Out on the open sea, under the mid-morning sun, two small boats were racing across the waves. The waters churned as both vessels surged forward, each powered by a single, determined man. Sanji and Gin—each on their own small rowboat—were locked in a silent but fierce competition, neither one willing to slow down.
Their boats bobbed and bumped through the ocean swell, cutting through the waves at a surprising speed considering their size and manpower. The creak of wooden oars and the splash of water echoed across the sea. Neither had spoken yet, but tension was thick in the salty air.
Finally, one of them broke the silence.
"Oi, Gin!" Sanji barked, glancing over his shoulder. "Why the hell are you still following me?"
Gin grunted, visibly annoyed. "I'm not following you! I'm just in a hurry—and you're blocking my path!"
"What do you mean I'm blocking your path? I've been heading this direction the whole time!"
"Then move aside and let me through."
"The sea is vast. Just take another route for your boat."
"I'm already enroute. Why should I change course?" Gin retorted. "Also, I'm in a hurry. So, move it."
Sanji raised a brow but shrugged. "Fine, whatever."
He eased off the oars and allowed his boat to drift slightly to the side. Gin took the chance and began rowing faster, overtaking him. But just as Gin's boat began to pass by—
*Swoosh!*
Sanji's boat suddenly surged forward again, slipping right in front of Gin's path.
"…You…" Gin narrowed his eyes.
Sanji looked over his shoulder with a completely straight face. "Ah. Sorry. My hand slipped."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. Go on." Sanji gestured casually, like he hadn't just intentionally cut him off.
Gin exhaled through his nose and gave Sanji a hard squint. But instead of arguing, he began rowing again, slowly this time. As his boat approached Sanji's, he suddenly shifted course—
Thud!
Gin's boat bumped hard into the side of Sanji's.
"The hell was that?" Sanji snapped, looking back.
Gin wore a smug grin. "Oops. My hand slipped."
A few prominent tick marks pulsed on Sanji's forehead as he stared at the smug grin plastered across Gin's face.
"Did you intentionally hit my boat?" Sanji growled, voice tight.
Gin didn't even try to hide his satisfaction. "And what if I did? It's not like *you* didn't do the same."
Their eyes locked, the air between them crackling with intensity. Sparks practically flew in the space between their two boats. Neither spoke for a moment—the tension was thick enough to slice with a kitchen knife.
Then, without warning, both men snatched up their paddles and started rowing furiously at the same time.
Thud! Thud!
The boats slammed into each other the instant they moved.
"BASTARD! You want to fight?!" Sanji barked, grinding his teeth.
"You're the one who started this, dumbass!" Gin shot back, leaning into his strokes.
"Stop ramming into my ship!"
"You're the one doing that, idiot!"
Wood creaked under the pressure, water splashed everywhere, and the two tiny vessels danced dangerously close—more like bumper boats than proper sailing crafts. The argument devolved into a chaotic back-and-forth of petty insults and boat bashing.
Just as Sanji was about to rise to his feet and throw his paddle at Gin, a strange sound cut through the noise.
*"Moooo!"*
Both men froze.
"…Wait, did you hear that?" Sanji asked, blinking.
Gin held his paddle mid-air. "You heard it too?"
Another "Mooo!" followed by a loud splash echoed over the sea.
Their argument forgotten for a moment, both men looked behind them—and their eyes widened at the same time.
Rising from the water, not far behind them, was the unmistakable head of a *giant sea cow*—its wide, sleepy eyes blinking slowly as it stared at them, half-submerged beneath the waves. Seaweed hung off its horn like a lazy crown, and it let out another low, lazy *"Moooo…"*
"Am I seeing things… or is that…?" Sanji squinted, his voice trailing off.
"A cow?" Gin replied, uncertainty creeping into his tone.
Sanji glanced at him sideways. "You think cows can swim in the sea?"
"Not unless they've evolved flippers and gills," Gin muttered. "And that thing's *huge*. Way too big for any regular cow."
*Moooo! Moooo!*
The loud, guttural mooing echoed across the water, sending a chill down both men's spines. The creature trailing behind them wasn't just watching—it was *staring*, its round eyes locked onto the small boats as if sizing up its next meal.
"…Why do I feel like it just licked its lips?" Sanji muttered under his breath.
The massive sea beast, resembling a cow but far too large, dipped its head beneath the surface without warning.
Fwoosh!
It vanished under the waves, a deep ripple trailing where it once floated.
Sanji's eyes widened. "It went under."
Gin immediately tensed. "That can't be good. You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah. That thing's gonna pull a surprise attack from below."
"Row. Now!"
Without wasting another second, the two furiously paddled their boats toward opposite sides, trying to scatter in a panic-fueled zigzag.
And then—
BOOOOSH!!!
The sea exploded behind them as the monstrous creature breached the surface, crashing up through the spot their boats had just occupied. Water surged in every direction, and the force of the wave rocked both boats violently.
"Holy—! That thing's a SEA KING!" Gin shouted, gripping the sides of his boat as it wobbled.
Sanji's cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth. "A sea king?! Why the hell is it here!?"
Gin didn't answer. He couldn't. His wide eyes were fixed on the beast, which hovered for a moment above the sea, casting a shadow that could engulf a ship. It let out another deep, thundering *"Moooo!"*, droplets of seawater dripping off its whiskers and horns.
Then, with a loud splash, it disappeared again into the depths.
A beat passed.
Sanji and Gin sat frozen, hands clenched around their paddles, both silently hoping the creature had lost interest.
"…You think it's gone?" Sanji whispered.
Gin's voice was low. "No. It's probably aiming from below again."
Another second passed.
Then, both Sanji and Gin snapped into action. Without exchanging another word, they rowed with everything they had, but—
*Clunk!*
Their boats slammed into each other mid-escape.
"Get out of my way!" Gin shouted, glaring.
"You get out of *my* way!" Sanji barked back, paddling harder.
"Bastard cook! Always in the way!"
"Puny pirate! You wanna go?!"
"Don't you dare call me that!"
"So what if I do, seaweed head!"
"Argh!"
Still arguing, they bumped boats again, nearly toppling over.
Suddenly—*MOOOO!*
The loud bellow cut through the chaos. Both of them paused for a split second.
"That thing's still coming!" Sanji snapped.
"Forget you—I'm saving my own skin!" Gin growled.
They paddled like mad again, still colliding as the sea king chased from behind. Waves crashed as the beast leapt after them, jaws open wide.
Finally, island shore came into view.
Their boats scraped onto the sand just as the sea king lunged again. Sanji and Gin jumped out, not even waiting for the boats to stop. They spun to face each other, panting.
"You wanna fight for real now, huh? Come on then!" Sanji said, cracking his knuckles.
"Gladly! I've had enough of your face!" Gin snapped back, raising his tonfa.
*MOOOOO!!!*
A huge shadow loomed as the sea king reared up behind them.
"Shut up already!!" they both shouted.
And with that, they turned their anger on the sea king.
Sanji leapt, spinning mid-air, and delivered a fierce kick straight to the beast's nose.
Gin dashed in low, slamming his tonfa into its jaw.
Kick, strike, slam, repeat—the two didn't hold back. Fueled by adrenaline and irritation, they pummeled the beast together in perfect, angry sync.
Within moments, the Sea King collapsed with a heavy thud onto the sandy shore, its massive body twitching once before falling completely still. A final groan escaped its throat before silence returned to the coastline.
Both Sanji and Gin stood there, panting, sweat rolling down their faces from the exertion. Sanji straightened his clothes and adjusted his tie with a deep breath.
"Hah... now *that* was refreshing," he said, feeling noticeably lighter after venting his frustration on the beast.
Gin let out a long exhale, lowering his tonfa. "Yeah... I needed that."
After catching their breath, the two began surveying their surroundings. The island was quiet, with dense trees bordering the beach and seagulls circling lazily above.
"Where are we?" Gin asked curiously.
Just then, something caught his eye—anchored a short distance down the shore was a sleek black ship.
Sanji spotted it too. His eyes narrowed.
"That ship..." Gin's eyes lit up. "It's the whale ship! I finally found it!"
"Wait, Gin—" Sanji tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Gin was already sprinting full speed toward the ship. With no other option, Sanji sighed and gave chase, running after him. "Damn it, not like this…"
Meanwhile, on the Silent Orca, things were far more relaxed. Johnny and Yosaku were sitting on deck cross-legged, engrossed in a card game atop an overturned crate. A light sea breeze rustled their clothes as they passed the time.
"You think Zino and the others are gonna be okay against those fishmen pirates?" Johnny asked, casually placing down a three of diamonds.
Yosaku scratched his head, then laid down a six of diamonds. "Hard to say. I've never actually seen them in a real fight, y'know? But they *do* seem confident."
Johnny nodded thoughtfully. "True… But fishmen are said to be ten times stronger than regular humans, right?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm glad *we're* here guarding the ship instead of out there getting our bones crushed," Yosaku said, half-joking.
"Then… do you think they stand a chance against the fishmen?" Johnny asked, placing a hand of cards face-down and peeking at Yosaku.
Yosaku leaned back, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "That... I'm not sure of," he admitted. "But I *do* know one thing—Captain Zino is strong. Really strong."
Johnny tilted his head. "What makes you say that?"
"Haven't you read the news? It mentioned about Zino, you know."
"I haven't read anything recently," Johnny said, reaching for the deck and pulling a card. It wasn't the one he wanted, so he tossed it aside and drew again. Still not right. He groaned and picked another. "So? What did the news say?"
Yosaku smirked and leaned forward, clearly enjoying the opportunity to share something big. "If you had read the news, you'd know Zino was recently promoted to Lieutenant."
Johnny blinked. "Lieutenant? That's decent, I guess, but not that impressive..."
Yosaku placed a card onto the crate—a sleek ace of diamonds. "That's not the whole story."
Johnny's brows furrowed. "Don't tease. Spill it."
Yosaku grinned. "Zino defeated not one, but two former Marine Captains in direct combat."
"What?! Who?"
"Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, and the elusive Captain Kuro."
Johnny gasped, nearly dropping his hand of cards. "No way! That Kuro? The one who annihilated his own marine subordinates, faked his death and then vanished?"
Yosaku nodded with pride. "That's the one. Zino took them both down, and lived to tell the tale. He's practically a rising legend in this part of the East Blue now."
Johnny stared, stunned for a second. Then, as realization hit him, he pointed accusingly. "Wait a sec… Forget Zino. Did you just play the *ace of diamonds*? You cheated!"
Yosaku grinned ear to ear, casually shrugging. "Nope. Had it all along."
Johnny groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I knew it! You always bluff too well…"
The friendly bickering was cut short when a voice interrupted from behind.
"So... Zino's a marine, huh?"
Yosaku blinked. "Of course, he's a ma—huh?!"
Only then did he register that the voice hadn't come from Johnny.
Both men snapped their heads around.
Standing a short distance away on the ship's deck was Gin, holding tonfa on each hands and expression unreadable. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to process what he had just overheard.
Just behind him, Sanji climbed aboard, and clearly not thrilled to be involved in this reunion.