Dragon and Bartolomeo followed the Straw Hat crew up the boarding ramp, both of them towering well over two meters tall.
But the moment Dragon's foot touched the deck—Zzzt!
A faint golden light scanned his body, and suddenly Dragon and Bartolomeo's bodies shrank down.
"Eh?" said Dragon, blinking in confusion. His tall figure had compressed to roughly one-point-nine meters.
Dragon height is around 2.6 meter and now had shrink down to 1.9 meter. While Bartolomeo height is around 2.3 meter and now shrink down to 1.8 meter.
Bartolomeo gasped beside him, staring at his own hands. "W-Wait… why do my fingers look shorter?! They're smaller!"
He spun around in panic, then pointed at Jack. "Senpai! Did something just happen to me?!"
The other Straw Hats had forgotten that the Going Merry has a function to shrink anyone taller than two meters.
Jack chuckled while crossing his arms. "Relax. Nothing bad happened to you, it's just an adjustment."
"Adjustment?" repeated Dragon, raising an eyebrow.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. The Going Merry was built to carry a small crew. When I upgraded her, I installed a spatial regulator. Anyone taller than two meters automatically shrinks once they get within ten meters of the ship."
Sanji blinked, he hadn't been there when the ship was built. "You're telling me you built a what?"
"It's to prevent height and weight imbalance," explained Jack. "Otherwise, if someone like a giant or anyone taller than Dragon stands on deck, the ship might tip or the masts might snap. Simple physics."
Bartolomeo was still poking at his shorter arms in disbelief. "Bro… I worked hard for this cool-guy height, and now I'm… average."
Luffy burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "Shishishishi! Bartolomeo, you look like a toy version of yourself!"
"Luffy-senpai, please don't laugh! This is tragic!" cried Bartolomeo, crouching dramatically.
Meanwhile, Dragon glanced around the ship, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "So this caravan… it's layered with high technology. Interesting. Your work, Jack?"
Jack smiled proudly. "Yup. The Merry might look simple, but she's running on energy systems no one else in this world can reproduce."
Nami sighed while rubbing her temple. "Great. Now our ship can shrink people too. What's next, Jack—turning the mast into a talking robot?"
Jack's grin widened. "Actually… that's already in prototype."
Everyone froze.
Usopp pointed a trembling finger. "Please tell me you're joking."
"Maybe," said Jack with a playful smirk.
Luffy clapped his hands excitedly. "That's awesome! Merry's gonna talk soon! Shishishishi!"
Zoro shook his head. "As long as it doesn't give directions, we're fine."
"What, Marimo?!" replied Sanji, shocked. "You're the one who always gets lost! That's why Jack had to build a navigation system!"
"Repeat that again, pervy cook," said Zoro, gripping his two katanas.
"Both of you, shut up!" Nami shouted before punching them both on the head while using her suit.
Dragon chuckled quietly while observing the lively crew. "You really are something."
For the first time in many years, he felt… lighter being around his son
Jack turned to him and said calmly, "Welcome aboard, Dragon. Sorry about the size issue... think of it as… fitting in."
Dragon smirked. "Heh. Fair enough. I guess even revolutionaries could use this kind of technology."
Exploring the Merry
"Follow me," ordered Jack to Bartolomeo and Dragon.
They followed Jack through the lower deck of the Going Merry, Dragon's sharp eyes catching every flicker of glowing circuitry embedded along the wooden walls.
"This ship…" murmured Dragon, brushing his hand over the wall, "it feels… I don't know how to describe it."
Jack smiled faintly. "That's because this ship is the most advanced vessel in the world. Even Vegapunk would feel ashamed to call himself the greatest scientist after seeing this."
"You mean your technology is more advanced than Vegapunk?" asked Dragon.
"Yes," replied Jack calmly. "Soon, this ship might even talk."
He was referring to the prototype he'd built... Jarvis.
If he couldn't attract a Klabautermann to inhabit this ship, then he would create his own artificial spirit instead.
What's a Klabautermann? It's a unique species that wasn't discovered and only meet by coincident, species that chooses something humans love deeply. In the original series, the Going Merry became a Klabautermann because the crew loved and repaired her so much, even when she could no longer sail. People in this world think a Klabautermann is a ship that suddenly gains life..but that's not quite true. It's the embodiment of love and will. Klabauterman loves that and would stick to that object.
But now with he here and have upgraded, this ship most likely would never take damage. So it's impossible for a spirit like that to appear. Instead, he had planned to make his own jarvis, a new kind of AI to guide the ship."
"Wait, wait," said Usopp nervously, walking behind them. "You mean the ship will suddenly have the ability to listen and talk?"
"Exactly," replied Jack with a small grin. "For now, not yet... but soon. I'll upgrade her."
Sanji frowned. "Oi, what's that supposed to mean? You said earlier, you were just joking."
"Means Merry will probably start ignoring you soon," said Zoro flatly.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, MOSS HEAD?!"
Jack gestured for them to follow. "Come on, there's more to see."
Gravity Room
They entered a wide, circular chamber. The moment the door closed, the floor shimmered with blue lines. Gravity shifted—suddenly everyone's feet lifted slightly off the ground.
"This is the Gravity Room," explained Jack. "You can adjust the force level for training. Level 1 doubles Earth's gravity. Level 10 equals ten times. Perfect for strengthening your body."
Zoro smirked. "Now that's something useful."
Sanji cracked his neck. "Good for leg training too."
Luffy laughed as he floated midair. "Shishishishi! It feels like I'm flying!"
Thought they had trained in this room before Dragon join, but entering it again make them feel happy and still excited with it.
After they finished exploring the room, Dragon exhaled slowly. He knew he had made the right choice today.
He had seen Jack's ability to transmute matter into many thing... metal, gold, or resources. That alone meant Jack would never run out of supplies.
Vegapunk followed the World Government because they funded his research.
Jack didn't need funding.... he could create whatever he required with his own hands.
Author Notes - There is 5 advanced chapter on my patreon
-patreon.com/zerelix