Chapter 34

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East Blue – Baratie 

"You idiot, how are you going to fulfill your dream if you're dead?", Sanji asks to no one in particular, thinking Zoro was foolish for fighting even though he knew he'd lose. Deep down, though, Sanji understood Zoro, but he just didn't want to admit it. 

Luffy then picks up Zoro and carries him to the Merry to receive medical treatment. As he passes by his crew, he asks, "Hey Kaya, can you handle these injuries?" 

"He's losing a lot of blood. I can handle it, but I'll need more hands", she says, hurrying back to Merry, anxious and worried. Despite having treated Luffy in worse condition before, she still wasn't experienced enough to stay calm in situations like this. Learning from her mistakes, she asked for help because she knew she couldn't handle this alone right now. 

"Hey old man, does anyone here have medical knowledge?", Luffy asks Zeff, who wasn't far away. 

"I do, why?", Zeff replies in a tired tone. 

"Can you give Kaya a hand treating Zoro?" 

"Sure", Zeff says, following Luffy and his crew back to the Merry. 

Sanji approaches Gin, who is sitting near the now-dead body of Don Krieg, who hadn't survived Luffy's attack, and asks, "Do you hold a grudge against the handyman?" 

"No, I don't hold a grudge against Straw Hat. He did what had to be done, and that's that", Gin says with his head down. 

"What are you going to do now, Gin? Patty already called the Navy; they'll be here in a few hours. If you want, you can escape during that time." 

"I've got nowhere to go, so I have no idea what to do." 

"Why don't you join the old man? If you ask him, I'm sure he'll give you a job at the restaurant. Your friends too. The old man's been wanting to expand the place anyway", Sanji says, lighting a cigarette. 

"I—" 

"You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it", Sanji says before going to help Zeff and Luffy in case they need something. 

=Scene Break= 

Zeff and Kaya come out of the room where Zoro is after disinfecting his wounds, stitching him up, and bandaging him. 

"Is he going to be okay?", Nami asks, worried. 

"He lost a lot of blood, but he's not in any danger. He just needs to rest for a while until the wounds heal completely, and he'll be fine", Zeff says calmly, while Kaya, standing beside him, wipes the sweat from her forehead, relieved that everything went well and that she hadn't made any mistakes. 

"We told you, big sis! Big bro Zoro is strong. In no time, he'll be up and training again", Johnny says to Nami, with Yosaku beside him nodding in agreement. 

"Woof, woof woof woof, woof woofwoof?", Chouchou asks Johnny and Yosaku, tilting his head. 

"He's asking how you guys woke up so fast", Luffy translates Chouchou's question for them. 

"One of the cooks accidentally stepped on us, you know, that big guy? So we woke up startled and in pain", Yosaku says, rubbing his neck. 

"Where are you going, Luffy?", Usopp asks, seeing Luffy heading toward the deck. 

"I'm going to make a call", Luffy says as he reaches the stairs. 

After arriving in the kitchen and grabbing his Den Den Mushi, Luffy calls his grandfather. 

"Pero... pero... Kacha... who is it?", Garp asks as soon as the call connects. 

"It's me, grandpa." 

"Why are you calling, brat? Did that beating I gave you knock some sense into you, and now you're giving up on being a pirate and joining the Navy?", Garp asks, surprised, as he didn't expect a call from Luffy. 

"You're going senile, old man. I'm just calling to ask for a favor", Luffy says, wondering if the old man had gone senile. 

"You damn brat, just spit it out, what do you want?", Garp says, getting angry at Luffy's disrespect. 

"There's an archipelago here in the East Blue called the Conomi Islands. A Fish-Man pirate named Arlong has taken control of the place with his crew. They've been extorting and terrorizing the citizens for eight years. What I want is for you to contact Jinbe and ask him to head there in a week or two", Luffy says, running a hand through his hair. 

"Conomi Islands? Isn't there a Navy base near there?", Garp asks, remembering the information. 

"They're corrupt. So here's the deal: neither you nor Jinbe needs to interfere. Arlong and those corrupt Marines are mine and my crew's. I just asked you to contact Jinbe so he can take Arlong and his crew into custody after we're done with them. Since they're Fish-Men, if they end up in the Navy's hands, they might end up as slaves for those giant fat guys with fishbowl heads", Luffy says, clarifying the situation. 

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA, you couldn't have described those guys better! Alright, kid, I'll let him know. Just make sure you don't get into trouble", Garp says in a good mood. 

"That's not going to work, grandpa. Trouble is my middle name", Luffy says with a grin. 

"Your middle name is 'D' you idiot. Now stop bothering me", Garp says before hanging up on Luffy. 

"The old man's cranky today. I wonder if he soiled his diaper", Luffy wonders aloud. 

=Scene Break= 

Sanji is cooking in the Merry while Usopp and Kaya are at the kitchen counter watching him. On a sofa, Nami is sitting next to Luffy, her head resting on his shoulder. 

Luffy, in turn, is cleaning Zoro's Wado Ichimonji, and Chouchou is lying on a pillow on the floor in front of the sofa, almost falling asleep. 

"Hey Sanji, can you make Zoro's favorite meal for when he wakes up?", Luffy suddenly asks. 

"Of course, what does he like?", Sanji asks, pausing what he's doing. 

"Eh, he likes onigiri and alcohol. Can you do something with that?", Luffy asks, unsure if it's possible. 

"I'll think of something", Sanji says with a smile. 

Noticing Luffy still feeling a bit down, Sanji says, "You know, being a captain is a tough job. Zeff once told me that making decisions is what sets the captain apart from the rest of the crew. He was a pirate captain who sailed the Grand Line and came back unscathed, so the old man knows his stuff. Don't blame yourself for your crewmate's decisions. He chose to fight, and as captain, you trusted your crewmate's decision completely", Sanji says, trying to cheer Luffy up. 

"Wait, the old man was a pirate? So that's why that guy called him Red-Leg Zeff?", Luffy asks, excited. 

"Yeah, captain of the notorious Cook Pirates. They called him Red-Leg Zeff because his boots were always covered in the blood of his enemies", Sanji says, amused by talking about the old man. 

"Wow, how did you guys meet? Were you part of his crew?", Luffy asks, curious. 

"Not exactly", Sanji says, smiling sadly as he remembers the past. 

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(AN: 1,166 Words)

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