The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

Put the bowl down and walk in a certain direction.

The fog gradually rose, obscuring the sky and earth.

Tap? Tap? Tap?!

The soft tapping sound echoed through the thick fog.

Link walked slowly to the Merry and looked at the small, almost transparent white figure on the ship, who was holding a small hammer and striking it on itself.

She couldn't help but whisper, "Merry."

嗒?

The knocking stopped abruptly the next second.

The little figure, who was busy at work, slowly turned its head.

It was a figure wearing strange clothing that resembled a raincoat, with a round head. Apart from its size, almost no other features could be seen.

Even when he turned to face Link, his face was still obscured by a fog, making it impossible to see clearly.

"You're awake, Merry."

Link chuckled, as if he wasn't surprised at all, as if it were all expected, and said to the little man on the Merry.

This little figure is the Going Merry itself!! Or rather, it is the manifestation of the Going Merry's spirit!!

The spirit of a ship is a spirit that arises from the mutual care and love the crew has for the ship.

When the ship becomes very close to the crew, it transforms into a "person" like the crew, holding a mallet and wearing a raincoat, in gratitude.

Legend has it that the appearance of the ship spirit is often accompanied by thick fog. He frequently appears to warn the crew when the ship is about to encounter danger, and has been of great help to them many times.

In the original version, this was the first and last appearance of the ship spirit.

It was Usopp who discovered it; he saw Merry hammering and repairing her body, hoping to continue sailing with Luffy and the others.

Usopp initially thought he had encountered a ghost, until he learned of the existence of the ship spirits at G8 Fortress.

Later, during the Water 7 arc, even when the Going Merry went to pick up Luffy and his crew, it only made its own noise and never appeared again.

After that, the ship spirit never appeared again during the Straw Hat Pirates' series of travels.

Link had been waiting for the ship spirit to appear, but it seemed that he had not yet awakened.

Only after arriving at the Sky Island did he reveal his form amidst the thick fog.

"You know me?"

Little Merry, who had been planning to disappear, suddenly tilted her head there.

He cannot speak, so he can only express himself using the fewest words possible.

"I've also heard of the legend of the ship's spirit."

Link stepped onto the Going Merry, gazing at the transparent Going Merry before him, which seemed shrouded in a mist, and chuckled softly.

"Right……"

Merry thought about it carefully, then, as if she had figured it out, nodded her little head with great certainty:

"You are Link, after all."

After all, you're Link, aren't you?

Link automatically interpreted this as the Going Merry praising him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't protect you very well along the way."

Link looked around the Merry.

Although his presence occasionally kept an eye on the captain's reckless behavior, the damage to the Going Merry was reduced considerably.

However, facing the various disasters, weather conditions, and natural forces such as torrential rain and storms along the Grand Line, the Going Merry was naturally affected in many ways.

Damage is inevitable.

"No, I'm very grateful."

Merry quickly shook his little head: "Sirob Village, Calm Belt, Sky Island, I remember them all."

It refers to the time in Syrup Village when Link used the funds of the Straw Hat Pirates, who were still relatively "poor" and not wealthy, to purchase materials and strengthen the Straw Hat Pirates, even though it was the bounty from the Black Cat Pirates.

This made its sturdiness and performance among the best of all ships sailing on the East China Sea at that time.

In addition, when he later reached the Calm Belt and the Sky Island, he used Link's gadget, the joystick.

Otherwise, the damage to the Going Merry would have been far greater than it is now.

"Isn't it a crew member's duty to take good care of the ship?"

Link simply sat cross-legged on the ground, facing Merry at eye level.

"Besides, you were our first ship, you witnessed our adventures, and you were a part of our voyage."

"You are also our comrade, so it is only right that you do your best to help your comrade."

At this point, Link suddenly felt like having a drink.

He took out a bottle of rum from his four-dimensional treasure bag.

With a bang, the bottle cap was opened, and the crisp liquor was poured into my mouth.

Merry just watched quietly, and although his little face didn't show any expression, you could still vaguely feel a hint of envy from him.

He also longed to have a banquet with his friends, to eat, drink, and have fun together.

However, since he is called a fairy, it is destined that he cannot appear in front of everyone in this form.

"Thank you for your hard work during this time."

Merry nodded somewhat solemnly.

As a ship, it naturally knew very well how much effort Link had put into this pirate crew.

You could even say that Link is not just the first mate, but more like a father figure.

He was extremely worried about his restless crewmates.

Whether it's defeating enemies or completing fantastical adventures like those on Skypiea.

Link played an indispensable role.

The other crew members could also sense and understand all of this.

However, they couldn't see everything. Only Merry clearly saw everything Link did.

That's why it felt Link's sacrifices most deeply.

"Isn't this the proper thing to do?"

The bottle was moved aside, and Link wiped his mouth, smiling.

"After all, I'm also part of the ship."

He paused, then, as if struck by a thought, suddenly asked this question:

"Can't you just show yourself in front of us?"

"Yes."

His little head bobbed up and down. "There are too many people. I can't get out. There's still room for conversation."

This means that if there are too many people, he will not be able to appear in front of everyone.

0. Requesting flowers........

This explains why, even after Usopp saw it, the Going Merry still didn't appear to communicate with the Straw Hat Pirates or explain the situation.

Even when they reached Water Seven, the Going Merry only made a sound in front of Mayor Iceberg, amidst the massive, roaring waves.

His final words were spoken during the Enies Lobby incident, when he successfully rescued the Straw Hat crew.

At that time, he was already exhausted, carrying the Straw Hat crew on his last voyage.

This can also be seen as his last burst of energy before death, which is why he said so many things in his final moments.

After all, ship spirits are creatures that exist almost entirely on special life energy; their very existence is a transcendence of the mundane world.

If one could still communicate and appear in public without any restrictions, that would be a bit too outrageous.

Its birth and existence are certainly subject to various restrictions.

"I understand."

Link nodded, but then smiled and said, "Now that you've awakened, as one of us, our common partner~"

"It would be too unfair to you if Luffy and the others didn't know."

"No need, I'm already very happy."

Link could clearly see that a slit suddenly appeared on that expressionless face, forming an arc.

It was as if he was laughing.

To be able to travel with people who love and care for me, to provide them with accommodation and transportation, and to take them on adventures?

This was indeed a very satisfying thing for Merry.

"But that's far from enough."

Link shook his head slightly, then suddenly remembered something else:

"Now that you're born, you should be able to sense any discomfort in your body, right?"

"For important parts like the keel, we are not professional shipwrights after all. We can only check for any damage. We can't find the specific details."

"I'm fine!"

Merry shook her head. "Sirob Village owes its existence to you."

He was thanking Link for enhancing his security and reliability.

This allows him to remain in good health and safe, enabling him to lead the Straw Hat Pirates on an even longer journey.

"But your current configuration won't work."

Link smiled and said, "In the next part of the route, there is an island called Water Seven, where the world's best shipwrights are located."

"I plan to give you a thorough check there and add some configuration to make it perform better."

"Only in this way can we continue sailing in the latter half of the Grand Line in the future."

After hearing this, the Merry's mouth gaped open even wider.

"Link, you're so kind."

"You're being too polite. We're like family."

And so, Link and Merry talked for a long time.

The journey was filled with many interesting events, as well as some of the secret things that other crew members did on the ship.

For example, there's the story of Luffy sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night, overcoming several giant mousetraps, and successfully stealing food from the refrigerator lock.

Yes, no wonder Luffy's skills have improved remarkably despite not training much.

It seems that not only did Garp lay the foundation and provide him with valuable experience, but he also honed his skills through his own wits and courage in his battles with Sanji in this regard.

It's a rapid growth.

【Thank you again to '上善若水' for the generous donation! You're awesome!!!】

159. Meeting everyone! [Spiritual Soil] and [Spiritual Calling Machine]! [Thanks to the generous donor, Shangshan Ruoshui!!]

Usopp also secretly put things like the failed chili pepper concoction into Luffy's food.

And what if Chopper accidentally sneezed and the sneezes ended up in Usopp's drink?

Besides cookbooks, Sanji also has a collection of many interesting and unusual books.

Nami, on the other hand, showed where she kept her secret stash of money, and also revealed her and Robin's usual habits of changing clothes...

Ahem, these things eventually become things that are best left unsaid, so I'll stop here.

And so, the two of them, one in the boat and one in the water, chatted until a faint glimmer of light appeared on the horizon.

As dawn broke, the morning mist gradually rose over this floating island.