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With the help of the entire Straw Hat crew, the half-finished pirate ship on the mountain was completed in less than two days.
Thanks to Chopper's treatment, Zenny didn't succumb to his condition after three days as originally feared. However, his health was still far from ideal.
Even so, Luffy encouraged Zenny to set sail and chase his dream of becoming a pirate. As for the lack of a crew? Luffy simply suggested that Zenny use the sheep he raised as his crewmates.
Hearing Luffy seriously suggest making sheep part of a pirate crew, Ace rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
It reminded him of their childhood—when he, Luffy, and Sabo were young.
All three had dreamed of becoming pirates, and while Sabo and Ace were more mature, they often humored Luffy by playing pirate games with him.
Back then, Luffy once insisted they should go into the forest, capture a rhinoceros, and make it his crew member before waging a grand pirate war.
Ace shared this memory with everyone, and the Straw Hats found it amusing, laughing at Luffy's unchanging nature.
Meanwhile, Zenny fell into deep thought. He realized Luffy was right—becoming a pirate was his dream. And really, who said sheep couldn't be part of a crew?
Seeing Zenny take Luffy's words seriously, the Straw Hats couldn't help but think he was being ridiculous. But in the end, they decided to support him in fulfilling his dream.
The next challenge? Figuring out how to get the ship down the mountain.
At the same time…
Bob had been knocked unconscious by his own subordinates and brought back to the warship. There, Marine Captain Moya received a report detailing Bob's unauthorized deployment of troops to rob civilians.
In this case, the "civilian" in question was Zenny.
Though Zenny had once been a loan shark and had dealings with pirates, he had ultimately retired from that life. As far as the Marines were concerned, he was now just a civilian.
When Moya arrived, he found Bob already tied up by his men.
Seeing this, Moya nodded approvingly.
"Good… You didn't blindly follow your superior. You're worthy of being Marines under my command."
The Third-Class Petty Officer lowered his head in shame, but Moya ignored his reaction, instead turning his attention to the deranged-looking Bob.
"What's wrong with him?" Moya asked.
In response, the Third-Class Petty Officer recounted the series of events leading up to Bob's capture.
When the term "Private Marine" was mentioned, Moya was momentarily stunned.
Within the Marine system, the Private Marines had become quite famous. Some even referred to them as the "freest Marines." Many high-ranking Marine officers held them in high regard—including Moya's former commander, Vice Admiral Momonga.
"You bastards… You traitors… I made you all rich, and this is how you repay me?!"
At that moment, Bob, now fully conscious, erupted in a furious roar.
"Without me, would you have found so much gold and treasure?! You ungrateful scum!"
Bob continued cursing, oblivious to Captain Moya, whose expression had darkened. The moment he finally noticed Moya, his face turned deathly pale.
"Mo...Captain Moya..."
Moya didn't waste time with words. He simply stepped forward and kicked Bob to the ground. Then, turning to the Third-Class Petty Officer behind him, he ordered, "Set sail. Take me to find the Private Marines."
As for Bob's sudden madness—ranting about stones being gold—Moya had his suspicions.
From what he had learned from Vice Admiral Momonga, the Private Marines were known for their upright and just nature. In fact, one of them had even become the grandson of the Marine Fleet Admiral.
So, if Bob had gone insane, it was highly likely that one of the Private Marines, after seeing his corrupt personality, had done something to him in secret.
Naturally, Moya had no intention of defending such scum. If his guess was correct, he might even owe the Private Marines a favor.
Dusk.
After much effort, the Straw Hats finally completed a log slide down the cliff. Now, all they had to do was push the pirate ship onto the slide, and it would finally touch the sea for the first time.
With the ship ready, everyone headed back to Zenny's home.
Halfway down the mountain, they unexpectedly ran into Moya.
"Huh? Why are the Marines here again?"
Moya stepped forward and gave a crisp Marine salute.
"Hello, I'm Captain Moya of the Marines!"
Seeing his polite demeanor, Ikki and the others responded courteously.
Moya got straight to the point. "Tell me... was it the Private Marines who caused my subordinate Bob to go insane?"
Without hesitation, Ikki stepped forward. "I did it! Bob came here to rob an old man's treasure, so I taught him a lesson."
As soon as Ikki finished speaking, Zoro, Sanji, and Sabo all tensed, their sharp gazes locking onto Moya. If the Marine captain had a problem with it, they were ready to fight.
But instead of getting angry, Moya smiled. "Then I must thank you for helping our branch eliminate a piece of trash!"
Ikki smirked. "No need to thank us. It was just the right thing to do."
Moya nodded. "Well then, I've prepared a meal aboard my ship—"
Before he could finish, Luffy eagerly stepped forward, slapping Moya on the shoulder. "Captain Moya, you're too polite! Is there meat?"
Moya: …
"...Yes, there's plenty of meat."
Luffy's eyes lit up. He had worked all afternoon without eating, and now he was starving.
What Moya didn't know was that he would soon regret saying those three words…
And so, under Moya's lead, Ikki, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Bon Clay, Usopp, and Sabo boarded his warship.
Just then, Chopper, who had been walking nearby, spotted the group leaving with the Marines.
His eyes widened in panic.
"This is bad... This is really bad! Luffy and the others were captured by the Marines!"
At Zenny's house, the atmosphere was peaceful.
Nami was playing chess with Zenny, Vivi was brushing the feathers of Psyduck and Karoo, Robin was engrossed in a book, and Ace was helping prepare Zenny's medicine.
But then, Chopper's frantic voice shattered the calm.
"What?! Luffy and the others were captured by the Marines?!" Ace shot to his feet.
"Yeah! I saw it with my own eyes!" Chopper confirmed, still panicking.
Nami frowned, flipping over the chessboard in frustration. "Impossible! We're Private Marines! Why would the Marines capture us?"
Ace, however, remained skeptical. "The Marines can't be trusted!"
Zenny let out a dry chuckle. "And pirates can?"
Ace ignored him. "I'm going to check it out!"
Without another word, he rushed down the mountain.