One Piece: The Marine of the Straw Hat Pirates

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The Black Cat Pirates were completely subdued, and Ikki used a Den Den Mushi to contact the Marine branch in Shells Town, requesting their assistance in taking custody of the captured pirates.

When the Marines in Shells Town received the news, they were initially baffled. Another pirate crew had been taken down? The private Marine's efficiency was nothing short of astounding. Time and again, they found themselves impressed by Ikki's accomplishments.

The thought of such frequent successes stirred excitement among the Shells Town Marines. If this pace continued, their branch might even be promoted to a higher rank—a dream scenario for them. Promotions, pay raises, and a better standard of living weren't out of reach if Ikki's actions kept boosting their reputation.

"First it was the Buggy Pirates," one Marine muttered. "Though Buggy escaped, we still scored big by catching his crew. And now it's Kuro of a Hundred Plans, worth 16 million berries."

"Not to mention, Ikki exposed that all of Captain Morgan's so-called achievements were fake. Turns out, Kuro was the one pulling the strings the whole time."

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"All right," Ikki said, addressing his crew. "The Marines should be here in two days to take over the prisoners."

With everything settled, Ikki and the others prepared to leave the island. Along with their victory, they had also obtained a ship: the Going Merry, as it was called in the original story.

Kaya approached them with a deep bow of gratitude. "Thank you so much for saving me and the villagers!"

Ikki smiled, glancing at the ship. "You're welcome. Besides, you've given us a beautiful ship in return."

Just as Ikki finished speaking, a sudden commotion erupted from the hillside. Everyone turned to see Usopp tumbling down with an oversized bag strapped to his back. He rolled and rolled, heading straight for the Going Merry.

Seeing this, Luffy and Zoro reacted swiftly. Without hesitation, they delivered synchronized kicks to Usopp's face, stopping him just short of the ship's hull.

And so, in this unconventional manner, Usopp became the fifth member of the Straw Hat Pirates.

The Going Merry sailed away from Syrup Village, its course set for the next destination. After defeating the Black Cat Pirates and saving the island, Ikki had gained considerable justice points.

The breakdown was simple:

Defeating Kuro earned him 30 justice points. Kuro, at 16 million berries, held the highest single-target justice value so far, surpassing Buggy by 15 points. The difference wasn't due to strength or bounty alone but the sheer evil of their deeds. Buggy might destroy houses and extort money, but Kuro's legacy was far darker. As the leader of the Black Cat Pirates, he slaughtered indiscriminately, even targeting Marines. Such atrocities had significantly elevated Kuro's justice value.

Ikki also gained over 100 justice points for eliminating the rest of the Black Cat Pirates and a whopping 1,000 points for saving Syrup Village and Kaya.

This brought him enough points for ten consecutive silver draws. But Ikki, ever patient, decided to save up for ten consecutive gold draws instead.

The Going Merry continued its journey across the calm seas. A day earlier, the crew had stumbled upon a peculiar island teeming with rare beasts. On that island, they encountered a strange man fused with a treasure chest.

After a short rest on Beast Island, the crew set off once again.

On the deck of the Going Merry, Ikki was focused on practicing his Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, while Zoro meticulously maintained his three swords. Nearby, Nami sat cross-legged, deeply engrossed in the Nen training manual that Ikki had lent her.

Determined to grow stronger, Nami had been meditating for days. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sense even the faintest trace of energy. Frustration gnawed at her, and for the first time, she considered giving up.

Meanwhile, Luffy and Usopp were busy testing the ship's cannons. They had turned distant rocks into makeshift targets. Luffy fired repeatedly, but his shots didn't even come close. Usopp, on the other hand, was a natural marksman, hitting his targets with precision every time.

The duo's antics were interrupted when a man with a long knife suddenly climbed aboard the Merry. He roared fiercely, "Get off this ship... Pirates!"

Zoro paused mid-polish, his brow furrowing. "Huh? That voice sounds familiar," he muttered.

Hearing the commotion, Luffy ran to the scene, but before he could speak, the man charged at him with his blade. "You're the ones who attacked my partner!"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy exclaimed, dodging the strike. However, the man's attack left a gash on the ship's deck.

Seeing his newly acquired ship damaged, Luffy's anger flared, and he prepared to fight back. By now, Zoro, Ikki, and the others had gathered to see what was going on.

When the man's eyes fell on Zoro, his expression shifted from rage to shock. "Brother Zoro?! What are you doing on this pirate ship?"

Zoro blinked in recognition. "Johnny? What are you doing here? Where's Yosaku?"

At the mention of his partner, Johnny snapped back to reality. He scrambled off the ship and returned moments later, carrying an unconscious Yosaku over his shoulder. Yosaku's breathing was shallow, and his condition was dire.

"Yosaku… He started coughing up blood a few days ago. His old wounds reopened," Johnny explained, tears streaming down his face. "We were resting on a reef nearby, but then a pirate ship fired at us. Yosaku, who was already in bad shape… He's gotten worse."

Hearing this, Luffy and Usopp froze. Realization dawned on them—they were the ones who had fired at the reef during their cannon practice. Guilt washed over them, and they immediately bowed in apology.

"We're so sorry!" they said in unison, their heads nearly hitting the deck.

Ikki stepped forward, examining Yosaku briefly before speaking. "It's sepsis. He just needs fresh fruits to recover."

Luffy and Usopp jumped to action. They dashed into the ship's storage and emerged moments later with an armful of oranges. At first, they carefully squeezed the juice for Yosaku, but impatience took over, and they began stuffing whole oranges into his mouth.

As they worked, Ikki sighed. "We really need a professional chef on this ship. Without proper nutrition, we'll all start facing similar problems sooner or later. A chef would help us avoid this."

Nami and Zoro nodded in agreement, though Luffy was too busy pushing another orange into Yosaku's mouth to pay attention.

Remarkably, Yosaku began to recover, his strength returning with each piece of fruit. 

The two formally reintroduced themselves to the crew, but before they could finish, Yosaku suddenly coughed up more blood and collapsed again.

With Yosaku stable for the time being, Johnny began chatting casually with the crew. "If you're looking for a chef, I know just the place to go."

"Really? Where?" Luffy asked, his excitement reigniting.

Johnny grinned. "The Sea Restaurant… Baratie!"