Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

"Usopp is pretty good. I thought you were going to throw a tantrum," Luffy exclaimed.

"Hey, don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Usopp said confidently. "I'm a brave warrior of the sea, so of course I know this is the right thing to do."

Moreover, even if Luffy didn't say it, Usopp and the others had noticed that Merry was secretly worried that he wasn't strong enough or big enough, and that one day he wouldn't be able to carry them any further.

It's a good thing that Luffy has spoken up and made the decision.

The solution Luffy proposed might be the best one.

How can you call abandoning the Going Merry the heart of the new ship, taking her with you on adventures to farther places?

This is an upgrade!

It's evolution!

Everyone chimed in with their own comments.

Little Merry couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.

It took Nami, Vivi, and the other girls a long time to comfort and coax the little boat fairy who was crying tears of joy.

Usopp didn't object, and naturally, his other companions had no objections either.

Sanji envisioned a more spacious and well-equipped galley on the new ship. Zoro thought more space for training would be nice. Chopper hoped for a dedicated medical room. Robin, on the other hand, wished for a quieter study… The proposal to build a new ship was unanimously approved!

A few days later, at the edge of the clouds in the lower White Sea.

The Going Merry rested quietly on the edge of the cotton-like white clouds.

"You must come back and visit again!" Connie said goodbye with tears in her eyes.

Take care, everyone!

"I will definitely come back again!"

"Thank you for the Viba gift!"

Friends on the floating island who received the news came to see him off.

Connies, Gan Fall riding Pierre, and the Shandian warriors led by the War Demon Waipa all came here to see them off.

Soon, summoned by Connie's unique whistle, an octopus-shaped hot air balloon, a specialty of the Sky Island, slowly emerged from the clouds.

Its round body rapidly expanded into a huge air sac, and several thick tentacles skillfully and gently wrapped around the hull of the Merry.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the octopus-shaped hot air balloon began to rise slowly, carrying the Going Merry smoothly away from the White Sea and drifting down towards the boundless blue sea below.

Against a clear blue sky, the Merry was towed by an octopus-shaped hot air balloon, like a colorful balloon slowly descending.

The soft, white clouds seemed to be right above us, within reach.

Looking out from the bow of the ship, one sees a vast, boundless blue ocean, with the horizon drawing a beautiful arc in the distance.

The Merry appeared to be parallel to the sun in the sky, bathed in golden sunlight.

Chapter 172 Amplified Domineering Aura, Flowing Domineering Aura

"Hahaha!"

"Wow, this is amazing! We really are flying!"

Chopper and Merry excitedly ran around on the deck, exclaiming as they watched the sea getting closer and closer below.

Nika, sitting cross-legged in the VIP section, was holding a wine jug, exuding the calm and collected air of a seasoned boss.

Nami stood at the doorway of the second-floor living room, gripping the railing, calculating the speed and direction of her descent, a hint of worry on her face:

"At this speed, it would take quite a while to fall from 10,000 meters to the sea surface. I always have a feeling that something unexpected might happen."

If something unexpected happens to them, would they still be called the Straw Hat Pirates?

"Hehehe, don't worry, Nami, I'm here for you."

Weiwei smiled and walked to her side, extending her hand, a gentle whirlwind swirling around her fingertips.

She had just acquired the Wind-Wind Fruit's power, which could come in handy at this moment, at least helping to adjust the angle and posture of her fall, or providing some cushioning when approaching the sea surface.

"Weiwei, thank goodness you're here!"

Nami felt a little more at ease.

She looked around and asked:

"Where's Luffy? Is that guy training again?"

"There it is."

Vivi pointed helplessly in the direction of the nail plate.

Nami walked onto the deck and, sure enough, saw Luffy hammering his body against the golden stone tablet again, his body steaming with heat.

Robin, standing nearby, had already set up a red and yellow parasol and was leisurely leaning back in a white deck chair, reading a book, as if the dull thumping sounds from the deck were the perfect background music.

Zoro also came over, but instead of immediately joining in the workout as usual, he stretched his still somewhat sore arms.

"Where are Usopp and Sanji?"

Luffy stopped what he was doing, wiped his sweat, and asked, "Aren't they coming today?"

"I trained too hard the other day, and my muscles are still protesting. They say they need to rest for a few days to recover." Zoro looked at Luffy's seemingly tireless fists and felt his own muscles ache slightly.

That kind of high-intensity training puts a tremendous strain on the body, and only someone with Luffy's monstrous physique could endure it almost continuously.

"Anyway, Zoro, your progress is pretty impressive," Luffy sincerely praised.

He could sense that Zoro's sword was becoming increasingly sharp, and his use of Armament Haki was becoming more and more skillful.

"You're nowhere near as good as me, you monster!"

Zoro retorted fiercely, unwilling to be left too far behind.

So, are you ready?

"Wait a minute!" Zoro quickly called out, sometimes suspecting that Luffy was deliberately trying to punch him.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, what was that Armament Haki you demonstrated yesterday that you could project from a distance? What was that all about?"

He recalled the technique Luffy had casually demonstrated yesterday: he threw a punch that didn't directly hit the stone tablet, yet left a clear dent on its surface—clearly a more advanced application of Haki.

"Huh? You mean that?"

Luffy thought for a moment and tried to explain it in a way that Zoro could understand.

"That must be an application of Armament Haki after it has been trained to the next level."

Unlike ordinary binding and hardening, this Armament Haki seems to be able to flow power and then release it.

It can directly translate into a substantial impact, or form a protective barrier, or even defend against some invisible attacks.

Luffy raised his hand, and the jet-black Armament Haki on his arm flowed like a living thing.

"I'm still getting used to this power, and it feels quite amazing."

"What?! The next level?!"

Zoro was immediately displeased, his eyes widening in disapproval.

He had only recently mastered the binding and hardening of Armament Haki, and had finally felt that he had closed the gap a little, but Luffy had actually unlocked a new level?

The gap has not narrowed; on the contrary, it seems to have opened up a new dimension!

He knew that Luffy trained very hard.

But Zoro has also put in a lot of sweat and effort!

How come this guy's progress is like a rocket?!

An indescribable sense of frustration and resentment welled up inside me.

boom!

Zoro slammed a heavy iron weight used as a barbell onto the ground, stormed into the cabin, and muttered, "More training! Train until you drop dead!"

He refused to believe he couldn't catch up.

If Zoro saw Luffy suddenly fall asleep while training, and then wake up full of energy again, he would probably feel relieved.

A few days later, on a clear and sunny morning, the Going Merry finally landed smoothly on the sea in Qinghai.

The octopus hot air balloon had completed its mission, released its tentacles, and floated back into the sky.

Returning to the familiar blue sea, everyone was exceptionally excited, as if they had been reunited after a long separation.

Nami and Vivi have already begun discussing with great interest the list of items they will buy after arriving in Water Seven, especially some new clothes and accessories for Merry.

Of course, the primary task was to exchange the astonishing amount of gold treasure on the ship for more readily usable Bailey.

Besides the two golden stone tablets that the Shandians primarily used for training, they also possessed a large quantity of gold and silver jewelry and utensils.

Little Merry joined the discussion. Although she was a ship's spirit, she was essentially a girl and was equally interested in pretty clothes and sparkly trinkets.

Usopp, meanwhile, pulled Sanji aside to ponder how to utilize the properties of the Sky Island Shells to reinforce and upgrade the Going Merry's structure and functionality.

He took this matter very seriously. Although everyone had decided to build a large ship that could accommodate the Merry, the optimization and strengthening of the Merry itself was equally important, as it concerned their navigational safety before the large ship was built and under certain specific circumstances.

Chopper also ran to find Nami, rubbing his little hooves a little embarrassedly:

"Nami, the medicinal herbs on that ship are almost used up. I'd like to replenish them, but I'll need some money."

Nami is now incredibly wealthy; she generously handed Chopper a wad of cash with a wave of her hand.

"Here, this is ten million Berries. That should be enough, right? Remember to buy some good medicinal herbs."

"Ten million Berries?!"

Chopper was stunned by the number. He hurriedly took the money and began counting his hooves, trying to calculate how many of his bounties were equivalent to 10 million Berries.

I counted for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so in the end I had to carefully wrap the wallet in a clean cloth and hold it tightly in my arms.

Nami smiled and warned, "Chopper, this is a huge sum of money, you absolutely can't lose it!"