Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 21 SCURVY

I arrived in the black room. Red emergency lighting made the 12 doors appear red still. Nothing had changed during the months I was in the Naruto World. My key was still in front of the first door I entered. My NorthNorthWest door. High school of the dead. 

The North door was Gantz and the one next to it was likely just as deadly. I still suspected that the doors for each wall shared a theme. I considered going back to the High School of the Dead world, I would do a lot better with my improved physique and chakra. But the mystery of the West Door was too great. 

If Naruto was on this wall. I could get lucky and go to another fun world. Or I could be completly wrong. Maybe I would go to the trippy Uzumaki world. The one with the swirls and weird cyclones. Maybe the themes were names of main characters. 

I put that out of my mind. It was worth risking. I needed to get stronger for my Chunin Exam. I hoped the next world would allow that. 

I stepped through the middle door on the West wall. At first it was black nothingness. Then the blue sky above my head appeared and water formed around me. I was wading on water. But not simple pond water. No I was in the middle of an ocean. I couldn’t see any land around me. 

A little worried I was in the manga where the Earth flooded I channeled chakra into my hands. Condensing it I pushed up. I smiled widely, it was working. I had chakra in the new world. 

Stepping onto the water as I charged chakra in my feet I stood in the middle of the ocean. Looking down at the water I noticed my reflection. I was older than in Naruto world. 

I didn’t bother to guess what age as the memories flooded in. But instead of a wave of knowledge I was hit with only a few facts. 

I was Weston D. Watanabe. 18 years old, or so I assumed. And I was in East Blue. I had amnesia. I lost my memory after a shipwreck a few months ago. I had hitched a ride on a ship but it sunk during a storm a few days ago. I had been treading on water since. 

East Blue rung a bell, but the biggest amount of joy I felt was realizing I had the D middle name. 

I yelled out as intense pain racked my body. Losing control of my chakra I dropped back into the water as all my muscles cramped up at once. Waves of pain flowed through me as I screamed and dropped in the water. Almost blacking out from the pain I barely held on. 

Fighting my bodies reaction of breathing water in the pain stopped instantaneously. Desperate to reach the surface of the water I swam up the 10 feet I had dropped. 

When I resurfaced I breathed in heavily. Bringing up my status screen I remembered I had the World Sharing Physique. My muscles had grown to the strength of my naruto world counterpart. This version of me was a normal person. Like my memory meld it was apparently painful to grow new muscle. I hoped the pain would fade the more times I did it. 

Pushing myself out of the water again I looked around. Still no land in sight I noticed a few seagulls in the air. So I had to be close to land. My stomach grumbled because I had not eaten for days. I channeled chakra into my legs and jumped. 

Going up 30 feet in the air I laughed happily as the wind blew in my hair. Turning my head I still didn’t see land. My second time jumping I did see a small island. Almost a mound of rock. I landed and began running on the water toward it. The body was weak from hunger, but I had been training to the bone for weeks. This pain was nothing. 

When I got closer to the island I noticed a small boat. Approaching more cautiously when I got closer I heard someone yelling at another. “Yosaku, don’t you die on me buddy! There’s still so much of the world we haven’t seen.”

“I’m sorry Johnny. I don’t think I can make it. I forgive you for poisoning me. I-I hope you find another partner. One you don’t kill.”

“I didn’t poison you! I’m telling you. It’s that hooker in Logue town. I told you we should have worn protection!” 

I laughed without being able to stop myself. “Who's there?” Johnny asked. I moved from behind the side of the boat. Yosaku and Johnny were on a small ledge of the island. 

They were men in their 20s. Johnny was a dark haired man in sunglasses. Yosaku had a buzz cut and looked older. Very pale and sickly I noticed that he was bleeding openly. In all honesty they looked familiar, but I couldn’t place them. I racked my brain for characters from One Piece but there were hundreds. 

“Sorry, I’m Weston. I heard you were poisoned?” I asked Yosaku. 

“He was. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Johnny cried behind his sunglasses. “Do you have a doctor on your ship?”

“I don’t…have either. But maybe I can help,” I said. Walking around the boat I jumped up to the ledge of the island. Johnny noticed I didn’t have any weapons. I was wearing a white button down shirt and blue jean pants. And that was all I had on me. No money or anything else…not even my Chikyugi necklace. 

I began panicking looking around again for it. I was supposed to have it at all times. 

“Well? Can you?” Johnny asked. I was brought back to the present. Putting my necklace in the back of my mind I walked up. 

Yosaku was bleeding pretty badly. His shirt opened I noticed a long scratch across his side. “What did this?”

“I fell when I was a kid,” he rasped. 

“A kid?” I asked. 

“It just reopened,” Johnny said. “Randomly the other day.”

I noticed that Yosaku was missing a few teeth too as he grimaced in pain. “When did you lose the teeth?” I asked, a memory scratched at the back of my mind. 

“Yesterday?” Johnny said. 

“Fuck,” I said. “You-you have scurvy.”

“Scurvy? What’s that?” Johnny asked in fear. 

“That doesn’t matter. We need to get off this island,” I said. Standing up I looked around but couldn’t see anything. Then I heard the boom. Grabbing the arms of the 2 pirate hunters I jumped us back to their small boat. As soon as I did the tip of the island was hit by a cannonball. Shattering it and raining rocks down where we had been standing. 

“What the hell was that?!” Johnny yelled. 

“Pirates,” I said with a smile. “Come on. Let’s go say hello.”

“Damn right. They about killed us,” Johnny said. 

“I’m already dying,” Yosaku grumbled. 

“That’s right,” Johnny said. “They tried to double kill you.”

I rolled my eyes. But watched as Johnny began running around the ship. I pulled in one of the anchors and we were soon off. Catching the wind in the small sail we moved slowly around the island. As soon as we did I saw it in all the glory. 

The Going Merry was straight ahead. A caravel type ship…whatever that meant. It wasn’t overly large. There was a main mast in the middle, and a smaller sail with red and white stripes behind it. Brown wood with white accents and railing it was as I pictured it. But real this time. There was a sheep’s head carved at the front. Monkey D. Luffy’s throne. 

There were tears in my eyes as we drew closer to it. Of all the stories I’ve ever read, One Piece was one I always wanted to experience. Following a boy that wanted to become the Pirate King he and his crew had gone on adventures and changed the world they lived in. It was an inspiring story that I found myself reading every week as Eichiro Oda released the series. 

“Come out you damn filthy pirates!” Johnny yelled as we got within yelling distance. I looked over to see him moving to the side of the ship as we aimed to ram into the Merry. “You attacked us on purpose! Nearly killing my friend again. I’ll make you pay with your blood. We’ve killed countless infamous pirates as the Pirate Hunter Duo!” He finished by leaping out onto the water. He surprised me by clearing the 12 feet distance and grabbing the ship. Pulling himself up he was soon yelling at whoever would listen. 

“Fuck,” I said, noticing the ship wasn’t stopping. Running over to the wheel I turned it slowly. As we moved up the side of the ship I saw the grappling hooks. Throwing one I caught the railing of the ship. Pulling tight, the ship I was on slowly stopped. 

Tying off at a cleat on the ship I threw another hook and did the same. Once secured I ignored the yelling on the ship. Yosaku out of it I grumbled but grabbed him. Picking him up I channeled chakra to my feet and jumped us to the deck. We landed on the deck as Johnny was knocked into the cabin wall by Luffy. 

“Hey aren’t you Johnny?” The green haired Zoro said from the upper deck. “And Yosaku? What happened to you?” I was a little awestruck as I looked at the crew. 

The live action One Piece had done a great job at casting. Zoro looked a lot like who played him. Some Japanese in him he had tan skin, short green hair, and 3 gold earrings hanging from his ear. His black bandana wrapped around his arm he was focused on the guy I was holding. 

“Yosaku is dead!” Johnny yelled. Getting up from the floor he ran over as I dropped the scurvy inflicted man. “He was poisoned. And and then this cannonball almost landed right on us!”

“Cannonball?” Luffy squeaked. Usopp let out a fearful wail as the duo ran up to Johnny. Bowing they said in unison. “We are sorry for your loss.”

“You should be!” Johnny said. “Filthy pirates. You need to get a doctor. Or sacrifice one of your lives to make up for the loss I’m suffering of my best friend dying.”

“Dude, stop the yelling,” I said. “He’s not dead.” I poked Yosaku in the said and he groaned. I looked to Luffy and Usopp. “You 2. Go get some limes and squeeze the juice out of them.”

“What? Why?” Usopp asked. The tan skin man’s nose wasn’t as prominent as in the comic but not as small as the live action actor either. Somewhere in the middle. 

“He has scurvy,” I said. “He needs Vitamin C or whatever. Just get him to drink some juice. He will be fine…eventually. I’ve never seen it in real life. I have no idea how long it takes to fix.”

Luffy and Usopp nodded. Running into the cabin I noticed Nami walking up. Orange hair down to her neck, the thin pale skinned woman had the purple Arlong tattoo covered by the sleeve of her shirt. 

“And you are?” She asked as Zoro and Johnny began talking.  

“I don’t know these 2,” I said. “I stumbled on these idiots right before the cannonball hit.”

“Stumbled? How? I don’t see another ship?” She asked. 

“I was shipwrecked not long ago,” I said. “I’ve been treading water ever since.”

“Really?” Nami asked. “From that big storm a few days ago?”

“The very same,” I said as Luffy and Usopp ran over to Yosaku. Pouring the lime juice in his mouth the man drank it down happily. 

Then in a reality defying show of potion use he jumped up. Obviously not as hurt as he was letting on he and Johnny were laughing and jumping around. 

“It doesn’t work that quick!” Nami yelled. I nodded. 

“I’m alive again,” Yosaku said still laughing loudly. “I’m so full of Vitamin D, or whatever, it’s not even funny. I could take on any number of pirates now.”

“Don’t joke about that,” Johnny said. “Our aniki, Zoro, is a pirate now.”

“What!!!” Yosaku said looking to Zoro. Then he coughed up blood and fell down. 

“You surprised him so bad you killed him, aniki!” Johnny said. 

“He’s still sick, you idiot!” “It’s the scurvy you simpleton!” Nami and I yelled at him. We shared a look and shook our heads at the stupidity. I had forgotten how stupid people could be. Around kids for the last few months they had been much more mature. 

“Let this be a lesson to you guys,” Nami said to Luffy and Usopp. “We need a cook on the ship to ensure our diet includes important nutrients so you can always be ready.”

“You’re so smart Nami,” Luffy said. Laughing loudly he added. “Ok it’s decided. Our next crewman will be a cook.”

“Aniki,” Johnny said. “If you’re looking for a cook, I know the perfect place. There is the restaurant of the seas not too far away. Only a couple of days travel. They have the best culinary talents on the East Blue.”

“Awesome,” Luffy said. “Let’s check it out.”

“Great, can we get a ride?” Johnny asked. 

“Of course. Any friend of Zoro’s is a friend of ours,” Luffy said without hesitation. 

As Nami and Usopp ran off I heard Johny whisper to Zoro. “I’ve heard a certain Hawk Eyed man has frequented the restaurant too.

I rolled my eyes. I forgot about Hawk Eye Mihawk. We were on our way to get Sanji, the blonde haired cook. Tons of drama would ensue. And I was excited to be in the middle of it all. I had to prove myself to join the Straw Hat Crew. 

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