The Inescapable Plot

On the Going Merry.

"The warriors of Elbaf are amazing!"

"Yeah! One day, I'm definitely setting foot on Elbaf!"

They had just left Little Garden. Luffy and Usopp cheered shoulder to shoulder, even doing some strange dance. Above them, Little Red Sparrow circled endlessly, chirping away as if it longed for Elbaf too. But Zero thought it was more likely the kind that simply ran wherever things were lively.

Nami and Vivi were talking about Alabasta, but Nami's cheeks were slightly flushed. She kept touching her forehead from time to time, and something was clearly wrong with her.

Zero, who had been watching Roronoa Zoro's weight training, noticed Nami's unusual condition. He came down and checked her over, only to find that her forehead was already burning hot!

Vivi: "Zero, what are you..."

"Nami has a fever."

As Zero spoke, he lowered his gaze. An unusual wound on Nami's ankle caught his attention—

So it still happened?

Zero had thought that by changing the plot so much, he could avoid this situation. Yet Nami had still been bitten in the end. Was it truly impossible to escape...?

Sanji came out at that moment carrying some pastries. When he saw Nami's abnormal state, he immediately tossed the pastries to Luffy and hurriedly asked after her.

"Nami, are you all right? Zero, what happened to her?"

"I need to get up—"

Nami had just tried to stand when dizziness overwhelmed her, and she was about to collapse onto the deck. Zero quickly caught her, and together with the others, brought Nami into the cabin.

After a while.

Other than Roronoa Zoro, who remained outside to keep watch on their course, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates had gathered in the cabin, worried about Nami's condition.

Vivi was taking Nami's temperature.

Zero placed a wet towel over her forehead to cool her down. Once the towel was no longer cold, Little Red Sparrow voluntarily carried it in its beak to the basin nearby. Zero soaked it again before placing it back on Nami's forehead, repeating the process over and over.

"It's forty degrees now. This is really serious!"

Vivi stared at the number on the thermometer and cried out in alarm. Luffy and Sanji had no real understanding of it, since their constitutions meant they rarely got fevers. It was only after Vivi explained the danger that they began pacing anxiously in circles.

Sanji: "What do we do? Is Nami going to die?"

Luffy: "Nami, our navigator! How are we supposed to keep adventuring without you? Nami!"

Vivi reasoned that this illness might have been caused by the Grand Line's abnormal climate, something that often happened at sea. When she asked whether there was a doctor aboard, everyone pointed at Nami, leaving Vivi speechless.

Sanji said worriedly, "I want to make food suitable for a sick person, but different foods are meant for different illnesses. If I don't know the exact cause, I don't dare do anything rash."

Zero suddenly said, "Even if you make something, Sanji, it probably won't do much."

Sanji: "Why do you say that?"

Zero pointed at Nami's ankle. Everyone immediately noticed the unusual red swollen bump. Seeing the confusion on their faces, he continued, "This was probably a wound from being bitten by some bug back on Little Garden! If it were a modern insect, Sanji's method might help. But for a species that has practically gone extinct throughout the world—"

Zero did not continue, but everyone understood what he meant. Sanji's face immediately filled with worry.

Then Usopp asked Vivi how long it would take to reach Alabasta. At first, Vivi said at least more than a week. But as she looked at Nami lying in bed, she hesitantly added that Nami might not last that long. The others immediately panicked again, crying out as they ran back and forth through the cabin.

In the end, Zero told them not to disturb Nami's rest, and only then did they settle down. Still, they paced in place, occasionally glancing at the pale girl lying on the bed.

"Vivi, take out the newspaper in the cabinet!"

Nami suddenly spoke. Vivi seemed to realize what she was trying to say, so she stood up, went to the cabinet across from her, and pulled out a newspaper from three days ago.

Once she saw the news printed there, Vivi's eyes widened. It reported that large numbers of Royal Army soldiers in Alabasta had defected to the Rebel Army. The Rebel Army had finally surpassed the Royal Army in numbers, and the situation looked extremely dire!

Vivi stared blankly at the report, her eyes unfocused as if she could not accept the news.

The next moment.

"Nami, what are you doing?"

They noticed that Nami was forcing herself out of bed. They all tried to stop her from pushing herself too hard, but Nami would not listen. She still staggered up the stairs. Left with no choice, Zero followed closely behind, keeping a careful eye on her condition.

Unexpectedly, when Nami reached the deck, she discovered that the weather was abnormal. She asked Roronoa Zoro, who was exercising while sitting on the railing, but he had actually been using the distant clouds as a navigational marker. Nami immediately became anxious.

Roronoa Zoro wanted Nami to return to the cabin and rest, but Nami turned around and called everyone out instead, ordering them to change direction immediately. Though the Straw Hat Pirates were confused, they followed Nami's instructions.

Not long after the Going Merry began sailing back in the direction they had come from, everyone was shocked to discover that a massive tornado had suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the sea behind them. If they had not changed course, they and the Going Merry would likely have already become wreckage drifting across the ocean.

Zero felt that even he would not have survived such a natural disaster. Nature's power was far greater than he had imagined!

Only then did Vivi realize the astonishing talent Nami displayed in navigation. After thinking it over carefully, she said to everyone:

"Everyone, I have a request. Alabasta's situation is extremely urgent right now, and I need you to get there as quickly as possible!"

Luffy, Zero, Sanji, and the others looked at her expressionlessly.

Vivi continued, "So first, we'll find an island with a doctor and cure Nami. That way, the ship can reach Alabasta as quickly as possible!"

Luffy: "Haha, that's right."

Little Red Sparrow: "Chirp!"

Thus, everyone decided to continue sailing ahead and see whether they could find an island suitable for landing along the way. They would treat Nami first, then decide what to do about going to Alabasta.

Nami did object at one point, because she had promised Vivi before. But after Vivi persuaded her, she could only accept the current arrangement.