Chapter 61: Stop Fighting, Everyone!
The battle horn had just sounded, yet internal disputes erupted first.
With Zoro, Sanji, and Lufia—three people—facing the octopus Fish-man Hachi and the Sea Beast Momoo as their two opponents, they argued fiercely over who would fight whom, their faces flushed with agitation.
Lufia: "I'm the captain, I choose first! I want to fight the big monster!"
Sanji: "Then I'll take the octopus! As a chef, handling it will be a piece of cake!"
Zoro: "Hey! You two latecomers have no right to choose first! Didn't I say it? Even if they're officers, I'll cut them down for you to see!"
The octopus Fish-man Hachi blinked his round eyes, watching the three quarreling humans. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally understood their identities.
"You... are you really the villains who attacked our comrades?"
The argument abruptly ceased.
All three turned their heads simultaneously to look at Hachi.
Hachi grew a bit nervous under their gaze but puffed out his chest and declared loudly:
"Arlong said humans are a weak race! Even if all four of you come at me together, you're no match for me!"
Then, "Have me paired with this seaweed head?" Sanji's forehead bulged with veins.
"Weak...?" Zoro narrowed his eyes.
Then, almost simultaneously, "One Sword Style!"
"Collier!"
Zoro's figure vanished like a ghost, reappearing on the deck of the Going Merry, Wado Ichimonji slashing down overhead!
Sanji leaped into the air, his right leg kicking out like a gust of wind!
Hachi's round eyes widened even further.
He had intended to use his six hands to perform an empty-handed blade catch.
This was his specialty, having blocked attacks from many human swordsmen.
Too fast!
Zoro's sword was so swift he couldn't even see its trajectory!
Sanji's kick was also at a tricky angle, too fast for him to decide which hand to block with!
"Slice!"
A flash of blade light.
An arm flew into the air, splattering red blood.
"Thud!"
The kick landed.
Hachi was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the mast of the Going Merry!
"Crack—"
The mast groaned under the strain, splitting with a fissure.
"Waaaaaah—!" Hachi screamed as he slid down the deck, curling up in pain.
Meanwhile, Lufia was already excited, "Great! No one's competing for the monster with me!"
She charged toward the Sea Beast Momoo.
Her rubber arms stretched out, grabbing the horns on Momoo's head, and she swung herself up, riding onto Momoo's neck like a bull rider!
Momoo: "Moo———???"
It had no idea what was happening.
Why had this tiny human suddenly ridden onto its neck? And why was she so excited?
Momoo's intelligence was limited, but it roughly understood that this human was provoking it!
"Moo—!!!"
An angry roar.
Momoo began shaking its head wildly, trying to throw Lufia off.
But Lufia's legs clamped down like iron vices, her rubber body swaying left and right with the shaking. Not only did she not fall off, she laughed even louder:
"Hahahaha! So fun! Faster!"
In the courtyard, on one side, Zoro and Sanji were unilaterally "handling" Hachi, while on the other, Lufia and the Sea Beast Momoo engaged in a "bull-riding contest."
And Ralph...
He had already slipped back onto the Going Merry before the battle even began.
The deck was empty.
But in the cabin, there were faint breathing sounds.
Ralph pushed open the cabin door and saw Johnny and Yosaku tied up.
The two were tied back-to-back, cloth stuffed in their mouths, eyes tightly shut, each with a large bump on their forehead.
Ralph walked over, pulled the cloth from their mouths, and then—
Slap! Slap!
Two firm but not heavy slaps.
"Ugh..."
Johnny and Yosaku slowly woke up, groggily opening their eyes.
The moment they saw Ralph, they both became agitated simultaneously:
"Big Brother Ralph!"
"Save us!"
Ralph cut the ropes with his knife. "What happened? Where's Usopp?"
Rubbing the bump on his forehead, Johnny began to recount the events with a pitiful expression:
The three of them, left to guard the ship, were bored. Naturally, Usopp started telling Johnny and Yosaku stories of his "past adventures."
He was just getting to the part—"Back in the South Blue, I once encountered a giant sea monster, part bull, part fish, that could swallow an entire ship in one gulp…"
—when the Sea Beast Momoo appeared.
"It... it just showed up right beside the Going Merry!" Yosaku said, still shaken. "It was so huge, with eyes like lanterns! All three of us were paralyzed with fear!"
But strangely, Momoo didn't attack outright.
It just watched the Going Merry curiously, occasionally letting out a "moo-moo" sound.
After observing for a while, the three realized the sea beast didn't seem hostile.
"Yosaku wondered if it was hungry," Johnny continued, "so the three of us went to the kitchen and used Mr. Sanji's ingredients without permission to make a bunch of food…"
Ralph raised an eyebrow. "You two can cook?"
Johnny and Yosaku exchanged glances and shook their heads awkwardly.
"Well... maybe not very well," Yosaku muttered quietly. "But Big Brother Usopp said it was fine—sea beasts aren't picky eaters. He even…"
Yosaku's voice dropped even lower:
"He even mixed in one of his homemade 'Super Spicy Bombs' for seasoning…"
Ralph facepalmed.
He could already guess what happened next.
"After Momoo ate that food," Johnny went on, "it went crazy on the spot! Eyes blazing red, nostrils flaring, it started attacking the Going Merry wildly!"
At the critical moment, Usopp did something that shocked Johnny and Yosaku.
He jumped off the ship.
But not to flee.
After reaching the shore, he started shouting at Momoo and even shot a few pellets at it with his slingshot.
"Big Brother Usopp yelled, 'You big dumb cow! Come and get me!'" Yosaku imitated Usopp's tone at the time. "Then he ran off, and Momoo actually chased after him!"
Ralph nodded.
That was just like Usopp—usually timid and cautious, but braver than anyone when it mattered.
"But if Usopp lured Momoo away, why was the ship still taken? And how did you two get knocked out?"
Johnny and Yosaku's expressions turned awkward.
"Because… Momoo came back pretty soon… and brought that octopus Fish-man with him."
"We tried to protect the Going Merry," Yosaku said, hanging his head. "But that octopus Fish-man was too strong… Six arms—we couldn't fight him at all. We were knocked out in just a few hits…"
For a moment, the two of them seriously considered changing careers.
Was even the weakest sea, the East Blue, this dangerous?
Maybe they should give up on the noble profession of Pirate Hunter…
Just as Ralph, Johnny, and Yosaku were talking, the battle on the other side was nearly over.
Just as Hachi was sent flying by Sanji's kick, crashing into the mast of the Going Merry.
Hearing the mast groan in protest, Ralph felt a pang in his heart!
Isn't the Going Merry our companion?
Can't you treat her with more care!
And at that very moment, "Gomu Gomu no Kazaguruma!"
Lufia's excited shout rang out.
She grabbed both of Momoo's horns with her hands, her entire body spinning like a windmill!
She actually managed to lift Momoo's massive body off the ground!
"Moo——!!!" Momoo's agonized cry echoed through the night sky.
"Hahahaha! Fly away!"
Lufia released her grip.
Momoo's enormous body shot out like a cannonball, heading straight for the Going Merry!
Ralph's expression changed drastically.
"Stop——!!"
He rushed onto the deck while shouting:
"Stop fighting already! If you want to fight, go fight down below! Don't fight on the Going Merry!"
----------
T/N: Sry for the late Bonus Chapters. I was really busy last week and it slipped my mind. Anyway enjoy reading ^_^