[A/N: before anyone mention { ego} and [system] this to secretly working on something ok]
Chapter 49 — "Bounty Hunters and Hungry Dreams"
Sunny pov
The morning sun glistened off the sea like scattered jewels. I leaned against the Merry's railing, stretching my arms wide and letting the salty wind brush across my face. The Merry herself creaked beneath me, humming softly. She was growing—slowly but surely. I could feel it. A spirit stirring in the timbers.
"Ughhhh, I'm starving!" Lucy's voice cracked through my morning calm like a cannonball.
I glanced back. Sure enough, she was already sprawled across the deck, arms and legs stretched out like a starfish, her straw hat sliding off her messy hair.
"You literally ate half the pantry last night," I reminded her.
"Half the pantry isn't breakfast," Lucy shot back, pouting.
Zoro grunted from where he sat cross-legged with his swords. "Just eat air. You talk enough to fill your stomach."
"Shut up, moss-head!" Lucy barked, springing up with sudden energy.
I sighed. Another day, another shouting match between those two. Usopp, wisely, pretended to be polishing his slingshot while avoiding eye contact with either of them.
It was shaping up to be a normal morning—until I saw two specks on the horizon. A tiny boat, drifting aimlessly.
I frowned. "We've got company."
Lucy darted to my side instantly, eyes gleaming. "Company? Pirates? Treasure?"
"More like… idiots about to drown."
Sure enough, as we closed the distance, I could see two men on the tiny boat. One was yelling dramatically, the other lay slumped like a corpse.
"Heyyy! Over hereeee!" the loud one waved both arms frantically.
Lucy waved back. "HELLOOOOO!"
Zoro groaned. "Don't answer back, you'll encourage them."
But it was too late. Within minutes, we had pulled their little boat alongside, and Lucy was already hauling them aboard like stranded puppies.
The loud one jumped onto our deck, striking a ridiculous pose with two swords strapped to his back. "I am the great bounty hunter Johnny! And this here is my partner, Yosaku!"
His partner, however, collapsed immediately with a wheeze.
"Yosaku!" Johnny yelped, crouching beside him. "Don't die on me, bro!"
Nami was the first to kneel down, her sharp eyes scanning him. "He's not dying, he's malnourished. Look at him—weak, pale… it's scurvy."
"Scurvy?" Usopp blinked.
"It happens when you don't get enough vitamin C on the sea," Nami explained briskly. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out an orange. "Here. Eat this."
Yosaku, still trembling, opened one eye. "…Orange… angel?"
Lucy burst into laughter. "He called you an angel, Nami!"
Nami rolled her eyes, but a faint blush crept to her cheeks as she helped the man take a bite. Within moments, some color returned to his face.
Johnny clasped his hands dramatically. "You saved him! Thank you, orange-haired goddess!"
"Don't exaggerate," Nami muttered, but she was smiling now.
Zoro tilted his head. "Johnny. Yosaku. Haven't seen you two in a while."
Johnny brightened instantly. "Zoro-aniki! Long time no see!"
Lucy leaned toward me, whispering, "Aniki means moss-head has friends?"
"Shocking, right?" I whispered back.
"Oi. I heard that," Zoro growled.
Johnny, oblivious, began boasting loudly about their latest adventures—most of which sounded like failures. Yosaku, still weak, nodded along.
As they settled down, I leaned on the mast, watching. It was a strange little family we'd gathered—an orange-obsessed navigator, a greedy captain, a swordsman with no sense of direction, and now two half-starved bounty hunters. And somehow, I fit right in.
---
Later, as the excitement faded, we gathered on deck.
Johnny cleared his throat. "Listen, you helped save Yosaku, so I'll repay the favor. If you're looking for something, I know just the place. A floating restaurant—Baratie."
"Restaurant?" Lucy's eyes lit up like fireworks.
Johnny grinned. "Aye! The best food on the seas! And the cooks there are no joke."
Lucy leapt three feet into the air, fists clenched. "YES! We're going there! I'll eat everything they have!"
"Of course you will," Zoro muttered.
Usopp looked intrigued. "A restaurant ship? That sounds amazing."
I glanced at Nami, who gave me a small nod. She remembered our talk from before.
"We'll need two chefs," I said aloud.
Johnny blinked. "Two? Isn't one enough?"
"Not when Lucy eats like a bottomless pit," I replied calmly.
"HEY!" Lucy pouted.
Nami giggled softly, nudging my side. "He's not wrong. If it were just me, Nojiko could handle cooking for us. But with Lucy around…"
"Fine!" Lucy crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. "Then we'll get two chefs. Twice the food!"
Everyone groaned at once.
The discussion spiraled into comedic chaos—Lucy demanding a mountain of meat, Usopp insisting on a cook who could also craft fireworks, Zoro claiming he didn't care as long as they made sake.
In the middle of it all, Nami leaned closer to me and whispered, "Good call. Two chefs it is."
I smirked. "Just making sure our bottomless captain doesn't starve us all."
She chuckled, and for a moment, it felt like just the two of us on deck.
---
By the afternoon, the Merry's sails were stretched wide, wind filling them as we set our course.
Ahead, on the horizon, the faint shape of a great floating structure shimmered in the sunlight. A ship like no other—a restaurant drifting on the sea.
Lucy jumped onto the railing, pointing dramatically. "Baratie! Here we come!"
Yosaku groaned, still lying on the deck. "Please… more oranges first…"
Johnny slapped his back. "Don't worry, bro! At Baratie, we'll feast like kings!"
The crew erupted in laughter, the deck alive with chatter and teasing.
I looked ahead, my heart steady. Baratie. A new step, new allies, new chaos. Whatever came, we'd face it together.
And hopefully, with a lot more food.