Arlong Pirates

"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!" Aaron stared at the shovel, pacing anxiously in place and splashing through a puddle of stomach fluid.

"No! I have to get out!!" Aaron panicked, racking his brain for a way out.

But before he could make a move—

Thud!

Aaron suddenly heard a dull sound.

The next moment, the stomach churned violently, and waves of liquid crashed toward Aaron one after another.

"Moo!"

The sea cow suddenly cried out, its voice full of pain.

The stomach fluid began to surge backward, washing Aaron toward the cardia like water from a hose.

"Ah!"

Aaron entered the esophagus and was vomited out by the sea cow!

"Stop, Luffy!" Seeing Luffy about to send the sea cow flying for trying to steal his meat, Sanji hurriedly stopped him.

"Huh?" Luffy looked at Sanji in confusion.

Without saying anything, Sanji walked over to the sea cow and held out the food in his hands. "Here. Eat."

The sea cow silently looked at him.

"Hunger is terrifying. As a chef, feeding the hungry is my duty." Sanji smiled as he explained.

"..." The sea cow stared blankly at Sanji. After a while, it opened its huge, bloodstained mouth.

Bang!

Sanji then kicked the sea cow under the jaw, nearly making it bite its own tongue.

"Hey, Sanji! Weren't you going to give it food?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"But it was trying to eat me too!" Sanji snapped, watching the sea cow sink into the sea.

"Moo!" The sea cow suddenly burst from the water, glaring at Sanji with bloodshot eyes. It lowered its head, exposing its sharp horns, and charged straight at him at high speed.

"You damned beast!" Sanji roared. He bent his legs slightly and leaped high into the air, staring at the sea cow's body.

Flank Meat Kick! Sanji twisted sideways, extending his right leg slightly as he rotated his waist, using that force to drive his right leg into a spinning kick before lashing out fiercely!

"Moo!" The attack was devastating. The sea cow's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. It cried out in agony, opening its mouth wide as green liquid spewed from it, the foul stench making everyone frown.

The sea cow threw up.

"Don't waste food!" Seeing the sea cow vomit up the precious food, Sanji got angry. He raised his leg high, ready to deliver the final blow.

Suddenly, a golden unidentified object burst out of the green fountain without warning, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.

"Ahhhhhh!" The repeated screams confirmed its identity for everyone.

"How did Aaron end up inside that monster's stomach?" Luffy asked in confusion.

Splash!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Aaron fell into the sea.

"Ahhh! I want to make hamburgers!" After a while, he suddenly surfaced, clawing at his head like he had rabies.

"Hey! Aaron!" Luffy shouted.

"Hm?" Hearing someone call him, Aaron turned around. "Luffy? You've already finished fighting?" Then he swam toward the ship.

"Yeah, we gave Krieg a good beating!"

Aaron climbed aboard and looked over everyone on the ship: Luffy, Yosaku, Sanji...

Sanji!

The moment he spotted Sanji, Aaron's eyes lit up.

"Hey! Sanji, have you decided to join us? That's great!"

"Yeah, please take care of me from now on," Sanji said with a smile.

"But..." Aaron carefully examined Sanji. Though he was wrapped in a clean suit, Aaron could still tell that Sanji's injuries were serious.

He then turned to Luffy. "Wow! How did you get hurt this badly? Was that Krieg really strong?"

"Yeah, he was strong, but he was also a coward," Luffy said, scratching his head and laughing, utterly unconcerned about the wound through his body.

"How can someone strong still be a coward?" Aaron was puzzled.

"That's just how it is. He was strong and a coward," Luffy repeated.

Aaron: "..."

"Mr. Sanji, what exactly happened?" Rolling his eyes, Aaron turned to Sanji.

So Sanji told Aaron everything that had happened after he left.

Roronoa Zoro's oath... Sanji's battle with Gin... Luffy's battle with Krieg... Sanji bowing his head and leaving... Uh, not that last one.

"I didn't expect so much to happen after I left..." Aaron scratched his head, feeling rather regretful. Then he looked up at Luffy and Sanji's injuries, and an idea suddenly came to him. "Mr. Sanji, could you lower your head for a moment?"

"Hm? What is it, Aaron?" Sanji bent down as asked, lowering his head in confusion.

Aaron said nothing. He placed both hands on Sanji's head and closed his eyes.

"What's going on, Aaron... Hm?" Sanji had been confused at first, but the sudden cool sensation in his head jolted him awake.

The coolness spread from his scalp. Slowly, he felt his skull begin to creak, followed by an itchy, numb feeling. Yet under that cool sensation's suppression, it did not make Sanji feel too uncomfortable.

From outside, everyone saw Aaron's hands turn azure blue, emitting a soft, cold glow under the sunlight.

"..." A quarter of an hour later, Aaron removed his hands and opened his eyes. "How do you feel, Mr. Sanji? Do you feel a little better?"

Sanji moved his head and felt an unprecedented sense of ease. He looked at Aaron in amazement. "Yeah, I feel great now. Thanks, Aaron!"

"Wow! Aaron! What was that just now?" Luffy's eyes sparkled like stars.

"My bodily fluids," Aaron said.

"..." Sanji's expression froze.

"Your bodily fluids can heal injuries too? I thought they could only make bubble solution?" Having known Aaron for six or seven years, Luffy knew him pretty well.

"I didn't know they could heal injuries until just now." Aaron gave a foolish grin. "But now I do."

Sanji: So I was an experimental subject?!

Aaron then healed Luffy's puncture wound as well.

"Thanks, Aaron!" Luffy moved his shoulder, and the long-lost feeling of comfort from his shoulder blade made him laugh.

"Mm-hm, no problem!" Aaron waved it off, though anyone could see the pride on his face.

"But, Big Brother Aaron," Yosaku suddenly said, "weren't you supposed to chase after Big Sister Nami first? How did you end up inside the sea cow's stomach?"

"Ah! I was running around on the sea for fun, but it caught the sea cow's attention, and it swallowed me in one bite," Aaron said awkwardly.

Yosaku: "..." Running around on the sea for fun? What kind of move was that?!

"Then I got sent into its stomach. You might not believe this, but guess what I found in there? The shovel my master gave me!" As he spoke, he proudly pulled the shovel from his clothes to show everyone. Then, in the next moment, his eyes widened as he stared fixedly at it. "The shovel?!"

"That's a fine shovel!" As a chef, Sanji could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary shovel.

Aaron stared blankly at the shovel, then suddenly shouted, "I want to make hamburgers!"

He anxiously looked at Sanji. "Mr. Sanji, is there a kitchen on this ship?"

"This is a supply ship. There's no kitchen aboard," Sanji explained.

"Huh? How can that be?!" Aaron anxiously spun in circles. Then he suddenly looked up and asked Yosaku, "Yosaku, do you know how far Cocoyasi Village is from here?"

"Cocoyasi Village is about a hundred li from here," Yosaku said.

"How long will that take?"

"About half an hour more."

"What? Another half hour?!" Aaron grabbed his hair with both hands, looking utterly depressed. Then he turned toward the sea, his eyes bloodshot.

"I want to make hamburgersss!!" Aaron suddenly took off running. Before Luffy and the others could react, he ran off the ship, swinging his arms as he raced across the sea.

"..." That whole stunt caught everyone off guard.

"So awesome!" Luffy's eyes sparkled again. "Sanji! Let's catch up!" With that, he jumped into the sea to chase after Aaron.

Splash!

"Help, Sanji! Glub glub glub!!" Luffy promptly sank into the sea.

"Idiot, don't you know you can't swim?!" Sanji held his forehead.

"Ahhhhhh!" Aaron ran wildly across the sea like a speedboat, kicking up white spray behind him.

Before long, he saw land, which made him even more excited. His feet moved faster and faster, while the scenery around him rushed backward.

Staring at the land, Aaron roared, "Hamburgers!"

Thud! Then he tripped over a rock on the beach and fell flat on his face.

The momentum drove his whole body deep into the sand.

"Whew!" Aaron pulled his head out and blankly looked around. When he spotted a tall building in the distance, he suddenly jumped up and ran with his arms waving in the wind. Looking at the tall building, he shouted again, "Hamburgers!"

Cocoyasi Village, Arlong Park.

"Shahahahaha, Nami, of course you're different. Those maps you drew for us... they were all extremely accurate." In the center of the villa was a pool. Beside it, a humanoid creature with a nose like Usopp's, covered in spikes and sporting a vicious green face, sat in a lounge chair, laughing loudly.

Captain of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong.

"Maps... What's that about?" Roronoa Zoro sat cross-legged before the monster, looking at the person beside him.

Yes, Nami.

"You don't know? Nami is the chief navigator of our Arlong Pirates! Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed arrogantly.

"What's going on?" Without even looking at Arlong, Roronoa Zoro raised his head and stared straight at Nami.

Yes, because Roronoa Zoro was tied up.

As for why he was tied up...

Well, let's hope Roronoa Zoro would not slaughter those two bastards, Usopp and Johnny.

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

Everyone turned to look.

The fish-man nearest the door opened it, and a blond boy appeared before everyone.

"Hm? Fish-men?" Aaron asked in confusion.

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