Usopp edged up to Ronan and asked in a low voice:
"Hey, Ronan, is that scary-looking guy Zoro's friend? He doesn't look like a good person either."
Nami also perked up her ears curiously. "What's going on? One of Zoro's old partners?"
Leaning against the railing, Ronan watched the scene and explained casually:
"Probably one of the lackeys Zoro met back when he was a Pirate Hunter."
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"Jo... Joseph..."
Johnny trembled as he pointed below the rail, his voice choking up. "He's down there... He's not going to make it..."
Zoro's expression changed at once.
Without hesitation, he strode to the railing and looked down.
Below the Merry, on that crude little fishing boat, lay a figure dressed in a red-and-white checkered shirt.
His face was pale as paper, his eyes tightly shut, and dried blood still stained the corner of his mouth. He truly looked to be at death's door, as though he could stop breathing at any moment.
"Damn it."
Zoro cursed under his breath, braced one hand against the railing, and leaped down, landing steadily on the small boat.
Then, he carefully picked up the unconscious Joseph, pushed off with his feet, and jumped back onto the Merry's deck.
"Joseph!"
Johnny dropped to his knees beside his partner, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Big bro, save him! He was still full of life a few days ago, eating and drinking just fine, but then he suddenly turned pale and passed out several times!"
Johnny clutched at his hair and howled in anguish.
"I have no idea what's causing it! His teeth have even started falling out for no reason! I don't know what to do anymore!"
Standing nearby, Ronan's gaze sharpened slightly as he listened to Johnny's description.
Teeth falling out, pale complexion... Those were classic symptoms of scurvy.
In this Pirate World, where medical knowledge was scarce, this disease caused by a lack of vitamin C had once been called a "terminal illness of the sea," claiming countless sailors' lives.
"I was going to take him over by that rock to rest up..."
Johnny pointed at the massive reef in the distance, only half of which remained, and said bitterly, "Who knew a cannonball would suddenly fly over from this ship!"
"Even though it didn't hit us directly, the shockwave from the explosion nearly flipped our boat over, and Joseph was shaken unconscious for good!"
"..."
The air suddenly fell silent.
Luffy and Usopp, who had been watching the commotion, instantly went pale as though they had been painted white.
The two stiffly turned their heads, met each other's eyes, and saw the terror in them.
(That cannonball... the one we used to test the cannon...)
Without a moment's hesitation.
"W-we're sorry!!!"
Like well-trained soldiers, Luffy and Usopp bowed at a perfect ninety degrees in unison, their foreheads even slamming heavily against the deck with a thud.
"Bastards!!"
Johnny flew into a rage. He wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and cut down those two idiots.
"If apologizing could solve everything, there'd be no need for the Marines! If anything happens to Joseph, I'll make you pay with your lives!"
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a slender figure walked over.
"Move."
Nami shoved Johnny aside and looked at the half-dead Joseph on the ground, her brows furrowing. "You're so noisy. If you want him to live, shut up."
"Y-you... who are you, woman?!" Johnny was still furious. "Are you an idiot? Stay away from my partner!"
Nami ignored his roaring entirely. She crouched down, her movements practiced and professional.
First, she lifted Joseph's eyelids and checked the color of his pupils and the whites of his eyes.
Then, she gripped Joseph's chin and forcibly pried open his mouth.
What she saw were swollen, purple gums and tooth roots that were still bleeding.
"Just as I thought." Nami understood immediately.
"W-what are you doing?!"
Seeing Nami treat the patient so "roughly," Johnny angrily drew the sword at his waist. "If you dare mess with my partner, I won't let you off!"
"Shut up!"
Nami suddenly turned around, her gaze sharper than the blade in Johnny's hand.
"Luffy! Usopp! Go to the storeroom! There's a crate of limes there. Bring me a few, now! Hurry!"
"Huh? Oh! Got it!"
Overwhelmed by guilt, the two of them treated the order like a pardon and rushed into the cabin like the wind.
"L-limes?" Johnny froze, even forgetting to lower his sword. "That kind of fruit... can save him?"
A moment later, Luffy came running back with a pile of green limes in his arms.
Nami picked up a lime, deftly sliced it open with a small knife, then unceremoniously squeezed the sour juice straight into Joseph's mouth.
"...Gulp..."
Though unconscious, Joseph swallowed instinctively.
"It's scurvy."
Nami stood up, wiped the juice from her hands, and looked at the bewildered Johnny with a hint of helplessness toward the ignorant in her tone.
"This is a terminal illness that once terrified every sailor. But the cause is actually very simple: a lack of plant-based nutrients."
"Back when navigation technology was underdeveloped, ships couldn't preserve fresh fruits and vegetables for long. Sailors ate nothing but meat and dry rations for extended periods, and their bodies would break down."
"If it hasn't been delayed too long, he'll recover in a few days as long as he gets enough nutrients."
Johnny listened in a daze. He looked at Nami as though she were an angel descended into the mortal world.
"R-really? Big sis! Really, just like big sis said, Joseph..."
As Johnny spoke excitedly, spit flew everywhere.
"Pfft—"
Nami was instantly sprayed across the face.
Her cool goddess image collapsed in an instant.
She wiped her face in disgust, kicked Johnny in the leg, and roared:
"You idiot! If you're going to talk, don't spit everywhere! And—can you stop calling me big sis?!!"
Just then, something miraculous happened.
Joseph, who had been lying on the ground as though he were about to meet the Grim Reaper the next second, suddenly snapped his eyes open only a few minutes after drinking the lime juice!
Though it made no scientific sense, in the world of the Pirate King, that was simply common sense!
"Uooohhh—!!"
Joseph sprang up with a kip-up, launching himself straight off the deck!
The color returned to his once-pale face at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his shriveled muscles swelled up again.
"Joseph!!" Johnny cried out in delight.
"Johnny!!" Joseph's eyes brimmed with tears.
The two embraced excitedly, then linked arms, struck an incredibly embarrassing pose, spun in circles on the deck, and shouted:
"Nutrition at full power—!! We're revived!!!"
"..."
Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp stood in a line, watching this Medical Miracle unfold as each of them broke into a single bead of cold sweat, their faces dark with disbelief.
"That recovery speed... isn't that a little too ridiculous?"
The Corner of Ronan's Mouth twitched. "I know it's just for the plot, but seeing it in person is still absurd."
No matter what, the man had been saved.
The two stopped spinning, straightened their collars, put their sunglasses back on, and struck what they believed were their coolest poses.
"Sorry! We should've introduced ourselves sooner!"
Johnny pointed at himself. "I'm Johnny!"
Joseph pointed at himself. "I'm Joseph!"
The two spoke in unison: "We are the bounty hunter duo who specialize in hunting pirates! We used to work alongside Big Bro Zoro, so please take care of us!"
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