章 67: Going Merry

The Going Merry set about on its way. Pepperjack the shipwright went about doing an inspection of the damage, clicking his tongue with annoyance often and complained. "You guys are almost as rough on your ship as Foxy is on his..."

Old man Wacko began singing a song.

"When the course is laid and the anchor's weighed

A sailor's blood begins racing

With our hearts unbound and our flag unfurled

We're on our way and off to see the world!" He sang.

"I've never heard this one before, have any of you?" Usopp asked. The others shook their heads.

A little while later, Pepperjack came up from below deck with a complicated look.

"I have some bad news, Captain." He said.

The others could tell this wasn't a minor problem from his face and tone.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"The keel of the Going Merry has sustained heavy damage. I can do a patch job that will get us to Water 7, but it's inevitable that she's going to sink." Pepperjack explained grimly.

"T-that's not true, you're lying to us! I bet you're still loyal to Foxy, aren't you?!" Usopp shouted enraged.

"We've been traveling with the Going Merry all this time, we're going to fix her no matter what!" Luffy was adamant.

"You don't have to believe me. Water 7 has the best shipwrights in the world, so if anyone could fix a broken keel, it's them. Still I doubt even they can do it." Pepperjack stately plainly.

"Ah! Cherry, you could repair the Merry's keel with your devil fruit, couldn't you? Like you did with the barrel boat?" Nami asked.

Cherry looked at the other Straw Hats silently for a moment, seeing the desperation in their eyes. "I'm sure that I can."

Sighs of relief came from them all.

"However, you're all missing the big picture." Cherry stamped out their hope.

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked, clearly offended.

"The Going Merry is an old ship, and she was built for sailing the East Blue, the tamest of all the oceans. She just isn't cut out for sailing the Grand Line. If you insist on doing so, it will only be a matter of time before you send her to a watery grave." Cherry explained.

Cherry's words stabbed directly at their hearts. Even Usopp who was almost steaming with anger at the notion of leaving the Going Merry behind, could not refute her. After all, hadn't the Going Merry almost sunk after only coming this far? The journey would only get more treacherous the further they went.

"Merry doesn't want to hold you back. Or worse, drag you down to the bottom of the ocean alongside her." Cabernet said, running her hand along a railing.

"What would you know?!" Usopp lashed out.

"Just as Chopper can talk to animals, because at his core he is also an animal. Cabernet too, can talk to other ships, because she is also a ship at her core." Cherry said in a cold tone that told Usopp he should back off.

"I- I need to be alone for a while..." Usopp stalked off, not knowing what to do with the emotions he was feeling.

The other Straw Hats were silently somber, taking in this new revelation.

"I'll go with Pepperjack to do the repairs. This might be the end of Merry's adventure alongside you, but it won't be the end of her own travels." Cherry said, going with the burly middle aged man below deck.

As the Straw Hats went about their business in silence, old man Wacko did the only thing he knew to do. He got out his banjo.

"Why are there so many

Songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?" He sang.

...

The next few days seemed to stretch into forever due to the sullen mood of the crew.

Ultimately, however, these people just didn't have it in them to stay depressed and were back to their boisterous nature.

Old man Wacko knew a wide variety of songs they had never heard before and strangely enough couldn't do any of the popular sea shanties.

Another few days passed by and they had come to terms with the fact that it was time to buy a new ship, even Usopp who had held out the longest had accepted it.

They ended up chasing a strange frog with hair doing a freestyle stroke towards a small island with a lighthouse atop it.

Cherry was the first to hear the machine moving swiftly towards the island, but did not realize the danger until it was too late to stop.

Instead the barreled forward, hitting something in the water and leaving the path of the passing sea train. The frog stopped on the track and was hit directly by the train.

"Damn it, we just fixed her up!" Pepperjack was annoyed and went below deck grumbling to himself.

"Granny, it's terrible! There are pirates!" A little girl in pigtails shouted towards a stumbling old woman.

"Oh no! Really, Chimney?!" The old woman shouted. "Er, what were you yelling about again?" *burp*

Sanji got some sobering food for the old woman who was obviously far too drunk. Though she insisted on drinking more while eating it.

"I'm Chimney, this is my cat Gonbe (actually a rabbit), and this is my Granny Kokoro!" Chimney introduced excitedly.

"What was that steam powered boat, Chimney?" Nami asked.

"That was the Puffing Tom, the world's first sea train! It runs along the rails their between islands!" She explained.

They talked about the sea train some more, it's destinations, as well as how the frog Yokojina was constantly damaging the train with his foolhardiness.

They told Granny Kokoro they were going to Water 7 for a new ship and hopefully a more permanent shipwright to join their crew. Pepperjack had expressed that he'd like to retire from his sailing days, after all, and where better to do it than the home of the Galley La Company?

"By the way, Kokoro, I have a question that might be a bit rude." Cherry said.

"Go ahead and ask, I'm as thick skinned as they come, N-gagaga!" Kokoro laughed.

"What's up with your body?" Cherry rubbed her chin with scholarly interest.

"What the hell, Cherry?! That's more than a 'bit' rude!" Nami said.

"No, not like that." Cherry assured she wasn't judging her. "I mean to say that you're clearly not a devil fruit user, but it seems like your body can transform in some manner?"

"So that's what you mean! You're quite the perceptive one aren't-cha?! N-gagaga!" Kokoro said. "You're right, I'm a mermaid you see. I can change my legs into my tail and vice versa."

Sanji had one of his dreams shattered into little pieces instantly.

"I see! You're the first mermaid I've met! I didn't know they could change their tails into legs." Cherry nodded with a friendly smile, quite satisfied with the rare find.

"Well, only older mermaids are able to do so. The younger mermaids have just their tails." Kokoro said, guzzling more rum.

"Since you're going to Water 7, and as thanks for the food and good company, I'll give you this map of Water 7 and my written recommendation. Just give the recommendation to Iceberg, he's an old drinking buddy of mine, so he'll get you sorted out! N-gagaga!" She handed over some papers.

"""Thanks for the help!""" The Straw Hats thanked her.

"Sure thing, let's go drinking some time! N-gagaga!" Kokoro and Chimney waved goodbye.

"Yeah, there's no way I'm going drinking with her. I get into enough trouble by myself when I'm drunk." Chery joked as they sailed away.

"Really? I didn't have you figured as a bad drunk." Robin said.

"Hehe, well the last time I got wasted, I woke up in a princess' bed and had spent every Beri to my name to have Cabernet built. So I guess it isn't all bad." Cherry said.

For some reason Robin felt that she couldn't let Cherry get drunk no matter what, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Sanji recovered from his despair somewhat after hearing that. "...Nice..."

"We'll reach Water 7 soon, so I'll have a look at this map... Hm, I see. IT'S USELESS!" Nami shouted, throwing the crudely drawn map on the ground.

"You'll find your way well enough, Miss Navigator. It's your specialty." Robin assured her.

コメント 10のコメント

投票

章 68: Water 7

They docked the Going Merry on an out of the way cape outside of Water 7 on the advice of an old man who was rather nonchalant in asking whether they were here to steal or not.

Old man Wacko and Pepperjack said goodbye to the Straw Hats and went their own ways.

Nami, Usopp, and Luffy took some of their gold to exchange for Beri. Cherry and Cabernet came along to do the same for their own gold.

Zoro and Serene stayed on the Going Merry.

Chopper and Robin went to explore, Cherry figured she would meet up with them a bit later.

Sanji on his own went to purchase supplies.

Walking through the city, Cherry picked up on the latest gossip. She learned there was going to be a big masquerade in San Faldo soon, which could be reached by sea train.

'Hmm, I'd like to check that out. The anonymity is sure to draw some interesting characters and that makes it the perfect place to hold an underworld auction.' Cherry thought.

Cherry also took note of the fact that there were 3 other devil fruit users within Water 7. She made a point to keep an eye on these individuals.

Nami negotiated with the appraiser for the Beri she would receive for her treasure. She managed to squeeze 500 million Beri out of him remarkably.

She took her briefcases of cash from the man. "Do you need help with your exchange, Cherry?"

"No, I have it handled." Cherry said, then she piled up twice the amount of gold onto the appraiser's table.

The man's eyes shone with greed, then he looked up and met Cherry's eyes. In that instant he witnessed his entire life flash before his eyes.

Under Cherry's lifeless gaze, he went over each piece she had placed before him, sweating profusely all the while.

"I-" He gulped. "I-I'll give you 1.3 B-Billion Beri..."

He had only dared to leave a few percent of the value for his profit, lest he enrage the demon before him.

Cherry's maintained her cold eye contact with him for a few moments that felt like an eternity for the poor appraiser. Then she smiled sweetly at him. "Deal."

Cherry stuffed the money into Cabernet's chest cavity and left the building where the others were waiting.

"Tsk! Why did I have to be born so cute? If I had your eyes, I wouldn't even have to haggle..." Nami lamented.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, we're being 'secretly' tailed by some amateurs. So don't leave your money unattended." Cherry warned. Luffy looked around in an obvious fashion, earning a fist from Nami and Usopp each.

""Don't let them know that we know!"" They loudly whispered.

Cherry decided to come along with them to the Galley La shipyard. Partly out of interest towards the supposed best shipyard in the world, but mostly because two of the devil fruit users were in that general area.

After a bit of hassle finding their way through the water ways, they finally managed to reach the Galley La shipyard.

Luffy, always the free spirit, tried to clamber over a fence clearly meant to keep non-employees out.

A man appeared out of nowhere in front of Luffy and stopped him with a tap on his head.

Cherry's pupils contracted. 'Those fingers are dangerous! And that movement technique, I'm pretty sure it's the same as that idiot who tried to sneak onto the Going Merry at Alabasta, only much, much better.'

Luffy wasn't at all nervous about or even aware that the man in front of him was a highly trained assassin.

"I'm afraid you're not allowed in here, young man. Employees only, let's talk outside." The man said, speaking a bit like an old man despite his youth.

"We're here to buy a new ship. Our old ship just can't take the punishment the Grand Line throws at her. Oh, and we have a recommendation from Kokoro to give to someone called Iceburg." Nami spoke her purpose plainly.

"Mrs. Kokoro, huh? Yep, this is her handwriting for sure. Oh, you can call me Kaku, by the way." Kaku said, handing back the paper.

He explained that Iceburg was the mayor and president of the Galley La company, so it may take some time to meet him as he's very busy.

"I'll go take a look at your ship. It'll be handy to know what you've got right now when addressing your needs in the new ship." Kaku said, then he was off, racing across the city.

"He's very convincing." Cherry spoke softly so only the others could hear him.

"What do you mean? Was he lying to us?" Usopp asked, concern visible on his face.

"Not really lying per se, more like pretending. That man is a world government assassin. And a damned good one at that. He could have poked a hole into Luffy's head just then if he'd wanted to." Cherry's words shocked them to the core. Luffy rubbed his forehead.

"What do we do?!" Usopp asked in fear.

"Well first of all, stop trembling like a newborn reindeer, it's suspicious. Second, he's not after us. He should be undercover for some mission of his." Cherry said, slapping Usopp on the back.

What are you guys whispering about? I'm hope your not looking to start any trouble, my shipwrights are perfectly capable of defending themselves." A man said as he approached with a secretary following behind him.

Cherry saw that the secretary was one of the 3 devil fruit users on Water 7, excluding her own group of course. She had a funny feeling about her.

"Is the report finished, Kalifa?" He asked the secretary.

"Yes, Mr. Iceburg. Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro, Nico Robin, and Cabernet. All together worth 489 million Beri. Most of them started in East Blue, but Cabernet's origins are unknown." Kalifa stated matter of factly.

Iceburg introduced himself and his new pet mouse, Tyrannosaurus.

Kalifa told him about his busy schedule, to which he replied that he "Didn't wanna!" and she canceled all of it.

After Luffy bluntly stated that he wasn't very reliable. Kalifa seemed to be angered by the disrespect and launched kicks at everything around her, though most of it only landed on Iceburg.

'Ah! There it is, that funny feeling I had. She's also a world government assassin, she even uses the same martial arts as that Kaku guy! She hides it very well, to constantly maintain an altered footwork and all that. Shame you had to go and reveal everything to me, and not just your panties, hehehe.' Cherry was satisfied to have found her answer so soon, though she showed no outward reaction to this revelation.

When Cherry came out of her thoughts she noticed something. "Hey, guys. I just told you not to leave your money unattended..."

"""Huh?!""" Nami, Usopp, and Luffy swiveled around to see a bunch of funny lookin fellowed rooting through the briefcases that Luffy and Usopp had set down.

Cherry didn't move to help them, as she felt it would be a good lesson to learn.

"The Franky family, huh?" Iceburg muttered.

The Franky family goons ran off with the suitcases, but were intercepted by one of the shipwrights, Paulie. When he realized there was money in the briefcases, though, he tried to run away with them too.

"Leave it to me." A man with a pigeon on his shoulder stopped Luffy from chasing after and disappeared, only to reappear on the boat and apprehend Paulie.

'Wow, another assassin. He's the other devil fruit user as well. A Zoan from the looks of it. I wonder if they're working with/for Iceburg, or if he's the target? Target is the most likely option, as they would be more spread out otherwise, I'd think.' Cherry thought.

Cherry sensed something else happening on the other side of the city at this moment. The third devil fruit user passed by Robin, then she followed them leaving Chopper behind.

'Now what's going on over there? This day is turning out to be very busy. Well, I'll just keep and eye on her, she's a big girl now so she can handle herself.' Cherry sighed inwardly.

コメント 11のコメント

投票