Johnny explained to Tom and the others why he had attacked their ship.
While he and his partner Yosaku were resting behind a rock, Usopp and Luffy on the ship had fired a cannon in their direction, nearly blowing them up. Enraged, Johnny had come to the Going Merry to settle the score, only to be defeated by Luffy in one move.
Tom glanced at Yosaku lying on the deck. His skin was purplish, his face pale, teeth missing, and his wounds showed signs of worsening, oozing pus and blood. He looked on the verge of death, as if truly about to die.
Johnny had the character for "sea" tattooed on his left cheek, and Yosaku had "thief" on his right. They were bounty hunters.
After understanding the situation, Luffy and Usopp, the actual culprits, were so shocked their mouths hung wide open, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
"We're sorry!" Luffy and Usopp bowed to Johnny, apologizing sincerely.
"Since it's already happened, don't take it to heart," Johnny said, sitting on the deck, covering his face with one hand. Seeing Yosaku's worsening condition, his body trembled slightly with excessive grief. He said chokingly to Luffy and Usopp, "If apologies could solve everything, what would we need the Marines for?"
Hearing this, Luffy and Usopp broke out in more cold sweat, staring blankly, not knowing what to say.
"Yosaku has been my important partner as a bounty hunter for years," Johnny said, tears streaming, filled with grief, asking Zoro beside him, "Big bro, do you think he's going to die?"
Zoro's expression was heavy. Not knowing how to comfort Johnny, he fell into silence.
Tom glanced around, seeing many fragments of barrels Johnny had smashed and broken railings scattered on the deck. He fetched a hammer and nails.
Clang! Bang! Clang!
Tom used the nails to piece together the barrel fragments and broken railings, building a simple small boat.
"What are you doing?" Luffy asked Tom.
"Since he's going to die, we should prepare a simple sea burial. See him off on his final journey," Tom answered. He figured Yosaku was, after all, Zoro's acquaintance, so he could at least help with this small task.
"Thank you. I never thought my best partner would die like this," Johnny said crying bitterly to Tom.
"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do," Tom had just finished saying to Johnny when he heard Nami say to him, "Are you an idiot?"
"What did you say? Can't you, stupid woman, show even a little respect for life?" Tom said displeased to Nami. He saw Johnny's face fill with anger at her words. How could she be so cold-blooded?
"Yeah! Idiot Nami!"
"Nami, you idiot!"
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll cut you down!"
Luffy and Usopp agreed with Tom, chiming in together. Even Zoro, face serious, sternly warned Nami. Yosaku was his friend, and he wouldn't tolerate anyone insulting him when he was near death.
Bam! Thud! Boom! Clatter!
In the blink of an eye, Tom, Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro were all beaten flat by Nami.
Johnny had initially wanted to teach Nami a lesson, but before he could even say a word, he saw Nami instantly flatten the four of them and was so frightened he froze on the spot.
"You guys don't understand anything, yet you dare make judgments so easily. That's a good way to get someone killed," Nami said to Luffy and Usopp. "You two, go to the kitchen, squeeze some lime juice, and bring it here. That should cure him."
"He has scurvy. It's a disease that used to make sailors despair. But later, they discovered the cause was just a lack of plant-based nutrients. It happens when people don't bring enough fresh fruits and vegetables on long voyages. He'll be fine if he eats more fruits and vegetables," Nami explained further, seeing their confused expressions.
"Really? Big Sis?" Johnny, excitedly, hearing Nami say Yosaku could be saved, even called her "Big Sis," which made Nami a little unhappy. She felt it made her sound old.
"You're amazing. You're like a doctor," Luffy said, full of admiration to Nami, returning with the squeezed lime juice.
"I always knew you were a capable person," Usopp said, clearly forgetting he'd called Nami an idiot not long ago, and started bragging again.
"Isn't that just nutritional imbalance? No big deal," Tom said suddenly enlightened. It didn't seem like a particularly serious illness. All that worry for nothing.
"You dare to set sail, yet you don't even know this basic common sense! I think you'll all die sooner or later!" Nami shouted at these people lacking basic knowledge, then turned to Tom. "You're a fisherman. You've been out to sea plenty before. How could you not know about scurvy?"
"I used to fish in coastal waters, returning to the village the same day. I never went on long voyages," Tom said, as if remembering something. "Back then, I ate almost nothing but fish for nearly a year, hardly any fruits or vegetables. I never got scurvy. Are you sure you're not wrong?"
"I also eat mostly meat. I don't like plants. I've never had scurvy either," Luffy said to Tom.
Then Tom and Luffy both laughed, scratching their heads happily, saying in unison, "So our bodies are just that good! Ahahahaha!"
"Shut up! How can you two freaks laugh about this?!" Nami was about to lose her mind. She really couldn't stand Tom and Luffy's carefree stupidity.
"Speaking of which, I'm like you guys. I've never had that disease either," Zoro said, rubbing his chin, to Tom and the others.
"That's not strange. Isn't what's on your head natural plant life?" Usopp said, looking at Zoro's green hair. Tom and Luffy both nodded in full agreement.
After a moment of silence, Zoro started wrestling with Tom and the other two.
Some time later, after being force-fed a large amount of lime juice, Yosaku finally recovered. With proper rest, he would be fine.
After this incident, Luffy decided they needed a ship's cook. That way, everyone could eat delicious food on board and solve the crew's nutritional balance problem. A two-birds-one-stone solution.
Learning they wanted a ship's cook, Johnny offered a good suggestion. They could try the famous sea restaurant in the East Blue to find someone willing to be a cook on a pirate ship. Moreover, this sea restaurant was close to the Grand Line, which was Luffy's destination anyway. It was along the way.
Tom also noticed Zoro's expression suddenly change when Johnny mentioned rumors that the man known as "Hawk-Eyes" had been spotted near the Grand Line. Just as Tom was about to ask Zoro what was wrong, he saw Zoro turn around, his right hand gripping tightly the hilt of the sword at his waist, his shoulders trembling, as if unable to contain his excitement.
Seeing Zoro's state, Tom knew the man called Hawk-Eyes was extremely important to him. But Tom didn't ask further, as Zoro had already closed his eyes and entered deep thought.
And so, the Going Merry altered its course slightly northward, targeting the sea restaurant.
A day later, Tom and the others finally reached the famous East Blue sea restaurant, the Baratie.
"Big Bro Zoro! Big Bro Luffy! Big Bro Tom! Big Bro Usopp! Big Bro Nami! We're at the sea restaurant!" Johnny shouted loudly on deck, calling out the resting crew.
After just a day of interaction, Johnny and Yosaku had learned that Nami truly deserved to be called "Big Bro." She was terrifying.
"What a huge fish!" Luffy said, seeing a large ship with a fish-mouth figurehead floating not far away. At first glance, it really did look like a fish.
"This ship looks really interesting," Nami said, apparently very interested in the sea restaurant.
"If this ship were a real giant fish, how would I catch it?" Tom wondered, standing by the railing and rubbing his chin.
"Don't say such mood-spoiling things, you idiot!" Nami said rudely, tapping a light punch on Tom's face.
Just then, Usopp noticed another ship approaching theirs, stopping not far away.
"Oh no! It's a Marine ship!" Usopp saw the seagull sails and the shiny cannons aimed their way. He panicked somewhat. "They're not going to shoot at us, are they?"
"When did they get here?" Luffy said, looking at the Marine ship, very puzzled.
"This is the first time we've been this close to a Marine ship. I wonder if I could throw a cannonball back if they fire one at us," Tom said, remembering the first time he met Nami, escaping from Alvida's ship on a small boat while being pursued and fired upon by several Marine warships. The memory made him feel very annoyed.
"Just cut any cannonball that comes flying," Zoro said to Tom beside him.
Upon seeing the Marine ship, Johnny and Yosaku hid in the back.
"I don't think I've seen your Jolly Roger before," a man with light pink hair and a scar on his right cheek appeared on the Marine ship's bow. He wore brass knuckles. "I am Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander, 'Iron Fist' Fullbody. Who's the captain? Report your name."
"I'm Luffy! We just put up the flag recently."
"I'm Usopp! I drew that flag! It's pretty good, right?"
Luffy and Usopp rushed to speak to Fullbody, making Tom so speechless he didn't even want to comment.
The guy opposite was only a Lieutenant Commander from Marine Headquarters.
Even if he was from Headquarters, Tom felt he was inferior to the Marine Captain Morgan from Shells Town. He couldn't be bothered.
"Never heard of you. But those two over there, I've seen before," Fullbody said, no longer looking at Luffy and Usopp, shifting his gaze to Johnny and Yosaku hiding in the back. With disdain, he said, "I remember you two are bounty hunters who specialize in catching small-time pirates. Have you finally been captured by pirates?"
"Hey, Yosaku, this guy is provoking us."
"Yeah, I heard him say we only catch small-time pirates. I don't do things without benefit, but I think we should give this arrogant guy a little lesson. What do you say, Johnny?"
After saying this, Johnny and Yosaku drew the swords from their backs and issued a challenge to Fullbody.
Thirty seconds later, Johnny and Yosaku returned to the Going Merry, faces bruised and swollen, beaten by Fullbody. Tom sweatdropped completely. For guys who supposedly hung out with Zoro, the difference in strength was way too big.
"You two are really lame," Luffy said honestly to the two lying on the deck.
"No, he was just too strong."
"That guy's strength was on par with us, evenly matched."
Johnny and Yosaku were still talking tough, refusing to admit inferiority. Around them, many wanted posters had fallen, attracting Nami's attention.
Tom glanced at Fullbody on the Marine ship, not a hair out of place, still standing elegantly. Then he looked at Johnny and Yosaku on their side, faces beaten into pig heads, blood from their noses streaming. It was a sharp contrast.
"Fullbody, stop bullying the weak already. Let's go," a woman said, grabbing Fullbody's arm, using a coquettish tone. Hearing her syrupy voice, Tom nearly vomited all over Nami next to him.
Damn it! We were just sitting here doing nothing, and now we've been labeled as weak? Isn't this just ridiculous?
Though Tom didn't consider himself super strong, compared to Fullbody, he had absolute confidence he wouldn't lose. He estimated he could take Fullbody out in two moves at most.
"You're lucky. I'm on vacation today, just here for a meal. Be careful when I'm on duty. Next time I see you, you're dead," Fullbody said to Tom's group, raising his brass-knuckled fist. Then he put his arm around the girl and walked away.
"Good thing he left fast, or he'd be dead for sure," Tom snorted. He saw Nami squatting, holding a wanted poster, her expression very grim. He was about to ask what was wrong when Usopp said, "Big trouble! The Marine ship is aiming its cannons at us!"
"Sink that ship. It's an eyesore," Fullbody said, hugging the woman, giving a thumbs-down gesture toward Tom's group, which Tom saw clearly.
Damn, that shitty Lieutenant Commander from Marine HQ is really despicable. First, he says he's on vacation, implying he doesn't want to fight, then turns around and orders a cannon attack. Tom truly felt Fullbody's two-faced act was incredibly low-level.
Boom! Boom!
Two cannonballs flew toward the Going Merry.
"The Marines are really firing at us!" Usopp shouted in panic.
"Leave it to me! Gum-Gum Slingshot!" Luffy jumped into action first, stretching both arms. He used his body to block the incoming cannonballs, one hand grabbing the ship's mast, the other grabbing the figurehead.
"I'll handle this one," Tom said, blocking Zoro, who wanted to draw his sword to cut the other cannonball. He thought it better to throw it back, so as not to waste it.
Zing!
The line shot from the launcher on Tom's left wrist stuck precisely to the incoming cannonball.
Just as Tom was about to throw the tethered cannonball back at the Marine ship, an accident happened.
When Luffy used his Gum-Gum Slingshot to block the cannonball, the impact sent him flying backward. His stretched right hand didn't grip the figurehead firmly and slipped. Now only grabbing the mast, he swung abruptly in a ninety-degree arc, crashing into Tom on the other side.
Before Tom could throw the tethered cannonball, Luffy suddenly crashed into him, sending Tom along with the cannonball flying toward the Marine ship. The cannonball Luffy had flicked landed on the sea restaurant, Baratie.
Boom! Boom!
Two consecutive loud explosions rang out.
Fullbody, about to board the sea restaurant on a small boat, saw that not only had the restaurant been hit, but his own ship was also blown up. He immediately shouted angrily, "What is going on?!"
"Reporting, sir! Someone came flying over carrying a cannonball! We're handling it now!" a Marine standing by the railing said, saluting Fullbody in the small boat below.
"What nonsense is this? Are those pirates doing a suicide attack?" Fullbody, hearing the report, thought someone from the Straw Hat ship had charged in hugging a cannonball to attack their ship. He didn't think much of it. "Handle it before I finish my meal," he said to the Marine, then continued flirting.
Five minutes later.
"What do we do? Tom flew onto the Marine ship! Should we go save him?" Usopp's legs trembled, looking at the Marine ship opposite, asking Zoro and Nami.
"He didn't ask for help. He'll be fine alone. Don't worry about him," Zoro said, yawning, leaning against the railing sitting down, seemingly sleepy.
Nami's expression was very strange, and she said nothing. Not far away, Johnny and Yosaku clearly sensed Nami's change and now didn't dare make a sound.
Meanwhile, Tom was looking at the Marines surrounding him tightly. He had said if they let him leave, they could forget what happened.
But the Marines said Tom had attacked them with a cannonball, clearly provoking the Marines. Besides, Tom was a pirate; how could they let him leave easily?
Damn it! You Marines fired cannons at us, and I haven't even settled that score. Yet here you are, counting one, two, three, and suddenly I'm the criminal villain.
Seeing the Marines had no intention of letting him go, Tom stopped the nonsense. He took out the fishing rod from his arm sheath, extended it, and prepared to beat people up.
What surprised Tom the most was that he also saw a fellow prisoner on this Marine ship. But the man looked extremely weak, lips dry and cracked, as if he had been deprived of water and food for days. Yet, his eyes showed a strong will to survive…
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T/N :
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