บท 124: Merry's Abilities
Zoro and others rushed inside the storage room where they saw Liam and Luffy holding a small girl in their arms. Liam was the one holding her while Luffy was trying to get her from Liam's arms.
It's just that Liam wasn't giving her to Luffy.
Surprisingly, this girl looked really small, like a child at the age of seven or eight. She had beautiful skin with glowing round eyes. Her hair was green and there were two green pupils in her eyes.
She wore a green dress and she was showing a beautiful smile on her face while resting on Liam's arms.
"Merry!"
It didn't take others to realize who this girl was. They screamed at the same time and rushed toward hers.
"She is really Merry, but how can you touch her?" Usopp rushed toward her and screamed. He was the one who loved Merry the most so obviously, he felt it the most surprising to hold her.
"Usopp!"
When Merry saw him, her eyes widened as she tried to escape Liam's arms and hug Usopp.
Liam reluctantly let her go as she jumped into Usopp's arms but she was so heavy that she pushed Usopp to the ground.
"Hahaha! Usopp, you can't remain weak anymore otherwise you can't even hold Merry." Seeing this, Liam didn't know why but felt extremely happy so he instantly teased Usopp.
"So cute!"
Nami screamed as she rushed to hug Merry. Surprisingly, Merry didn't refuse and let Nami hug her. But, Nami wasn't able to lift Merry.
"Liam, Merry should be Ship Spirit, right? How is she a physical body?" Robin who was the most calm person on the ship looked at Liam and asked.
"I don't know." Liam genuinely didn't know.
"I know. I know." Merry excitedly raised her hand, wanting to explain everything to the crew. Her behavior made everyone in the crew smile.
She was like a child wanting to show off.
But, they were happy to see that. When everyone nodded their heads, Merry excitedly explained.
"I managed to create this body with the help of wood. When everyone suddenly passed out, I was extremely unhappy and wanted to come out."
"Then, I suddenly came out. But, I realized that I couldn't touch any of you. So, I tried to find a way. I realized that I could not only manipulate water but also wood to a certain extent."
"I used my powers to grow a wooden body and then entered it. This body is just armor for me."
"Wow!"
Everyone looked at her with glowing eyes, especially Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy.
Armors and Robots were their favorite things so obviously they would get excited for it.
"So, Merry now can you tell us more about your powers? You already know our problem, right?" Liam calmly sat in front of Merry and asked.
Hearing this question, everyone else also walked in front of her and sat down. They were also curious about her situation.
Merry nodded her head and spoke.
"I know some of my abilities. I can't manipulate wood like water but I can grow it. There are two ways I can make Wood stronger. First is simply by using the nutrient of the water."
"Second is by absorbing the nutrient from the wood. I found that I can squeeze out the nutrient from not just wood but also other things but only wood can provide me pure nutrition."
Hearing her words, Liam's eyes lit up and he asked.
"Does that mean if you get enough nutrition, you can make your wood as strong as Treasure Tree Adam?"
"What is that?" Merry tilted her head in confusion and asked.
"Liam, Merry only knows things that we taught her, not the things that we haven't and even more the things that she hasn't seen." Robin reminded him from the side.
Liam nodded his head and continued.
"So, if you eat more nutrition, will this wood get stronger? Is it the growth of the wood or do you mean simply made it bigger?"
Merry nodded her head and spoke.
"I can do both. My current body is stronger than this wood simply because it was grown with the nutrition I provided. But, there is one problem."
"What?" Liam asked curiously.
"I don't know how to build a ship. I can make it grow bigger but I can only make changes that I can think of." Merry spoke with a sad expression.
"After all, you are a Shipwright. Merry, we will definitely find a Shipwright for you." Usopp turned his head toward Luffy while speaking.
Luffy nodded his head and said.
"Of course, we will definitely find a shipwright."
Suddenly, Zoro spoke.
"But, Shipwright will use different tools, right? Will it hurt you?"
Hearing this question, everyone instantly looked at Merry, waiting for the action.
If it truly hurts her, they would rather keep Merry small and use another ship as the transportation means.
"Nope! It won't hurt me at all unless that person uses something that you call Haki. But, as long as Luffy protects me with his Haki, nothing can hurt me. And even if it does, I can heal instantly."
Merry shook her head and answered with a big smile on her face.
"That's good!"
Everyone sighed a breath of relief and Liam suddenly thought of something.
"Wait, Devil Fruit users are affected by the seawater. Will this be a problem for you?"
Merry shook her cute head and said.
"No, I am using my ability to cover my hull with water. Thought I might have used the freshwater for this."
She blinked cutely indicating that it wasn't her fault.
"Hehe! We don't care about the water right now." Luffy burst into laughter and answered.
"But, what is the limitation of your abilities? Will it disappear in any situation?" Liam anxiously asked.
Merry shook her head and explained.
"This ability is quite unique. It won't disappear unless I am totally destroyed or I removed it. It doesn't cost me any energy nor does it take something from me."
"Since I am this ship's spirit, only when the ship is destroyed, I will be destroyed. And, until then, this ability won't disappear. Though I do need to use fresh water to create the bubble around the hull otherwise it will create affect me."
Hearing her words, Liam smiled brightly.
"That means as long as we can protect the ship, you won't be damaged and continue to sail. With the genius Navigator like Nami and hopefully a talented Shipwright, we won't have any problem sailing into the New World."
His words made everyone nod their heads.
Bang! Splash!
Suddenly, they heard the sound of the cannon from outside.
"Hey, what's going on?" Liam shouted and all of them rushed out of the storage room.
When they came out, they saw several of the Marine Ships coming near them. One of the ships had already prepared to shoot.
"Usopp, you will focus on attacking them. Luffy, you and I will block their's cannon balls. Nami, find the route and take us to the next island."
Liam knew that cannon balls not hitting the ship was just a myth. They would literally destroy the ship if they are careful.
So, they immediately began to fight back.
On the Marine Ship,
"Vice Admiral, we have spotted the Straw Hat Pirates on the ship. What are the orders?" A soldier rushed in front of a man who had a bulky body and a black mustache.
He rubbed his chin and said.
"According to the information we got, Straw Hat Pirates have more than enough strength to fight against Vice Admirals. That means if we rush forward without any plan, we will be defeated in an instant."
"Let's wait and check their moves. Normally, the pirate would try to leave as soon as they see the Marines. If they leave, send a small ship to chase them and bring me the transponder snail connected to Fleet Admiral."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier saluted and the marines continued to fire while not pursuing Straw Hat Pirates.
Nami had already coordinated the ship to leave this spot so they were sailing away from those marine ships.
"Vice Admiral Jonathan, is there a problem?" A voice rang from a Transponder Snail that was in front of the Vice Admiral.
"Fleet Admiral, we have spotted Straw Hat Pirates's ship. They seemed to have come down from Sky Island. Shall we pursue them?" Jonathan asked.
Suddenly, the voice from the Transponder Snail got excited.
"Is it really Straw Hat Pirates? Have you confirmed it?"
"Yes, sir! We have confirmed their identities."
"Alright, keep your attention on their ship and try to figure out their next location. Once you do, contact me once again. Marines have decided to launch a buster call against Straw Hat Pirates so this news mustn't reach the ears of other people."
"Do you understand, Vice Admiral Jonathan?" Sengoku's voice got a bit louder when he asked.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" Jonathan saluted and finally put down the Transponder Snail. He looked at the soldier next to him and commanded.
"Follow the plan! Tell a small ship to keep an eye on them."
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