Cough… cough…
Kaoru Tsubasa slowly opened his eyes.
"Kaoru!"
"Are you alright?"
When he looked up, he found Luffy and the others gathered anxiously around his bed.
"I'm fine," Kaoru said, forcing a small smile to reassure them.
"What the hell happened?" Zoro asked, arms crossed. "Someone like you doesn't just collapse out of nowhere."
Even for Zoro, it was strange. With Kaoru's strength, there were few people on the entire sea who could injure him.
"It's nothing serious. I just… pushed myself too hard during training," Kaoru replied calmly. He didn't mention the virtual battle space, nor the opponent he'd faced there.
Hearing that, everyone finally relaxed. They had feared an intruder had snuck aboard the Going Merry and attacked him. None of them expected the culprit to be Kaoru's own training.
That night, in a quiet corner of the Merry's cabin, a young girl huddled under a blanket — trembling slightly.
It was Abis, the little girl Luffy had accidentally fished out of the sea earlier that day.
"Why…" she whispered. "Why, why, why!? I finally escaped the Navy… only to be rescued by pirates!"
Her imagination ran wild as she pictured the terrifying deeds of pirates — pillaging villages, burning ships, and enslaving children.
In her mind, Luffy wore a grand cloak, like the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, grinning wickedly as flames rose behind him.
Guuuu…
Her stomach growled loudly, breaking the illusion.
Blushing, Abis pressed her hands over her belly. She hesitated, then decided to sneak out to find something to eat.
As she crept into the galley, her foot caught a thin wire — snap!
There was a loud clang! as a massive mousetrap sprung to life. Fortunately, it missed her. Unfortunately…
"AAARGH!"
It caught Luffy instead.
"It's you again, Luffy!"
Sanji turned on the light, irritation flashing across his face as he spotted Luffy struggling in the trap.
"What are you doing this time?" he asked, exasperated — then noticed the little girl crouched nearby, guilty expression written all over her face.
Abis froze. When Sanji's sharp eyes fell on her, she gave a nervous smile, shoulders trembling.
Sighing, Sanji rubbed his temples. "Fine. Both of you, sit down. I'll make something. But if either of you mess with my ingredients again, I'm tossing you overboard."
As he cooked, Luffy — now free from the trap — watched the food hungrily, his eyes gleaming.
"Who told you to be hungry again?" Sanji muttered, shooting him a glare.
"Because I am hungry!" Luffy said defensively through a mouthful of meat he'd already stolen.
Everyone on the ship was used to Luffy's nightly kitchen raids by now. His rubber body demanded endless food — and Sanji's patience was the only thing keeping him alive.
Sanji served a simple but fragrant late-night meal. Abis, however, didn't touch her bowl.
"What's wrong?" Sanji asked gently. "You didn't eat at all earlier, did you?"
Abis didn't reply — she just turned her head away, silent.
Thinking she feared poison, Sanji crossed his arms. "Relax. I don't poison kids."
Abis shook her head stubbornly.
Sanji sighed. "Alright then. But if you won't eat, Luffy will."
"I will!" Luffy said instantly, reaching for her bowl.
Panicked, Abis snatched it back and took a bite. Her eyes widened. "D-delicious!"
Luffy grinned proudly. "See? Sanji's the best cook in the world!"
"It's… it's the first time I've ever tasted something this good," Abis admitted softly.
Sanji chuckled. "Finally, a proper compliment. You're adorable when you smile, kid."
From the doorway, Nami and Bloodthirster — Kaoru's blood-red spirit companion — watched quietly. They hadn't wanted to startle Abis by showing up earlier.
"She finally smiled," Nami whispered with a warm grin. "Isn't she cute?"
Bloodthirster nodded, her crimson aura dimming to a soft glow.
Nami stepped forward. "You were scared when you found out we were pirates, weren't you?"
Abis hesitated, lowering her eyes.
"Don't be," Nami said kindly. "We're not bad people."
Bloodthirster added softly, "We don't hurt the innocent."
But when Abis turned toward the voice — and saw the blood-shaped woman hovering beside her — she yelped, nearly dropping her spoon.
Nami quickly comforted her. "It's okay! Bloodthirster's harmless. She just looks… dramatic."
Abis blinked. "You're not going to sell me?" she asked nervously.
"Sell you!?" Usopp gasped. "What kind of pirates do you think we are!?"
"Who told you to look that scary all the time?" Zoro muttered.
"You're one to talk!" Usopp snapped, pulling Zoro's face like taffy.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"
The two started brawling instantly, knocking over chairs and dishes.
Abis giggled. "They're not bad at all…"
Sanji smiled. "Would you like some more, miss?"
"Yes, please!" Abis said eagerly.
"I also want more!" Luffy shouted.
"You can wait," Sanji said flatly.
"Too mean!" Luffy pouted, crossing his arms.
By morning, the Going Merry was alive with activity. Luffy and Zoro raised the anchor and unfurled the sails.
"Hey— what's happening!?" Sanji shouted suddenly. The whole ship was shaking.
Smoke wafted from the galley as Abis stumbled out, covered in soot.
"Abis! What did you do!?" Sanji demanded.
"I-I was cooking breakfast!" she said shyly.
Luffy burst out laughing. Zoro groaned. "I have a bad feeling…"
He was right. When they entered the kitchen, bowls of pitch-black… something were waiting on the table.
They all froze.
"It's… charcoal?" Usopp whispered.
No one wanted to hurt her feelings, so they sat down anyway.
Just then, Kaoru appeared — wrapped in bandages from head to toe, looking exhausted.
"I'm starving," he muttered. "Is breakfast ready, Sanji?"
The moment Abis saw him, she screamed — then fainted on the spot.
"Eh!? Why'd she faint!?" Kaoru asked, completely confused.
Nami sighed. "Gee, I wonder why."
"Because of… me?" Kaoru pointed at himself.
Everyone nodded silently.
"She's got a weak heart," Kaoru grumbled. Still, he gently picked her up and laid her back on the bed before asking Sanji for food.
Meanwhile, Sanji ordered the others to eat the black "breakfast" Abis had made.
"WAAAH! SPICY!" Nami, Usopp, and Zoro all screamed in unison, gulping down water by the jugful.
"Delicious!" Luffy said with a big grin, happily eating seconds.
"Can't be that bad…" Kaoru muttered, tasting a bite.
The next second, his eyes went wide. "HOT! HOT!!!"
He summoned entire buckets of water from his dimensional space and chugged them down.
Nami gaped. "That's… way too much!"
Kaoru groaned. His body might've been enhanced by countless powers, but it was still human at its core — not built for this world's insane spice levels.
Even an "immortal body" couldn't defend him from that.
After everyone had recovered, Abis slowly woke up again.
"Stay back!" she yelped, hiding under the blanket.
"No, no," Kaoru said quickly, raising his hands. "I'm the vice-captain here. The bandages are from training, not fighting."
Her fear softened into curiosity.
"What's your name?" Nami asked gently.
"I'm… Abis."
"What a lovely name," Bloodthirster said, smiling faintly as her aura glowed.
Abis didn't flinch this time.
"Abis," Nami said, "why were you alone at sea?"
"I escaped from a Navy ship," Abis said honestly.
"What?" Luffy blinked. "You escaped from the Navy?"
"Three nights ago," she explained, "during that big storm."
"You crossed that storm in a rowboat!?" Nami gasped. "That's insane!"
Even their sturdy ship had barely survived that weather.
"You must have some kind of Devil Fruit power," Kaoru said, rubbing his temples.
"Y-yeah…" Abis admitted.
"Unbelievable," Nami muttered. "If a Devil Fruit user falls into the sea, they can't move! That was suicidal."
Bloodthirster reached out her hand and handed Abis a small, glowing bracelet.
"This will protect you from seawater," she said gently. "It creates an energy field when you touch it."
Abis's eyes brightened. "Thank you…"
Nami smiled warmly. "That's wonderful, Abis."
"By the way," Sanji asked while washing dishes, "why was the Navy chasing you in the first place? They don't usually go after kids."
"Yeah," Zoro added. "If you escaped from a warship, that means you weren't exactly their guest."
Abis hesitated, fiddling with her fingers.
"What, are you secretly a criminal?" Luffy asked bluntly.
"N-No! Of course not!"
Kaoru smiled faintly. "Is it because of the Millennium Dragon?"
Abis's eyes went wide. "How do you know about that!?"
"I've been here before," Kaoru said smoothly. "There's an old legend — about a dragon that lives for a thousand years. They say its bones can be used to create an elixir of eternal life."
"An elixir of life?" Nami repeated, shocked.
"As if the World Government would let that kind of thing exist," Kaoru said quietly. "But some people… will believe anything for the sake of immortality."
Nami gazed out at the ocean, her expression soft. "A medicine that makes you live forever… It sounds like something out of a dream."
She smiled faintly. "But maybe that's what makes it dangerous."