Steve's POV
I hit the ground with a painful thud. Getting cut open that much really makes you tired. I looked over and saw that Nami had caught Luffy before he fell like I did.
Why didn't she catch me? How unfair!
"You two fought hard, even you two can't stand after being cut that much," Nami said, placing Luffy on the ground.
"I don't like them. They're wrong," Luffy said.
Nami looked confused. "What do you mean—?"
"I want meat."
"Shut up, Luffy. Not now."
A while later, Zoro and Usopp showed back up, all dirty but clearly victorious.
"Thank you. Without you guys, we wouldn't have been able to protect the village," Usopp thanked us. "On account of that, I've come to a decision. Thank you for helping me." Usopp got up and walked away without saying much more.
"I'm hungry," Luffy said again.
"Let's go eat then. You won't shut up about it until we go," I said, straining to stand up. After tending to our wounds, we went to the bar to watch Luffy scarf down dozens of plates of food, nearly choking multiple times.
"If you're done, we should get going, Luffy," I said.
We were getting up to leave when the bell rang to signify the entrance of someone.
"Good, you're still here," Kaya entered the bar, coming right over to us.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" I asked.
"I'm actually feeling much better," she said. "I'm sick, but I think a lot more of what was bothering me was that I felt depressed without my parents around. Still, I can't just feel sorry for myself. Everyone worked so hard, so I want to work hard too."
"Well, that's a positive outlook," I smiled.
"I heard you need a ship," Kaya said.
"You'll give us a ship?" Luffy excitedly asked.
"Really?" I added.
We followed Kaya down to the shore where we found another one of her butlers. As we got closer, it came into view: a ship.
"It's beautiful," I was in awe. A real ship for real pirates.
"It's a caravel," Nami clapped.
Luffy was just as excited as I was. The two of us were jumping up and down and looking over every inch of the ship. "Are you sure we can really have this?" I asked the butler.
"Of course. Consider it our thanks for saving the village. I designed this ship myself, and its name is the Going Merry."
That's a great name. He tried to explain how to control the ship, but I told him just to tell Nami. While Kaya told me what she had stocked the ship with; everything we'd need.
Screaming could be heard coming from the top of the hill. We all turned to see Usopp rolling down the hill. "I can't stop!" He yelled, rolling out of control right toward our new ship. Luffy and Zoro stopped him with their feet. While Usopp composed himself, the rest of us climbed aboard our new ship. Usopp talked to Kaya, saying he was going off to become a pirate.
"Well, I hope I'll see you guys again sometime," Usopp said.
"Why?" Luffy asked him casually.
Is he just going off on his own?
"We're both going off to be pirates; we might meet again on the seas," Usopp explained.
He doesn't get it.
"What are you rambling about? Just get on," I told him.
Luffy and I had discussed the idea of Usopp coming with us back at the bar.
Flashback
"Hey, Luffy, come with me for a sec. I want to talk."
Luffy and I made our way outside behind the bar.
"It's about Usopp."
"What about him?"
"What do you think about him coming with us?" I asked.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing. Of course I want him to come!"
"Well then, next time we see him, let's ask him, okay?"
Flashback End
Usopp looked confused. "We're friends, aren't we? Get on," Luffy shrugged.
Usopp was in such a confused state. He didn't really think it was happening.
"Are you coming or not?" I laughed.
"Yeah! I'm the captain, right?" Usopp said, climbing aboard.
"NO! YOU'RE NOT!" Luffy and I yelled.
Nami gave us instructions on how to set the sails and pull up the anchor. Luffy helped Usopp pull his belongings onto the ship, and we got ready to set sail. "Bye! I'll be back someday," Usopp waved as his home faded out into the distance. We finally had a ship and another member. We were almost ready to go to the Grand Line.
Zoro came out from below deck with a barrel. "Look what I found, there's a ton of booze down here."
"Oh, we need to have a toast," Luffy said.
We each grabbed a mug from the kitchen and poured a glass and filled them with whatever we wanted to drink. "To a new ship and a new member!" Luffy yelled.
"CHEERS!" We slammed our glasses together and started the party to christen our new ship.
After a little party, I remembered something important. "We need a flag," I pointed out how bare our ship was. Luffy grabbed some paint and some cloth and drew a very crude picture of a skull wearing a straw hat—or at least, I think that's what it was supposed to be.
"No, Luffy. Just no." I broke my friend's pride in his symbol. "You'll just get us laughed at with that stupid thing."
"Leave the drawing to me," Usopp said, painting a new mark which looked more like him than Luffy. Luffy and I beat him upside the head for making his own mark. Usopp drew another one much more in line with Luffy's original vision.
"A straw hat, huh… I like it." "Draw another on the sail," me and Luffy said, respectively.
After an hour of climbing and painting, Usopp succeeded in drawing the symbol on the sail. "Looks perfect," I said.
"Our ship's ready for action. The pirate ship, the Going Merry," Luffy added.
A New Problem
I was having a conversation with Zoro about his past when there was a loud boom. "What the hell was that?" I said. Don't tell me we hit something. We haven't even been sailing that long.
"I was testing the cannon, but I can't get it to fire right," Luffy explained.
"Warn us next time," I yelled.
"Step aside, amateur. Let me show you how it's done," Usopp said, stepping up to the cannon. Usopp calibrated the cannon and lit the fuse. The cannon fired and destroyed a nearby rock.
"You hit it on the first shot!" Luffy said, stars in his eyes, looking at the broken rock. "I've decided you'll be our sniper."
We went inside to eat when Luffy spoke up, "There's one more thing we need before we go to the Grand Line."
"That would be?" I said. I wasn't sure what we were missing.
"A position every pirate crew needs for a long voyage… A musician."
Everyone facepalmed at Luffy's stupidity.
"No, if anything, we need a chef for this kitchen!" Nami said. "Or a doctor."
"GET OUT HERE, PIRATES!" a crash could be heard from outside on the deck.
"What was that?" Usopp said, cowering behind Zoro.
Luffy and I rushed outside to see what the problem was, finding a tan-skinned man wearing sunglasses rampaging around on our ship.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" I yelled at the man.
"Who am I?" The man swung at me and Luffy. "I should be asking who you are!"
Luffy and I jumped over the sword, but the ship was damaged as a result. Dammit, we haven't even had this ship a week, and it's already being destroyed.
"I've slain hundreds of filthy pirates, but no-names like you think you can kill my partner?"
What's he talking about?
"I'm lost," Luffy said, dodging another swing.
"We've got no idea what you're talking about," I jumped over the man's head and wrapped my whips around his throat to choke him out. "But how dare you wreck my ship!" I threw the man against the wall and sat down to catch my breath.
"Just what was he talking about?" Luffy asked.
"I don't know," I answered, gasping for air.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Zoro emerged. "That you, Johnny?" It appeared this man and Zoro knew each other since they seemed to be friendly. "Where's Yosaku? He's always with you?" Zoro asked the man where someone else was.
The man with the glasses started to get all upset, barely uttering, "He's sick."
The man brought his friend onboard and explained what had been wrong with him. His friend was in bad shape, bleeding and missing teeth.
"I have no idea what's wrong. Poor guy's gonna die," I shrugged.
"Are you all idiots?" Nami yelled at us. "Go get the limes from the kitchen."
Luffy and Usopp ran into the kitchen to get away from Nami while she explained that the man had scurvy and needed to be treated.
That reminds me, we should look into getting a doctor to treat illnesses on this ship. Nami's first aid skills aren't really enough.
The sick man jumped up, saying he was recharged and ready for action, dancing around with his partner.
"I am Johnny," the tan man said.
"And I am Yosaku," the other said, introducing himself.
The newly revived man passed out again after a short conversation with Zoro and was told to go rest. "See? That's why you need to be wary of the dangers on the ocean," Nami explained. "If he hadn't come across us, he would have died."
"What we need is someone who can look after how we eat. We need a sea cook," Usopp said.
"Then let's go look for a cook. We need to eat good food!" Luffy exclaimed.
"It's always about food with you," I laughed. "All right then, a cook it is, but we don't even know where to start looking for one."
"Hey, bro," Johnny yelled to Zoro. "If you're looking for a chef, I know just the place." Johnny went on to explain about a restaurant that toured the seas, cooking with the highest-class chefs. "The name of the place is The Sea Restaurant Baratie."
Johnny explained to Nami how to get there, and we set off toward our next destination.
"Oh, hey, big bro," I heard Johnny call Zoro over. "I've heard that the 'Hawk-Eyed Man' has been spotted around there."
Why is he here? He's supposed to be on the Grand Line.