"Heaven, 'Heavenly King' Lu En?!"
Johnny looked at Lu En, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Unlike Zoro, who set out to sea to become the world's greatest swordsman but temporarily became a bounty hunter due to financial constraints,
Johnny and his partner, Yosaku, were professional bounty hunters.
And as bounty hunters, the first thing to do was to gather information.
They needed to know at least each pirate's bounty and their combat strength information to choose pirates they could defeat and earn a hefty bounty from.
Newspapers, of course, were a major source for bounty hunters to obtain pirate information.
As the world's largest newspaper, the World Economic Journal, was a must-read.
Although the World Economic Journal's reports were mostly about the Grand Line, their East Blue, known as the weakest sea, didn't have much coverage. But it was still good to gain knowledge.
However, some time ago, in the World Economic Journal's report, the East Blue, which had always been obscure, was actually covered in a full page by the World Economic Journal.
'Heavenly King' Lu En! He was the super rookie reported by the World Economic Journal that time!
The World Economic Journal's report on him read: 'A new king of the sea is about to be born.'
Such an exaggerated evaluation naturally left a deep impression on Johnny.
"'Heavenly King'? Awesome! Lu En, your title is so domineering."
Usopp looked at Lu En, exclaiming in surprise.
Usopp's father, Yasopp, went to sea as a pirate very early. His mother died of a serious illness when he was young, so their family savings were naturally not much.
Moreover, he also liked to invent things, which required money as a foundation.
The World Economic Journal's newspaper was not cheap. Usopp naturally couldn't buy every issue. At most, he would occasionally buy one to broaden his knowledge and to better boast.
And Usopp happened not to buy the issue featuring Lu En.
"And his fame is even higher than the captain, Luffy's."
Nami said with a smile.
Nami didn't know why, but she was also happy when she heard that Lu En was very famous.
But after the Kaya incident, Nami seemed to gradually understand what was going on.
Nami glanced at Lu En, her pretty face slightly flushed, her eyes even a little cautious.
In fact, not just Lu En, before entering the Grand Line, Zoro, known as the 'Pirate Hunter,' was much more famous than Luffy.
"I will definitely become famous! And get a super high bounty!"
Luffy naturally wasn't jealous of his companions. Instead, he was filled with fighting spirit, clenching his fists and shouting loudly.
"Captain?"
Johnny turned his head, staring blankly at Luffy.
"What? Don't I look like a captain?"
Luffy put his hands on his hips, straightening his chest.
Nami, Zoro, and Usopp all shook their heads.
He was about to enter the Grand Line, and he chose a musician over a cook as his first crewmate. How could such an idiot look like a captain?
"...."
Luffy immediately started drawing circles in a corner.
"Unbelievable, that 'Heavenly King' Lu En and Zoro, actually chose you as their captain."
Johnny's perception of Luffy was refreshed at this moment.
"By the way, where's Yosaku? Why isn't he with you?"
Zoro looked around, puzzled.
Johnny and Yosaku, these two partners, had always been inseparable.
"Yosaku, he!"
Johnny suddenly showed a mournful expression.
"What's wrong?"
With Zoro's displeased expression, Johnny pulled Yosaku from the small boat on the sea.
Yosaku's face was gray, looking as if he was about to die.
"Yosaku was still lively a few days ago, but he suddenly turned pale and fainted for several days. I couldn't figure out the reason."
"Either his teeth were falling out, or old wounds were spurting blood. I don't know what to do anymore."
Seeing his partner like this, Johnny was heartbroken.
"When I took him to the side of Rocky Mountain to recuperate, a cannonball suddenly shot from this ship."
Johnny even started crying.
"!!!"
Luffy and Usopp's mouths instantly dropped open.
So, it was the cannonball they fired!
"Right, I'm sorry!"
Luffy and Usopp immediately bowed ninety degrees.
"If apologies were useful, we wouldn't need the police."
Johnny watched Yosaku spit out another mouthful of blood, tears streaming down his face.
"Right, partner! Zoro, is this guy going to die?"
Johnny kept shaking Yosaku.
"Shaking him like that will only truly kill him."
Lu En and Nami walked over.
"Relax. This is just common scurvy. I told you, Luffy, when I prepared apples before, didn't I?"
"When sailing on the high seas, if you lack vitamins... well, you wouldn't understand. If you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, you'll get this disease."
Lu En said, looking at Yosaku.
"Huh? Did Lu En say that?"
Luffy tilted his head, trying to remember, but his brain had no recollection of it.
"Big Brother Lu En! Since you know what this disease is, you must know what to do!"
Johnny immediately looked at Lu En, tears streaming down his face.
"You just need some fresh fruit. Luffy, Usopp, go get those tangerines."
Lu En instructed Luffy and Usopp.
"Aye!"
Luffy and Usopp immediately complied, frantically stuffing a pile of tangerines into Yosaku's mouth.
Before long, Yosaku bounced up, singing and dancing with Johnny.
But soon, their joy turned to sorrow. Yosaku collapsed again. Although Yosaku, as a native of the pirate world, had good absorption ability, he didn't have special attributes like "Superhuman Physique (Dark Purple)."
It was naturally impossible for him to recover completely immediately. And with all that jumping and dancing, he was simply asking for trouble.
Fortunately, he would fully recover with a few days of rest.
Johnny also felt relieved.
"This is a lesson, Luffy. Never underestimate sailing."
Nami said to Luffy while writing in her logbook.
Luffy's behavior of not wanting a cook but prioritizing a musician was simply foolish for sailing.
"I didn't expect such dangers in sailing."
Zoro also spoke.
Although Lu En had mentioned this disease when preparing apples earlier, Zoro hadn't taken it seriously at the time. Now, seeing Yosaku's appearance firsthand, it was a huge lesson.
He had thought that during sailing, eating enough food would be sufficient.
"Does that mean we have to consider nutritional balance for long voyages with limited ingredients on board?"
Usopp also seemed thoughtful.
"Thinking about it, that's an essential skill for sailing, isn't it?"
Nami said.
"Essential skill?"
Luffy, gnawing on bread, suddenly shouted.
"Good! Then it's a chef for the sea! Let's go find a chef for the sea!"
Luffy stood up and said to Lu En and the others.
"This is indeed what our pirate ship needs most before entering the Grand Line."
Lu En smiled.
No matter how much he talked, it was better to let Luffy and Zoro experience it themselves.
Growth was not just about power; their minds also needed to mature to become true strong individuals.
Luffy and Zoro, in the future, would be crucial combat forces needed to plunder advanced attributes and seize the luck of iconic figures in the pirate faction using their faction's luck (Super Gold).
Especially in the future assault on the Four Emperors, the combat power of the two as they matured would be very important to Lu En.
The Four Emperors' pirate crews represented complete forces. The more usable combat power, the stronger, the better.
Even a peak Admiral-level strongman would struggle to face a group siege alone.
The original Kaido, who was defeated after being worn down in prolonged battles, was the best negative example.
Lu En would not make such a mistake.
"Speaking of chefs, I know a good place."
Johnny grinned.
"Good, that's where we're going! Where is it?!"
Luffy grinned.
"It's very close to the Grand Line, and there are also rumors there about the Hawk-Eyed Man Zoro has been looking for."
Johnny's words made Zoro's eyes narrow.
And made Lu En's lips curl.
"Course is, Northeast by North!"
"Sea Restaurant! Baratie!"
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