Chapter 237: Ralph Got "Greened"!
Ralph awoke from unconsciousness, the first sound reaching his ears being laughter.
It was the kind of heartfelt, unrestrained laughter that could often be heard on the Going Merry.
Accompanying the laughter were the clinking of cups and the animated storytelling of someone recounting an ancient tale.
He lay in the corner of a simple wooden hut, covered with a thin blanket.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Sanji's voice came through.
Ralph turned his head and saw the blond chef approaching with a steaming bowl of soup, handing it to him.
"Drink some, it'll warm you up."
Ralph took the soup and took a sip.
He surveyed his surroundings—
The wooden hut was filled with people. Cricket stood in the center, gesturing animatedly as he told a story, surrounded by his companions from the Straw Hat Crew, along with the furry Masira and Shoujou.
It felt so familiar.
Ralph recalled that after defeating Mr. 3 and the others at Little Garden, he had been badly injured while rescuing Munch-Munch.
After that, it seemed to have been a similar scene—
He woke from unconsciousness, his companions were having a feast, and Sanji handed him a bowl of soup.
If there was any difference...
Ralph looked at Sanji.
The blond chef was watching him with a strange expression, as if holding something back.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, his eyes carried a hint of amusement, but he was clearly trying hard to suppress it.
"What's wrong?"
Ralph asked.
"Nothing."
Sanji replied quickly, then turned and walked away.
"Rest well."
Ralph raised an eyebrow, but before he could press further, a little blue-nosed reindeer pounced over.
"Ralph!"
Chopper looked at him with teary eyes.
"How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Are you dizzy? Do you feel nauseous?"
Ralph was a bit overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. He moved his body slightly:
"I feel alright... but I don't think it was just an injury. I must have been poisoned, right?"
He recalled the green smoke:
"That was the work of the Blackbeard Pirates' doctor, and it was truly vicious. Everyone must be careful if you encounter it in the future."
Chopper nodded vigorously:
"Exactly! It was a virus I'd never seen before, with terrifying effects! Thankfully, you're out of danger now!"
Ralph nodded, but then something felt off.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Not long," Chopper counted on his hooves.
"From daytime to nighttime, just a few hours."
A few hours?
Ralph was surprised.
Such severe injuries, plus an unknown virus, and he recovered in just a few hours?
He praised Chopper sincerely:
"Chopper, you're amazing! An unknown virus, and you cured me so quickly."
Chopper felt embarrassed by the praise, rubbing the back of his head with his little hooves and wriggling his body:
"It wasn't really... Actually, it wasn't my medical skills. It was mainly because we had a serum."
"Serum?"
Ralph was even more surprised.
"Didn't you say it was an unknown virus? Where did the serum come from?"
Chopper pointed at two people who were eating and drinking heartily at the dining table—
Ace and Little Lufia.
"It was extracted from the two of them."
Ralph: "..."
"All three of you were infected with the virus," Chopper explained.
"But Ace and Lufia had very mild symptoms. They ate something and recovered within a few hours."
"Then I extracted serum from them, prepared it, and injected it into you. Your symptoms improved quickly too."
Ralph fell silent.
He looked at Ace—
The guy who had just been beaten half to death by Blackbeard, with three broken ribs and a shattered shoulder, was now gnawing on a huge piece of meat, his mouth dripping with grease, full of energy.
Then he looked at Little Lufia—
The girl who had clashed head-on with Blackbeard, been sucked into the Black Hole and crushed, and finally turned into a tiny bean, was now also gnawing on a bone thicker than her own arm, equally full of energy.
Ralph once again felt the fragility and insignificance of this body in this Pirate world.
"But..."
Chopper's voice interrupted Ralph's thoughts.
The little reindeer hesitated, hooves twisting together.
"But what?"
"Although the virus has been removed," Chopper said carefully, "there's still a tiny side effect on you that will slowly improve over time.
Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
As he spoke, he picked up a mirror and handed it to Ralph.
Ralph took a look.
He froze.
The person in the mirror was himself, that much was correct.
Black eyes, a slightly pale complexion, the cross pendant hanging around his neck...
All familiar.
Only one thing was off.
His hair.
His head of black hair had now turned green.
Ralph stared at the mirror, falling silent.
Behind him, laughter that could no longer be held back erupted.
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
Usopp was the first to crack, clutching his stomach and laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up,
"Ralph! Y-your hair! Hahahaha!"
Nami laughed, shaking like a flower, her eyes filled with curiosity and mischief:
"It looks quite nice, this color really suits you!"
Robin covered her mouth with a light smile, but the amusement in the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden:
"It really does suit you, Ralph-kun."
"Hahahaha!"
Sanji laughed the most exaggeratedly, tears almost coming out, "Great! Now there are two green-haired idiots on the ship! I won't even need to change my insults anymore!!"
Zoro sat in the corner. Hearing this, he glanced expressionlessly at Sanji, then looked at Ralph's hair, a meaningful curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"I don't get what you're all laughing about. Isn't that a perfectly fine color?"
Usopp leaned in, eyes shining:
"Yeah, Ralph! Why don't you just Soru your hair into the same style as Zoro's? See if you two look alike?"
"Imitation show! Imitation show!"
Little Lufia cheered on the side, clapping her little hands loudly, "Ralph, do a Zoro imitation show!"
Ace, infected by the joyful atmosphere, also grinned and laughed.
Even Cricket and those Masira and Shoujou joined in the laughter, though they had no idea what the guests were laughing about—but at a banquet, laughter was always right!
Ralph didn't laugh.
He looked at the green head in the mirror, feeling a mix of emotions.
If Zoro's green hair was like seaweed, then his own slightly curly, medium-length hair was like sea grass—
The kind that sways with the waves, dancing in the spray!
Under normal circumstances, this change wouldn't mean much.
Playing along with Lufia's fun, imitating Zoro a bit—it was no big deal.
But he couldn't explain to his companions what it meant for a man's head to turn green in his hometown.
Ah...
It was just frustrating.
But there was someone even more frustrated than him.
Ralph's right eye suddenly twitched uncontrollably, a flash of red quickly passing through.
In his mind, a low, suppressed voice rumbled like the growl before a volcanic eruption:
"Next time we meet the Blackbeard Pirates, let me take a swing at them.
After that, I'll return your body to you."
Ralph was taken aback.
This was the first time Red-Eyed Ralph hadn't called him "useless."
And that tone... why did it sound even angrier than his own?
He tried to respond mentally:
"You care that much about this?"
The voice didn't answer, which was basically an admission!
So Red-Eyed Ralph cared more about his own image.
Since he'd made such an offer, Ralph decisively agreed:
"Fine, next time we meet, you can take a swing."
"Deal."
The red glow faded, and the voice vanished.
Ralph looked at the green head in the mirror and sighed.
Whatever, it's only temporary anyway.
He raised his head, looked at his laughing companions, and suddenly grinned:
"Had enough fun? If you're done, I'm going to eat."
Everyone paused for a moment, then laughed even harder.
"Yeah, yeah! Let's eat, let's eat!"
Usopp wiped away tears, "Ralph, don't be mad, it really looks good!"
Little Lufia bounced over, tugging at Ralph's hand:
"Ralph, Ralph, let's eat together! The meat today is so delicious!"
Looking at her bright, carefree smile, Ralph's mood suddenly lifted.
Whatever, it's just hair.