A caravel ship sailed proudly on the East Blue Sea. It was a bit larger than a typical caravel, designed for speed and durability. Its black hull gleamed in the sun, the smooth wood polished to a mirror-like shine. The ship's two masts stretched high into the sky, supporting crimson and black sails that flapped in the wind. At the prow, the figurehead was a finely carved depiction of a woman in a flowing gown, holding a sword in her right hand. The ship I stole appeared to belong to a noble, judging by its sleek design.
I stood on the main deck, admiring the ship in the evening light. I painted the vessel's name in bold letters along the side and on the top of the mainsail. It was a simple design but wouldn't be my real ship anyway. I named it "Merry's Revenge," inspired by Queen Anne's Revenge and in memory of Merry, who died because of my cockiness.
Kaya stood beside me, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's beautiful, Usopp. Merry's Revenge—how thoughtful of you. Thank you."
I smiled. "A great warrior needs a great ship. Besides," I added, "I wasn't going to leave Merry's memories in Syrupp Village so you wouldn't feel alone whenever you looked at the ship."
"Come, let me show you what this beauty has," I excitedly said to Kaya.
I showed her the massive crossbows at the bow and stern of the ship, the side cannons that could fire my hidden ammo and my workshop. I also pointed out the storage area, the separate rooms for females and males, the bathroom, and the recreation room.
"The ship reminds me of you. Did you do all of this by yourself?" Kaya asked, gesturing around the rec room before her gaze settled on the bookshelves to the left.
"Yeah, I did. It took me three whole months to redesign the ship. I hope you like it."
"I loved it," Kaya said, taking a chair and sitting down. She swept her gaze around one more time and drew a deep breath.
I walked over, took another chair, and sat before her. I gently smoothed her long blonde hair, and she leaned closer.
The wind picked up, filling the sails, and I felt the ship begin to creak as it rocked gently against the sea.
"It's time," I said softly in Kaya's ears, blushing her cheeks. I hugged her in the middle of our smooching, and we held each other close. She was on top of me. Her buttocks were on top of my dick, making it stiff.
We exchanged a glance, nerves and excitement mingling in the air. I wanted to ravage Kaya but had to ensure we set sail safely.
So, deeply regretfully, I told her, "Let's go help Sham. I don't think she could do everything alone."
Kaya nodded dumbly.
We went out of the recreation room. I saw Sham untie the mooring lines on the main deck, and the ship slowly drifted away. She hurried to the helm, her hands shaking as she gripped the wheel. I quickly moved to adjust the sails. Although my sailing knowledge was limited, I had observed the crew of passenger ships during my bounty hunting days, learning how they operated the vessel.
Merry's revenge slowly drifted farther to sea, the village growing smaller behind us. The waves were calm, and the horizon was vast and welcoming.
Kaya stood near the portside, her hands tightly gripping the handrail; she felt a mixture of determination and anxiety.
Two days passed, and I still didn't see any islands nearby.
"Are we… going in the right direction?" Kaya asked nervously, glancing at me as she held the Map of East Blue, her forehead furrowed in concentration.
With her hands tightly gripping the helm, Sham replied, "Well, I think so. The wind's blowing the right way, and the sun is where it's supposed to be…"
"Sham! Are you sure you can navigate?" I shouted at her.
"I certainly can, sir. I've been in the waters of East Blue since I was a baby."
No island was in sight two days later, and our resources dwindled.
"Sham, how many more days until we reach an island?" I asked.
Sham scrunched her face and looked at the horizon. "Tomorrow morning by six, sir. I'm sure of that."
However, by the next afternoon, no island was still in sight. In my frustration, I whistled. The static charge effect on my choker was immediate; Sham's willowy body slammed the wheel. Her face was elated.
"Usopp, why did she make that face? It looked like my face when we did something naughty," Kaya's voice trembled slightly. She then realized the enormity of what they were doing. "Wait, so none of us know how to navigate? You plan to go to the North Blue without knowing how to navigate?"
"I planned to ask Jiro if he could lend me his navigator for a few weeks, but then I found him annoying and thought it would be less of a hassle just to recruit her."
"I do apologize, Captain Sir, please punish me more …"
I slapped my forehead as I gazed at the map in Kaya's hands and then at the star. I was good at inventing but not at reading these weather things.
"Ah, well, getting lost is part of the adventure, right?" I attempted to laugh it off, but my voice cracked.
Kaya turned to me, concern etched on her face. "But Usopp… are we lost?"
I nodded, finally acknowledging the truth. "Yeah. Yeah, we're lost." I looked at Sham on the helm. She was still sprawling, and occasionally, her body would twitch.
I walked to the helm, staring out at the endless horizon. The realization that I was indeed on my own was sinking in. Nobody on the ship knew how to navigate, and I blamed myself for always thinking just because somebody had boobs.
The wind picked up again, causing the red and black sails to whip furiously against the masts. I asked Kaya to go to the rudder while I whistled to activate the effect of the choker. I didn't know when it started, but every time Sham got electrocuted, she enjoyed it rather than hated it. This cat-obsessed girl was psychotic and weird.
If you're curious about how I recruited her, it happened in this manner.
~~Few weeks ago~~
"How did you arrive at Gecko Island? Are any of you a navigator?"
"I am, sir. I was the navigator for the Black Cat Pirates before I became its protector," replied the bald, round man with chestnut hair, displaying surprising servility.
"You weren't good at navigating; I was the one who helmed the ship, you idiot," Sham shouted at Bucchi. She turned to me, "I was the one who helmed the ship, sir." She spoke with the same servility as Bucchi, smiling widely, which scared me a little, given how quickly they shifted their loyalty.
I looked at them. Even if they weren't my preferred choice for a navigator, I still needed someone to help me. I could pilot the ship, but navigating the open sea was a different challenge. I had to ensure I could control them; I could only create one obedient choker with my limited resources. A choker I whistled at would generate electric static around the wearer's body.
So, I put it on the teal-haired girl while I released the round guy's bindings because I liked cute girls; that's it.
Buchhi ran like there was no tomorrow.
"Wait, aren't you going to kill him?" asked Sham.
I looked at her; this girl was a psychopath. Who would have quickly asked someone to kill their brother?
"Wow, you didn't care about your brother's life, did you?"
"We weren't relatives; we were partners. His fighting techniques complemented mine, so I asked him to become my fighting partner."
I looked again at Bucchi, who seemed to grow smaller and smaller due to the distance, and shouted, "If I see your face in the news doing terrible things to Syrupp village, I will hunt you down!"
"Noted Sire!"
Sham looked at him longingly.
"I will release you until I find a skilled navigator with a sound mind. Until then, you will be the navigator," I touched the choker on her soft neck," This choker activates with my whistle, and I can read your mind. If you plan anything harmful to me, I will activate it." I whistled and saw Sham spasms on the floor, "You will face the consequences if you try to harm me."
Sham dropped to the floor, panting heavily. I removed her binding.
~~ Back to now ~~
We drifted on the open sea for two more days. I spent my time tinkering in my workshop, adjusting the sails and rudders, and I attempted to read a navigation book I had taken from an upscale store in Gowa Kingdom. But navigation wasn't my forte. Every night, I would have sex with Kaya in the men's room—our designated room—making a lot of noise.
The next morning, it was a calm day. I was instructing Sham to keep going south. Using my enhanced telescope, Kaya volunteered for guard duty in the crow's nest. Suddenly, she gasped. She shouted and pointed ahead. "Look! Smoke! There's something on fire!"
I squinted into the distance using my telescope. A thick black smoke rose from a small island not too far ahead. The fire was massive, flames licking the sky. I could smell sadness and desperation from that island.
"Who is causing that much destruction…?" I muttered.
"Sir! Would you like us to land?" Sham shouted from the helm.
"Try to go near! This island is the first island we encountered. We will need a real navigator before we go blind again," I told her. My eyes kept looking at the burning island, trying to figure out what had happened there.
Sham turned the wheel toward the island, her face showing fear when we got near the island. "What the fuck is going on!"
"Language Sham!" chided Kaya from the Crow's nest.
Sham rolled her eyes but answered, "I apologize, Miss Kaya."