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[TIOP] Chapter : 37
🕑 Added 2025-02-18 15:59:43 +0000 UTCAt this moment aboard the Merry, Luffy and his crew were sailing toward their next destination. However, Nami, after reading the latest news, discreetly hid the newspaper. It contained reports of a rebellion in Alabasta, and she feared that revealing it would only cause Vivi further distress.
But as the saying goes, 'If you have a plan A, then Goda has a Plan Z' .After their grueling battle in Little Garden, Nami’s clothes were burned, and she was bitten by an insect on the island. As a result, she had now developed a high fever.
For a ship’s navigator to fall ill on the Grandline was nothing short of a catastrophe.
"Will Nami-swan die? Vivi-chwan, is she going to die?" Sanji asked, his voice heavy with sorrow as tears streamed down his face.
"A fever alone may not be fatal, but without knowing the cause, it could be dangerous," Vivi said anxiously, kneeling beside Nami’s bed and tending to her. "Is there anyone on board who knows medicine?"
Luffy and Usopp wordlessly pointed at Nami—implying she was the only one among them with any medical knowledge.
"It’s fine! She just needs to eat more meat! Right, Sanji?" Luffy said with his usual carefree grin.
Sanji, however, responded matter-of-factly, "I always make sure to use the freshest ingredients when cooking for Nami and Vivi. As for the food that’s about to spoil… I give it to you."
Usopp nearly exploded with outrage at the shameless chef’s confession, but Luffy, entirely unfazed, simply nodded and said, "Well~ it still tastes good that way!"
"But food can only help regulate the body—it’s not a substitute for medicine, nor can it cure every illness," Sanji said, his gaze filled with concern as he looked at the suffering Nami.
"40 degrees… Her temperature has risen again!" Vivi exclaimed, pulling the thermometer from Nami’s mouth.
"There should be doctors in Alabasta, right? We can just go straight there!" Luffy suggested. "Vivi, how long will it take to reach Alabasta?"
"I'm not sure, but at the very least, it'll take a week," Vivi replied seriously.
"Is this illness really that painful?" Luffy asked, a bit puzzled.
Sanji and Usopp tilted their heads in thought before answering in unison, "No idea, we’ve never had it!"
Vivi nearly lost her mind. 'What kind of people am I dealing with?!'
"If Nami’s fever doesn’t go down soon, a temperature this high could be life-threatening!" She said anxiously.
"What?! Nami’s going to die?!"
"Nami, don’t die!"
"Waaaaaaah~~!"
In a frenzy, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and even Karoo the duck ran around the room in panic.
"Enough! Be quiet! Nami needs to rest!" Vivi shouted, her frustration boiling over.
"Nami needs a doctor—now! We have to find one immediately!" Luffy declared urgently.
"Vivi… There’s a newspaper in my drawer. Take it out and have a look," Nami said weakly, struggling to sit up.
"Nami, are you okay? That was fast!" Luffy and the others asked excitedly, relieved to see her sitting up.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Vivi's expression darkened as she held the newspaper in her hands.
"This newspaper is from three days ago… which means the rebellion in Alabasta has officially begun," she said grimly.
"I'm sorry. I hid it before because I didn’t want you to worry," Nami admitted with difficulty.
"It seems like serious business," Luffy said blankly after Vivi explained what was written.
"I'm glad you understand, Luffy. We need to head for Alabasta immediately, so don’t worry about me," Nami said, attempting to get up again.
"But you don’t look well, Nami. You need a doctor," Usopp said, concerned.
"It’s fine. Thank you for worrying about me, but I know my own body," Nami reassured them with a faint smile before heading for the door.
As she stepped outside, Zoro—who was sitting near the side of the ship, working out—glanced at her.
"Why are you up? Shouldn’t you be resting?" he asked.
"Ah~ The ship’s course has shifted," Nami said after a single glance.
Zoro frowned. "We’ve been sailing straight this whole time. You should go back and lie down."
"Hey… I can’t just leave everything to you like this. I only just came out, and now I’ve got a headache… Wait." Nami pressed a hand to her forehead, her expression shifting. "The air… the smell has changed. This is—" She trailed off, scanning the horizon.
"There’s nothing wrong. The weather’s fine," Zoro said, glancing around but seeing no signs of trouble.
"No, turn south! Full rudder! Adjust the sails and catch the wind from the port side!" Nami commanded without hesitation.
Without questioning further, everyone—including Zoro—sprang into action. They still didn’t fully understand why, but when Nami gave an order, they knew to follow it.
"Whoa!" Luffy suddenly appeared beside Nami, placing a hand on her forehead. The moment he felt the heat radiating from her skin, he yanked his hand away with a startled cry. "Nami, your head is burning up! We should stop the ship and find a doctor!"
"Stop spouting nonsense. This is just my normal body temperature," Nami retorted, panting. "The wind is picking up—go help!"
Just then, Vivi stepped out of the cabin, looking as though she had something important to say. The crew turned to her, waiting in silence.
"You all have already allowed me to board this ship, and I know I have no right to make selfish demands. But my country is facing an unprecedented crisis. I have to get back as soon as possible. I can’t afford to hesitate—not even for a moment. We must reach Alabasta as quickly as possible!" Vivi declared, standing at the cabin door with determination in her eyes.
"Of course! Didn’t we promise you?" Nami replied to Vivi with a smile, while the rest of the crew remained silent.
"Since everyone agrees, let’s focus on finding an island with a doctor first!" Vivi said with a grin. "We need to cure Nami’s illness as soon as possible—then we’ll head straight for Alabasta. This is the fastest our ship can go, right?"
"Hehe, that’s right! There’s no speed faster than this!" Luffy added confidently.
"Hey~ Are you sure about this? As a princess, shouldn’t you be more concerned about your citizens?" Usopp asked in an exaggerated tone.
"Exactly. That’s why we need to help Nami recover as quickly as possible," Vivi replied with a soft smile.
"Well said, Vivi! I’ve got a newfound respect for you!" Sanji declared, a cigarette dangling from his lips. For once, he wasn’t swooning over her.
From the side, Zoro glanced at Vivi and muttered, "What a generous person."
While Nami’s situation remained dire aboard the Merry, elsewhere, Jack had already set sail from the G7 branch, heading toward Alabasta.
"Sir, aren’t we going straight to Alabasta?" Lena asked in surprise, noticing the warship’s unexpected course.
"It’s too soon for that," Jack replied, taking a deep sip from his wine glass. "Let’s find ourselves a little warm-up first. Lena, how’s your swordsmanship coming along?"
"Don’t worry, sir! I have been training hard. I may not be on your level, but I'm giving it my all!" Lena responded immediately, standing at attention and saluting.
"Relax, no need to be so formal," Jack said with a grin. "Let’s see if there are any pirates on the next island. This is the Grand Line, after all—there’s never a shortage of them. And nothing sharpens skills faster than real combat."
"Understood, sir!" Lena replied eagerly.
Before long, Jack’s warship arrived at a small island. This wasn’t part of Luffy’s route, so Jack had no reservations about going ashore. Without hesitation, he headed straight for the island’s bar.
At the port, he had already spotted at least three pirate ships—meaning the bar was the quickest place to find them.
"A Marine? What’s he doing here?" A pirate muttered from a shadowy corner of the bar, eyeing Jack warily.
Settling onto a barstool, Jack ordered a glass of whiskey before addressing the room with a relaxed smile. "I assume everyone here knows who I am. So, unless you’re a pirate, I suggest you leave."
The bartender let out a weary sigh, served Jack his drink, and quickly took cover.
Just then, a pirate attempted to slip out unnoticed—but before he could escape, Lena blocked his path.
"Pirate Felix, where do you think you’re going?" she asked coolly.
Pirates without a bounty could flee without issue, but Lena had no intention of letting wanted criminals escape. She knew exactly the kind of pirates Jack was after.
"Oi marine, We haven’t done anything to provoke you, so don’t go provoking us!" The pirate, Felix, growled, glaring at Lena.
"Lion Felix—bounty: 21 million," Lena announced, ignoring his protests.
Jack downed the last of his whiskey, then stood up with a relaxed smile. "Alright, so the rest of you are enemies. What’s your plan? Will you fight together, or will you try to escape when I make my move?"
A group of pirates in the corner stood up, their expressions grim. "Captain… Jack," one of them muttered. "Didn’t expect to run into someone like him here. Looks like we have no choice but to join forces."
Lena’s eyes lit up as she recognized them. "The Balloon Pirates, led by Balloon Cliss—bounty: 43 million! My Lord, we’ve caught a big one!" she said excitedly.
They had been sitting in the shadows earlier, making it difficult to identify them. But now that they had stepped forward, their faces were unmistakable.
"Aha… seems like we don’t have any other options," another voice chimed in as another pirate crew emerged from the darkness.
Lena narrowed her eyes. "Viper Kalip—bounty: 40 million," she said, locking her gaze onto the pirate who had spoken.
Though Kalip’s bounty wasn’t as high as Cliss’s, Lena knew he was the far more dangerous of the two.
Jack smirked, pleased with the development. "I’ll take on a few of the wanted criminals myself. The rest are yours to handle," he declared. Then, turning to his men, he ordered, "The others, withdraw and surround the area—don’t interfere in our fight."
Even this small island bar alone had contributed 10,400 diamonds to his total. Adding that to the 15,490 diamonds he had already accumulated, Jack’s points had now surpassed 20,000.
Back in Loguetown, he had captured Buggy and Alvida—earning him 1,500 and 500 diamonds, respectively—bringing his total to 15,490 before this latest haul.
Comments
Sukhman Singh
Why is he keep following luffy now?
