By the shore, inside the harbor.
After passing through a lush forest path, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks grew clearer and clearer.
When the view suddenly opened up, a sailing ship quietly anchored in the bay came into sight.
It was a single-masted sailboat with a distinctive design, its lines smooth and rounded.
Most eye-catching of all was the sheep-shaped figurehead at the bow.
Carved with lifelike detail, it had round eyes, curved horns, and a gentle smile that seemed permanently etched onto its face, as if welcoming the companions who were about to come aboard.
Although Ronan and the others had just seized the Black Cat Pirates' ship—a vessel that was larger and far more intimidating—
Compared to this ship, filled with spirit and thoughtful design, that gloomy Black Cat ship was nothing more than a pile of floating trash.
"Waaah—!!"
As a professional navigator, Nami's eyes lit up instantly. She hurried forward, running her hand over the grain of the wooden hull as she exclaimed in awe,
"This is… a light sailboat! This streamlined design, and this draft depth… it's practically perfect!"
"This… this is really for us?" Luffy's eyes turned into shining stars, his voice trembling with excitement.
Kaya smiled softly and nodded. "Yes. Please, you must use it. It may not be big, but I hope it can carry you to places far beyond this shore."
Standing nearby in a neatly pressed butler's uniform, Merry wore a look of pure pride.
He stepped forward, gazing at the ship as if it were his own child.
"Although the design is based on light sailboats from the old era, this is a masterpiece I poured my heart into," he said.
"It uses a skeletal frame structure, with a triangular sail configuration and a central rudder at the stern."
"This design sacrifices some cargo capacity, but greatly improves handling and speed in complex sea conditions."
Adjusting his glasses, Merry introduced it seriously, "Its name is—the Going Merry."
Ronan looked at the sheep figurehead, a warm feeling welling up in his chest.
"The Going Merry…" he murmured softly.
Within his Observation Haki, even the wood of this new ship seemed to be breathing.
Though it was still just an inanimate object for now, he knew that in the future—under Luffy and the others' care—this ship would give birth to the legendary "ship spirit."
"I'll explain how to operate it," Merry said as he opened a blueprint and began speaking enthusiastically. "First, regarding propulsion, the main sail's halyard is located—"
Luffy had absolutely no interest in such complicated mechanics; his attention had already drifted far away.
Nami, on the other hand, listened intently, nodding from time to time and even asking a few professional questions, which earned her Merry's heartfelt praise.
"What an amazing ship!"
Luffy suddenly leapt onto the deck, ran straight to the sheep figurehead, and plopped himself right on top of it, patting it excitedly.
"Especially this bow! It's so cool! This is totally the VIP seat!"
Watching Luffy sitting atop the sheep's head, Ronan smiled knowingly.
That was the captain's seat—the place Luffy loved the most.
In countless days and nights to come, this straw-hatted boy would sit right there, gazing out at the vast sea and shouting, "I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"
"I've already loaded everything you might need for the voyage," Kaya said from the shore, looking up at Luffy.
"Fresh water, food, and some spare ropes and sails."
"Thank you so much, Kaya!" Luffy shouted back, waving both arms.
…
"Aaaaaah—!!"
Suddenly, a shrill scream tore through the quiet harbor, rushing closer and closer.
Everyone turned toward the sound, only to see that on the steep slope leading down to the shore, a huge figure carrying a pack half as tall as a person had lost his balance and was now rolling down like an out-of-control meatball!
"That is…?" Nami froze.
"C-can someone stop meeee!!"
The rolling meatball let out a desperate cry for help.
Kaya covered her mouth in shock. "Usopp?!"
The speed was terrifying, dust flying everywhere as he rolled. At this rate, he was going to shoot right off the slope and smash straight into the Going Merry!
"What's that guy doing?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"Idiot! Now's not the time to space out!"
Zoro's hand went to his sword hilt, but he immediately realized he couldn't just cut him, so he sighed helplessly.
"Just stop him somehow! At this angle and speed, he'll definitely wreck our new ship!"
"Got it!"
In the blink of an eye—
Luffy and Zoro raised their legs at the same time, perfectly in sync.
Just as Usopp's terrified face was about to kiss the hull of the Going Merry—
Bam!!
Two massive soles, one from the left and one from the right, stomped down with flawless accuracy—right onto Usopp's face!
The enormous momentum was instantly canceled out.
The world went quiet.
Standing off to the side, Ronan watched this classic "human brake" scene and barely managed to keep from laughing out loud.
The familiar recipe. The familiar flavor.
This was the Straw Hat crew's unique way of saying hello.
"Uuuugh…"
Usopp lay there with blood streaming from his nose, two clear shoe prints stamped on his face. With tears in his eyes, he weakly raised a hand.
"S-sorry about that…"
…
After the farce ended, the atmosphere grew subtly different.
Usopp struggled to his feet and patted the huge backpack on his back.
He didn't look at Luffy and the others. Instead, he turned his back to Kaya, as if he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.
"So you really are going to sea, Usopp," Kaya said softly, her voice filled with understanding.
"Yeah…" Usopp adjusted the goggles on his head and spoke in an affectedly solemn tone.
"I've gotta leave while my resolve hasn't wavered yet. Don't try to stop me, Kaya."
He sounded utterly serious, like a lone hero heading off to the battlefield.
Kaya smiled gently. "I won't stop you. I always had a feeling you belonged out on the sea."
Usopp stiffened slightly, then turned around, the tip of his nose red.
"When you say that… it kind of leaves me feeling empty inside!"
He sniffed, then raised his thumb and flashed his trademark grin.
"Don't worry! The next time I come back to this village, I'll tell you real adventure stories—ones a thousand times more unbelievable than all my old 'lies'!"
"Mm! I'll be waiting!" Kaya nodded firmly, tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes.
It was a promise between childhood friends—and a boy's declaration of becoming a man.
After that, Usopp took a deep breath and forced down the ache in his chest.
He turned to look at Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, already standing on the deck of the Going Merry.
As he looked at these companions he had fought alongside, a trace of loneliness flickered in his eyes, quickly hidden away.
Standing on the shore, he waved at them and shouted with forced bravado,
"Hey! You guys take care too! Hopefully we'll meet again out on the sea someday!"
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146