The Going Merry cut through the vast, blue expanse of the Grand Line, her sails full of a steady wind. On deck, the atmosphere was deceptively peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos they had left behind at Whisky Peak. The sun was warm, the sea breeze was gentle, and for a moment, it was easy to forget they were being hunted by a Warlord.
Sanji, in his element, moved with a tray of colorful, expertly crafted cocktails, a refreshing smile for the ladies and a grudgingly offered beverage for the other men. Even Karoo got a drink.
Nami was lounging, Vivi was trying to, and Luffy and Usopp were engaged in a loud, chaotic game of tag that involved a surprising amount of rubbery limbs and dramatic lying. Mario sat with his back against the mast, sipping the delicious, fruity concoction, allowing himself a rare moment of pure contentment.
„How can everyone be so… relaxed?" Vivi asked, her voice a mixture of bewilderment and a touch of envy. She clutched her own drink, her knuckles white. „You've made an enemy of one of the former Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile! I can't believe how easy-going you all are."
Mario took a slow sip, the sweet taste a counterpoint to the bitter reality she voiced. „That's the secret, Vivi," he said, meeting her anxious gaze. „The fear is always there. But if you let it sit at the table, it'll eat all the food and suck all the joy out of the room. So we let it wait outside for a bit."
Nami nodded, giving Vivi a reassuring smile as she handed her a fresh cocktail. „He's right. Being on this ship… it's different. You can actually relax with these guys. When there's immediate danger, they'll handle it. Until then, worrying just wastes energy."
Vivi accepted the drink, her posture softening slightly, but the shadow of worry for her kingdom remained in her eyes, a constant, silent companion.
Suddenly, the water beside the ship bulged. A dolphin, its skin a perfect, shimmering silver, surfaced. It was beautiful, playful—until it surged forward and launched itself into a full, breathtaking leap. The sheer scale of it was staggering; it wasn't a dolphin, it was a leviathan, its body the size of a small tanker, blocking out the sun as it soared over the Merry.
"EVERYONE, LET'S RUN AWAY!!!" Usopp screamed, but it was a cry filled not with terror, but with exhilaration.
What followed wasn't panic, but a perfectly coordinated ballet of chaos. Luffy, laughing uproariously, stretched an arm to grab the rigging and pull himself clear. Zorro, without even looking up from his nap, rolled smoothly to the side. Sanji kicked a loose barrel out of the way while steadying the tray of drinks. Nami and Mario, in unison, pulled a stunned Vivi back from the railing as a wall of spray drenched the deck where she'd been standing. The massive dolphin splashed back into the sea, sending the Merry rocking, but completely unharmed.
Vivi stood, soaked and wide-eyed, her heart hammering. But it wasn't from fear anymore. It was from awe. The sheer, instinctual synchronicity, the way they moved as a single organism facing the absurd dangers of this sea, was breathtaking.
As the excitement died down and the crew returned to their activities, laughing about the "close call," Mario finished his drink and stood up. They had another five days until they arrived at Little Garden. Five days of relative peace. He looked at his hands, then towards the quiet bow of the ship.
He had seen the ease with which they handled a dolphin the size of a building. But he had also seen the future, and he knew the fight against a cunning devil fruit user would require a different kind of strength. A determined glint hardened his eyes. The relaxation was over for him. He was determined to train until his body gave out, pushing the limits of the King's heresy until he was strong enough to ensure their next brush with death was nothing more than a story they could laugh about later.
***
„Why do I do this to myself?" Mario gasped, the words a ragged breath forced through bruised lips. He lay sprawled on the sun-baked deck, every muscle screaming in protest. He'd lost count of how many times he'd asked that question, his body a canvas of fresh aches layered over fading bruises.
But the pain was a price he paid willingly, for the training was paying dividends in raw, tangible power. Every free second of the four-day voyage had been weaponized. He'd sparred with Zoro, learning to read the subtle shifts in the swordsman's stance that preceded a devastating strike. He'd run agility drills with Sanji, the cook's powerful kicks forcing Mario to refine his own footwork and the principles of Soru to a razor's edge. He'd even joined Luffy's chaotic, instinctual brawls, learning to predict the unpredictable.
And it wasn't just him. The entire crew was evolving. Mario could see it, a quiet pride swelling in his chest amidst the exhaustion. Zoro's movements were becoming more economical, his slashes carrying a sharper, more focused intent. Sanji's already impressive speed had kicked up a notch, his kicks now little more than blurs that whistled through the air. Luffy's innate battle sense was honing into something sharper, his reactions to feints and tricks almost precognitive.
Even Usopp, who joined in when his courage outweighed his fear, was transforming. His sniping had reached a level of precision that defied logic. He could ricochet a pellet off three separate parts of the rigging to knock a specific nail loose, all while the ship rocked on the waves. Mario watched him one evening, a theory crystallizing in his mind. That's not just skill, he realized. That's an innate, untrained form of Observation Haki. He's not just seeing the target; he's feeling the trajectory on an instinctual level.
The shared struggle, the clashing of wills, and the collective pursuit of strength were forging them, tempering them like steel. The training had paid off. They were not the same crew that had fled Whisky Peak.
On the morning of the fourth day, a low, dark line appeared on the horizon, quickly resolving into a coastline unlike any other. It was a wall of primal, untamed jungle, where the trees were colossal, the sounds were deafening roars and shrieks of creatures long thought extinct, and the very air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rampant life.
Little Garden. They had arrived.
Mario stood at the railing, no longer sprawled on the deck. His body was tired, but his spirit was sharp and ready. He looked at the primordial island, then at his crewmates, their faces a mix of awe, excitement, and determination. They were stronger now. But the true test was waiting for them in the jungle.
***
The Going Merry slid into a narrow, murky river that cut into the island's heart, the air growing thick and heavy with the scent of rotting vegetation and blooming, alien flowers. They docked in a small, shaded lagoon, the silence of the jungle pressing in on them—a silence that was, in fact, a cacophony of clicks, hums, and distant, earth-shaking roars. Before them lay a wall of green, a prehistoric jungle where ferns were as tall as houses and the trees seemed to scrape the sky itself.
Mario knew exactly what this was, but the crew was only just beginning to understand.
„This place…" Luffy whispered, his eyes wide. He took a deep, dramatic sniff of the humid air. „…I… smell… ADVENTURE!!!" He erupted into a full-body shiver of pure, unadulterated anticipation.
„SANJIIII! Pack a lunch box! A PIRATE LUNCHBOX! I'm going to explore! This place looks so much FUN!" Luffy yelled, already vibrating with energy.
„Wait… those trees…" Nami murmured, her navigator's instincts tingling. She dashed below deck and returned with a heavy, leather-bound book. Mario simply smiled, knowing what she was about to discover.
„Can I come with you? Me and Karoo would also like to explore," Vivi said, surprising everyone. Mario's gaze shifted to the massive, comical duck at her side. Over the journey, he had found Karoo to be a constant source of amusement. This was the leader of the Alabasta Kingdom's elite Super Karugamo unit, a creature with leg strength surpassing a leopard's, and yet it was currently crossing its wings in a frantic 'X', its eyes wide with terror, clearly signaling it wanted no part of this green hell.
„WAIT!" Nami's voice cut through the excitement, shrill with panic. She held up the book, her finger tracing a line of text. „This forest… this entire island… it's a Prehistoric Island! That means time has stopped here! This island is full of dangers we can't even begin to imagine!"
„LET'S GOOOO!" Luffy's declaration was a force of nature, rendering Nami's warning utterly futile. In a flash, he, a resigned Vivi, and a loudly protesting Karoo (who was dragged by the reins) vanished into the thick, menacing undergrowth.
„Well, I'm going to go for a walk," Zoro announced, peering into the jungle with a hunter's glint in his eye.
„Are you INSANE?!" Nami and Usopp screamed in perfect, terrified unison.
„Wait, Zoro," Sanji interjected, lighting a cigarette. „We could replenish our meat supply. Go and hunt something."
„Whatever. I will, since you could never do it," Zorro shot back with a mocking grin.
„Huh? What did you say, you shitty swordsman?" Sanji's eye twitched, his foot tapping impatiently on the deck.
„Oh, 'shitty'? You stupid cook, wanna bet?" Zorro's hand drifted toward his sword hilts.
„You're on! Let's see who brings back the bigger prey!" Sanji snarled, and with a shared glare of competitive fury, the two of them launched themselves in opposite directions into the jungle, leaving dust motes dancing in their wake.
Mario just smiled, shaking his head at their predictable, chaotic rivalry.
„Why is everyone on this ship so CRAZY?!" Nami wailed, tears of frustration welling in her eyes as she was abandoned.
„Don't worry, Nami!" Usopp declared, puffing out his chest with bravado he clearly didn't feel. „We have Mario!"
„Don't count on me; I'm going too," Mario said, stretching his arms. „I wanna see what this island is all about."
Usopp and Nami stood frozen, their last bastion of sanity crumbling.
„You'll leave us too?" Nami's voice was a small, pathetic squeak.
Mario gave her a reassuring wink. „Don't worry. I know the great Captain Usopp will protect you."
Before they could utter another word of protest, Mario's form blurred. With a soft whoosh of displaced air, he vanished using Soru, leaving Nami and Usopp alone on the eerily quiet ship.
But his goal wasn't exploration. As he moved through the primordial jungle, his senses sharp and his will focused, he had a single, clear objective: find Mr. 3 and his partner before they could set their treacherous traps. He would finish this, not with the crew's trademark chaotic heroism, but with swift, decisive action.
The hunt was on.