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

"My buddy is right~"

Before Luffy and his crew could even ask, Barry, who called them "brother" with unusual ease, gave them the answer:

"Above the Red Line lies the World Government, the location of the Holy Land Mary Geoise."

"In other words, the power center of the entire world is right there."

Barry glanced up at Luffy and his crew as he finished speaking.

"It's uncertain what kind of powerful figures are stationed in that place, but I think it's unrealistic for you to try to pass through there."

"No matter what methods or tools you have to reach the top of the Red Line, once you get close to the World Government, I think you pirates should understand the consequences better than I do."

After saying that, he took another deep drag on his cigar.

"how so?!"

Upon hearing this, Nami's legs went weak. "So, does that mean we really can only reach the second half by diving?"

"That's why I suggested you change to a different ship."

Kaku said sincerely, "I have seen your ship. The workmanship is indeed very good and you have put a lot of effort into it. In particular, the keel has been reinforced a lot, which has allowed it to remain safe and sound."

"However, its ship design is inevitably somewhat outdated, and it can be seen that it uses some of the more backward technologies available in the world."

"With such technology, it's simply impossible to cross the seabed at a depth of 5.9 meters."

"You all understand the dangers of diving into the deep sea, not to mention diving, even if there is only one in ten thousand chance of reaching the second half."

"But the second half of the Grand Line is far more dangerous than the first half, far beyond your imagination."

"Your small boat might be able to withstand the first half of the storm without any problem, but after diving into the deep sea, you'll have to face the waves in the second half..."

Kaku paused for a moment, then said, "Let me be blunt, it will definitely not withstand the impact and sink."

"It's only a matter of time."

"You guy..."

Usopp couldn't stand it any longer and wanted to rush up and grab Kaku to give him a good talking to.

"What do you know?! You have no idea what Merry means to us!" he roared, tears streaming down his face. "He's our comrade!" Unfortunately, before he could take two steps, Link grabbed him and caught him.

"Let go of Link! I'm going to have a serious talk with him today!!"

Usopp was flailing his fists and kicking his legs haphazardly.

"You should calm down first, Usopp."

[Thank you so much 'woai..' for another generous donation of 3,000 points! Thank you so much!]

207 [Person Finder Sensor]! Someone who matches our target! A thug, pervert, or petty thug?!

Link gently comforted Usopp without saying much more.

"Hey, there's no point in arguing with us here. We're just telling you the precautions we need to take."

The pigeon on the leopard-bearded man's shoulder spoke once again.

“Lucci is right.”

Barry nodded in agreement.

"I can understand how you feel. After all, I've seen too many guys come here, hear about this, and then cry loudly, saying they can't accept this explanation."

The pigeon on the shoulder of the man called Lucci continued:

"And even worse, some people accused us of deliberately deceiving and exaggerating the dangers to profit from selling the ship, and they criticized and complained about us, even slandering and hating us."

"It's considered that they helped us."

"Of course, those kinds of guys don't end up well either."

"that is?"

Barry offered some words of comfort, saying, "For your safety and for your future voyages, I suggest you change ships, my friend."

"After all, even the Pirate King Gol D. Roger didn't initially ride the same vehicle that ultimately led him to the final island."

"Didn't he still come to our Water Seven City, where the best craftsmen of the time built the Oro Jackson for him, carrying him to the final island?"

"Even the Pirate King changes his ride sometimes, so you guys should take it easy. Maybe you'll be too..."

"Barry!!"

Mr. Iceberg, who had been listening to the conversation, could no longer bear it and reprimanded him.

The world's greatest craftsman who created the Oro Jackson, the ship of One Piece's 20th king, was none other than his mentor, Mr. Tom.

Barry immediately realized he might have said too much and shut his mouth.

"I know you guys are right, but..."

Luffy, one hand on his straw hat, said with a serious and determined look, "We will not abandon the Going Merry!!"

In matters like this, Luffy is more persistent than anyone else.

“We have plenty of money. We would appreciate it if you, Uncle Iceberg, could properly repair the Merry. As for what happens next, we will know what to do.” His tone was very firm.

"Alright, since you've made your choice..."

Seeing this, Iceberg knew that Luffy was not someone who would easily change his mind.

He sighed slightly and said, "We boatmen have the utmost respect for every person who loves their boat!"

"You can rest assured that we will repair your ship."

Everything that needed to be said has been said. Since Luffy and the others still insist, Iceberg can only do what he has to do.

As for what happens next, that's up to Luffy and his crew.

"Thank you so much, Uncle Iceberg!"

Luffy thanked him earnestly, "We'll stay on this island for a week to save the Log Pose record, and the Going Merry will be docked there."

"Once the repairs begin, please tell us how much it will cost. Thank you."

Having said that, without giving Mr. Iceberg a chance to say anything polite, Luffy was the first to turn around and leave.

Usopp, equally determined, followed immediately.

"Luffy, Usopp!"

Nami also shouted helplessly twice and hurriedly followed them, afraid that they would do something foolish again.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Iceberg, our captain is just a straightforward person."

Link stayed behind to finish the job.

“It’s alright. As a shipwright myself, I understand how he feels right now.”

Even Mr. Iceberg's usually serious face broke into a smile at this moment.

"Alright, I won't bother you any longer. See you later."

Link saw that the two idiots had almost run away, so he decided to say goodbye and leave.

"Well, let's talk about it together after Grandma Kokoro returns to this island."

"Haha, bro, since you're going to be staying on this island for a week anyway, when you have some free time, I'll treat you to a good drink at Bruno's Bar!"

"Definitely, definitely"

And so, Link left the Kareca Company amidst everyone's waving goodbye.

Barry bid a warm farewell, while Carly Fernandes, sitting next to him, adjusted her glasses and exchanged a glance with Lucci, who was sitting next to her.

A glint of light flashed in their eyes, and it was unclear what they were thinking.

"that person……"

Kalifa looked down at the part of her leg that Link had just held, and couldn't help but start having all sorts of wild thoughts again.

"It seems the plan needs some timely changes..."

Lucci remained calm, quietly watching Link and the others' departing figures.

At this moment, outside the Carrera company.

"Saying the Going Merry can't withstand the rest of the voyage is utter nonsense!!!"

Usopp was still there, fuming.

“Merry is our most important partner, how can we just give up on him like that? You agree, right, Luffy… Luffy?!” Usopp wanted to hear a response from Luffy.

But then he saw his own captain walking ahead, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Link, do you have any gadgets that can find people who meet our needs?"

Although Luffy was still quite angry, with steam rising from his nostrils, as the captain, he had to carefully consider the situation for the safety of his crew and the adventures to come.

"For example, the kind of shipwrights who could strengthen the Merry so that it could safely navigate the waters ahead."

He was there gesturing along with Link.

Then she paused, "Of course, it would be even better if I could be five meters tall!"

Nami and Usopp: "...What kind of obsession do you have with this height?!"

"Does this meet our needs? I don't actually have this kind of tool for finding people..."

Link thought for a moment, "However, I do have a missing person tool with the opposite conditions."

"The conditions are reversed?!"

A big question mark appeared on everyone's foreheads.

Then Link took out a two-wheeled car with a purple exterior.

There is a handle at the back of the car to control the direction, and at the top there is a feathered arrow with a suction cup-shaped arrowhead.

"This is called a 'person locator sensor'."

Link introduced them to everyone.

Props: [Person Finder], also known as [Inner Desire Detector].

Description: To use this device, place the desired item or a publication/letter describing its appearance in front of the cart, then instruct the device to record the item information. The user should then push the cart around. If the device detects someone who wants the item, i.e., the person who needs it, it will make a sound and rotate an arrow to indicate the person's location. When the device is close enough to the person who needs it, it can fire a homing arrow to pinpoint the target.

"Therefore, this tool for finding people is to find people who want to satisfy a certain desire, rather than to find people who meet our goals."

After explaining the effects of the props, Link concluded.

"In other words, it still can't help us find someone who meets our needs, that is, someone who can properly strengthen the Going Merry."

Usopp twitched his long nose. "So this gadget is basically useless to us."

"You can't say it like that; you can also think about it from the opposite perspective."

Nami suddenly understood why Link had taken out this item. She pulled out a [Mind Drawing Paper] from her own Fourth Dimensional Perilous Land.

Then they saw the enhanced Going Merry appear on the drawing paper, along with the text and images they requested.

"Perhaps there are shipwrights who think the same way we do, wanting to build an enhanced version of the ship that can overcome the dangerous winds and waves of the second half of the voyage, without changing the original vessel!"

"That's right."

Link took the [Psychic Drawing Paper] from Nami and placed it in front of the [Person Finder].

Make sure those suction cup-shaped arrows remember these requirements.

"Do such people really exist?"

Usopp expressed his skepticism, sighing, "Anyone who would have such an idea is probably a delusional madman, right? How could that be possible..."

Hua Hua Hua~

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the suction cup-shaped arrows on the vehicle begin to spin rapidly.

"It actually exists?!"

When Usopp saw the two-wheeled vehicle speeding away, he was taken aback at first, but then he and Link immediately followed it.

After traveling a considerable distance, the two-wheeled vehicle crossed several streets and houses, heading towards an increasingly remote direction.

Soon, the two-wheeled vehicle arrived at a remote and desolate coastal location, quite far from the city center.

"Is that the place?!"