Chapter 17: Daily Life on Board
The Going Merry cut through the waves, the shoreline of Syrup Village shrinking until the figure of the girl on the cliff was swallowed by the horizon.
Apollo sat in a deck chair, a lingering sense of melancholy in his chest. He watched the island disappear in silence.
Around him, the ship was alive with noise.
Zoro was napping against the mast. Nami was leaning on the railing, counting the Berry notes in her wallet with a dreamy expression.
Luffy and Usopp were bouncing around the deck like rubber balls, their laughter echoing over the ocean.
"They have so much energy," Apollo sighed, shaking his head.
It was a surreal feeling, sitting on the deck of the Going Merry. In his previous life, this ship was an icon, a symbol of adventure. Now, he was physically feeling the wood grain beneath his boots.
Sailing with the Straw Hats had been a whim he'd entertained for a long time. These were the "Children of Destiny," the chaotic vortex around which this era spun.
Having been transmigrated into the world of pirates, how could he resist seeing the main cast up close?
Besides satisfying his curiosity, he had a deeper reason. He wanted to observe the "Will of D" and the flow of fate. With him—an anomaly—on board, how would the story ripple and change?
"Hey! Everyone!" Luffy shouted, jumping down from the figurehead. "Let's draw our pirate flag!"
"Oh! The Jolly Roger!" Usopp pumped his fist. "Leave it to me, the great artist Usopp!"
Apollo stood up, his melancholy fading. "I want in on this."
The group gathered around a piece of black cloth. Luffy went first, drawing his... interpretation... of a skull and crossbones.
"What is that?" Nami asked, horrified.
"It's a scary pirate mark!" Luffy beamed.
"It looks like a flattened rice ball with twigs," Apollo noted dryly.
Eventually, Usopp took over. With a professional flourish, he sketched out the iconic skull wearing a straw hat. It wasn't ferocious, but it was brimming with life—perfect for this crew.
Painting it onto the mainsail was a group effort. By the time they finished hoisting it, Usopp was panting on the deck, covered in black paint.
He looked up and glared at Apollo, who was back in his deck chair, sipping tea. "Hey! Why does the 'passenger' get to relax while I work my fingers to the bone?!"
Apollo blew on his tea. "You answered your own question. I'm a passenger. Have you ever seen a paying customer scrubbing the deck?"
He turned his head. "Nami, since you're up, how about a refill on the coffee?"
"Don't push your luck, rich boy!" Nami snapped, a vein throbbing on her forehead. "I'm the Navigator, not a waitress!"
Apollo tutted. "So aggressive. You know, with a temper like that, you'll never find a husband."
"None of your business!" Nami growled, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Apollo ignored the murderous aura radiating from her. "It is my business. They say fate binds those who sail on the same ship. We must have some deep karmic connection."
He smirked teasingly. "Tell you what. If you really can't find anyone to marry you, I can hire you as a personal maid. Just picture it: a frilly apron, serving tea, doing laundry..."
Nami cracked her knuckles. "That's it. You're paying extra for that comment—with your life!"
She stomped toward him, fist raised. But the ship lurched suddenly over a wave. Caught off guard, Nami stumbled over Apollo's extended leg.
"Wha—!"
She lost her balance and fell forward. Apollo caught her easily, absorbing the impact as she landed with a soft thud against his chest.
Apollo looked down at her, a playful grin on his face. "My, my. Throwing yourself at me already? I didn't know you were so eager."
Nami's face turned beat-red. She scrambled up, flustered and furious. "I'm going to kill you!"
"Ow! Hey, not the face!"
Apollo let her get a few hits in, relaxing his muscles so she wouldn't hurt her hands on his iron-hard skin.
The playful banter broke the ice; unlike Usopp, Nami didn't have a shared battle history with Apollo, so there had been a slight wall between them. That wall was now thoroughly smashed.
While they bickered, Zoro continued to snore, and Luffy dragged the ship's cannon to the foredeck.
"Usopp! Test your aim!" Luffy pointed to a rocky sea stack in the distance.
"Watch and learn, Captain!" Usopp lined up the shot. BOOM!
The cannonball flew true, shattering the peak of the rock formation instantly.
"Sugoi!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "You're amazing, Usopp!"
Usopp rubbed his nose, preening. "Naturally! I am the sniper of—"
"You guys are in trouble," Apollo interrupted, pushing Nami (gently) aside and walking to the rail. "There was someone on that rock."
"Eh?" Luffy and Usopp froze, their jaws dropping.
"Someone?" "Really?" "Did I... kill someone?" Usopp turned pale.
"Nobody died, but they look pretty pissed off," Apollo said, shielding his eyes. "And they're coming this way."
Sure enough, a small boat emerged from the dust cloud, paddling furiously toward the Going Merry.
Usopp pulled down his goggles, zooming in. Then, his knees gave out, and he collapsed onto the deck.
"Usopp? What is it?" Luffy asked.
"M-m-murder!" Usopp shrieked. "There's a guy in the boat... he's covered in blood and not moving!"
Apollo rolled his eyes at the theatrics. "Relax, coward. If you're afraid of blood, why did you become a pirate?"
"Easy for you to say!" Usopp wailed. "We don't have a grudge against them! Killing an innocent bystander is bad karma!"
"Wait," Nami cut in, her voice sharp. "They're boarding. Apollo, get ready to fight."
Apollo yawned. "I told you, nobody died. Just wake up the moss-head over there."
"Why Zoro?" Luffy tilted his head.
"He knows them," Apollo said simply. He recognized the duo approaching—Johnny and Yosaku, Zoro's old bounty hunter partners.
"I'm already awake," Zoro grumbled, scratching his head as he walked over. He looked down at the small boat alongside the Merry. His eye widened. "Johnny? What the hell? And what happened to Yosaku?"
"Aniki!" Johnny, the one paddling, looked up with tears in his eyes. "Big Brother Zoro! Why are you on a pirate ship?!"
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up (and Luffy and Usopp apologized profusely), Johnny explained the situation. Yosaku hadn't been hit by the cannon; he had been sick for days.
He lay on the deck, pale, his gums bleeding, clutching his side. "I'm... finished..."
"It's a curse," Johnny sobbed. "We angered a sea spirit!"
"It's scurvy, you idiots," Nami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
She quickly ordered Luffy and Usopp to fetch limes from the pantry. After forcing the sour juice down Yosaku's throat, the bounty hunter miraculously sprang back to life, dancing a jig.
"I'm cured!"
"This is a lesson," Nami lectured, hands on her hips. "Out on the sea, nutrition is vital. We can't just live on meat and booze."
"That means we need a Chef!" Luffy declared, slamming his fist into his palm. "A sea cook who makes tasty food!"
"Where are we gonna find a cook out here?" Usopp asked.
"Actually," Apollo spoke up, leaning against the mast. "I know a place. And I know a guy."
Luffy spun around. "Really? Who? Is he good?"
"He's the Sous Chef of the Baratie, a sea-going restaurant not far from here," Apollo said. "His name is Sanji. His food is world-class."
"The Baratie?" Johnny piped up. "I've heard of that place! It's famous. They say it's the best restaurant in the East Blue!"
Johnny's expression then turned serious. "But... we also heard a rumor. Big Brother Zoro's target... 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk... has been spotted in that area."
The atmosphere on the deck shifted instantly.
Zoro froze. The lazy slouch vanished, replaced by the sharpness of a drawn blade. His hand tightened around the white sheath of Wado Ichimonji.
"Hawk Eyes..." Zoro whispered, a terrifying grin spreading across his face.
"It's decided then!" Luffy shouted. "To the Baratie! For the Cook! And for Zoro's dream!"
As the ship adjusted course, Apollo glanced at the swordsman.
"Are you planning to challenge him?" Apollo asked quietly.
Zoro nodded, his eyes burning with intensity. "Yeah. I promised... I would become the World's Greatest Swordsman. I can't turn back."
"It's a good ambition," Apollo said, his voice devoid of mockery. "But... it is too early for you, Roronoa."
"What do you mean?" Johnny stood up, looking offended. "Big Brother Zoro is strong! He cuts through steel!"
"Strength is relative," Apollo said calmly.
"Have you seen Mihawk fight?" Zoro asked, turning to face him.
"I have," Apollo nodded. (Technically true, if reading the manga counted).
"Is he strong?"
"Let me put it this way," Apollo said, looking Zoro in the eye. "If the strength of a swordsman is a mountain... then Dracule Mihawk is the Red Line itself, piercing the clouds. And you... right now, you are a hill in the backyard."
Zoro grit his teeth. "That big of a difference?"
"The gap is absolute," Apollo stated. "It is not something courage alone can bridge."
Zoro fell silent for a moment. Then, the grin returned, fiercer than before. He tied his green bandana around his arm.
"A hill against the Red Line, huh? Sounds impossible." Zoro's hand rested on his swords. "That just makes me want to cut him down even more."
Apollo looked at him and said nothing further.
He's still a frog in the well, Apollo thought. He doesn't know how big the world is. But... perhaps he needs to be crushed to be forged anew.
Defeat was inevitable. But whether that defeat would break Zoro or remake him... that was the interesting part.
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