"It's so touching..."
"It's so touching!"
The red-haired pirate, Shanks, sniffled and shed tears. After taking a large gulp of wine, he grabbed the clothes of his crew members and wiped his nose.
Looking at the countless crew members, they were left speechless...
While I was moved by the scene, my reaction was not as exaggerated as that of our captain!
"Merry, it's truly magnificent..."
"Do you think our ship has a ship spirit?"
"No, you can't sneak up to pee on the ship in the future; the ship spirit might see you..."
"That wouldn't be good..."
Shanks said and fell asleep with a thud.
Crew: "..."
Our captain is really... beyond comprehension. Good thing there's no one else around to witness this.
But then again, it seems I'm not much different from the others...
Sea restaurant, near the sea!
"Merry..."
At this moment, Luffy, Usopp, Zoro, Robin, and Nami looked at the sky, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Will the future Merry be completely destroyed by saving us?"
Luffy spoke, his expression unreadable.
Even though these are just images of what happened in the future, they touch everyone's hearts at this moment. Not a single person is devoid of sadness.
Even though they only left Syrup Village to set sail a short while ago, not spending more than three days with Merry!
But since stepping on the ship, Usopp drew a skeleton flag with a straw hat for it...
Luffy has already considered Merry as his partner!
In fact, everyone aboard regards Merry as a partner!
"Merry..."
"Thank you!"
Luffy sat on the sheep's head at the bow of the ship and stroked it gently.
"In the future, when I'm at the helm, I'll be careful and won't let anything happen to you."
"That's not right... If Franky had come on board earlier, with his boat-building skills, he would have treated you with utmost care."
"Don't worry, Merry, I'll never let anything happen to you..."
As Luffy stroked the sheep's head and spoke, Zoro, Robin, and the others stood silently behind him. Because in their hearts, they shared the same sentiments as Luffy.
They never expected ship spirits to be real, but the legendary entity indeed existed!
Merry's spirit had been silently accompanying them...
Everyone made a silent vow in their hearts to cherish Merry in their future sailing adventures.
Because, Merry was also their partner! A member of the Straw Hat Pirates...
[After Merry's destruction, everyone returned to Water 7.]
[Franky, inspired by the Straw Hats' spirit, planned to build his dream ship and gift it to them!]
[And this ship, he designed it himself since childhood and had it built daily by the treasure tree, Adam!]
[This material is extremely precious; it's the same material that formed the pirate ship of the Pirate King, Roger!]
[After the joint efforts of Franky, Carrera Company, and Yokozuna for dozens of days...]
[Finally, a new pirate ship was born!]
[Thousand Sunny!]
[Looking at the adorable lion head in front of them, Luffy and the others loved it!]
[Franky's dream is to construct a ship with his own hands and voyage to every corner of the world!]
"My dream is entrusted to you!"
[Looking at Franky, Luffy stood at the bow of the ship and said with a smile:]
["Instead of entrusting your dreams to us, let's fulfill them together, witness the ship you've built, and journey to every corner of the world!"]
"Franky, join us!"
[Seeing the smiles on Luffy, Zoro, and the others' faces, Franky burst into tears.]
[At this point, the Straw Hat Pirates welcomed a second comrade, and after Merry...]
[Thousand Sunny!]
"Thousand Sunny..."
Led by Luffy, Zoro, and the others gazed at the pirate ship adorned with the lion's head in the illustration, their faces beaming with joy.
"Franky's dream ship was actually crafted from the treasure tree, Adam..."
"What a priceless ship!"
Everyone marveled. To be honest, just by looking at it, Thousand Sunny was invaluable!
It shared the same material as the ship sailed by Pirate King's Roger...
Even so, everyone felt no difference with Merry, whether in Luffy's heart or in the hearts of Nami and others. They treated them equally!
The Going Merry, Thousand Sunny, both were their companions!
As long as Franky was willing, he could construct this dream ship just like in the illustration.
Connect the two ships and sail together on this sea!
This way, everyone would not only have Merry as a partner but also Thousand Sunny!
Luffy stood up, a trademark smile on his face!
"Let's head to Water 7 first!"
"Let him, the person who knows the ship best, join us early. Presumably, Merry won't be harmed that much!"
"At the same time, we welcome our new companion, Thousand Sunny!"
"Having two pirate ships and two comrades is quite intriguing to think about. Hahaha..."
Everyone agreed with Luffy's words.
But Nami... had something to add.
"Before we head to Water 7, there's one more thing we need to do."
This statement puzzled everyone.
Nami smiled, "Our current location has entered the territory of a comrade..."
"Oh!?"
The moment these words were uttered, everyone's attention was piqued.
Even though they all agreed that their priority was reaching Franky first.
Considering the dire situation faced by CP9, who were defeated in the illustration but still hidden in shipbuilding companies in reality.
Having seen the illustration, it was unlikely they'd remain in hiding; they might seize Franky, who possessed the Pluto blueprints.
Franky alone couldn't contend with CP9's might.
Therefore, for Franky's safety and the well-being of Water 7, they needed to reach him first!
They had to confront and overcome CP9 together.
Another point to consider was the fact that, apart from Usopp, a semi-expert in ship matters, the rest on the ship were clueless about shipbuilding…
Any hiccups on the way could cause unforeseen damage to Merry.
Entering the Grand Line and landing on deserted islands, each time, Merry suffered unimaginable damage.
If Franky had joined the crew earlier, they could have avoided these damages and repaired Merry promptly.
This way, Merry wouldn't end up like in the illustration—irreparably damaged!
Despite the urgency of reaching Water 7 first, passing through their comrades' territories wouldn't significantly delay the meeting.
"Wow, Nami, spill it! Who's the comrade?"
Luffy's eyes sparkled with eagerness; he couldn't wait to find out.
Nami chuckled, "You're a goof, Luffy. There are only two or three comrades who haven't been on the ship. Can't you guess? Zoro, Robin, and Usopp probably already know."
Luffy looked astonished, "Oh! Zoro, Robin, Usopp, you guys knew!?"
Robin, with a subtle smile, replied, "Yes, I had a hunch."
Zoro nodded, "I've got an idea too."
Usopp, initially confused, suddenly exclaimed, "I know too!"
Luffy admired his comrades even more at this moment; it was almost like kneeling before them!
In his eyes, his comrades were too sharp!
He couldn't have guessed it, but they already knew. Nami, annoyed, said, "Then spill it to Luffy together!"
So, the four of them exchanged glances and simultaneously revealed... Nami: "Sanji!"
Robin: "Chopper!"
Usopp: "Brook!"
Zoro: "Franky!!"
All four named different crew members! The scene became unexpectedly quiet...
Nami was exasperated!
She gave Zoro and Usopp a punch each.
"That's enough from you two!"
"One is more absurd than the other. Brook is with Moria, but that's a different matter..."
"And, Zoro, you said Franky!?"
"He's in Water 7!"
Both Usopp and Zoro were speechless.
Nami looked at Robin and sighed, "If those two are foolish, Robin, how did you get it wrong..."
Robin chuckled, covering her mouth.
"I knew it wasn't Chopper."
"We should be near the location of the sea restaurant, so the comrade is obviously Sanji!"
Suddenly, Nami was taken aback, "Robin, you knew..."
Robin smiled, "I deliberately gave the wrong answer, to liven up the atmosphere and see your surprised expressions!"
Nami: "…"
Indeed, it was quite cunning...
Luffy was ecstatic, "It's Sanji!!!"
"Oh!!!"
Zoro looked disdainful, "Tsk, that curly eyebrow..."
Usopp was delighted, "Well, heading to Water 7 with Sanji should be safer!"
Nami took out the chart, pointing in one direction.
"Destination: sea restaurant. Let's find Sanji!"
"Now... Full speed ahead!"
... On the riverbank...
**********
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