AT THE FASTEST SPEED

Sanji is in a state of absolute panic, tears streaming down his face and his cigarette clamped in his mouth as he screams, "WELL!? IZ SHE, BIBI!? IZ NABI GUNNA DIE!?" Vivi looks serious and concerned, sweat on her face as she explains, "THE ONE OBSTACLE THAT ALL SAILERS WHO ENTER GRAND LINE WILL CRASH INTO SOONER OR LATER, IS SICKNESS CAUSED BY THE ABNORMAL CLIMATE...! IT MUST BE FROM THE CLIMATE CHANGE..." A wide view of the ship's cabin shows Nami lying sick in bed. Vivi sits beside her, while Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp stand around the room listening. Vivi continues, "HELPLESSLY DYING AT THE HANDS OF SUCH ILLNESSES IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE HERE IN GRAND LINE. NO MATTER HOW FAMOUS OR STRONG OF A PIRATE YOU ARE,"

Nami lies in bed, panting heavily with a wet towel on her forehead, her face flushed with fever. She weakly asks, "PANT... PANT... ISN'T THERE ANYONE ON THIS SHIP WITH SOME MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE? EVEN THE SLIGHTEST SYMPTOMS CAN LEAD TO DEATH IF IGNORED." The rest of the crew surrounds her bed. Sanji is sniffling emotionally, while Usopp, Luffy, and Vivi look on. Sanji speaks up, "WELL, I OBVIOUSLY PLAN ON GIVING HER NUTRITIOUS MEALS THAT ARE EASY ENOUGH TO DIGEST EVEN FOR A SICK PERSON BUT... EVEN ALL THAT ONLY GOES SO FAR AS TO BE CALLED 'NURSING'... IT MAY NOT ACTUALLY CURE HER." Luffy grins widely and says to Sanji, "RIGHT, SANJI!? OH I'M SURE SHE'LL GET BETTER IF SHE JUST EATS SOME MEAT!"

Sanji angrily yells at Luffy and Usopp, "AND IN THE FIRST PLACE, WHEN IT COMES TO PREPARING MEALS FOR NAMI AND VIVI, I PUT IN 100 TIMES MORE EFFORT THAN FOR THE REST OF YOU LOT. I ONLY USE THE FRESHEST MEATS AND VEGETABLES TO COOK A PERFECTLY BALANCED MEAL FOR THEM. THE LEFTOVER SCRAPS AND INGREDIENTS ON THE VERGE OF SPOILING ARE THEN GIVEN TO YOU..." Usopp looks shocked, exclaiming, "WHAT!" while Luffy just laughs, "EVEN SO, IT STILL TASTES GREAT! AHAHAHA!" Sanji regains his composure, stating, "IN ANY CASE, AS LONG AS I'M THE CHEF ON THIS SHIP, THERE WON'T BE ANY TROUBLES RELATED TO MALNUTRITION OR SUCH. SO IF SOMEONE IS STILL SICK, THEN THAT'S BECAUSE OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ILLNESS. AND UNLESS I KNOW WHAT THAT IS, I WON'T KNOW WHAT TYPE OF MEAL TO PREPARE WOULD BE BEST EITHER." Luffy picks his nose and suggests, "COULDN'T YOU JUST EAT EVERYTHING INSTEAD?" Sanji glares at him, "NOT HAVING ENOUGH ENERGY TO EVEN EAT IS WHAT WE CALL BEING SICK IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU IDIOT." Suddenly, Vivi looks at a thermometer in panic. "F-FORTY DEGREES!? HER FEVER ROSE AGAIN!"

Vivi looks urgently at the crew. "THERE SHOULD BE DOCTORS IN ALABASTA, RIGHT? JUST HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL WE GET THERE, VIVI?" she is asked. She replies, "...I DON'T KNOW BUT IT'LL DEFINITELY BE MORE THAN A WEEK!" Luffy and Usopp look confused. Luffy asks, "IS BEING SICK REALLY THAT PAINFUL?" and Usopp adds, "DUNNO, CAN'T SAY I'VE EVER BEEN SICK MYSELF." Vivi furiously yells at them, "ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN HUMAN!?" Nami is shown panting and sweating profusely in bed. Vivi explains, "OF COURSE IT'S PAINFUL! A 40 DEGREE FEVER ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS! IN FACT, IT'S ENOUGH TO EVEN PUT HER LIFE AT SERIOUS RISK!" Hearing this, Luffy and Usopp completely lose their minds, screaming in sheer terror, "GYAAAA AAAAAA!"

Luffy and Usopp are bawling and screaming in panic. Luffy wails, "WILL SHE DIE!?" while Usopp cries, "PREEZ DUN' DIE DABI!!!!!!! (PLEASE DON'T DIE, NAMI) AHHH HHH HHH HHH!" Karoo the duck is also squawking wildly, "QUAAAAACK!" Vivi angrily yells at them, "STOP MAKING A FUSS AND SHUT UP!" She then clenches her fist with determination, "WE HAVE TO GO FIND A DOCTOR AND SAVE NAMI RIGHT AWAY! YES, I KNOW SO JUST CALM DOWN OR YOU MIGHT AGGRAVATE HER CONDITION FURTHER!" A weak voice says, "...NO." Luffy looks over, "HM!? NAMI!?" He cheers, "YIPEE! SHE GOT BETTER!" but Vivi immediately slaps him, "NO SHE'S DIDN'T!" Nami is sitting up slightly, holding a newspaper and sweating heavily. She says, "ON TOP OF MY DESK... THERE'S A NEWS-PAPER,"

The Going Merry sails peacefully on the open ocean, with seagulls cawing in the sky. On the deck, Zoro is sitting and lifting heavy weights, observing the calm surroundings. "HMM... ALL CLEAR, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT..." he notes. Inside the cabin, Vivi suddenly looks completely shocked, exclaiming, "WHA-!?" Luffy and Sanji turn to her in concern. Luffy asks, "WHAT IS IT?" and Sanji asks, "IS IT ABOUT ALABASTA, VIVI!?"

Vivi holds the newspaper, her face pale with horror. Behind her, a chaotic vision of a massive army clashes in battle. She reads, "THAT CAN'T BE... 300,000 SOLDIERS OF THE ROYAL ARMED FORCES SWITCHED SIDES TO JOIN THE REBELS!?" Sweating and stressed, she explains, "ORIGINALLY, THE 600 THOUSAND-STRONG ROYAL ARMED FORCES COULD CONTAIN THE REBELS WHO WERE ONLY 400,000 STRONG... BUT NOW THE SITUATION IS COMPLETELY OPPOSITE! WITH THAT, THE SITUATION IN ALABASTA HAS ENTERED ITS MOST CRITICAL PHASE..." Nami, sitting up in bed and smiling weakly, says, "AND THAT WAS THE PAPER FROM 3 DAYS AGO. SORRY FOR NOT SHOWING IT TO YOU UNTIL NOW... I DIDN'T WANT TO WORRY YOU ANY FURTHER SINCE WE WERE ALREADY SAILING AS FAST AS WE COULD." Sanji asks Luffy, "UNDERSTAND, LUFFY?" Luffy answers, "SOUNDS LIKE AN EMERGENCY." Sanji adds, "THAT'S RIGHT. I'M SURPRISED I MANAGED TO GET THROUGH TO YOU SO WELL."

Nami gets out of bed, putting on her shirt. Usopp protests, "BUT IF WE DON'T GET YOU TO A DOCTOR SOON..." Nami dismisses it, "IT'S FINE. THAT OLD THERMOMETER'S BROKEN ANYWAYS. THERE'S NO WAY A PERSON WOULD HAVE A FEVER OF 40 DEGREES. I'M SURE I JUST CAUGHT A HEATSTROKE OR SOMETHING. I'LL GET BETTER JUST FINE ON MY OWN EVEN WITHOUT SEEING A DOCTOR.." She walks forward, smiling confidently. "IN ANY CASE, WE'LL CONTINUE TO HEAD FOR ALABASTA AS PLANNED FOR NOW." She looks back at them with a warm smile, "BUT THANKS FOR WORRYING ABOUT ME." Luffy looks at her and says, "SURE. SO IS SHE ALL BETTER NOW...?" Usopp replies, "OF COURSE NOT, SHE'S ONLY PUTTING UP A TOUGH FRONT."

Vivi looks down at the newspaper in her lap, gripping it tightly. "AT THIS RATE, THERE'LL BE A FULL-BLOWN WAR WITH MUCH BLOODSHED..." A close-up of her intense eye is shown as she thinks, "IF I CAN'T STOP THIS," A dark silhouette of Crocodile looms over the palace of Alabasta in her mind. "THEN IT'S ALL OVER FOR THE KINGDOM OF ALABASTA...! IT'LL BE TAKEN OVER BY CROCODILE!" Vivi clutches the newspaper to her chest, trembling and sweating. "IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO JUST RETURN ALIVE ANYMORE... IF I CAN'T GET BACK SOON ENOUGH, THEN A MILLION OF MY PEOPLE WILL BE KILLING EACH OTHER FOR NO GOOD REASON." Sanji and Luffy look at her seriously. Luffy asks, "THERE'S A MILLION PEOPLE THERE!?" Sanji remarks, "THAT'S QUITE THE BURDEN."

Out on the deck, Nami yells at Zoro, "WHAT WERE YOU EVEN LOOKING AT!" Zoro answers, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT? THE SHIP'S STILL HEADING STRAIGHT." Nami, leaning heavily on the railing, replies, "YES, BUT YOU NEED TO BE LOOKING AT THE LOG'S NEEDLE! I CAN STILL TELL THE DIRECTION JUST FINE SINCE WE'RE HEADING FOR THAT BIG CLOUD OVER THERE... CLOUDS CAN MOVE AND CHANGE SHAPE, YOU KNOW!" Zoro looks back at her, "THAT'S WHY I TOLD YOU TO GO GET SOME REST WHILE I TAKE CARE OF THINGS." Nami snaps back, "HOW CAN I WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF THE DIRECTIONS!?" She holds her head, "UHH, MY HEAD HURTS..." She pants heavily, looking weak. Suddenly, she looks up, noticing something. "THE ATMOSPHERE... CHANGED..." Zoro observes, "HUH? THE WEATHER'S BEEN CLEAR ALL DAY." Nami tells him, "JUST CALL EVERYONE HERE, WILL YOU?"

Nami starts shouting orders to the crew. "HEY, ALL OF YOU! WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO, COME OUT! TAKE THE HELM AND STEER FOR SOUTH." Sanji runs out, complaining, "WHAT, I DON'T FEEL LIKE TAKING ORDERS FROM YOU." Usopp runs alongside him. Nami continues, "LOWER THE SAILS SO WE CAN CATCH WIND FROM PORTSIDE." Usopp replies, "JUST SHUT UP AND DO IT! GOT IT!" Nami looks back at the sea. Someone asks, "WHAT IS IT, NAMI? THE SEAS ARE CALM AND THE WEATHER LOOKS CLEAR TO ME." Nami replies, "WIND. I HAVE A FEELING... THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE STRONG WIND COMING FROM AHEAD. PROBABLY..." She touches her forehead, feeling dizzy. "HUH?" Luffy looks at her closely, then suddenly screams, "HHHOOOT! HOT! HOT! WE REALLY DO NEED TO LAND AND TAKE YOU TO A DOCTOR!" Nami yells back at him, "THAT'S JUST MY NORMAL TEMPERATURE! NOW STOP WASTING TIME AND GET THE ROPES!"

Sanji looks at Nami with concern. "NAMI. I KNOW THIS IS FOR VIVI'S SAKE AND ALL, BUT YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T BE PUSHING YOURSELF TOO MUCH..." Nami insists, "I TOLD YOU, I'M FINE!" Usopp tries to interject, "NAMI, I THINK YOU OUGHTA-" but Nami cuts him off, "JUST BE QUIET AND TURN THE SHIP AROUND ALREADY!" She pants heavily, muttering, "JEEZ..." Nami looks out at the ocean, sweating and breathing hard. "JUST WHAT COULD IT BE... IT SEEMS A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM A NORMAL STORM..." Inside the cabin, Vivi stands up with a determined look on her face. "I HAVE TO, RETURN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE..."

Vivi steps out onto the deck, looking resolute. "I HAVE A REQUEST TO ASK ALL OF YOU. I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO MAKE SUCH DEMANDS SINCE YOU'VE ALREADY LET ME ON THIS BOAT AND ALL... BUT WITH THE EMERGING CRISIS IN MY COUNTRY, I WANT TO GO THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." The crew stands on the deck, listening to her. "NOT EVEN A SINGLE MOMENT CAN BE SPARED ANYMORE! THAT'S WHY," Vivi suddenly bows her head deeply to the crew. "I ASK FOR THIS SHIP TO HEAD FOR ALABASTA, AT THE FASTEST SPEED!"

Nami smiles warmly at Vivi. "OF COURSE! JUST LIKE WE PROMISED!" Sanji also smiles in agreement. Luffy looks serious and says, "...THUS, WE NEED TO FIND AN ISLAND WITH A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY." Vivi looks up, her face full of determination and a slight smile. "WE HAVE TO SEE TO IT THAT NAMI GETS BETTER AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, AND THEN HEAD FOR ALABASTA! THAT'LL BE THE ONLY WAY THIS SHIP CAN SAIL AT THE FASTEST SPEED, RIGHT!?"

Luffy grins broadly and agrees, "YOU BET! CAN'T GET ANY FASTER THAN THAT!" Usopp points at Vivi, asking, "YOU SURE? AREN'T YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE LIVES OF A MILLION ALABASTANS, BEING A PRINCESS AND ALL?" A voice agrees, "EXACTLY! THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO GET NAMI TO A DOCTOR AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE." Sanji smiles, "WELL SAID, VIVI! I'VE FALLEN FOR YOU ALL OVER AGAIN!" Zoro smirks, holding his sword, "I LIKE YOUR GUTS..." Vivi smiles, blushing slightly, "I'M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WORRY, BUT PLEASE DON'T OVEREXERT YOURSELF, NAMI...! SORRY... VIVI... BUT I THINK... I'M REALLY..." Suddenly, Luffy screams in absolute terror, his jaw dropping wide open. "AHHH! WHAT IS THAAAAT!?"

A massive double-page spread shows a gigantic, terrifying cyclone tearing through the ocean right in front of the Going Merry. The swirling waterspout dominates the sky, dwarfing the small ship. Voices cry out in shock and panic: "IT'S... IT'S A CYCLONE!" "NAMI, HANG IN THERE!" "IT'S HUUUGE!" "AH!" "!!?" The sheer scale of the storm is overwhelming.

The crew is frantic on the deck. Nami yells, "WAIT A MINUTE... THAT DIRECTION IS... THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE WE WERE HEADED JUST UNTIL A MOMENT AGO... IF WE HAD SAILED STRAIGHT, WE'D HAVE CRASHED RIGHT INTO IT BY NOW! TALK ABOUT A CLOSE CALL!" Vivi looks on in absolute amazement. "INCREDIBLE... A CYCLONE ON THE GRAND LINE'S SAID TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT...! THIS GIRL ISN'T JUST PREDICTING THE WEATHER, BASED ON WEATHER FORECAST THEORIES... IT'S ALMOST AS IF SHE'S DIRECTLY FEELING THE MINUTE HAPPENINGS OF THE CLIMATE ITSELF...!" Nami is shown panting heavily, exhausted. The crew springs into action. "I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A NAVIGATOR..." "ALRIGHT, LET'S HURRY IT UP, GUYS! WE'LL KEEP HEADING SOUTH TO FIND A DOCTOR!" "RIGHT!"

The Going Merry is now sailing through a heavy snowstorm, the sea choppy and the air filled with driving snow. A narration box reads, "IGNORING THE NEEDLE POINTING TO ALABASTA, THE SHIP IS NOW ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A DOCTOR... AFTER 1 DAY..." Usopp is bundled up, looking through binoculars. Sanji yells from below, "VIVI, WHAT DO WE DO!? NAMI'S FEVER ISN'T GOING DOWN!" Vivi replies, "SANJI! CARUE! YOU HAVE TO BE QUIET!" Usopp calls out, "HEY! CAN YOU SEE A DOCTOR FROM UP THERE?" Someone yells back, "OF COURSE NOT, YOU IDIOT!" Zoro is standing on the deck in the snow, looking completely baffled as he stares out at the sea. "UHHH, GUYS... DO YOU THINK A PERSON COULD... STAND ON TOP OF AN OCEAN...?"

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