The Going Merry bobbed like a cork in a bathtub, its sails drooping as the wind vanished into thin air. Vivi paced the deck, wringing her hands. "Time's slipping away! Alabasta needs me, and we're stuck like sitting ducks!"
Nami squinted at the Log Pose, muttering, "Blame the Grand Line, princess. It's moodier than Sanji on a bad hair day."
Luffy, sprawled by the railing, bolted upright, cutting Nami off mid-sentence. "FISHING TIME!" He grinned, brandishing a rod like a sword. Karoo quacked with glee, waddling over with a tiny duck-sized net clutched in his beak.
Sanji lit a cigarette, leaning casually against the mast. "Where's the bait, captain?" He pointed to an empty bucket with a raised brow.
Luffy whistled off to the side, feigning ignorance with an exaggerated shrug.
Raja strutted onto the scene, cape swirling with enchanted sparkles, striking a dramatic detective pose—complete with a conjured magnifying glass. "Allow Detective Sherlock D. Raja to crack this case! Exhibit A: an empty bucket. Exhibit B: my missing hot sauce bottle. Exhibit C: Luffy not begging for food." He paused, stroking an imaginary beard, then jabbed his wand at Luffy. "Verdict: the glutton ate the bait!"
Sanji gagged, nearly dropping his cigarette. "WORMS?! You ate WORMS?!"
"Yep!" Luffy burped, grinning wide. "Poured hot sauce on 'em—wiggly and spicy!"
Raja smirked, flicking his wand with flair—poof!—and a glowing, wriggling magical shoelace appeared. "Fear not, peasants! Your Supreme Wizard Vice-Captain conjures superior bait! Behold—the Magic Shoelace!"
Sanji stared, deadpan. "That's not bait, you lunatic—it's footwear!"
Luffy tilted his head, scratching his hat. "Could work! Or…" His eyes lit up as he lunged for Karoo. "Duck bait!"
Karoo squawked in terror, bolting across the deck. Luffy and Sanji gave chase, cackling like lunatics, weaving around the mast. Nami and Vivi watched, dumbfounded, as the duo tripped over a snoring Zoro's forehead—THUD!
Zoro jolted awake, swords half-drawn, roaring, "WHO'S DEAD?!"
Nami's glare could've melted steel. "YOU THREE IDIOTS!"
Sanji swooned, dodging Zoro's wrath. "Ah, Nami-swan, your fury's a radiant bloom!"
Raja smirked, lounging on a rune-carved chair he'd conjured mid-deck. "She's a hurricane, curly-brow. Speaking of storms…" He waved a conjured wanted poster at Vivi with a flourish. "Our captain's a legend—Arlong, Don Krieg, Kuro—50 million berries worth of chaos! Plus Alvida, Axe-Hand Morgan…" He ticked them off on his fingers, grinning smugly. "I helped, obviously."
Luffy perked up, eyes sparkling. "Morgan! That reminds me—Koby! My Marine buddy!" Just then, the sails caught a sudden breeze, and the Merry lurched forward with a groan.
Meanwhile, in a bustling port town…
Three Marine ships loomed as Sub-Lieutenant Koby strutted in a crisp uniform, smirking at an imaginary Luffy. "Look at me, Luffy! Living my dream!" A watery giant Morgan roared up, axe-hand swinging. Koby yelped—then a glittery, colossal Luffy punched Morgan into the horizon. "Take that, jerk!" Raja popped up in the dream, cape billowing. "Fear not, I am here!"
Reality snapped back with a thud. Koby fainted mid-dream, toppling onto Helmeppo's mop. "OI, WAKE UP!" Helmeppo growled as a Marine barked, "Quiet, chore boys!"
A grizzled officer sighed. "No qualifications, no rank. Scrub harder." Koby grinned, mopping with gusto, while Helmeppo sulked, muttering, "Extra chores? Luffy's fault…"
Wiping windows, Helmeppo flashed back to his cushy days under Morgan's tyranny. "Stupid straw hat ruined everything!" Koby paused, wise beyond his mop. "Blaming Luffy won't fix you. I wanna be an officer—Luffy's and Raja's guts inspired me!"
Their rooftop spat escalated—Helmeppo shoved, Koby shoved back, and they tumbled onto crates below. A stray cannon fired—BOOM!—leveling a shack. "FIFTY YEARS, NO PAY!" the captain roared. At Rika's mom's shop, Rika handed Koby a paper: "Luffy Escapes Smoker, Hits Grand Line!" Koby beamed, clutching it like a treasure.
On a Marine ship, Morgan glowered in chains. Koby and Helmeppo scrubbed weapons, flinching under his glare. Helmeppo teared up. "I respected him… but he's a monster. Execution?!" Koby froze, speechless.
Vice Admiral Garp strolled in, dog hat drooping. "842 doughnuts, five days, no sleep!" he boasted, then nodded off mid-stride. Morgan slashed him, grabbed Helmeppo—"You're no son!"—and fled in a dinghy. Koby blocked a cannon—"Not Helmeppo!"—and dove into the sea after them.
Garp yawned, accidentally smashing the cannon with a lazy swipe. "Oops, I'm 'dead' again!" Morgan pummeled the boys at sea, sparing them as "worthless." Helmeppo vowed, "I'll catch you someday!" Garp, amused, hauled them to HQ. "Train with me—or run!"
Usopp perched on the crow's nest, daydreaming aloud. "Little Garden'll greet the Great Captain Usopp with cheers and feasts!" Zoro, munching an apple below, snorted. "Idiot."
Usopp stomped the deck in fury. "I HEARD THAT, MOSSHEAD!" Nami yelled, "SHUT IT, BOTH OF YOU!" then sighed to Vivi. "Sorry, they're animals."
Vivi nodded sagely. "The Grand Line's sparse—reefs from coral spikes mess with navigation."
In the kitchen, Sanji whipped up dessert, humming a tune. Usopp peeked in, drooling like a hound. "Dessert's ready!" Sanji called, serving Nami and Vivi delicate plates. Usopp squeezed between them—WHACK!—Sanji shoved him off. "Your slop's over there, sniper!"
"Where's Luffy?" Sanji asked, brow raised. Nami shrugged. "Drawing shower water." A loud CRASH echoed from below. Luffy stumbled out, sheepish. "Uh… broke the machine."
Nami's fist met his skull—BAM!"FIX IT, RAJA!" Raja swaggered over, wand glowing with mischief. "Behold, the Supreme Wizard's fix!" He zapped the machine—POOF!—and it spat out chocolate syrup in a gooey arc. "Better, right?"
"YOU MADE IT WORSE!" Nami shrieked, veins popping. Luffy licked the deck gleefully. "Tasty!"
Raja grinned, conjuring a hoverboard with a snap. "Time for FUN!" He zipped around the deck, cackling as Karoo chased him, quacking furiously. Sanji dodged, tray wobbling precariously. "WATCH IT, MAGIC FREAK!" Raja teleported behind him, snatching a dessert midair. "Too slow, chef!"
Zoro napped through the chaos as Usopp lobbed apples at Raja, missing wildly. "TAKE THAT!" One hit Sanji—SMACK!—sparking a shout: "SNIPER, YOU'RE DEAD!" Raja laughed, turning the apples into doves midair with a flick of his wand. "Peace offering, gentlemen!"
Nami clutched a newspaper, the crew gathered around—minus Usopp, sulking in the corner. Luffy spotted Koby's photo. "Read it, Nami!" She skimmed aloud: "Koby and Helmeppo at Marine HQ…"
Koby and Helmeppo gawked at the bustling base, hiding in an alley. Helmeppo whined, "This is torture! I'm out!" Koby elbowed him sharply. "Quitter! You swore to beat Morgan!" Garp loomed behind—BOO!—and they yelped in unison. "Orders or death, sir!" Koby stammered, saluting.
At Shells Town, Rika banged a bank on a marine's head. "I miss Koby and Helmeppo!" Tears fell as two potted plants sprouted nearby—symbolic little heroes.
Under Garp's watch, the boys scrubbed floors. Helmeppo griped, "Chores don't make marines!" Garp's steely stare sped him up. At night, Helmeppo plotted, "Garp the Fist's brutal—let's train overnight!" Koby sighed, "Sleep matters…" but joined anyway, mop in hand.
Weeks later, Garp tested them on a beach. They passed, earning his toothy grin. "Special training, brats!"
Night fell over the Merry. Nami tucked the paper away, watching Vivi sleep peacefully. Raja hovered on his board, conjuring glowing fish to "guide" them through the dark. "Little Garden, prepare for the Wizard King!" Sanji swatted a fish away, growling, "STOP THAT, YOU MANIAC!"
Luffy mumbled in his sleep, "Sail… Little Garden…" Raja—also asleep mid-hover—nodded lazily. "Aye, captain…" The Merry drifted on, the crew snoring in chaotic harmony.
To Be Continued…