Barn was still fishing. Although he had fished every day since boarding the ship, he had yet to catch a single fish. Only Fitz liked the bait he made; the fish would not bite at all.
Now Barn sat cross-legged at the stern, one hand holding his fishing rod and the other propping up his head. His eyes were closed as he felt the sea breeze and breathed in the scent of the ocean. He was asleep...
Having eaten all the bait, Fitz was dozing on top of Barn's head...
On a pirate ship in the distance, a man dressed like a captain was watching the Rumbar Pirates' ship through a telescope.
"Heh heh heh, found you." The man grinned, revealing four gold teeth. Then he took an orange out of his coat and bit straight into it without peeling it.
"Up and at 'em, lads! Our little lambs are here! Yo ho ho!"
"Ha ha!"
Fast asleep, Barn had no idea they had been marked as prey. Only Fitz woke up in alarm and let out a few chirps.
"Captain! We're catching up!" a pirate told Planck.
Planck took another bite of the unpeeled orange, strode to the bow, and shouted.
"York! My old friend! I hear you've found yourself a lot of treasure. You know that's what I, Planck, love most! How about handing those little beauties over, and I'll let you go? What do you say? Yo ha ha ha!"
"Ha ha!" The other pirates aboard laughed, a thievish gleam in their eyes-though they were thieves to begin with.
Meanwhile, York was gathering his crew.
"Lads! Time to get to work. Planck isn't some small fry. His title, 'the Scourge of the Ocean,' carries some weight."
"What's there to be scared of? Watch me kick their asses!" Bullong said, thumping his chest.
"Ha ha!" The other crew members burst into laughter.
"I'm coming too!" Clutching Nidai Kitetsu, Barn stepped out of the crowd and stood before York, his face earnest. Fitz, perched on his head, nodded as though taking the matter very seriously.
"Don't be ridiculous, Barn. With that scrawny little body, you wouldn't survive a single slash!" Sako turned and said to Barn with a laugh.
"Why not? I'm a member of the Rumbar Pirates too! I want to fight! Besides, I'm strong!" Barn shouted, even flexing his muscles. Fitz nodded once again.
Everyone aboard laughed again. Brook crouched down and said to Barn, "All right, Barn! Just wait in the cabin until we come back."
"Why?" Barn still wanted to insist.
"Enough, Barn. Be good and stay in the cabin. When your big brother Sako comes back tonight, I'll grill you some fish! Fish I caught myself! Ha ha!"
With that, he picked up his sword and headed onto the deck with the other crew members.
Soon, the clash of weapons rang out from outside.
Barn huddled in a corner of the cabin, clutching his sword. Listening to the weapons clashing and the pirates shouting on the deck outside, he could not help feeling nervous.
The Rumbar Pirates are pretty strong. Besides, York eventually died from an incurable illness, not in this battle. Everything will be fine! Barn thought.
Then he remembered Sako making fun of him for not catching any fish. Hmph! I hope you get chopped into seventeen or eighteen pieces!
Just as he was thinking that, the cabin door burst open and someone fell inside. The man was covered in blood, with a slash across his stomach that left part of his intestines exposed. He could not hold back a groan, immediately alerting Barn. Recognizing the familiar voice, Barn was horrified. He rushed over and cradled the man's head.
"Sako? Sako! How did you get hurt so badly? Mondo! Mondo, hurry! Sako's badly wounded!"
Sako shakily grasped Barn's hand. "Stop shouting, Barn. They're still fighting. Don't distract them!"
"No, no, Mondo can definitely save you! He's such a good doctor!"
Sako forced a faint smile. Though Barn could not see it, he sensed that Sako had something to say and fell silent.
Outside the door was a battlefield filled with gunshots and battle cries, yet inside, it was strangely quiet. Tears streamed ceaselessly from Barn's unfocused eyes. Fitz hopped onto his shoulder and gently wiped the tears from his face with a wing. Barn knelt there on the floor, holding Sako's head and quietly listening to him.
"Barn, don't be sad. Ever since the day I set sail, I've been ready for this. I knew this day would come sooner or later. It's not as though I never thought about it. I just didn't expect it to come so soon-so soon that it caught me off guard. There are so many things I haven't had time to do, and now I have to go... cough, cough."
Sako had begun coughing up blood. Barn covered Sako's mouth with his hand, but he could not stop the tears flowing from his own eyes. They dripped onto the back of Sako's hand.
"I longed for freedom. Captain York was my idol. It's just a shame I can't keep traveling with him. Barn, live a happy life... all right?"
Sako still pulled free of Barn's hand and spoke those final words.