Chapter 11: Sword God, Sword Saint
The next morning, Kaya and Merry arrived at the dock to see Luffy's crew off. Just then, a heavily backpacked Usopp came rushing up. "Sorry, sorry! Took forever to pack everything!"
"What're you waiting for, Usopp? We're only missing you!" Luffy called from the rail.
Usopp said his goodbyes to Kaya and officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates as sniper. "Set sail, crew!" Luffy shouted triumphantly from his perch on the sheep figurehead.
After sailing for a while, while Usopp stowed his luggage, Luffy started doodling on a blank flag. "Hehe, look everyone! I drew our pirate flag—pretty cool, right?"
Nami tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm... it could pass as modern art. I've seen weird paintings like this sell for a fortune back when I was thieving."
Sol stared at Luffy's complete lack of artistic talent and didn't even bother commenting. Zoro was blunter. "What the hell is that? It's got zero pirate menace."
Usopp emerged from below just in time to see it and nearly cried laughing. "Hahaha! Luffy, what even is this mess? Don't tell me that's supposed to be our flag!"
He snatched it and started "fixing" it—sneakily turning the skull into his own face. Sol and Zoro promptly bonked him on the head. "Don't vandalize it!"
Finally satisfied, they hoisted the finished jolly roger. Exhausted from the effort, everyone sprawled across the deck to rest—until a sudden explosion jolted them upright, thinking they were under attack.
It was just Luffy practicing the cannon. "Weird... I aimed right at that rock outcrop, but I keep missing."
Usopp walked over, adjusted the angle, and... boom! The distant rock shattered perfectly.
The two hooked arms and celebrated—until Sol pointed out, "Uh, guys... that shot might've just killed two people."
He nodded toward two figures floating face-down in the water nearby.
"What?! We're murderers now?!" Luffy and Usopp panicked, steering the ship over to fish them out.
The pair were only unconscious. One was mostly fine; the other—Joseph—had lost teeth and was bleeding steadily from old wounds.
Zoro recognized them. "Isn't this Johnny and Joseph? How'd they end up like this?"
Luffy and Usopp, already guilty, felt even worse knowing they were Zoro's old buddies.
"Please, Sol!" they begged, clinging to his legs. "Heal them, or they'll really die!"
Nami peeked over. Joseph clearly had scurvy—classic vitamin C deficiency from long sea voyages. After Sol treated him, she sent Luffy and Usopp to fetch lime wine from the galley.
The two hauled back an entire barrel and poured it down Joseph's throat. His color improved almost immediately.
Luffy gaped at Nami. "You're amazing!"
Usopp gave a thumbs-up. "I always knew you were incredible."
Nami bared shark teeth. "This is basic seafaring knowledge, idiots! If you ever die out here, it'll be from sheer cluelessness!"
Sol began healing. When Johnny and Joseph came to, they spotted Zoro instantly.
Johnny: "Big bro Zoro! You're on some rookie pirate ship now? You saved us?"
Joseph: "As expected of big bro Zoro—this beauty must be your latest prize, right?"
Zoro laughed. "Nah. I quit bounty hunting. I'm a pirate now—one of their crew." He introduced everyone.
"Whoa, seriously?" the pair marveled.
Zoro asked why they'd been on that rock. Johnny explained, "Joseph's teeth were falling out, wounds wouldn't stop bleeding. We were resting before heading to the sea restaurant Baratie for food—then bam, cannonball to the face."
Luffy and Usopp turned away whistling innocently. "Yeah... super dangerous out here..."
Johnny and Joseph exchanged looks and decided to let it slide. "I'm Johnny / I'm Joseph. We used to partner with Zoro bounty hunting. We're pretty famous, y'know."
The moment Sol heard "sea restaurant Baratie," his eyes lit up—he was tired of cooking three meals a day.
"No problem, big bro Sol! Just leave the navigation to us—two or three days tops!"
After three days and nights of sailing, a massive fish-shaped ship appeared ahead.
"Zoro bro, Luffy bro, Sol bro, Usopp bro, Nami bro—look! There it is—the Baratie!"
"Why am I 'bro' too?!" Nami grumbled.
A Marine warship pulled alongside. A pink-haired lieutenant leaned over the rail, eyeing their jolly roger. "Never seen that flag before. I'm Marine HQ Lieutenant 'Iron Fist' Fullbody. Who's the captain of that ship? State your name!"
"I'm Luffy! We finished the flag just a few days ago," Luffy answered seriously.
"I'm Usopp!" Usopp tried to hide—only for Zoro to drag him out for a beating.
"Sol, that guy's hair is the same color as yours," Luffy said belatedly.
"Idiot! His is pink—mine's cherry blossom!" Sol snapped.
Fullbody narrowed his eyes, then burst out laughing at Johnny and Joseph. "Hah! Aren't these the government's favorite small-time bounty hunters? Always turning in tiny fries for pocket change?" He spread his arms dramatically. "What, finally caught by real pirates?"
"Who're you calling small-time?!" Johnny drew his sword.
Joseph's forehead veins bulged. "Today you'll taste the Slash Brothers' wrath!"
The two charged—
Bam! Bam!
In two moves they face-planted back on deck, faces swollen with perfect boot prints.
"Tch. I'm off duty today." Fullbody adjusted his gloves leisurely. "Next time I'm on the clock..." He cracked his knuckles ominously. "...you won't be so lucky."
He returned to his ship and waved casually. "Fire! Sink that junk heap!"
Cannons roared. Shells screamed toward the Going Merry—
"Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Luffy inhaled hugely, belly swelling into a massive sphere. The cannonballs bounced off his rubber body and rocketed back along a perfect arc—
BOOM!!
One struck the upper deck of the Baratie. Owner Zeff, legs propped up reading the paper in his break room, saw it explode into smoke and splinters. He poked his charred chef-hatted head out the window. "Which blind bastard—?!"
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