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After the Marines left, the Straw Hats resumed the "funeral preparations."
Zoro, fully aware that Zenny had woken up but was still pretending to be dead, smirked and brought the torch closer to the pile of firewood where Zenny lay.
The wood began to smoke, and Zenny sprang to life, waving his hands frantically. "Wait! I'm alive! I'm alive!" he shouted, jumping up with surprising energy.
Zoro lowered the torch and crossed his arms. "What's wrong, old man? Done pretending?"
"No… no more pretending!" Zenny stammered, trembling. He was thoroughly convinced that these pirates had caused his out-of-body experience, and the thought of continuing to fake death was too terrifying to risk.
Chopper stepped forward and began checking Zenny's physical condition. His examination was thorough, but as it progressed, his expression grew increasingly serious.
"What's wrong, Chopper?" Nami asked, noticing the reindeer's troubled look.
Chopper sighed, his tone grim. "Grandpa Zenny's condition is very bad. Based on my examination, he only has about three days left to live."
Zenny froze. "…What?!"
"Impossible! I'm perfectly healthy!" Zenny protested, leaping to his feet in disbelief. His heart raced as a horrible thought crossed his mind. 'Is this civet cat doctor trying to finish what they started and burn me alive?!'
But the Straw Hats, knowing Chopper's skills as a doctor, believed him without question.
Zenny, sensing the solemn atmosphere, hesitated before finally asking, "Really? Am I… really going to die?"
Chopper nodded earnestly. "That's right. So you need to rest and let me take care of you."
Zenny gave a weak smile and shook his head. "No need. I've lived long enough," he replied with surprising calm.
He turned toward the top of the mountain, his gaze wistful. "What a shame… the coffin isn't finished yet. Am I really going to end up cremated after all?"
The crew exchanged confused glances, prompting Zenny to explain. Many years ago, when he had been stranded on this isolated island with no way to leave, he began preparing for the inevitable: his death. He'd spent years building a coffin for himself.
But this was no ordinary coffin. It was shaped like a small pirate ship, symbolizing the dream he had never been able to fulfill. Zenny's dream had always been to become a pirate, but life had made that impossible. Since he couldn't live as a pirate, he wanted a pirate ship to send him off in death.
Back at Zenny's home, the old man surprised the crew by remaining upbeat despite Chopper's grim diagnosis. Meanwhile, the kind-hearted Straw Hats began helping around the house—chopping firewood, cooking, and tidying up.
Zenny soon realized that this group of pirates was unlike any he had ever met. Despite being pirates, they showed genuine kindness, even earning polite treatment from Marines.
While the crew worked, Nami, ever focused on treasure, approached Zenny with her usual charm. "Grandpa Zenny… where are you hiding your treasure?" she asked sweetly, her eyes sparkling in the shape of Berries.
Zenny chuckled at her persistence. "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes!" Nami said eagerly, her excitement nearly overflowing.
Zenny looked at her with amusement. He could tell that the young navigator shared one very important trait with him: a love for money.
"Hehehe… I can tell you where my treasure is, but…" Zenny smirked mischievously. "You'll have to do me a favor first."
Nami leaned in eagerly. "What favor?"
"Help me finish building my coffin, and I'll tell you where my treasure is."
"Coffin?" Nami raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you want to be cremated?"
Zenny's face turned red with frustration. "Who said I wanted to be cremated?! That was your stupid idea!" he snapped, glaring at the crew.
At that moment, Psyduck and Zoro returned from searching for ingredients. Psyduck waddled over to Nami, clutching its head with its stubby wings and wearing its trademark dull-eyed expression.
Nami tilted her head curiously. "What's wrong, Psyduck? Another headache?"
Psyduck quacked weakly, rubbing its head.
Chopper stepped in to translate. "Psyduck says he's too exhausted to go out with Zoro again. He's tired of following a super road idiot who's still so confident about leading the way."
Zoro: "..."
The crew burst out laughing, much to Zoro's embarrassment. Quickly, he tried to change the subject. "I saw a half-built pirate ship up on the mountain," he said, glancing at Zenny. "I'm guessing that's your work?"
Zenny nodded. "I built it. But it's not a pirate ship—it's my coffin."
The crew blinked in surprise as Zenny began to recount his life story.
Zenny told them everything: his days lending money to pirates, amassing a fortune, and dreaming of forming his own pirate crew. But fate had other plans. After being stranded on this deserted island, his dream seemed impossible. Yet even after twenty years of isolation, Zenny's life had been anything but dull.
"So…" Nami asked, her excitement returning. "If we help you finish the ship, you'll tell me where the treasure is?"
"Exactly," Zenny said with a nod. "But I should warn you—the treasure isn't money."
Nami's enthusiasm wavered slightly at the revelation, her face briefly falling. "Not money?" she muttered, visibly deflated.
While Nami hesitated, Luffy chimed in with a grin. "Uncle, your dream was to become a pirate, right?"
Zenny blinked in surprise. "…Yes. Ever since I was a kid, that's all I wanted to be. I saved up money, worked tirelessly, and planned to form my own crew someday."
He sighed deeply. "But a dream is just a dream…"
"In that case," Luffy declared with determination, "we'll help you finish your ship, and you can go to sea and live your dream!"
Zenny's eyes widened in shock. "W-What?"
Vivi quickly interjected. "Uncle Zenny is too old—"
Before she could finish, Luffy interrupted, "Age doesn't matter if you want to be a pirate! Just go for it!"
"Hahahahaha!" Zenny suddenly burst into laughter, his voice filled with newfound energy. "Yeah! What does age have to do with being a pirate?!"
Usopp rubbed his forehead and groaned. "Great. Now he's actually taking you seriously, Luffy."
"If Zenny goes to sea now," Robin added calmly, closing her book, "it won't be much different from a burial at sea."
Zenny ignored their remarks, his laughter continuing as if he'd rediscovered a long-lost spark. Ace, meanwhile, sided with Luffy. "Luffy's right. If you've got a dream, go for it! Besides, Zenny's not even that old—he's younger than my dad!"
Even with Chopper's grim diagnosis of "three days to live," Ace added with a grin, "If you're going to be a pirate, even three days of living the dream is better than nothing!"
In the end, Luffy agreed to help Zenny fulfill his dream. The crew gathered to work on finishing his ship.
Of course, Luffy had no idea how to build a ship, but that didn't stop him from pitching in enthusiastically. Thankfully, Usopp and Sabo were there to handle the actual construction.