The very first day they set sail, Zoro got a taste of his crew's "tough love."
Basically, his training got twice as hard, and the beatings got twice as bad.
The real kicker was that during their sparring sessions, Ray stopped holding back.
To make things worse, he even made Luffy and Sanji jump in.
Naturally, Zoro got beaten to a bloody pulp every single day.
'I thought they said things would get easier once I was stronger! Bunch of liars!'
That was Zoro's last thought before he passed out for the day.
Sanji, for his part, felt a strange sense of joy while kicking the crap out of Zoro.
But when Ray turned around and handed him his own personal training menu, his face went dark real fast.
"What, you think it's too much?" Ray asked calmly.
"Too much?!" Sanji practically shrieked. "10,000 push-ups, 10,000 sit-ups, 20,000 squats, and a bunch of standing jumps until I've jumped a total of 10,000 meters high?! And I still have to cook for all of you!"
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted joining this crazy crew.
The worst part was, he was trapped.
Ray had already given him a little warning.
"You can try to run," he'd said, "and I'll break both your legs. Then your third one."
Sanji knew the power gap between them was massive.
Trying to escape would be a one-way ticket to misery.
Plus, if he failed to finish his training, he was banned from talking to Nami for three whole days.
If he got caught slacking even once, he'd get a beating even worse than the one Zoro was currently nursing on the deck.
'That bastard…' Sanji thought, glaring at Ray's back.
'Just you wait 'til I'm strong enough to kick your ass. But for Nami-san, I'll do it. And I've gotta get stronger than that damn moss-head anyway.'
Even though he'd just joined, Sanji already found Zoro incredibly annoying, which led to them "sparring" all the time.
But since Zoro's training was also paying off, Sanji usually got the worst of it.
And so, the Going Merry had another crewmate training like his life depended on it.
As for Usopp, his daily task was still to shoot down at least three birds for dinner.
Nami was doing physical training too, but now Ray was also teaching her how to fight with a staff.
…
Meanwhile, back in Loguetown in the East Blue...
"Captain Smoker, we've got big news!" a Marine officer yelled, running into the room.
Smoker, who was just chilling with a newspaper, blew out a puff of smoke.
"What's the emergency?"
"It's a message from Lieutenant Commander Hoppody at headquarters," the Marine said, his voice trembling with excitement.
"The Krieg Pirates… they've been totally wiped out!"
Smoker frowned, trying to remember who they were.
"Krieg? Weren't those the guys who snuck off to the Grand Line when I wasn't looking?"
"Yes, sir! The rumor is they got nearly destroyed on the Grand Line by Hawkeye," the Marine clarified.
"The survivors, including Captain Krieg and his commander Gin, just got back."
Tashigi, who was standing beside Smoker, immediately caught on.
"Wait a minute. You're saying they came back to the East Blue with their top guys still alive, and then they got completely destroyed?"
Smoker got it, too. "Where did it happen? And who did it?"
The Marine stood up straight. "At the Baratie, the floating restaurant, sir. It was... the Straw Hat crew."
Tashigi gasped.
"Well, it makes sense the Straw Hats could beat them. They already took down Buggy, after all."
Then she started thinking out loud.
"But... a few things don't add up. One: Why would the Straw Hats completely annihilate them? That's not really their style. Two: How did they even get to the Baratie without us spotting them?" She looked at Smoker.
"You think someone's helping them cover their tracks?"
Smoker's frown deepened.
"Get Hoppody on the line," he ordered. "I want to know everything he knows. Now."
…
Five days went by.
The Going Merry sailed along, pushed by the ocean breeze.
Nami could feel the familiar air on her skin, and her heart started beating faster.
'Cocoyasi Village... we're almost there.'
Old memories started bubbling up, and she couldn't stop them.
For a whole day, the normally cheerful, wisecracking girl hadn't cracked a single smile.
The others definitely noticed something was wrong.
Luffy came over, holding a chunk of meat bigger than Nami's head, and gave her a huge grin.
"Nami, eat this! Meat makes everything better!"
Zoro, who was covered in bruises, shot Luffy a "you're an idiot" look before limping over to Nami with a bottle of booze.
"Don't listen to him, Nami. If you're sad, you drink. I'll have a few with you."
As he said it, he pulled two cups out of his shirt.
Before he could pour, Sanji swooped in.
"Get that cheap booze away from her, you damn moss-head!" He approached Nami holding two fancy glasses.
Zoro glared at Sanji's colorful drinks. "Real adults drink alcohol. You're just a kid, damn cook."
Sanji ignored him, switching to his charming smile and giving Nami a gentlemanly bow.
"Nami-swan, this is a special cocktail I made just for you—a Pink Lady. It's really refreshing. It'll bring happiness straight from your stomach to your brain."
"Ooh, a new drink," Zoro interrupted. "Let me try it first."
As he reached for it, Sanji blocked him with his foot.
Watching the three of them act like idiots, Nami couldn't help but laugh, even though there were tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, guys. Really. But... can you just let me be alone for a little while?"
They backed off, telling her that whatever it was, they were all there to help her.
As they walked away, you could hear them start up again:
"Hey, cook, give me one of those cocktails."
"Hah? With a face like yours? In your dreams."
"What was that? You looking for a fight?"
"Bring it on!"
A loud scuffle broke out behind her.
Afterward, Nami sat on the deck by herself, feeling a little less heavy.
Ray had been in the cabin below, and the noise from the two morons had finally dragged him out.
He came on deck and saw Nami looking sad.
He wanted to comfort her but was completely clueless about how to comfort a sad girl.
After a moment of awkward silence, he ducked into the gun deck and came back out with Chouchou, who was chewing on a bone.
"Chouchou," he said, "go keep her company."
The little dog seemed to think about it for a second, then trotted over and sat down right next to Nami.
Nami noticed what Ray had done and whispered, "Thank you, Ray."
Ray just gave a small nod, still struggling for words.
Finally, he managed to say the only comforting thing he could think of.
"Arlong's crew can be wiped out with a flick of my hand. Don't worry about it."
"Mm!" Nami nodded, a little bit of her fire returning.
At the same time, Usopp walked out holding a metal rod that could be connected into a staff.
"Nami, I finished your new weapon."
Nami took it.
It was a metal staff that could be broken down or linked together, with a sharp blade that could pop out of the front.
It was basically a combination spear-staff now.
She looked at her crewmates, all trying to help in their own weird ways, and then down at her new weapon
. Taking a deep breath, her gaze hardened.
'Bellemere,' she thought, her voice firm in her mind. 'I'm coming to avenge you. Soon.'