twitching slightly in Vivi's arms.
"Nami!!" Luffy and Sanji rushed over.
Swish!
Viktor appeared beside her in a blur. He pressed two fingers to her pulse while sending a wisp of chakra into her body. A few seconds later, his expression turned grim.
"Her heart rate is dangerously fast. Her temperature is at least $40^\circ \text{C}$ and rising. There's a strange pathogen running rampant in her body... Damn, it must be an ancient virus from Little Garden."
"A virus?!" The crew panicked.
"Viktor! You know ninjutsu, right?" Luffy grabbed Viktor's arm, his eyes pleading. "Save her like you do with your magic! You're the Vice-Captain, you must have a way!!"
Viktor bit his lip. He cursed himself for his stupidity—he had been so focused on combat and Haki that he had forgotten the plot point where Nami contracts the lethal "Kestia" bacteria!
System! Exchange for Medical Ninjutsu! Viktor opened the shop without hesitation.
[Ding! Consumed 2,000 Ninja Way Points. Exchanged for: Mystical Palm Technique (Rank A).]
It cost him nearly all his savings, but he didn't blink.
"Let me try!" Viktor shouted, his hands glowing with a soft, green light. He placed them over Nami's forehead and chest.
Mystical Palm Technique: Activate.
The green chakra flowed into Nami, repairing cells damaged by the pathogen and suppressing the organ failure caused by the high fever. Nami's pained expression softened slightly, her breathing stabilizing.
"Great! Is she cured?!" Usopp asked happily.
Viktor pulled his hands back, sweat pouring down his face. "No... it's not a cure." He looked at the fading green light. "Ninjutsu can repair the body and suppress symptoms, but I can't directly kill these self-replicating bacteria. This acute fever and infection require professional antibiotics and medicine."
Viktor looked up at the group. "We need a doctor!"
The ship fell into a dead silence. Everyone looked at Vivi. They had a Permanent Pose to Alabasta; searching for a doctor could cost the lives of millions in her kingdom.
A million lives, or the life of a comrade.
Vivi looked at the suffering Nami, then at the pointer. Her hands trembled, her lip bitten raw. But a second later, the princess raised her head, eyes tearful yet resolute.
"Luffy-san! Viktor-san! Change course immediately! Find an island with a doctor! Nami-san is my friend... I won't leave her behind!!"
Luffy grinned. Despite the worry in his eyes, he nodded heavily toward Vivi.
"YOSHI!!" Luffy ran to the bow, roaring, "Full speed ahead!! Find a doctor!!!"
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