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"Wow!!!!!"
As the first rays of the morning sun illuminated the harbor, Luffy, the first to arrive, let out an excited cry of joy.
His eyes sparkled like stars as he stared at the three-masted ship docked before him—the one with the adorable sheep figurehead. Overcome with excitement, he stretched out his arms and hugged the sheep's head tightly.
With a light bounce, he landed right on top of the figurehead, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey! A pirate ship... my pirate ship!!!"
Luffy lay sprawled out across the bow in a carefree "大" shape, as if floating on water, taking in the familiar scent of the ship.
Soon after, under the guidance of Merry, Red and the others arrived at the port one after another.
"Hey, is this our pirate ship? It looks surprisingly good!"
Zoro, carrying his heavy workout equipment, dropped a massive metal weight onto the ground with a loud bang! before glancing at the ship with satisfaction.
At that moment, Merry and Miss Kaya stepped forward with warm smiles, ready to introduce the ship.
"Though its design is a bit old-fashioned, I spent several years perfecting this ship!" Merry said proudly.
"The frame structure is a center-stern dinghy with a jib sail."
"Its name is..."
"GOING MERRY!!!"
"The Merry?!"
Luffy, still lying on the bow, lifted his head and beamed brightly.
"What a great name!"
"Merry!!!"
He gently patted the sheep figurehead, as if speaking to the ship itself.
Meanwhile, Red took in the sight of the fully built Merry, a flicker of emotion flashing in his eyes.
A memory surfaced.
A scene forever etched in his heart—
The vast sea, the Merry engulfed in flames, bidding its final farewell to the Straw Hats...
Even after all these years, rewatching that moment in a video clip would still bring tears to his eyes.
But this time...
'Don't worry, Merry!'
'This time, I won't let history repeat itself!!!'
Red swore silently.
At the same time, he couldn't help but look forward to the moment when the ship spirit of the Merry would appear. If possible, could he even take Merry into the game world? Maybe level up and learn Pokémon moves...
After all, there were plenty of Ghost-type Pokémon in the Pokémon world, many of which shared similarities with ship spirits.
The excitement of getting a new ship spread among the crew.
Everyone busily loaded supplies onto the Merry, preparing for the journey ahead.
The sun was shining, the breeze was gentle—it was the perfect weather to set sail!
Standing at the ship's railing, Usopp waved energetically, bidding farewell to Kaya and the three members of the Usopp Pirates.
"Goodbye, Miss Kaya!!!"
"I'll definitely become a brave warrior of the sea!!!"
"And..."
"While I'm away, you three must protect Miss Kaya for me!!!"
"Don't worry, Captain Usopp!"
The bittersweet feeling of parting filled the air, but soon, it would transform into longing, carried away by the sea breeze.
Luffy stood in the captain's spot, hands on his hips, brimming with excitement.
"Wow hahaha... Alright, crew!!!"
"Set sail!!!"
"Ohhh!!!"
The Straw Hats cheered in unison.
Usopp's carefully drawn pirate flag, a symbol of their adventure, fluttered proudly from the highest mast.
Under Nami's skilled navigation, the Merry turned its bow toward the vast open sea.
For some reason...
This voyage felt more exhilarating than any before!
Luffy sat atop the sheep's head, enjoying the sea breeze as it rustled through his open shirt. From the moment he first laid eyes on the Merry until now, a wide grin had been plastered on his face, never once fading.
Meanwhile, Zoro had made his way to the training area at the stern of the ship. As he continued his physical training, his mind wandered back to the concept of iron-cutting and swordsmanship—something Red had reminded him of earlier.
His master, Koshiro, had spoken of these things long ago, but back then, his swordsmanship hadn't been refined enough to grasp them fully.
However, after his battle with Kuro and through the catalysis of Pokémon energy, he felt as though he was beginning to understand something—just barely.
Frowning in concentration, he carefully contemplated this realization.
Not far from Zoro, Red leaned against the ship's railing, subtly controlling the waves to help push the Merry forward.
There was no other choice—he was the only one in the crew who knew surfing techniques.
That automatically made him the designated "wave generator."
Fortunately, after enough practice, he had learned to create small, controlled waves without exerting too much effort.
At that moment, he carefully placed a newly developed photograph into his collection.
It was a picture of the Straw Hat crew, taken just before their departure, as they stood near the Merry to commemorate their new companions.
In the photo, everyone's eyes shone with excitement and anticipation for the future.
Red had asked Merry, the housekeeper, to take the picture before they set sail.
As for Usopp and Nami...
One was in the cabin, studying the Clima-Tact, while the other stood on the observation deck, keeping watch over the sea with a telescope.
Not long after leaving Syrup Village, Nami's urgent voice rang out from above.
"Something's happening! You guys, get over here, quick!"
"Hmm?"
Hearing Nami's call, everyone instinctively turned their attention toward her.
Luffy, who had been lazily enjoying the wind, perked up.
Zoro paused his training.
Red, who had been using Ancient Power to refine his energy, opened his eyes.
Even Usopp, deep in his cabin with blueprints in hand, set them aside and curiously peeked outside.
From her vantage point, Nami held up her telescope and pointed toward the horizon.
"Look over there!"
"There's a ship!"
"It's a pirate ship!!!"
"Oh?!"
Luffy's excitement spiked as he hopped onto the bow of the ship, squinting to catch a glimpse.
Pirates didn't necessarily hold camaraderie for one another just because they were fellow pirates.
In fact, quite the opposite was often true...
Two pirate ships meeting at sea could very well be the precursor to battle!
But just then, Nami shouted again:
"Wait! That pirate flag... It looks familiar!"
"That's the Black Cat Pirates' flag!"
"Oh!?"
Red walked to the bow and saw a distant black dot on the horizon, gradually growing larger.
A grin spread across his face.
"Interesting... Kuro is already dead, yet they still dare to show up here?"
"Well, at least this saves Miss Kaya the trouble of hiring a bounty hunter."
Noticing Luffy practically bouncing with excitement, Red gave the ship's bow a light pat.
"Hey, Luffy, it's just a bunch of low-level pirates—aren't you a little too eager?"
"What!?"
Luffy turned to Red, grinning ear to ear.
"Of course I'm excited! This is our first real battle at sea!"
No matter what it was, a first was always thrilling.
But Red shook his head.
"Forget it... If the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates personally took on a group of nobodies, it'd be embarrassing to tell anyone!"
Instead, he smirked and suggested, "Why don't we use this opportunity to test the combat skills of our new recruits?"
"New recruits?"
Zoro, having just walked over, raised an eyebrow.
"You mean... Nami and Usopp?"
Red chuckled.
"You're forgetting someone, Zoro."
"It's not just Nami and Usopp..."
He turned toward the ship and grinned.
"It's also Merry!"