The sea wasn't right. It wasn't dangerous, or stormy, or even treacherous like they usually were in the Grand Line. It was just.. wrong. At first, Nami had chalked it up to exhaustion. Maybe her eyes were tired, maybe she hadn't gotten enough rest and sleep after last night's endless training-slash-torture that the monster trio insisted was 'fun' and 'good'. But no. She knew this wasn't sleep deprivation or some lack of rest.
There was something definitely, unmistakably off. Just like the time when.. Luffy was sick on their way to Alabasta.. That would have been really concerning if not for her idiot captain to be actively goofing around and playing.
Nami frowned at the ocean before her, her brows knitted tightly as she leaned over the Going Merry's rail, eyes scanning the water as if it was ready to show their true colors and was just hiding for now.
But the sea wasn't fighting them. It wasn't pulling them sideways or spinning currents under their hull to knock them off course. It wasn't even teasing them with minor adjustments or sudden temperature shifts. No whirlpools, no sharp winds, sudden storms, or monsters coming out of nowhere.
Instead, it was pushing them. Pushing them towards a specific constant direction. And that was the part that was making her want to throw her Log Pose into the water and yell at it.. Because what was the use of it if she didn't need to check if every damn minute? What was the use of it if the sea had apparently decided to guide them throughout their journey and get them to the island they were heading to without any storm, whirlwind or anything?
Nami wasn't complaining though.. she just didn't know what to do. Because the sea wasn't simply letting them go forward. It was guiding them. Ever since they had left the shores of Long Ring Long Land, the currents had been oddly cooperative. Every gust of wind that should've been a sudden gale came at their backs like a helpful push. Every swell seemed timed to nudge them forward just a little bit faster. The sun was out. The waves were smooth. The Log Pose wasn't twitching. And Merry glided forward as if someone had whispered directions straight into the water's ear.
And that, Nami thought, was not normal. Not for the Grand Line. Not even close.
She had spent years memorizing tales and survival logs from this ocean. She had sat beside Vivi and pored over maps in Alabasta. She had spoken to Robin about the currents and the magnetic fields that made this route a nightmare. She had watched every tick of the needle during their journey so far.
And yet here they were. Floating. Calm. Steady. As if the sea had a purpose. A will. A goal. And for once, it wasn't trying to kill them all.
Nami sighed, dragging a hand through her hair as she looked down at the Log Pose sitting calmly on her wrist. The needle hadn't wavered since morning. Not even a twitch. It was just following the path the sea had oddly made for them.
She clicked her tongue. "This doesn't make sense," she muttered.
"Oi, Nami!" Usopp's voice drifted from behind, followed by the soft clunk of his sandals on the wood as he joined her at the rail. He squinted out at the horizon and then at her, eyes a bit puffy from all the training the night before. "You look like you're trying to pick a fight with the log pose. Again."
"Maybe I am," Nami answered without looking away from the log pose.
Usopp blinked. "...Oh is that so.. But is it winning?"
"Not yet," Nami muttered with a frown. She just wanted to understand what the hell was happening.
Usopp grinned at the answer. "Something up?" he asked, leaning his elbows beside hers and letting the sea breeze ruffle his bandana.
Nami exhaled, one hand gesturing loosely toward the water. "It's the sea."
"Sea's not up," Usopp offered wisely. "It's below us."
She rolled her eyes. "Not like that, moron. I mean the behavior of it."
Usopp blinked again, more slowly this time. "...You're gonna have to use simpler words for us non-Navigators, Nami."
Nami gestured toward the water again, more forcefully. "It's pushing us."
There was a pause. Usopp tilted his head. "Pushing us?"
"Exactly!" Nami snapped, turning to face him fully. "It's guiding us, Usopp. It's not fighting. It's not changing. It's not doing any of the things it should be doing. Robin told me the Grand Line changes with its mood. Vivi said storms can appear in seconds. Every sailor says you need to keep a constant watch or risk ending up in the belly of a sea king, or worse in a deadly storm!"
Usopp nodded slowly. "Okay…?"
"And yet this–" she jabbed her finger at the horizon, "–this is like we're on some beginner-friendly cruise line for children!"
Usopp pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You're upset that we aren't being attacked by nature?"
"I'm confused!" Nami shot back. "And slightly annoyed. But also... not. I mean, it's nice, right? It's calm. It's safe. We haven't had to dodge a lightning bolt all morning! But it doesn't make sense!"
Usopp rubbed his chin like a wise man he was. "Maybe the Grand Line finally got tired and took a nap?"
Nami stared at him flatly at the poor excuse of a joke.
"Or maybe," Usopp added, tapping his temple like he was about to drop some amazing and mind blowing facts, "it's because of our eccentric, ridiculous, god Captain. Maybe the sea likes him. You know, in a weird, spiritual-we're-all-connected-to-nature kind of way."
Nami frowned. "...You really think that?"
"Do you have a better explanation for why the waves act like they're scared to bump into Merry now?" Usopp questioned, having already formed some theories in his mind about Luffy's–Nika's–connection with nature.
She opened her mouth. Closed it. And then groaned. "Tch. I hate when you sound reasonable."
Usopp grinned. "I have my moments."
"I'm not exactly upset though," Nami admitted, sighing again and settling her arms on the railing. "Just... surprised and curious," Nami uttered. "But well, we're heading toward Water 7, so it's all good."
"Oh?" Usopp perked up.
"Yeah. The Log Pose hasn't shifted in hours. The water's guiding us exactly in the direction of the needle. And Water 7's supposed to have amazing craftsmanship, shipyards, even the seafood." She gave a little half-smile. "We could probably cash out the Skypiea gold and finally have a decent break for once."
Usopp's eyes sparkled. "A break!? You mean… break from the marines, from the other pirates and monsters..?"
She smirked. "That's the idea. But don't jinx it, Usopp."
"Hey! I am not jinxing anything!" Usopp squeaked, before giving a dramatic sigh, pressing a hand to his heart. "But if it happens, then truly, the gods are smiling upon us."
Nami snorted.
"But really," Usopp added, his voice softening a little, "Water 7 sounds amazing. Maybe I could learn a thing or two about fixing ships. Not that I'm planning to become a shipwright or anything," he hurried to add, scratching his cheek sheepishly, "but you know… just in case. So Merry doesn't break again. She took a lot of hits from the fall."
Nami's smile dimmed slightly, the wind curling over her shoulder. "Yeah... she did."
And just like that, the air shifted. The calm wasn't quite so easy anymore. But that moment was broken soon with a thud, a laugh, and the arrival of the one person who always has a knack of making things better or worse.
"Oi!" came the unmistakable voice. "What're you guys talking about?"
Usopp and Nami both jumped. They should have been used to Luffy sprouting out of nowhere by now.. But yet Luffy never ceased to startle them, even now.
"Luffy!?" Nami gasped, spinning around.
The captain was grinning down at them from his perch atop the mast, hair ruffled from the wind, straw hat dangling down his back by its cord. He looked perfectly content, as if he hadn't just dropped in from the sky like an airborne monkey.
"You've been up there this whole time?!" Usopp yelled, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Yeah," Luffy said, hopping onto the rail beside them and squatting comfortably. "I was about to ask Sanji for a snack. But then I heard you talking about ships and Water 7!"
Nami sighed. "Of course you did…"
Luffy's grin widened. "Mama told me about Water 7 once. Said there's this super amazing shipwright there who can build boats that can sail through anything! Even through tsunamis and whirlpools and icebergs!" Luffy cheered, already planning to recruit the man in the crew.
Usopp blinked. "Wait, seriously? That sounds–" He caught himself mid-awe. "–I mean, that sounds like a bit of an exaggeration. Ships like that don't exist. Right, Nami?"
But Nami's expression wasn't dismissive. If anything, her lips were pressed into a thoughtful line. Knowing utterly well of how their captain was incapable of lying and who could be his mama.. A force of nature definitely.
Luffy, meanwhile, was still beaming. "Nope! She said they're real. And we're gonna find that shipwright when we get there."
Usopp laughed nervously. "Heh. Yeah. That sounds... cool and all but, like... we don't really need a new ship. Right?"
The wind whistled softly between them as if waiting with bated breaths.
Luffy didn't laugh. He didn't grin wider. He just looked at Usopp, still crouched comfortably, arms resting on his knees. "I think we do," Luffy said simply.
Usopp blinked. "Huh?"
"I don't think Merry's gonna make it to the New World." Luffy uttered with a frown. He wasn't happy to say it.. But it wasn't like he was gonna let Merry die and take everyone with her. Even Merry doesn't want that!
But yet Luffy's words fell like a brick to the gut.
Usopp's shoulders stiffened. "What... did you say?"
Luffy looked out toward the sea. "I said Merry probably won't survive it. The Grand Line's tough, yeah. But the New World's worst. Way worse. We've seen what Merry's gone through already. She's trying real hard. But... she's cracking. You know that, right?" He had always treated Merry properly, never let her have a single injury, but even if the fall from Skypiea could have been controlled and prevented, Merry wouldn't be able to survive for long. And that was the cruel reality.
Usopp's jaw tightened. "She can still be fixed."
"I don't think she can," Luffy sighed.
"You don't know that!" Usopp argued, his voice raising.
"I do!" Luffy snapped suddenly, turning toward him, and for a heartbeat the air shivered. "Usopp. I do. I can feel it. Merry's holding on because she loves us. But that doesn't mean she can keep holding on. Her keel's cracked. The mast leans too far. She creaks when no one's moving. You've heard it too."
Usopp took a step back. "She's just tired. We can fix her in Water 7. If we get the right materials—"
"She's not tired. She's breaking." Luffy cut in.
Usopp's hands curled into fists. "No. No, you don't get to say that. You don't get to just... decide this! Merry isn't just some old ship we can toss aside! She's our ship! Kaya gave her to us! To me! She's part of the crew, just like anyone else!"
"I know she is," Luffy said, more quietly now. "That's why this is hard."
Usopp's breath hitched. "Then why are you giving up on her?"
"I'm not!" Luffy's voice rose again, frustrated now, his face tightening. "I'm trying to protect her! If we take her into the New World, she'll fall apart mid-voyage. You want her to sink with us on her? You want her to die like that?"
"I DON'T WANT HER TO DIE AT ALL!"
"NEITHER DO I! BUT WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE?"
The silence that followed echoed deeper than the shouts itself, calling forth the attention of almost everyone on the deck, prompting them to come out and witness what was happening.
While Nami was standing frozen beside them, unsure whether to step in or stay still. She had never seen Usopp's face like that.. raw and twisted in something deeper than just anger. His hands were shaking.
"I already thought I lost you," Usopp whispered, voice cracking. "Back at the marine base. When you—when you weren't breathing. When I didn't even know about it. I had almost lost you. And now... you want to take Merry too?"
Luffy's gaze dropped. "Usopp..."
"She's all I have left from that place," Usopp said. "She's the only thing that made me feel like I belonged here in the beginning. And now you're saying she's not good enough anymore?"
"I'm not saying that—"
"Yes, you are!" Usopp snapped.
Luffy frowned. "Usopp. I get it. I know she's important to you. She's important to all of us. But I'm the captain. I have to think about all of you. I have to make choices that keep you safe. And if that means getting a new ship, then—"
"Then what?" Usopp asked bitterly. "Then we just forget her? Dump her at the dock and walk away? Like she was never part of this crew?"
"No! We don't forget her. We honor her." Luffy stated firmly.
Usopp scoffed. "You're saying that like it's some funeral speech."
Luffy didn't answer.
Usopp's breath started to stutter. "You can't take her away from me," he said again, softer now. "Not after everything. Not after... not after almost losing you."
"Usopp…"
"No," he said, the word quivering. "No, I–I can't do this."
He turned suddenly, storming past Nami before she could reach out, his sandals pounding the deck.
Nami's eyes widened. "Usopp–"
But he was already halfway to the men's quarters, shouldering the door open and slamming it behind him.
.
The door shut with a clack. It wasn't too loud. It wasn't angry. It was just.. there as a culmination of Usopp's ceasing patience. It just clicked shut behind him with the softest this–final, quiet, almost reverent–and Usopp reached out with trembling fingers to lock it, not wanting anyone to invade his space at the moment. He stood there, his back resting against the fine wood of the door. But his legs were too weak to trust.
The room was empty of people. It was quiet except for the gentle sway of the ship and the soft rustle of the hammocks above. Zoro's bedroll was empty. Sanji's jacket hung over the side of his bunk. The tools were neatly tucked away in a crate by the wall. Everything looked so normal. And yet everything felt so utterly broken..
But there were no Zoro's loud snores. No Sanji's mutterings about recipes. No Chopper rambling about their health and well being. No Luffy doing.. Luffy things. No one. It was just him and the silence. And somehow, maybe that was the worst part.
His eyes burned. His throat constricted. And before he even realized it, tears were already forming–blurring his vision, thick and hot. His jaw clenched tightly, trying to hold it back, to push it down, to force himself to think. Because..
'You have to think.'
'You have to fix this.'
But the tears weren't listening. They were spilling over, streaking his cheeks in wet, messy trails. He tried to niff it back, to breathe, to calm the aching panic storming through his chest.. But he couldn't and a sob escaped anyway.. A hiccup, ugly and raw, tore its way out of his throat. Another followed and soon the dam he was holding onto broke.
Usopp slid to the floor. His knees practically gave away and he crumpled, right there at the door with his back pressed to the wooden frame like a drowning man clinging to anything he could. He pulled his knees into his chest. He didn't care if the wood was cold or if his back arched. He just wanted to be small. Small enough that no one could see him. Small enough that maybe the pain in his chest would shrink away with him.
His hands covered his face, and soon, he was crying like a child.. Once again in the same cottage where he had lost his mother. Where he had to just smile and pretend that everything was okay. That he wasn't going to lose his mom. He had thought he wouldn't have to face that ever again. Because why would he? He never had the chance to get attached to his dad.. But he did get attached to Merry.. And he couldn't. He just couldn't. Because..
"S-She's not just a ship," Usopp cried. "Sh-she's n-not just.. Wood and nails and a st-steering p-pole. Sh-She's friend.. f-family.."
He knew that Luffy didn't mean it like that. Not really. But it didn't stop it from feeling like that. Like Merry was something disposable. Something to be outgrown. Something to use and throw later. And Usopp hated that thought even more. He hated how easily Luffy accepted it. He hated how Nami didn't utter a word! He hated how easily they would all accept Luffy's words! He hated thinking about how logical Nami would be about it. How Zoro would shrug and say, 'That's the way of things.' How Robin would offer that knowing, distant smile.
But most of all.. He hated how right Luffy sounded, because Usopp had heard it too. The creaks, the protests in Merry's hull when the wind hit her wrong, the way she groaned at night even when the sea was calm. He knew that she was hurting, and that he didn't know how to fix her, yet.
"C-Come on," Usopp gasped, pressing his palms to his eyes like that would make his tears stop and mind to whirl down a rabbit hole of insecurities. "Come on, Usopp, y-you gotta–hic–you gotta think!"
Usopp hiccupped again, his shoulders shaking. "Y-You gotta figure this out. You j-just need–need a plan. Anything. Ju-Just.. anything that'll–hic–let her stay! Ju-Just let her stay!"
His fingers clawed at his hair, yanking hard as if pain could ground him. As if that would be enough to make him not think about how distant Luffy sounded when he spoke about discarding Merry. "Y-You c-can learn, right? You'll study–study shipwright stuff! Y-You'll fix her, you'll make her better! Stronger! To face a-anything! Y-You can do it! Right!? Right?!"
But even as he said it, his voice cracked. Because he knew. He truly knew.
Even if they were going to Water 7, the place with the best shipwrights in the world, a place where someone could teach him, even a little.. so that he didn't have to be left behind in everything; Usopp knew that if he didn't do it.. there might be nothing left..
Because he wasn't like the others. He wasn't like Zoro, whose swords could cut anything at his command. He wasn't like Sanji, who could fight armies and cook three meals even before breakfast. He wasn't Nami, who danced with the weather like it was her partner. He wasn't Chopper, who saved lives with a touch and fought to his last breath. He wasn't Robin, whose knowledge was vast. He wasn't like Luffy, who could do anything he wanted.
He was just.. Usopp. The boy who cried wolf so often that people stopped believing the truth when it left his mouth. He was the scaredy cat who needed to be saved in each of his adversity. He was the comic relief when things got too serious. He was the boy with shaking knees and grand delusions of bravery.
But Merry was the only thing that made him feel like he belonged. She is the only thing that makes him feel like he belongs to the crew. She was Kaya's gift. His home. His anchor. His symbol of everything he couldn't say out loud.
So, how could he let her go? How could he leave her behind?
The memories of his time in Merry were crawling back too fast now.. Merry's deck at sunrise. The splendid view of the grand ocean at every sunset. Him, Chopper and Luffy laughing until their stomachs hurt. Zoro training in the bow. Sanji smoking beside the rail. Nami and Robin resting in the shade, reading or gossiping.
All of it. All of them. Together. On her. On Merry.
..How could he let that die?
Usopp sobbed harder, hugging himself, curling in on his own body as if he could keep the grief contained. His shoulder trembled violently, and the tears soaked into his shirt like rain.
"D-don't make me choose," he choked. "D-Don't make me choose between h-h-home and family. I–I can't.."
His voice fractured, breaking apart with the tears. "I don't wanna leave Luffy.. I don't wanna leave anyone.." His hand thudded weakly against the floor. "B-But I don't wanna leave Merry either. I can't–I don't wanna lose her. I can't lose–"
His breath hitched again. "Why can't I be enough?" the question spilled out like a leak in the hull, sudden, soft and unstoppable. "Why can't I be someone who's useful?" he whispered into his knees. "I don't wanna be the useless one anymore. I-I don't wanna be the one who always needs saving. J-just once, I wanna be the one who fixes something. Who saves someone. I wanna be enough for her. For you all."
His hands covered his ears. His tears were falling incessantly. His vision was blurred. There was an increasingly worrying tremble in his hands, which grew stronger and stronger. He felt like he was breaking too. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't..
"I c-can't.. I can't decide.. I can't–" He was unravelling. Right there, alone in the dark, he was breaking in the way Merry's hull had begun to groan–slow, quiet, but inevitable.
"Please.." he whispered. "I just wanna make it right." he didn't know who he was talking to. Whether it was to the ship, to the seas or to himself. "I just don't wanna lose her too," he practically begged. "I don't wanna lose anyone again."
He had already lost too much in his short life. His home. His mother. His father. His courage, time and time again. And Luffy.. Luffy who had died right in front of others and he wasn't even aware about it. Even though he had come back with his goofy grin, came back after defying death, he had left a scar open in Usopp's chest.. which had never been given the chance to heal since the beginning.
Was Usopp not enough?
A startled laugh echoed through his throat, with him knowing the answer beforehand. After all, he was never enough. Isn't that why dad left for sea without him and mom? Isn't that why his mom faded away? Isn't that why the villagers never showed an ounce of care to an orphaned boy?! Isn't that why he is now here, in this position, thinking about Merry and calculating his useless worth.
Because if he would have been worth even something, Luffy would have considered talking to him before making the decision of abandoning Merry. But he didn't! Because Usopp, the liar, the troublemaker, wasn't worth it–
Usopp jolted all of a sudden. Because in the corner of his eyes.. there was a figure. Small. Childlike. Shrouded in an oversized yellow raincoat that hung low over their hands and feet, and the hood casting their face in complete shadow. But they were crying. Their shoulders were shaking silently, and even without sound, the tears were real. The grief was real.
Usopp's heart stopped. His heart ached. He rubbed at his eyes with both fists, blinking hard. And when he looked again, the figure was gone. The corner was empty. There was no child wearing a raincoat. There were just shadows and stillness. But Usopp still was frozen as he heard the soft, slow footsteps across the floorboards.
Usopp's breath hitched. He should've been terrified. He should've–
But he wasn't. Because the sound wasn't threatening. It was.. Familiar. The kind of creak Merry made when you walked too fast on her starboard side. The one near the hatch by the bench where Luffy always napped. Then something else.
A shift in the air. A gentle pressure against his back. Warmth. Arms. Hugging him. He froze. Then slowly, achingly, his own arms reached out and wrapped around empty air. But it wasn't empty. Not to him. He buried his face into the nothingness and sobbed like a child.
"D-Don't go," he whispered. "Please don't go. I-I don't wanna lose you. I-I don't wanna you to leave us."
His fingers curled tighter around the ghost.
"I'll miss you so much. I'm already missing you. I–I don't know who I'll be without you. I don't wanna be lost. I don't wanna lose the only place I've ever called home."
The air didn't shift. The arms didn't vanish. The spirit just held him, quiet and soft and there. He knew who it was. There was no doubt anymore.
"I'm so sorry. I-I am so sorry.. I-I am so sorry.."
.
Meanwhile, outside on the deck, everyone was out by now, except Usopp.
Nami was standing with her arms crossed tightly across her chest, her brows drawn in frustration, with strands of her orange hair flicking in the salty breeze. She wasn't shocked anymore, but the tension in her voice was unmistakable.
"You can't just say things like that, Luffy," she snapped, her tone clipped. "You can't decide the fate of this ship without everyone's opinion."
Luffy stood a few feet away, leaning against the railing, arms folded, jaw tight. His strawhat was tilted just enough to shadow his eyes. "I didn't decide anything," he muttered. "I just.. said the truth."
Nami stepped towards him. "Even if that is the truth, it's not something you get to declare on your own. This is Merry we are talking about! She's ours. She's family. That decision isn't just yours to make.. It's all of ours. As a crew!"
"I know that!" Luffy snapped back, finally looking up. "You think I want this! That I like saying it?!"
The sudden raise in his voice made the others turn.
Zoro was leaning against the mast, his arms folded and eyes shut before, but they were opened now. Robin's book had long since been abandoned on the barrel beside her as she watched the scene unfold in silence. Sanji, still wearing his apron, had paused at the galley door, one hand frozen on a ladle. Chopper stood beside him, hugging a cushion to his chest with trembling arms, big glassy eyes which were already threatening to spill tears.
"I know Merry means a lot," Luffy went on, voice softer now but still filled with strain. "She means a lot to me, too."
Zoro moved then, stepping forward with slow, steady boots. He stopped beside Luffy and looked out at the sea for a moment before speaking.
"I'm with him," Zoro said simply.
Nami turned, her mouth already opening to protest, but Zoro cut her off.
"You all think he doesn't feel it," the swordsman said, voice low, deliberate. "But you're wrong. Luffy may not show it the way Usopp does, but this ship, our Merry, means a lot to him too." Zoro had seen Luffy talking to the empty air, every night. He had seen the guy hug nothing while grinning.. almost as if he could see the spirits.. maybe Merry's… That's why Zoro knew how much Merry meant to Luffy. She's nakama. She's irreplaceable. So, for Luffy to take the decision, he had to have thought a lot.
Luffy didn't say anything to that. He didn't need to.
Chopper sniffled. "But... Merry is still okay, isn't she?" he asked, voice trembling. "She's still floating. She still sails."
"Barely," Sanji murmured, stepping closer. "She creaks even when the sea's calm. I keep hearing her strain at night, even when there's no wind."
"She's... tired," Robin added gently. "Ships, like people, have limits."
"She's not just a ship," Nami whispered, her eyes burning. "She's Merry. She carried us through everything. She saved our lives."
"And she'll keep saving them," Zoro said, not unkindly. "But not if she breaks apart in the middle of a storm."
Luffy didn't speak. He just listened. Every word fell heavier on his shoulders. He could feel the crew's feelings. He could feel Merry's sadness, but her acceptance too.
Nami turned to face the rest of them. "Then what? Do we just give her up? She's sea-worthy. She made it this far. Water 7 has the best shipwrights in the world. Can't we fix her up there? Reinforce her? We don't have to replace her."
Robin's voice was calm, measured. "And if they tell us she's beyond saving?"
"Then we don't believe it," Nami said stubbornly, but even as she said it, her voice wavered.
Sanji sighed and lit a cigarette, the flame from the match flickering in the dusk. "We should be careful. But we can't miss this chance. Water 7's not just a pit stop. It's the place to ask questions like this. To know for sure."
Chopper rubbed at his eyes. "But I don't want a new ship," he said softly. "I want Merry. She's... warm. She feels like home. She is home."
Nami looked down. Her fists clenched by her sides.
"Even if we do get a new ship," Sanji said, exhaling smoke slowly, "It's not like we'll ever forget Merry. That doesn't go away."
The deck fell into silence again.
Zoro looked to Luffy, who hadn't moved from his spot.
The captain's hands were clenched at his sides. His jaw was tight, and his eyes, shadowed under the brim of his hat, were unreadable.
"I don't like it either," Luffy said finally. His voice was low. "But I am the captain and I have to think about all of you. I'm not saying this because I want to replace Merry. I'm saying it because I don't want anyone to die."
"But this isn't right," Nami said, loud and sharp, and everyone turned to her. "We shouldn't even be having this conversation, not without Usopp!"
The silence that followed was thick. Sanji shifted his weight. Chopper looked down at his feet.
But that is when, as if in cue, the door to the men's quarters creaked open. And out stepped Usopp. His eyes were red. His face was puffy, cheeks still damp with barely dried tears. His steps were slow, uncertain, but his shoulders were squared with all the bravery he could summon.
He had heard everything. He just walked toward the group, and it felt like everyone was holding their breath.
"I…" he started, then stopped. He looked at Luffy, then down at the deck, then up at Merry's mast. "I don't want to lose her," he said, voice rough with strain. "She's… she's my home. She's the only thing I have left from back then. From Kaya. From everything."
No one dared to interrupt him.
"But…" he swallowed hard. "I know she's hurting. I know she's not… strong enough. Not anymore. I heard it too. I felt her.. crying."
Luffy looked at him, eyes wide, and opened his mouth to speak, but Usopp raised a hand.
"I'm not saying I agree. But I'm not stupid. I know we might not have a choice," Usopp continued, as he looked at Luffy directly now. "But if we do get a new ship, then promise me something."
Luffy blinked. "Anything for you Usopp."
Usopp's lip trembled. "Don't get rid of her. Not completely. Keep a part of her. In the new ship. Let her… be with us. Let her retire properly. Let her rest. Somewhere safe."
Luffy's expression softened, and then he nodded slowly. "I promise."
Usopp looked away quickly, blinking hard, and Chopper began to sob openly.
"We'll never forget her," Nami said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Usopp's arm. "Not ever."
The crew stood in a quiet ring around the mast. No one said a word. Not Zoro, whose arms were crossed. Not Chopper, who had buried his face in Sanji's jacket. Even Robin had closed her book, fingers still resting on the pages like she didn't quite want to let go of what came before.
Luffy stood beside Usopp, his promise still ringing in Usopp's ears, making him cry, even though he tried to man up. He was about to say something when suddenly the water lurched and a strange and sudden shift beneath them caught their attention.
"What was that?" Nami asked sharply, already moving toward the port rail.
"I-Is it a Sea King?!" Chopper asked with wide eyes.
"No," Robin said calmly, but her eyes narrowed at the part of the ocean. "Not a creature like that."
Zoro's fingers twitched near his swords. "But something is coming."
Luffy turned toward the bow, his gaze narrowing toward the sea ahead. "It's a massive frog!"
A frog with scars throughout his mottled green and gold skin, thick limbs cutting through the water, and it's face set with a strange, comical determination. But the strange part was that he was swimming, not randomly, but toward something, towards a specific direction.. as if it had a mission to accomplish.
"A frog?" Usopp gawked.
"It's not just a frog," Luffy said, eyes sharpening. "It's trying to get somewhere."
Suddenly, something else.. something with a metal glint, long and dark was moving towards them. Something man-made, something that didn't have any life yet was moving.
"What the hell is that thing? A sea train?" Nami gasped, her voice incredulous. "Running on the sea?"
The track stretched far across the surface of the water, metallic grooves rising just above the waves. And charging down it, billowing clouds of steam in its wake, was a long train of dark metal, carriages rumbling with power, its engine belching fire and thunder.
The frog roared, it actually roared, and began swimming directly toward the track.
Chopper clung to the railing. "Is it trying to... stop the train?!"
"It's gonna get hit!" Sanji shouted, grabbing his cigarette and tossing it aside as he leaned out beside Luffy.
Luffy's mouth opened in shock, eyes wide. "No, no—!"
The train didn't stop. It didn't even consider slowing down. It just kept moving and with a burst of speed, it slammed into the frog's side with a crash that echoed across the water. The impact sent up a geyser of seawater and mist, and the frog's massive form was flung sideways into the ocean like a ragdoll.
"Yokozuna!" Luffy gasped, panic flashing across his face.
"Y-Yoko-what?" Usopp sputtered.
"That frog! It's called Yokozuna!" Luffy shouted, breath shallow, already stepping onto the railing like he was going to jump.
"LUFFY!" Nami barked, grabbing his arm. "We don't even know if that thing's alive! We'll find land first before you go jumping into the sea after a frog!"
But Luffy's eyes were locked on the place where Yokozuna had vanished beneath the surface. His fists were clenched, jaw set. He wanted to check if the frog was okay, if the cool frog was still alive! But before he could do any of it, his mother's soft and amused voice cut through his blind panic, which hadn't let him focus on the frog.
"Don't worry, baby. He's fine. That stubborn frog's been doing that for years."
Luffy blinked. The panic in his shoulders faded. He released the railing and stepped back onto the deck, his voice breathy but relieved.
"He's okay. He's fine," Luffy answered half of the crew's worry.
Chopper clung to the side, wide-eyed. "Y-You're sure?"
"Yeah." Luffy nodded. "He's tougher than he looks."
And true to his words, the moment the steam thinned and the churning waters began to settle, the frog rose up once again and started swimming to the other direction as if nothing had happened. The only tell-tale sign of something happening was the new scars in his body.
But there also came a lighthouse in the view. It was short and squat, almost like a very small mass of land in the middle of the seas, built of salt-stained brick with moss curling up its sides and smoke trailing lazily from a pipe stuck at an odd angle near the top.
And there were people out there!
As they approached the dock, the figures became clearer. A stocky old woman with short grey hair and a wide grin, puffing from a long metal pipe. Beside her stood a girl with wild green hair and a gap-toothed smile, waving enthusiastically with both hands. A creature sat beside her, which was white puffball that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a raccoon in a cat costume.
Luffy jumped off the ship before it fully docked, landing with a grin. "Yo!"
The woman cackled. "Now there's a voice full o' trouble. Welcome, kids. Name's Kokoro. That's Chimney—my granddaughter—and that thing's Gonbe. He's a cat."
The Strawhat pirates stared at the welcoming woman and her granddaughter and their pet, which was obviously a rabbit dressed as a raccoon and presented as a cat.
Chimney waved harder. "HI!! Didja see the frog? That was Yokozuna!"
"You know that giant frog?!" Usopp asked as he leapt onto the dock, eyes still wide from the earlier trauma.
"Sure do," Kokoro puffed her pipe. "He's been challenging that train for years. Thinks he can stop it. So far, he's lost every time."
"The sea train?" Nami stepped forward, arms folded.
"Aye. The Puffing Tom," Kokoro nodded, turning to look toward the horizon where the engine smoke still lingered. "Sea train. Runs all along special rails across the sea. Been in service for years now. Real useful, even if it smashes the occasional amphibian."
"He's really okay?" Chopper questioned with wide, innocent eyes.
"Yokozuna's tougher," Kokoro said with a grin. "He'll be fine. Pride might be bruised, but that's it."
Robin's eyes sparkled with interest. "A sea train… fascinating. I've only read bits of it. Never thought I'd see it in person."
"The train goes to many places," Kokoro continued, scratching behind her ear. "Water 7, St. Poplar, San Faldo, Pucci. One track even leads to an island only government officials are allowed to go. Heavily guarded."
"Spooky," Sanji muttered, not hiding his distaste.
"But for now," Kokoro gestured toward the path ahead, "you lot are heading to Water 7, yeah? It's just down that way. Follow the dock. And keep your eyes peeled. The sea changes fast, even around here."
Nami glanced at her Log Pose, and for the first time in hours, it shifted ever so slightly, pointing straight ahead.
"Water 7, City of Water," Luffy stated with a grin. "Let's go."