Barn and Brook forced themselves to swallow the foul-tasting Devil Fruits. The others immediately gathered around, hoping to spot some visible change. But to their disappointment, neither of them showed any obvious transformation. Barn fared better — when he cut his hand with a knife, the wound visibly healed at an incredible speed. Brook, on the other hand, seemed completely unchanged. The crew laughed, joking that he had eaten a useless fruit. Only Barn knew the truth — the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power doesn't manifest until after death. Obviously, they couldn't just kill Brook now to test it.
Barn continued to fish, though ever since he boarded the ship, he hadn't caught a single fish. His bait was only appealing to Fitz, and the sea creatures simply wouldn't bite.
At that moment, Barn sat cross-legged at the stern, one hand gripping the fishing rod, the other supporting his chin. Eyes closed, he basked in the sea breeze, dozing peacefully…Fitz, having eaten all the bait, was now napping on Barn's head.
Far off in the distance, on another pirate ship, a man dressed like a captain was peering through a telescope, watching the Rumbar Pirates' vessel.
"Heh heh heh… gotcha," the man grinned, revealing four gold teeth. Without peeling it, he bit into an orange he pulled from his coat.
"Boys! Get up — our little lamb has arrived! Yohoho!"
"Hahaha!" came the excited responses.
Unaware they were being watched, Barn remained asleep. But Fitz, alert as ever, chirped several times in warning.
"Captain! We're almost within range!" one of the pirates called out to Plank.
Still chewing his unpeeled orange, Plank stepped onto the bow and shouted:
"Yorki, my old friend! I heard you've gathered quite the treasure hoard. You know how much I love that shiny stuff. How about this — hand over the loot and I'll let you live. Sound fair? Yohohoho!"
"Hahaha!" The pirates on his ship laughed greedily — fitting for a group of thieves.
Meanwhile, Yorki gathered his crew.
"Alright, boys, time to get to work. Plank's not your average thug. They don't call him 'Scourge of the Sea' for nothing."
"What's there to fear? I'll kick their butts!" Brunn said, thumping his chest confidently.
The crew laughed in agreement.
"I'm coming too!" Barn stepped forward, cradling the Nidai Kitetsu sword. He stood in front of Yorki, eyes serious. Fitz on his head nodded firmly, backing him up.
"Don't joke around, Barn. You're too scrawny — one swing and you're done!" Sako said with a laugh.
"Why not? I'm a member of the Rumbar Pirates too! I want to fight — and I'm strong!" Barn flexed his muscles in defiance. Fitz gave another supportive nod.
The crew laughed again.
Brook crouched down beside Barn. "That's enough. Just stay safe in the cabin and wait for us to return."
"Why?!" Barn protested.
"Don't argue, Barn. Stay put. When we're back, I'll roast you a fish — one I caught myself! Haha!" Sako grinned, lifting his sword as he joined the others on deck.
Soon, the clashing of weapons echoed from above.
Barn huddled in the corner of the cabin, gripping his sword. The sounds of fighting and shouting filled the air, making his heart race.
"The Rumbar Pirates are strong. And Yorki dies of illness later anyway — not in this battle. Everything will be fine," Barn reassured himself.
Then he remembered Sako teasing him about fishing. "Tch… I curse you to get hacked into seventeen pieces!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the cabin door burst open. A man collapsed inside, bloodied, his abdomen slashed open, intestines partially exposed. He groaned in pain — a familiar voice that made Barn's heart stop.
"Sako? Sako! What happened to you? Mundo! Mundo, hurry! Sako's badly hurt!"
Sako weakly grasped Barn's hand. "Don't shout, Barn… they're still fighting. Don't distract them."
"No, no — Mundo can save you! He's a great doctor!"
Sako forced a smile. Though Barn couldn't see it, he could feel Sako had something important to say, and fell silent.
Outside, gunfire and screams echoed. Inside, the cabin was eerily quiet. Barn knelt on the floor, tears streaming from his unfocused eyes as he held Sako's head. Fitz gently wiped his tears with a wing from Barn's shoulder.
"Barn… don't be sad. Ever since I first set out to sea, I was ready for this. I knew this day would come eventually. I just didn't think it would be so soon. There's still so much I haven't done… so much I haven't said…" Cough… cough…
Sako began coughing up blood. Barn tried to stifle it with his hand, but he couldn't stop the tears from falling, landing on Sako's hand.
"I longed for freedom… Captain Yorki is my idol. But I can't keep sailing with him. Barn… live happily, okay?"
With that, Sako gently pulled his hand away and spoke his final words.