Tomioka sat on a chair by Nami's bed, his gaze fixed on the window.
Just one day had passed, and the view outside the window was already completely different.
The warm sea breeze and dazzling sunlight had been replaced by a cold wind, and countless tiny white snowflakes fell from the sky, silently landing on the going merry, accumulating in a thin layer on the window.
This sea… it truly is unpredictable.
He thought quietly. The temperature had dropped significantly; even he had changed into a thicker, darker coat, and everyone else was bundled in winter clothes.
The room was quiet, save for Nami's slightly heavy breathing and the low murmurs of Sanji and Vivi.
Looking at her brows furrowed in pain, Tomioka was silent for a moment, then took out a slightly worn notebook and a pen from his pocket.
He had found these on the going merry earlier; Usopp told him they were among the gifts left by the ship's previous owner, a girl named Kaya.
He hadn't known what to write initially, but now, a thought suddenly emerged.
If… if he could record this incredible sea journey, and if he ever had a chance to return, perhaps… Tanjiro and Mr. Urokodaki could see it too.
He opened the notebook, his pen hovering above the blank page, trying to organize his thoughts to describe this noisy yet warm ship, and this vast, boundless sea.
However, he hadn't even had time to write the first word!
Bang!!
The entire Going Merry shook violently without warning.
"Ugh!" Tomioka reacted quickly, instantly bracing himself against the wall with his left hand, steadying his body.
"What's going on?" Vivi, who was protecting Nami, shouted from the side.
Immediately after, Sanji raised his voice, roaring at the outside of the ship: "Hey! You out there! Steady the rudder! Miss Nami is still sick! If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you!"
The shaking continued.
"I'll go take a look," Sanji said, then pulled open the door and rushed towards the deck.
"I'll go too."
Sanji glanced at Tomioka, seemingly wanting to say that his injury hadn't healed, but in the end, he just nodded: "Something seems wrong."
The two, one after the other, quickly pushed open the cabin door and rushed onto the snow-swept deck.
Snowflakes lashed at their faces, and visibility was low. On the deck, Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp stood ready. Dozens of unfamiliar soldiers in uniform, holding long spears, had climbed onto the Going Merry's railing!
Their gun barrels were aimed directly at the Straw Hat!
"Hey! What's happening?" Sanji immediately shouted, his sharp eyes sweeping over the soldiers. He lit a match and began to smoke.
"Sanji! Tomioka! You came at the right time!"
Luffy held down his Mugiwara to prevent it from blowing away, his tone surprisingly calm: "We've been attacked! A really big ship crashed into us!"
Tomioka looked in the direction Luffy pointed; an incredibly massive dark shadow was pressed against the Going Merry, exuding an intense pressure.
It was its collision that caused the violent shaking just now.
Just then, a figure, accompanied by comical footsteps, jumped from the opposing large ship onto the Going Merry's railing, then clumsily landed.
This was a corpulent man with purple hair. Most striking was his enormous mouth, which took up almost half his face.
He held an iron longsword in his hand, and he was crunching on it like a snack, chewing with relish.
"Hmm?"
Wapol, chewing on metal, scanned the few people on the deck with his small eyes, his voice a bit muffled, "Only a few people, huh?"
His attitude was incredibly arrogant: "I'll ask first."
Then, still chewing on his weapon, he said, "We're looking for the way back to Drum Kingdom! Do you have a Log Pose or an Eternal Pose?"
Sanji, standing nearby, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said cautiously, "We don't have one, and we haven't heard of the country you mentioned."
Tomioka's gaze swept over the muzzles of the soldiers' guns, finally resting on this strange fat man.
He was more concerned about another question and spoke directly: "The country you mentioned… does it have doctors?"
"Doctors?" Wapol seemed amused by the question, stopped chewing, and grinned widely, laughing.
"What? Is someone sick on your ship? Hahaha!" He laughed without sympathy, "If you have a Log Pose, and if the King is in a good mood, I might make an exception and let you board my ship, contribute some treasures to the great King Wapol, and then, as an exception, treat your illness once."
"Oh!! Doctors!!" Luffy's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this, completely ignoring the other conditions. He eagerly pointed to the cabin, "Do you have doctors on your ship? Someone on our ship needs a doctor right now! Very much!"
Looking at Luffy's excited and naive expression, a glimmer of greed flashed in Wapol's small eyes as he said, "Oh? You want a doctor? Simple! Hand over all the treasures on your ship! This King will be merciful and give you a chance!"
Having said that, he felt the negotiation was over, or rather, he didn't care about the other party's answer at all.
He suddenly opened his exaggerated large mouth and took a huge bite out of the Going Merry's hull!
Crunch! Creak, creak.
The sound of splintering wood was unpleasant! He was actually chewing on the Going Merry's hull like it was a biscuit!
"The taste… it's really good… this ship…" He chewed and commented, as if the going merry was just a dish he was sampling.
"You… what are you doing, you bastard!!!" Usopp's eyes almost popped out when he saw this, letting out a heartbreaking scream. That was his beloved ship!
"Stop! Stop it right now!"
A soldier next to Usopp immediately raised his spear and aimed it at him: "Don't disturb Lord Wapol's meal!"
"You… what did you do to the going merry!!!" Luffy immediately shouted, his rubber arm stretching back violently, instantly wanting to rush forward and punch this ship-eating bastard!
The situation instantly descended into chaos!
Tomioka's left hand had already gripped the hilt of his Blade, his breathing technique instinctively activated, watching the battle unfold, intending to intervene.
However, just as he was about to draw his blade, wado ichimonji was placed horizontally before him, stopping his movement.
Tomioka turned his head slightly in surprise, looking at Zoro beside him.
Zoro didn't look at him, his gaze still fixed on the chaotic battlefield ahead and the fat man still gnawing on the ship. He simply said, "Your current breathing… using that kind of technique isn't convenient, is it?"
He paused, his tone firm: "Just leave it to us."
Tomioka looked at Zoro's steady profile, sensing his confidence. He didn't answer, then slowly released his grip on the blade.
Zoro looked at Wapol, slowly exhaling, and surprisingly closed his eyes in the snowstorm, as if quietly sensing something.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was firmly locked on the opponent.
"I'll use you to test my skills…" Zoro muttered in a low voice, a slight curve forming on his lips, "Let's see what my slashes are like now…"
He suddenly pushed off with his feet, sending snow flying!
"Ushi Bari!"
He was so fast that he left only an afterimage on the ship! He struck Wapol's abdomen fiercely!
"Ugh!"
Wapol, who was focused on gnawing the ship, had not expected this sudden, fierce blow. He felt a sharp, heavy force pierce through him, and intense pain immediately followed. His exaggerated large mouth opened, letting out a painful cry, and he froze in place, unable to move!
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah!"
"Eh?" Luffy was stunned for a moment, retracting his fist. He looked at Zoro, who was still in his attacking posture, tilted his head, and showed a surprised expression, "Zoro, your feeling… it's changed, hasn't it?"
Zoro straightened up, put his sword back on his shoulder, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? But…" He glanced at the surrounding soldiers who were somewhat flustered because their king had been defeated.
"There are too many people, the aura of the small fry is all mixed together. It's not quite the same feeling as back in Small Garden."
"It's just a feeling! Hehe!" Although Luffy didn't fully understand, it didn't stop him from being happy.
He immediately seized the precious moment while Wapol was stunned, his two rubber arms stretching back infinitely, pulled to their limit!
"Gomu Gomu!!!"
"Rocket!"
His arms contracted and rebounded with terrifying force, his two giant rubber palms clasped together, solidly smashing into Wapol's stomach!
"Waaahhhhhhh—!!!"
Wapol let out a long, agonizing scream, his body instantly blasted off the ground, flying like a giant purple rubber ball, tracing a parabola across the vast sea, disappearing into the snowstorm.
The other soldiers on the ship watched in stunned disbelief, their jaws almost dropping to the ground.
"Lord Wa… Wapol!!!?"
The leader, who looked like an archer, after his initial shock, showed an expression of both surprise and anger. He glared fiercely at the Straw Hat, especially Zoro and Luffy, and said:
"You… you… how dare you… you will definitely regret this!!"
But he clearly knew that with Wapol gone, they were no match. He immediately called out to his subordinates: "Quick! Retreat! Go find Lord Wapol!"
The soldiers scrambled back onto their large ship, which quickly turned, hastily sailing in the direction Wapol had disappeared, and soon vanished into the snowstorm as well.
A temporary calm returned to the Going Merry, leaving only the sound of the wind and… "Ah ah ah ah ah ah! Damn it ah ah ah ah ah!" Usopp flung himself to the side of the hull where Wapol had gnawed off a large chunk, looking at the missing pieces, letting out a heartbroken wail.
"That damned bastard! How could he bite Merry like this! Unforgivable!"
Tomioka walked over, looked at the damaged area, then at Usopp's angry face, was silent for a moment, and then said, "I'll help with the repairs too."
Usopp turned to him, teary-eyed: "Ah ah ah! Tomioka, you're so good!!! But… are your injuries okay? And you have a fever, don't you?"
Tomioka shook his head, his tone calm: "It's just simple carpentry, no problem."
...The simple repair work continued for a while. Tomioka was more than capable of holding boards steady and handing tools, and his involvement significantly reduced Usopp's complaints.
At dinner time, Sanji specially prepared hot soup and food for everyone. Except for him needing to occasionally go to the deck to check the course, everyone else gathered in the relatively warm dining room, but the atmosphere was not very relaxed.
Soon, everyone spontaneously went to Nami's room.
She seemed a little more conscious, barely managing to listen to everyone chat, but her face was still flushed, and she looked very weak.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the floor, saying indignantly, "Damn it! That bastard's ship today seemed to have a doctor! Nami, your illness almost could have been cured!"
Nami smiled weakly, her voice a little hoarse: "Just now… Vivi told me too… that guy, he's a bad person, isn't he? And he did such terrible things to the Going Merry…"
She coughed a few times, then continued: "I'll be fine… we'll just find a doctor on the next island…"
Luffy suddenly clapped his hands, making a'smack' sound, his eyes shining brightly, as if he had just thought of a brilliant idea: "I know! On that island! Let's find a ship doctor! Let's find a super amazing ship doctor to join us! That way, if Nami gets sick again, or if anyone else gets hurt, we won't have to be afraid!"
Nami looked at his vibrant appearance, and her weak smile held a touch of genuine warmth.
She nodded gently: "Mm… okay… that's a good idea… but… I'll sleep for a bit first… rest for a while…"
Saying that, she lay down and fell into a deep sleep again.
Zoro watched this scene, arms crossed, and let out a silent sigh. He turned and walked towards the door: "I'll go outside and train for a bit first."
At the doorway, he paused, turned back to Tomioka, who was standing quietly nearby: "Tomioka, are you alright? Want to come out and chat?"
Chat?
Tomioka was startled for a moment. He glanced at the sleeping Nami and Vivi, Usopp, and Luffy gathered around her, then nodded and followed Zoro out of the room.
The two came onto the deck.
The snow seemed to have lessened a bit. Sanji was leaning against the ship's side, looking in the direction the compass pointed, the cigarette in his mouth glowing with a red light.
Zoro didn't look at Tomioka, but instead gazed at the dark sea in the distance, and suddenly spoke: "Today, when dealing with that guy…"
He also seemed to be searching for the right words, "I feel… I have a different feeling now."
Tomioka recalled Zoro's swift and precise strike, and nodded:
"Indeed. I can feel that compared to when I first met you in Loguetown, you've changed tremendously."
This was his honest opinion; compared to the wild yet unrefined aura from their first meeting in Loguetown, Zoro's growth speed was astonishingly fast.
"Really?"
Zoro turned his head, looking at Tomioka, his eyes serious, "My dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman."
His gaze sharpened, like three drawn swords, "Tomioka, you will also be one of the opponents I must surpass on my path to achieving this goal."
Sanji, who was checking the course nearby, heard this and couldn't help but turn his head, saying disdainfully, "Hey, Mosshead, are you crazy? His injuries aren't fully healed, and his fever hasn't gone down. Why are you challenging him here? Is your brain all muscle?"
A vein immediately popped on Zoro's forehead, and he retorted furiously, "What I say is none of your damn business!! Do you want to fight, bastard!"
"Come on! I'm not scared of you!"
The two were about to start brawling on the deck again, but Tomioka didn't pay attention to their noisy.
His thoughts seemed to drift far away.
He recalled their initial fight at the Loguetown port; back then, Zoro swung his sword with a wild, explosive momentum, completely different from the current refined and precise sharpness.
Tomioka unconsciously ran his hand over the hilt of his Blade at his waist, looking into the distance.
In this sea, there would be more and more powerful opponents. If he was only at this level, it would still be far from enough to protect them… Tomioka looked up at the sky. A corner of the thick clouds parted, revealing a full moon.
He suddenly spoke, his voice calm, interrupting the impending, countless battle beside him:
"Tonight's moon is truly round."
Zoro and Sanji, who were about to start brawling, both froze simultaneously, their movements suspended in mid-air. They also unconsciously followed Tomioka's gaze and looked up at the night sky.
The full moon hung quietly, radiating its light. They gazed at the moon, silent for a moment.
Finally, Zoro also responded in a low voice, his tone returning to his usual composure:
"Ah… yes, it is."
Sanji also re-lit a cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled smoke, saying nothing more.
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