Maybe the real pirate treasure was the curve-flattening we did along the way.

For generations, parents have been telling kids to wash their hands. Recently, health officials have been telling us the same thing, as proper hygiene is imperative in limiting the spread of the coronavirus.

However, some people have a rebellious streak and a knee-jerk reaction against doing what Mom, Dad, or Doc tell them too. But now the order to wash your hands is coming from an even higher power: the Straw Hat Pirates.

The official English Twitter account for the One Piece anime posted a special subtitled message from the heroes of the long-running pirate saga, which opens with Luffy making the passionate request of “Let me eat meat!!!” He’s quickly chided by his shipmates, though, who step in to deliver the real message, with Nico Robin saying:

“First, wash your hands regularly. Second, be sure to get plenty of rest every night.”

Of course, you might be skeptical about taking advice from cartoon pirates, but what about a cartoon pirate who’s also a doctor (and who’s also a reindeer), Tony Tony Chopper?

▼ “I’ve heard about this coronavirus that’s taking place in your world,” says Chopper, so we can at least breathe a sigh of relief that the pandemic hasn’t spread into the world of One Piece.

Displaying their trademark confidence and energy that’re the driving forces of the series, the Straw Hat Pirates remind us that we can all play a part in flattening the curve, with Luffy, once he remembers what he’s supposed to be talking about, saying

“Let’s overcome this crisis together! You can do it! You’re all in our crew, too!”

Oddly enough, the videos don’t tell people to stay home…or at least they don’t do it directly. The decision to render the Japanese word nakama as “crew” in the subtitles, though, should inspire enough online debates about preferred translations to keep hardcore One Piece fans typing away at home for at least a day, though.

Source: Twitter/@OnePieceAnime
Top image: Twitter/@OnePieceAnime
Insert images: Twitter/@OnePieceAnime (1, 2)
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Follow Casey on Twitter, where it’s impossible for him to hear Chopper’s voice and not think of Merle from Escaflowne.