Time flew by, and three days passed before anyone knew it.
Waves rolled across the sea, crashing against the rocks. White foam sprayed into the air, as if the ocean were playing a stirring song.
Several seagulls flew through the brilliant red clouds, soaring freely and calling out in delight.
A ship with a lion-shaped bow sailed across the sea. Atop its mast, a pirate flag fluttered in the wind, bearing a striking emblem: a straw hat and a skull.
On the golden lion figurehead sat someone dressed in red with a straw hat hanging from his neck. He gazed toward the distant horizon, where waves chased one another across the water and a cool sea breeze blew.
"Just thinking about what happened a few days ago gives me a cold sweat. I like this comfortable life better—basking in the sun, feeling the breeze. It's good to be alive." Usopp lay sprawled on the deck, gazing at the blue sky and the few white clouds drifting across it.
"Usopp, time to get up and change your bandages."
Chopper looked helplessly at Usopp, who was wrapped head to toe in white bandages like a mummy. Even his long nose was bandaged, making him look ridiculous.
The memory of that face beaten to a pulp flashed through Zoro's mind. It looked about as bad as Sanji's did now. "Seriously, that guy got away again. Next time I run into him, I won't let him escape."
Even so, they'd worked well together in battle. The guy's Sword Intent was powerful, too. As a swordsman, he'd make a worthy opponent.
Chopper remembered the figure who had saved him at the critical moment and asked timidly, "Does he have to be an enemy? Couldn't he become one of our crew?"
Robin smiled, a trace of