A few days later, the Going Merry—the ship Kaya had gifted to Luffy and his friends—sailed smoothly across the blue sea.
Everyone was buzzing with curiosity, admiring the ship's new equipment and features.
When Lynn stepped out of his room, he saw Luffy sitting nearby looking glum—he must have just been taught a lesson by Nami!
Not far off, Zoro leaned against the mast, seemingly ready for a nap, while Usopp tinkered with his gadgets.
Where was Nami?
She stood on the deck, gazing at the horizon, the breeze gently tossing her orange hair and accentuating her curvy silhouette.
Lynn couldn't help but sigh, "Nami, you're so beautiful!"
Before she could respond, Luffy shouted indignantly, "What a joke! Nami's just money-hungry and violent, and—"
"Bam!" Luffy got smacked by Nami again, clearly not learning his lesson.
Zoro, watching his captain get beaten without a shred of dignity, muttered unhappily, "Tsk…"
Nami glanced at Zoro. "Got something to say, Zoro?"
He quickly averted his eyes.
Suddenly, Luffy perked up and ran to Lynn. "Let's have a fishing competition!"
Lynn sighed, "With your hyperactive personality? Are you sure you can even fish?"
Luffy puffed out his chest. "Don't underestimate me—I can fish just fine!"
Lynn nodded. "Alright, what's the bet? There has to be a prize."
"Whoever catches more gets to eat more later. Deal?"
Usopp grumbled, "That's basically saying nothing…" But he still joined the contest.
Lynn sat on the railing, holding his fishing rod, and began singing:
"Little fish, little fish, come take the bait,
There's delicious stuff in my bucket, don't be late..."
One, two, three, four…
Everyone stared at Lynn in disbelief. This guy was weird.
Usopp and Luffy tried to copy Lynn's chanting, but their rods stayed motionless.
What no one knew was Lynn was cheating with Observation Haki—his bucket was nearly full of fish, while Luffy's was empty and Usopp's had a few.
"Ah!" Luffy flung his rod aside in frustration. "Why did you catch so many fish, Lynn, but I got none?"
Lynn looked up at the sky at a precise 45-degree angle and said slowly, "Fishing requires patience and self-cultivation. As the saying goes, I'm as calm as a virgin. Even if a mountain collapses before me, I won't change my expression..."
What was there to do? Luffy was done.
Yet Usopp and Luffy both stared at Lynn, eyes sparkling, and exclaimed, "Sugoi!"
Zoro tutted. "Pretender."
Nami, watching Lynn's antics, was more than a little annoyed—especially that 45-degree sky-gazing pose. She really wanted to smack him.
Lynn waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. I'm just gonna hit the bathroom first."
Standing on the ship's railing, Usopp called out, "You gonna do it here?"
Lynn turned around, "Problem? It's convenient."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "You won the fishing contest, but I don't believe you can beat me at this!"
Lynn raised an eyebrow. "You want a rematch?"
Luffy nodded eagerly. "Of course! Usopp, you in?"
Usopp grinned, "Count me in!"
Nami blushed, muttering, "These guys…"
She hurried away.
Lynn and Luffy exchanged looks of disdain while Usopp gave Lynn a hopeful smile. "I'll grow up to be just like you one day, okay?"
Lynn laughed. "Luffy's gonna be Pirate King, Zoro the world's greatest swordsman."
Usopp groaned, "You bastard…"
Later, after dinner, Lynn had just dozed off when a loud racket erupted outside.
Luffy and Usopp were cannon-bombarding a nearby small island.
Behind the island, two of Zoro's pirate hunter friends, Johnny and Yosaku, were resting. Zoro was a pirate hunter too.
Johnny stormed aboard, cursing loudly, and Lynn, jolted awake by the noise, wanted to kill him with a knife.
Seeing the damaged railing, Lynn warned darkly, "Make any more noise and I'll throw you overboard."
Though Lynn didn't unleash his Conqueror's Haki, the threat in his eyes was terrifying.
Johnny swallowed nervously. "My companion was killed by you…by you…"
Nami rolled her eyes. "Are you sane? He's sick—seasickness is common if you never eat any oranges."
Yosaku woke, only to promptly collapse again.
Zoro asked, "Johnny, do you know if there's a chef around?"
Johnny grinned, "Of course. Been a pirate hunter for years—I know where to find one."
Following Johnny's lead, they headed toward the sea restaurant Baratie.
Before the Merry reached Baratie, a naval warship approached!
Lieutenant Fullbody of the navy aimed the warship's cannons at the Merry, intending to sink it.
Nami frowned, "Where's Lynn?"
Usopp shrugged, "Sleeping!"
Nami groaned, "Still sleeping? You guys need to figure this out!"
Luffy smiled, "I'll handle this little problem."
True to form, Luffy accidentally punched a hole through Baratie's roof.
Zoro sighed and stepped forward to fix the mess.
Meanwhile, Nami stormed into Lynn's room angrily. She was about to wake him up when she found him still dreaming.
In his daze, Lynn mistook Nami for part of his dream, grabbed her—and their lips met.
Huh?
Why did Lynn's kiss feel so real?
Then, his mischievous hands started wandering…
Nami snapped back, jumping up. "You bastard, get off me right now!!"
"Ahem," Lynn said awkwardly. "Nami, it was just a dream! You have to understand…"
Nami rolled her eyes. Didn't he kiss her back in Syrup Village?
But she ignored that and said, "There's a warship outside trying to sink us!"
Lynn jolted awake. How could this be?
Had he really gotten too weak to lift a knife—or was this something else?
This was outrageous.
He sprang up. "Hurry, Nami!"
"Asshole! Where are you grabbing?!" Nami yelled.
"Ahahaha, accident! Complete accident! Those navy officers are just too outrageous. Don't embarrass me…"
-End Chapter-
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