A few days later, the Going Merry—the beautiful ship gifted by Kaya—sailed gracefully across the vast blue sea.
With a brand-new ship, everyone was brimming with excitement, exploring every corner like kids in a candy store.
When Sandy stepped out of his room, he spotted Luffy sitting cross-legged, looking pitiful and sulking. It didn't take a genius to guess—Nami had probably scolded him again.
Not far away, Zoro was leaning against the mast, already halfway into a nap, while Usopp fiddled with some odd contraption he was building.
And Nami?
She stood by the railing, gazing out toward the horizon. The sea breeze gently swept through her orange hair, outlining her figure under the sunlight.
Sandy couldn't help but whistle. "Nami, you're too beautiful."
Before Nami could respond, Luffy huffed, "What a joke! Nami's greedy, violent, and—"
Thud!
Before he could finish, Nami's fist came down hard on his head.
Zoro raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by his captain's lack of self-preservation. "Tch…"
Nami shot him a look. "What, Zoro? Got something to say?"
Of course he did—but he wasn't stupid. Zoro immediately turned his head and stared at the sky like nothing happened.
A few minutes later, Luffy suddenly brightened up again and ran over to Sandy. "Let's have a fishing competition!"
Sandy sighed. "With your hyperactive personality, are you sure you can even sit still long enough to fish?"
"Don't underestimate me!" Luffy puffed out his chest. "I can totally fish!"
"Alright then," Sandy said, smirking. "What's the bet?"
"Whoever catches more gets to eat more later!" Luffy declared proudly.
Usopp groaned. "That's not even a real bet!"
Still, he joined in anyway. The three of them lined up on the rail, rods in hand.
Sandy hummed cheerfully as he cast his line.
"Little fish, little fish, come bite the hook,
There's delicious food waiting in my bucket…"
Within minutes—tug! tug! tug!
Sandy's bucket was filling fast.
Everyone stared in disbelief. Usopp and Luffy even started mimicking his song, but their rods stayed completely still.
What they didn't know was that Sandy was secretly using his Observation Haki to sense the fish below. His bucket was already overflowing, while Luffy had none—and Usopp had just a few small ones.
"Aaagh!" Luffy finally threw his rod into the air. "I'm done! How come you caught so many, Sandy?!"
Sandy put on an exaggeratedly wise face and looked at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. "Fishing requires patience. True mastery comes from inner peace. Even if the mountains crumble, I remain calm—"
Okay, I can't bullshit this anymore, he thought halfway through.
But to his surprise, both Luffy and Usopp were staring at him with sparkly eyes. "Sugoi…"
Zoro, still leaning against the mast, snorted. "Tch. What a show-off."
Nami crossed her arms, glaring. She didn't know what annoyed her more—his smug face or that ridiculous forty-five-degree pose. She really wanted to punch him.
Sandy waved them off. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just gonna… relieve myself for a bit."
Usopp's eyes widened. "You're not gonna do it right here, are you?!"
Sandy blinked. "Why not? It's convenient."
Luffy's eyes lit up again. "You won the fishing game, but I bet I can beat you at this!"
Sandy tilted his head. "You… want another competition?"
"Of course! Usopp, you in?" Luffy yelled.
"Yeah!" Usopp replied immediately.
Nami's face turned red. "You idiots!!" She spun around and stormed off the deck.
A few minutes later, the three idiots were back to comparing… things they shouldn't have been comparing.
Sandy smirked. "Tch. Luffy's gonna be Pirate King one day, Zoro'll be the world's greatest swordsman… and you, Usopp—well, you do your best, yeah?"
Usopp's face fell. "You bastard…"
After a hearty dinner of grilled fish, Sandy finally got some peace and drifted off to sleep in his cabin.
But his rest didn't last long.
Outside, explosions rocked the ship.
Luffy and Usopp had apparently decided it was a great idea to test the Going Merry's cannon—by firing it at a random island. Unfortunately, that island happened to be where two of Zoro's old companions, Johnny and Yosaku, were resting.
When Johnny boarded the ship and started yelling, Sandy groaned and rolled out of bed. "If you don't shut up, I'll throw you into the sea."
Even without releasing his Conqueror's Haki, the aura around him made Johnny flinch.
"M-My friend—he's—he's sick!" Johnny stammered.
Nami sighed. "He's not dying, idiot. He's just starving—people get sick like that when they go too long without food."
Sure enough, Yosaku soon woke up… and immediately fainted again.
Zoro stepped forward. "Johnny, you know any place nearby with a cook?"
Johnny grinned weakly. "Of course I do! I've been hunting pirates for years—I know the sea like the back of my hand!"
And so, under Johnny's guidance, the crew set sail toward the floating sea restaurant—Baratie.
But before the Going Merry could dock, a Navy warship approached, led by Lieutenant Commander Fullbody. The cannons were already aimed at them.
"Where's Sandy?" Nami shouted.
"Sleeping!" Usopp yelled back.
Nami fumed. "Still sleeping?! Do something!"
Luffy grinned. "Don't worry, I'll handle this small problem!"
As usual, his "handling" involved accidentally punching a hole straight through Baratie's roof.
Zoro groaned and went off to smooth things over.
Meanwhile, Nami stormed into Sandy's cabin, ready to drag him out of bed—only to find him dreaming.
Seeing Nami in his half-asleep haze, Sandy thought he was still in a dream. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close—his lips meeting hers.
"Hmm?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.
Why does this dream feel so real?
A few seconds later, his hands started wandering to her breast.
Nami froze—then turned scarlet. "You bastard! WAKE UP!"
Sandy jolted awake, coughing. "Cough—Nami! I swear, I was dreaming! Honest mistake!"
She glared at him, her fist trembling. He'd already kissed her once back in Syrup Village—this guy had zero shame.
But instead of punching him (for now), she snapped, "There's a Navy warship outside! They're going to sink us!"
That sobered him up instantly. "What?!"
Sandy shot out of bed like lightning. "Those bastards—! Wait, wait, Nami, don't—hey! Watch where your hand—"
"Where do you think you're touching, you pervert?!"
"Hahaha—pure accident! Total accident! Don't hit my face—!"
From outside, the crew could hear Sandy's cries echoing through the ship.
"Don't hit me!"