章節 117: Marine's Hunt
"Yes, so let's do something that we must do." Liam nodded his head and spoke.
"What?" Usopp looked at him in confusion and asked.
"Merry is our ship but it is also our partner. So, we must do anything to keep her with us. But, there is one problem. Right now, we barely have eight people and it is already cramped."
"Even if we do ask Shipwright to increase the size of Merry, we don't know how it works with Ship Spirit. Maybe Merry can increase her size on her own or maybe we can't increase its size without taking away the keel."
"In other words, we must discuss with Merry before we make any decision. Even in the case of Merry not being able to sail with us in the future, we can still make a massive ship and keep Merry inside it."
"So first of all, we must communicate with Merry."
After hearing Liam's explanation, Usopp finally understood the situation they were in. But, he was still clueless about communicating with Merry.
"Merry has just awakened, right? Can we really communicate with her? And, shouldn't we call others as well for this?"
Liam shook his head and said.
"We don't know how long will it take Merry to properly come out. So, my plan is to communicate using our Observation Haki."
"Huh? Observation Haki can do that?" Usopp's eyes widened as he asked.
"You have no idea what Observation Haki can do. Think about it! Observation Haki is all about seeing the world without your eyes. It is about seeing the intent and life form around you without even looking at them."
"Observation Haki can trace the tiniest form of life as long as it is used properly. Of course, for us, we only need to concentrate on Observation Haki on this ship."
"Since Merry is a spirit now, she should be traceable with Observation Haki. Originally, I plan to ask for Luffy's help since he can listen to anything."
"But, I am not sure if we can even draw out Merry without your help. So, I need your help to communicate with Merry. You are the one who loves her the most on this ship. So, your presence should help us."
Upon hearing his words, Usopp finally understood his plan.
Observation Haki was an amazing power for someone like him. His combat power was weak in this ship but thanks to Observation Haki, he can be called somewhat of a powerhouse.
Of course, he understood just having Observation Haki won't be enough. Even with an extremely powerful Observation Haki and the destructive power of lightning, Enel wasn't Luffy's opponent.
That made him understand the importance of Armament Haki. But as a sniper, he hasn't been engaged in hand-to-hand combat making it harder for him to awaken his Armament Haki.
So, if he had to help Liam with Armament Haki, he wouldn't even hesitate to say no. But, if it is Observation, his confidence soared.
That's where his power comes from.
They tactically nodded to each other and sat down. They closed their eyes and open their Observation Haki.
Outside the ship,
Luffy suddenly turned his head toward the bottom of the ship and his Observation Haki saw Liam and Usopp working on something.
Suddenly, he got curious. He didn't know what Liam and Usopp were planning to do with his Observation Haki but this only made him more curious.
His Observation Haki began to dig deeper. It got spread all around the ship. Concentrating his Observation Haki on the ship, he sensed several auras. Most of them were his friends.
But, there was one unfamiliar aura. His Observation Haki got closer to this Aura as if he was looking at it from different angles.
This aura was stagnant and looking at back him.
Suddenly, Luffy smiled and withdrew his Observation Haki.
During his battle with Enel, not only he managed to reach Future Sight with his Observation Haki but also made his Observation Haki extremely sensitive.
His senses were so strong that even when he wasn't actively using his Observation Haki, he can feel anyone around him.
And, as long as someone has bad intentions toward him, his Observation Haki would instantly get activated, giving him the sight of the future.
Of course, there was one problem. To see the future, he must be calm. At least, his mind shouldn't be filled with anger or hatred.
But for normal Observation Haki, no matter what emotions he has, nothing can affect it.
After he sensed this unfamiliar aura inside his ship, he immediately understood what Liam and Usopp were doing. That's why he just smiled and continued his training.
He didn't stop them since this can be considered training for them. Even if Liam had Future Sight, his Future Sight comes from his devil fruit ability.
That wasn't something he worked hard to hone. That's why Liam's Observation Haki was weak compared to his. And, this was a good opportunity to improve his Observation Haki.
The same goes for Usopp whose main specialty was Observation Haki.
Unlike Luffy, nobody else found anything. They were just busy training.
Zoro was constantly enduring the lightning bolts that Sanji was shooting at him. He found that whenever his body get electrocuted, he would feel his Armament Haki trying to block it.
And, whenever it was destroyed, it would only grow stronger. The more he struggled, the stronger his Armament Haki got.
The same goes for Sanji. He had sea stone bracelets on his hands which was draining him of his stamina making him almost unable to use his devil fruit ability.
Fortunately, with enough Willpower, he could still discharge powerful lightning bolts and with each lightning bolt that he discharged, he could feel his own endurance growing.
The more he uses Sea stone bracelets, the more he got used to it.
The girls were focused on their own basic training but they had escalated the basic training to extreme.
They would do things like push-ups or lift weights until their bodies give up. After that, they would eat the food that Sanji made and regain their stamina, and start training once again.
Even Robin who mostly likes to spend her time reading didn't stop training. She understood that this was the ship that she was waiting for all this time.
So, she didn't want to give up anymore. She knew that her crew wouldn't hesitate to fight anyone for her so she must get stronger to help her crew.
On the other hand, Chopper was doing something extremely important.
He was researching a medicine that Liam talked about. He wasn't sure if it was even possible but he did find some alternatives.
If he manages to create these alternatives, it would be a huge growth for the entire crew.
So, he was completely focused on his own work.
.........….
Marine Headquarters,
Bang!
"Damn that Morgan, how dare he release such news? What are those bastards from the Government doing? Why didn't they stop it?"
Sengoku slammed his fist on the table and roared.
Inside that room, all three admirals, some vice admirals, and some special people like Tsuru and Garp were present.
"Admirals are the highest combat power of Marines. Except for those Four Emperors, any other pirate would lose against the Admiral, including the Emperor's deputy."
"So, if a group of newcomers suddenly defeats an Admiral head-on, it would definitely reach the ears of Morgan. This is probably one of the most interesting news after the duels of Mihawk and Four Emperor Shanks."
"So, even if he is threatened by the World Government, Morgan wouldn't hesitate to release this news."
Tsuru calmly replied. Unlike Sengoku, she didn't let this information anger her. Instead, she thought about the pros and cons of releasing this news to the world and she understood why Morgan would dare to release such news.
Hearing her words, Sengoku slowly calmed down.
"Fleet Admiral, you must send me this time. I will hunt down Straw Hat Pirates before they enter the New World." Sakazuki immediately stood up and spoke with a stern tone.
Sengoku stared at Sakazuki and his eyes fell on Garp. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said.
"One Admiral is not going to be enough."
When he said that, everyone's eyes widened. Even Garp looked at his best friend in shock. Only Tsuru saw through his words and kept a calm expression.
"For some reason, Red Hair Shanks has made contact with Whitebeard. So, I need you to go to G-1 Marine Base, Sakazuki."
"Borsalino and Kuzan will hunt down Straw Hat Pirates together with two of their Vice Admirals, three Rear Admirals, and a Marine Fleet of Five Hundred Men."
Sengoku's voice only grew louder as he continued.
"If we let Straw Hat escape this time, they will definitely reach the position of the Emperor, and having Double Emperors in a single crew would be much worse than any of the current Four Emperor Crew."
"Straw Hat Pirates must be destroyed and Straw Hat Luffy must be captured and sent to Impel Down at any cost."
After speaking, Sengoku gave Garp one last look.
'This is the last time I can help you, my old friend.'
章節 118: Liam's Realization
Two Days Later,
Liam's Observation Haki detected an aura living at the core of the ship. As soon as he detected that aura, he released his Observation Haki toward that aura.
Just when he succeeded, he sensed another Observation Haki moving toward that aura as well. Their Observation Haki were working together to find this aura.
When that aura felt their Observation Haki, it was obviously attracted toward it.
"Is that you, Merry?" Liam asked while focusing his voice through his Observation Haki.
Merry didn't speak instead she just stared at him from the inside of the ship.
"Merry, it's really you. You are really alive." Usopp's eyes widened as he excitedly opened his eyes and tried to find her but only then he realized that Merry had merged with the ship so unless she comes out by herself, he can't meet her.
"Merry, I don't know your situation but I can see you with my Observation Haki and I believe that you can hear me. So, let me ask you something. You can answer it with Nod and Shake."
"Did you understand my words?" Liam asked.
After a few seconds, the ship spirit Merry nodded her head.
"Can you talk?"
Merry shook her head.
"If the ship is damaged, will it hurt you?"
Merry took some time to answer it.
"Merry, please don't lie to me, okay?" Liam asked with a serious tone.
Merry finally nodded her head.
After seeing this, Liam's expression changed drastically. But, he still kept his mind calm as he continued to ask.
"Can you control the ship?"
Merry didn't understand so she didn't reply.
"Can you control the ship like I control my hands or legs? Like how I eat with my mouth."
Merry thought for a long time and nodded.
As soon as he got this reply, his expression drastically changed.
"Then, if you eat powerful wood, then can you be more durable and bigger?"
Merry once again nodded her head but this time, her aura looked a bit more excited.
"Do you know how to use your abilities? You have already healed yourself so I believe that you know."
Merry nodded her head.
"Merry, once we land on the sea, use the freshwater from the ship to coat your hull and body that connects with the sea, okay?"
Merry nodded her head.
"This next question might be hard for you to answer so if you can't answer then just shake your head three times, okay?"
Merry nodded her head.
"Currently, I need a powerful Observation Haki to see you. That means most of our crew members won't see you at all. Do you think you can try to appear in front of them like a spirit?"
Merry thought for a moment and shook her head three times.
Liam fell into confusion for a moment. Right now, he had to help Merry contact other Straw Hats but he didn't know how to do it.
Suddenly, he remembered something from the original timeline, and an idea came to his mind.
"Merry, if the mast of the ship is destroyed, you can repair it, right? So, to repair it, you need to come out, right? So, can you come out just like that?"
Although he tried to explain it to her, Merry just stared at him in confusion.
'Damn! What should I do? There must be a way to help Merry come out, right? She definitely can understand my words but she can't respond.'
'There is something that I am missing. Something ..... something that I am missing..... What is it? What exactly am I missing?'
Liam brainstormed for a long time until he came to one conclusion.
'Instinct! Boat instinct is something that led Merry to repair the ship and travel to Ennies Lobby and bring back Straw Hats.'
'It was Merry's love for Straw Hat that forced her to awaken and control the ship. It was Merry's love for Straw Hat to made her pick the hammer and repair the ship.'
'Yes, I understand.'
His eyes widened and the next moment, he stood up, instantly disrupting his Observation Haki.
"Usopp, go and call everyone here! I found a way to communicate with Merry."
Hearing his words, Usopp was shocked but he quickly swallowed the words that he was going to say and ran out of the storage room. He quickly found every one of the crew training and called them to the storage room.
Everyone knew that Usopp and Liam were in the storage but they didn't know what they were doing except for Luffy.
"Liam, what happened?" Nami was the first one to ask him the question. She was extremely curious about what Usopp and Liam were doing but they didn't tell them so none of them knew about it.
"So, you guys finally did it." Luffy showed a big grin and spoke.
"Did what?" Zoro and Sanji looked at him with confusion and asked.
"Did you tell Luffy about it?" Usopp turned to Liam and asked. Since Liam told him not to tell anyone about Merry, he thought Liam wouldn't tell anyone as well.
But, now that Luffy knew about it, he was a bit angry at Liam and confused.
Liam rolled his eyes and said.
"I didn't even tell Nami when she tried to harass me so much. Do you really think I would tell Luffy about it?"
Hearing his words, Usopp's expression turned awkward as he turned his head to Luffy and curiously asked.
"Luffy, how did you know about it?"
"I saw her two days ago." Luffy grinned and answered.
"What?" Usopp's eyes widened as he shouted. Then, he quickly grabbed Luffy's shoulder and shouted.
"Then, why didn't you tell us? We could've saved so much time."
Liam frowned and slapped Usopp on the back of his head.
"Liam, why did you hit me?" Usopp showed teary eyes as he looked back and asked.
"Idiot, did you really think he wants to hide something so important? Did you forget what kind of person Luffy is? He must be itching to tell everyone about her."
"But, he only held back because he wanted us to improve our Observation Haki."
Liam spoke with an angry tone which silenced Usopp. He was so engrossed with his feelings for Merry that he even forgot that this was actually training for them.
He turned around and bowed his head in front of Luffy.
"Luffy, I'm sorry. I didn't understand your pain and shouted at you with such a tone."
"It's okay. It's okay." Luffy simply laughed it off but this only made Liam angrier.
He walked in front of Luffy and spoke.
"This is not okay, Luffy."
His serious tone suddenly silenced Luffy's smile. But, he didn't speak.
"I know you are not the kind of person who gets serious about his crew laughing at him but you must remember one thing. You are my Captain, our Captain."
After he said that, the mood of the entire crew went downhill for a moment. They had rarely seen Liam this serious and it was for a reason.
No matter how commanding Liam might be or no matter how much strength he has, Liam still has the most respect for his captain.
When Liam arrived in this world, the only thing that came to his mind was adventure.
He wanted to go on an adventure but he knew the dangers of this world. As weak as he was, he knew that he wouldn't even survive for a day.
That's why he joined Luffy. He only joined Luffy for survival. But as time passed, he understood that he wasn't just a member of the crew but also the Vice Captain.
There are many things that he can let go but there is absolutely one thing that he can't endure. That is when someone shows disrespect toward his Captain.
That's the whole reason why he smashed Bellamy into the ground. He did give Luffy some excuses but his main reason was anger.
He was angered at Bellamy who showed disrespect to his captain.
That's why he was once again angered when Usopp showed disrespect to his captain.
"I'm sorry, Liam." Just when Usopp was about to say something, Luffy suddenly apologized.
This made everyone surprised and also a little shaken because Luffy's tone was absolutely serious at this moment.
Liam also looked at his captain with a lot less anger as Luffy continued.
"I am sorry for making others disrespect you, Liam. I know that you don't want others to show disrespect to me because I am your Captain and you are my Vice Captain."
"But, is there anything such as disrespect between friends?"
When Luffy asked this question, Liam's mind blew up for a moment. He was greatly shaken as he didn't expect Luffy to ask him such a question.
But, when he thought about it, he realized that he was wrong.
It was true that others mustn't show disrespect toward his Captain but is it truly the same for his friends?
Usopp might be the Sniper of the crew but he is also Luffy's friend, best friend to be exact.
Liam finally realized just how foolish his anger was. He lowered his head and said.
"I'm sorry, Luffy."
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