Chapter 173: The Vast Ocean Seems Small
Hastily landing on the deck of the Going Merry, Robin carried Rodney down from above.
Zoro noticed Shusui and Kashu at Rodney's waist and asked, "Are you a swordsman too?" His intuition told him that those were two fine blades!
"No, I just use this as a weapon," Rodney replied.
"Are you Nami's friend?"
"I've helped her before," Rodney lay down on the deck, the same weakness still affecting him as before. He used to rely on Sister Slug to transfer chakra and speed up his recovery, but now, due to the contract's terms, he couldn't summon Sister Slug temporarily. The chakra he needed to recover was different from before.
His chakra could now be described as substantial, not like the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan or Susanoo, which consumed more chakra and mental energy. A feeling of fatigue overwhelmed him, and he said, "Robin, I'll rest for a while. I'll leave the rest to you."
With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"What's wrong with this guy?" Zoro asked.
"He had a tough battle with a formidable opponent, and the strain was considerable. I'm sorry, but could you provide us with a room?" Robin asked.
"Why's it so noisy early in the morning? Hey! Green Moss head, why are you awake and making a racket so early?"
A young man with curly blond hair, dressed in black, emerged from the kitchen. Sanji always woke up early to prepare breakfast, but when he heard the commotion outside, he came to investigate.
This quick look revealed the beautiful Robin to him. His eyes turned into hearts, and he transformed into a whirlwind, appearing in front of Robin. "Wow! Beautiful lady! Are you an angel? I'm so lucky to meet such a beautiful lady first thing in the morning!"
"Curly eyebrows? Blonde hair? Are you Sanji?"
Robin found Sanji's curly eyebrows very familiar. Germa and the others, as well as Reiju, all had curly eyebrows, right? Moreover, their facial features were somewhat similar, despite Germa's family having different hair colors.
But she remembered that Judge had golden hair, and his son inherited his father's hair color. She had also learned from Reiju and Rodney that Reiju had a younger brother named Sanji, who had been raised by a pirate after escaping from the Vinsmoke family.
"Yes! I'm Sanji! I didn't expect a beautiful lady I'd never met before to know my name. It must be fate between us!" Sanji beamed, thinking his luck had finally turned around.
"Oh, I see. I know your sister, Reiju."
Hearing the name "Reiju," Sanji's elation suddenly turned into cold water being poured on him. He calmed down instantly, memories he had tried to forget rushing back. The family he hated, in the midst of a lifetime of darkness, Reiju, the one named "Reiju," had become his only family after his mother's death.
After he escaped from the Germa family, Red-Leg Zeff became his guardian and the true father figure in his heart. Wasn't Baratie, the floating restaurant at sea, also his only home?
"Is it true, curly cook? You have a sister?" Zoro was also surprised, thinking Sanji was an orphan raised by the one-legged head chef at Baratie.
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, a mixture of emotions in his voice. "Yes, I only have that one sister, my only family apart from Head Chef Zeff!"
"How is she doing now?"
"She's with the captain in Reverse Mountain. If you have the chance, you can visit her. The captain gave the Germa family a good thrashing and extracted a hefty ransom," Robin chuckled.
"By the way, can you provide me with a room? Our captain needs to rest. His condition deteriorated significantly due to the battle yesterday."
"I see, that's good. No problem, just sleep in my room." Sanji picked up Rodney and was about to head in his direction when he suddenly realized something. He asked, "What's the relationship between Reiju and him?"
"They're friends, of course, and also have a superior-subordinate relationship," Robin realized something from Sanji's words and maintained her smile.
Boom!
At that moment, a short-haired, orange-clad girl in pajamas burst into the room, furious.
"Why is it so noisy? Don't you know I'm trying to get my beauty sleep?"
Her anger was palpable, and it was clear she wasn't to be trifled with. In a way, she seemed as fearsome as someone using Conqueror's Haki.
Was this Nami?
Robin looked at the irate Nami, blinked, and when Sanji saw Nami, he tossed Rodney aside, took a few steps, and stood in front of Nami. "Miss Nami!"
Zoro, ever watchful, quickly caught Rodney as he was thrown, and Robin smiled with a hint of danger. Well, maybe she should let go of Reiju's little brother.
For Reiju's sake.
"This cook," Zoro shook his head in exasperation, picked up Rodney, and as Sanji was beaten black and blue by Nami, he couldn't help but have a foolish expression.
"Nami's fists...are also quite charming..."
Sanji looked as if he had achieved something great. "I must say, this is the best moment of my life."
It made Robin wonder if Reiju's brother had any peculiar quirks.
But she didn't know that this was just Sanji's chivalry. Of course, his lecherous nature was also a part of it...
"This cook is beyond redemption," Zoro said helplessly.
"That person is..." Nami, seeing Rodney on Zoro's shoulder, asked in surprise, "Isn't that Rodney? What happened? Is he injured again?"
"It seems you know him," Zoro wasn't one to easily trust others and had been considering testing Rodney. If he had been an enemy, he might have thrown this invalid into the sea. But seeing that Nami recognized him, he let it go.
Nami let go of Sanji's shirt and said, "He helped me before. This lady here is..."
She looked at Robin.
"I'm his crewmate."
"Oh, I see. So, who did he fight with this time? And what's with the injuries?"
Robin naturally wouldn't reveal Rodney's abilities. She simply said, "Due to some special circumstances, the captain fell into a coma and exerted excessive physical strain. Therefore, he needs a place to rest now."
"Alright, Zoro, take them to the empty room on the ship. Sanji, go get Chopper. I remember Luffy knows Rodney too, so wake him up as well," Nami acted like the captain of the ship. After all, she had the highest rank.
Quickly, under Nami's orders, the Straw Hat crew mobilized.
Rodney was settled down and lay on the ship, asleep. A blue-nosed raccoon with a hat, who looked like a cat, walked over.
Robin tilted her head and asked, "A raccoon? Is it a pet on your ship?"
Chopper was furious, pointing at his horns. "I'm a reindeer! Please respect the facts!"
"A reindeer? How cute," Robin couldn't resist stroking Chopper's head.
Chopper, blushing, wriggled around.
"I hate it, even if you say I'm cute, I won't forgive you."
He had already forgotten what had just happened.
"Can you speak?"
Robin had no resistance to Chopper's reaction. Meanwhile, Sanji stood on the side with a look of infatuation.
"Little guy, are you the ship's pet?"
"I'm not a pet! I'm the ship's doctor!"
Jumping out of Robin's arms, he came to Rodney's side. He didn't know where he had taken out a stethoscope, which he used to listen carefully to Rodney's heartbeat and other sounds, as well as observe his physical condition and diagnose him.
"His body doesn't have any major injuries, but his life force is somewhat weak. He has consumed too much energy. He just needs some rest, and he'll be fine. But after he wakes up, he'll need to replenish his nutrition," Chopper concluded. All in all, there was no serious issue.
Robin nodded and said, "The captain's injuries have already been treated by someone with excellent medical skills, who also said the same thing."
So, Rodney just needed some rest.