I left the Foundation and found myself back on the deck of the Going Merry.
Heavy rain was pouring down on the ship. Cold. Violent.The sky was steel-gray, the waves restless.
But what worried me most… was the silence.
No laughter from Luffy.No complaints from Nami.No arguments between Zoro and Sanji.
Just… silence.
All the crew members were gathered inside Nami's cabin, their backs turned to me.
My heart tightened.
"No… not now…"
I hurried over."What's going on?"
No one answered. They were all focused on something inside.
I pushed my way through them.
And I saw her.
Nami. Lying on her bed. Shaking. Covered in sweat. Her face was scarlet, burning with fever.
On her arm, a purplish mark.
A bite.
"The parasite…" I murmured.
Kestia.The mosquito carrying the Five-Day Fever from Little Garden. I had completely forgotten about it in the chaos of the fighting.
"Step aside," I said calmly.
Vivi moved back immediately. So did Usopp.But Sanji didn't move.
He spun around and grabbed me by the collar, his eyes red with rage and fear.
"YOU! YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, RIGHT?! YOU'RE NOT JUST GOING TO STAND THERE AND WATCH?!"
"Sanji, calm down—"
"CALM DOWN?! NAMI IS GOING TO DIE AND YOU—"
I looked at Luffy, sitting in the corner, his straw hat covering his eyes. Silent. Motionless.
"Luffy," I said in a neutral tone. "In her current condition, Nami has seven days left to live. At most."
CRACK!
Sanji's fist slammed into my jaw. I didn't move an inch.
"MONSTER!" he shouted. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT SO COLDLY?!"
But I kept my eyes on Luffy.
Nami groaned in pain, the fever consuming her from the inside.
"There is an island," I continued calmly. "The Kingdom of Drum. A country of doctors. We could recruit one there."
Luffy slowly lifted his head, his gaze meeting mine."Your Foundation… it can't save Nami?"
All eyes turned to me. Full of hope. And despair.
I shook my head."I'm not a doctor. I can stabilize her in the Foundation using machines that will keep her alive longer and reduce her suffering. But it won't cure her. She needs a professional."
Luffy stood up slowly. His expression was serious. Determined.
"We're changing course. Drum Island."
Vivi gasped."But… what about Alabasta?!"
"Alabasta can wait. Nami comes first."
"Luffy—"
"IT'S DECIDED!"
I nodded."Good. Everyone, make room. Now."
I summoned the Foundation door.
CLANG!
Two guards immediately stepped out, carrying a medical stretcher.
"Put her on it. Gently."
Sanji and Zoro carefully lifted Nami and laid her on the stretcher. She whimpered weakly, her face twisted in pain.
"Marc," Luffy said. "Can we follow her?"
"Yes. Come."
Inside the Medical Foundation
I led the way. The two guards carrying the stretcher followed me.Behind them came the entire crew—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Vivi, and even Karoo.
Their footsteps echoed through the white, sterile corridors. Anxious. Hurried.
We passed through several sections. Multiple security doors.
Then we arrived in a medical room.
Huge. Filled with high-tech equipment. Scanners. Monitors. Sophisticated machines even Chopper wouldn't have recognized.
At the center stood a medical bed surrounded by a transparent glass tube. Like a stasis capsule.
"Place her there," I ordered.
The guards gently laid Nami onto the bed. She was breathing with difficulty, the fever still rising.
I activated the machines. The tube closed around her with a pneumatic hiss.
PSHHHH.
IV needles automatically positioned themselves, connecting to her veins with surgical precision.
Monitors lit up, displaying her vital signs.
TEMPERATURE: 40.2°CHEART RATE: 135 BPMBLOOD PRESSURE: 95/60INFECTION DETECTED: PARASITIC
"She'll be put into artificial sleep," I explained while programming the machines."So she can preserve her strength to fight the disease. Her condition will be monitored constantly to prevent any critical drop."
I turned to them."I need you to leave now. For her sake. And so I can run in-depth medical tests."
Luffy hesitated."She's… she's going to survive, right?"
"If we find a doctor in time, yes."
He slowly nodded."Okay. We trust you."
They left one by one. Vivi was crying silently. Usopp was trembling. Zoro kept his stoic mask.
Only Sanji stayed behind.
"Marc…"
"Yes?"
"I… I'm sorry. For earlier. I hit you. I—"
"It's fine," I said while adjusting Nami's IV lines."It's already behind us. You're worried about her. That's normal."
"Thank you. For saving her."
"I'm doing what I can."
He finally left, leaving me alone with Nami.
Sleepless Night
I stayed by her side all night.
Watching the monitors. Adjusting the medication. Making sure the artificial sleep wouldn't shock her brain upon waking.
I administered light neurological stimulants—drugs to keep her brain active through dreams.Not a deep coma. Just… controlled sleep.
TEMPERATURE: 39.1°C – DECREASINGHEART RATE: 110 BPM – STABLE
"Hang in there, Nami," I whispered."We'll find you a doctor."
The hours passed. Night turned into morning.
My eyes felt no physical fatigue—my immortal body no longer demanded it.But mentally? I was exhausted.
At 6:00 a.m., I decided to take a break.
"System. Record a message for the Class-D personnel. Today's schedule."
[RECORDING IN PROGRESS]
I spoke into the microphone, explaining the new routines. The training. The tests.
[RECORDING COMPLETE][BROADCAST SCHEDULED: 06:00]
"Good. Now… I sleep."
I left the medical room and headed to my own quarters—a small, spartan cell I had set up in the staff area.
I collapsed onto the bed.
And for the first time in days, I fell asleep.
[POV: ARLONG]A Brutal Awakening
Arlong slept badly.
The bed was designed for humans. Too small. Too narrow.For a fish-man standing 2.63 meters tall, it was torture.
But thanks to the intensive sports training that exhausted him daily, he managed to fall asleep.
Then, at exactly 6:00 a.m., the corridor lights turned on.
Not the dim night lights.The NORMAL lights. Bright. Blinding.
"Damn it…" he growled, sitting up.
Footsteps echoed. Faster than usual. More numerous.
He stood fully and looked through the bars.
A squad of guards stopped in front of his cell. And those of Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan.
One guard pulled out a small tablet. The screen lit up.
The Director's face appeared.
"Good morning. I know waking up at 6 a.m. is hard, but as I said yesterday, your schedule is changing and becoming more active. Please get up and follow the guards for special training."
The message ended.
The cell doors opened automatically.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Arlong stepped out, yawning. Kuroobi stretched. Chew rubbed his eyes. Hatchan woke with difficulty, his tentacles hanging limply.
They lined up and followed the guards.
"Where are we going?" Kuroobi asked.
The guards didn't answer.
They passed through unfamiliar corridors. Sections they had never seen.
"Are we going to see the anomalies?" Hatchan whispered nervously.
"Maybe we're about to become food," Arlong snickered.
But no.
They entered a massive room.
The Simulation Room
The room was GIGANTIC. The size of a football field. Completely empty.
Along the walls were benches.At the center…
Four helmets. Futuristic. High-tech. Spaced several meters apart.
Arlong and the others exchanged confused looks, eyebrows raised.
"What the hell is this?" Arlong muttered.
A guard holding a tablet tapped the screen.
The Director's face appeared again.
"In front of you are four helmets modified to fit your heads. But before that, you must gear up."
A guard came out with equipment. A lot of equipment.
Fake bulletproof vests. Mock FAMAS rifles. Hiking backpacks. Tactical belts. Dummy grenades.
The standard gear of a military intervention team.
Kuroobi—a karate fighter who only fought barehanded—looked at it all with disdain.
"What are these toys?"
The video continued.
"This is fake equipment that weighs the same as the real versions. Your objective now is to equip yourselves. The guards will help you, but next time you'll have to do it alone."
Several guards approached and began distributing the gear.
A fake FAMAS for each of them.A belt with dummy grenades.A bulletproof vest with magazines attached.A weighted backpack.
Arlong picked up the FAMAS with curiosity.
"It's heavy… for a human. But for us…"
He lifted it with one hand.
"It's nothing."
The bulletproof vest was more problematic. Designed for humans, it was too small for their massive frames.
The guards had to adjust the straps to the maximum. Even then, it was tight.
"THIS IS EQUIPMENT FOR WEAK HUMANS!" Arlong protested. "IT RESTRICTS ME!"
But the guards continued methodically. Belt. Backpack. Dummy grenades.
After twenty minutes of adjustments, they were all equipped. Awkwardly. But equipped.
The video continued.
"Once you're equipped, put on a helmet each. You'll understand what comes next."
The four fish-men stepped forward and put on the helmets.
CLICK.
The screens activated.
And they all shouted at the same time.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Kuroobi yelled."I'M SOMEWHERE ELSE?!" Hatchan screamed."IS THIS MAGIC?!" Chew added.
Virtual Reality
Inside the helmets, they saw themselves in another room. Smaller. Concrete. Gray. Realistic.
A radio crackled beside them.
"MISSION: NEUTRALIZE ALL ENEMIES. RESCUE THE HOSTAGE. WHEN READY, MOVE TO THE CIRCLE."
A glowing green circle appeared further into the virtual room.
"FIRST, TRAIN YOUR AIM."
Targets appeared. Simple. Static. With concentric rings.
A 3D video automatically launched, floating in front of them.
A tutorial. How to hold a firearm. How to aim. How to reload. How to arm a grenade.
Arlong looked at the FAMAS in his virtual hands.
"It feels real…"
He aimed at a target and fired.
BANG!
The recoil surprised him.
"WHAT?!"
He almost dropped the weapon.
"THE RECOIL IS REAL?!" Kuroobi exclaimed.
They trained for thirty minutes. Learning the basics. Shooting targets. Reloading. Arming grenades.
BOOM!
A grenade exploded virtually. The power shocked them.
"SUCH A SMALL THING… EXPLODES LIKE THAT?!" Hatchan murmured, impressed.
Eventually, they were ready.
They stepped onto the green circle.
"MISSION STARTED."
The Mission
The room changed. Walls. Doors. Staircases.
Enemies appeared. Armed humanoid silhouettes with rifles.
"NEUTRALIZE THE ENEMIES! RESCUE THE HOSTAGE!"
Arlong roared and charged forward.
"LET'S GO!"
The virtual enemies fired.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets hit him.
ZAP! ZAP!
An electric burn surged through his body. Not lethal. Just painful enough.
"ARGH!" He stumbled."THEY'RE SHOOTING FOR REAL?!"
"IMPACTS ARE SIMULATED VIA ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES," the radio explained.
Kuroobi returned fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three enemies collapsed.
"I HIT THEM!" he shouted, excited.
Chew threw a grenade. It rolled toward a group of enemies.
BOOM!
Four enemies eliminated at once.
"THIS IS TOO POWERFUL!"
Hatchan, with his six arms, reloaded and fired at insane speed.
"THIS IS AWESOME!"
They pushed through the simulation. Eliminating enemies. Finding the hostage. Escorting them to the exit.
Finally…
"MISSION SUCCESSFUL."
A screen appeared in front of them.
TOTAL TIME: 8 MINUTES 47 SECONDSENEMIES NEUTRALIZED: 23ENEMIES REMAINING: 0HOSTAGE: SAFEINJURIES RECEIVED: 12SHOOTING ACCURACY: 34%OVERALL GRADE: C+
The helmets powered down.
They removed them, panting. Covered in sweat. Their eyes shining with excitement.
"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Arlong yelled.
"CAN WE DO IT AGAIN?!" Hatchan asked.
But a guard played another video of the Director.
"It is now 10 a.m. After four hours of simulation, we'll move on to the basics. Follow the guards."
The Horror of Education
The guards escorted them to a new section.
They chatted excitedly among themselves, bragging about their scores.
"I GOT 15 KILLS!" Arlong boasted."I GOT 18!" Kuroobi shot back.
Then they entered…
A classroom.
Desks. A board. Chairs.
They froze.
"W-what… what is this?" Chew whispered, horrified.
On the board, a video of the Director appeared.
"Before you can be deployed in the field, you need to know how to read and write. Every day for two hours, you'll learn the basics here."
Silence fell.
Arlong and the others had grown up in slums. Dangerous streets.They had learned to fight. To survive.
Read? Write?
They knew numbers—to read their bounties.That was ALL.
For two hours, recordings of virtual teachers taught them the alphabet. Sounds. Syllables. Basic writing.
It was…
HORRIBLE.
Boring. Frustrating. Humiliating.
When they finally left the room, they held their heads in their hands, cursing the Director for creating something so awful.
"I'D RATHER FIGHT TEN SEA KINGS THAN DO THAT AGAIN…" Hatchan groaned.
The guards escorted them to the cafeteria.
Free time.
At last.
[END OF CHAPTER 28]
[NAMI: STABILIZED – ARTIFICIAL SLEEP][DESTINATION: DRUM ISLAND][FISH-MEN: MILITARY TRAINING INITIATED][- VR SIMULATION: SUCCESSFUL (GRADE C+)][- BASIC EDUCATION: IN PROGRESS (HATED)][MARC: MENTALLY EXHAUSTED][NEXT STEP: ARRIVAL AT DRUM ISLAND][OBJECTIVE: RECRUIT A DOCTOR]