Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

Coastline, harbor.

As you walk along the lush forest path, the sound of waves crashing against the shore becomes clearer.

The moment the view suddenly opened up, a sailboat quietly moored in the bay came into everyone's view.

It was a uniquely shaped sloop sailboat with smooth, rounded lines.

The most eye-catching feature is the adorable sheep-headed boat head statue.

It is sculpted to life, with round eyes, curved ram horns, and a gentle smile that seems to always hang at the corner of its mouth, as if welcoming its companions who are about to board the ship.

Although Ronan and his crew just captured the Black Cat Pirates' ship, that ship was bigger and more intimidating.

But compared to the ship in front of them, which was full of spirit and design, the gloomy black cat ship was simply a pile of floating garbage.

"Wow--!!"

Nami, being a professional navigator, immediately brightened up. She quickly stepped forward, reached out and stroked the wood grain of the ship's hull, exclaiming in amazement:

"This is... a light sailboat! The streamlined design and the draft... it's simply perfect!"

"Are you really going to give this to us?" Luffy's eyes turned into stars, and his voice trembled with excitement.

Kaya smiled slightly and nodded: "Yes, please make sure you use it! It may not be big, but I hope it can take you to farther places."

Merry, dressed in a smart butler's uniform, stood to the side, her face beaming with pride.

He stepped forward and gazed at the ship with deep affection, as if looking at his own child:

"Although the design is based on the old-fashioned light sailboats, it is a masterpiece that I have painstakingly designed."

"It has a skeletal structure and uses a triangular sail with a central rudder at the stern."

"While this design sacrifices some cargo capacity, it greatly improves maneuverability and speed in complex sea conditions."

Butler Merry adjusted his glasses and earnestly introduced the ship to everyone: "Its name is—the Merry!"

Ronan looked at the sheep's head and felt a warm feeling well up inside him.

"The Merry..." he murmured.

In his perception using Observation Haki, the wood of the new ship seemed to be breathing.

Although it is currently just an inanimate object, he knows that in the future journey, under the care of Luffy and his crew, this ship will give birth to the legendary "ship spirit".

"Let me explain the operation," Butler Merry opened a blueprint and began to speak eloquently, "First, regarding power start-up, the mainsail's riser cable is located at..."

Luffy clearly had no interest in these complex mechanical principles; his attention had long since wandered far away.

Nami listened with great interest, nodding occasionally and asking several professional questions, which greatly impressed Butler Merry.

"What a fantastic ship!"

Luffy leaped onto the deck and ran straight to the ram's head figurehead, plopped down on it, and excitedly patted it:

"Especially this bow! It's so cool! This is practically first-class seating!"

Ronan looked at Luffy sitting on the ram's head and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

That's the captain's seat, Luffy's favorite spot.

For countless days and nights to come, this straw-hatted boy will sit here, gazing at the distant sea, shouting, "I am going to be the Pirate King!"

"I've packed everything that might be needed during the voyage."

Kaya stood on the shore, looking up at Luffy. "Fresh water, food, and some spare ropes and canvas."

"Thank you so much, Kaya!" Luffy shouted, waving his hands.

……

"Aaaaaahh ...

Just then, a piercing scream, growing louder as it approached, shattered the tranquility of the bay.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a huge figure carrying a bundle half the height of a person rolling down the steep slope leading to the coast, losing its balance and rolling down like an out-of-control ball of flesh!

"That's...?" Nami was stunned.

"Someone...someone stop this for me!!"

The rolling ball of flesh emitted a desperate cry for help.

Kaya covered her mouth, exclaiming in surprise, "Usopp?!"

The ship was rolling at an extremely high speed, kicking up clouds of dust, and it looked like it was about to break off the slope and crash directly into the Merry docked on the shore!

"What's that guy doing?" Luffy tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"Idiot! Now is not the time to daydream!"

Zoro's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, but he immediately realized he couldn't cut it, so he sighed helplessly.

"Let's stop him first! At this rate and speed, he'll definitely crash into our new ship!"

"good!"

No sooner said than done.

Luffy and Zoro lifted their feet at the same time with perfect coordination.

Just as Usopp's terrified face was about to kiss the gunwale of the Going Merry—

"Bang!!"

Two large feet, one on the left and one on the right, landed precisely and hard on Usopp's face!

The enormous kinetic energy was instantly neutralized.

The world is quiet.

Ronan stood to the side, watching this classic "human brake" scene, and almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This familiar recipe, this familiar taste—this is the Straw Hat crew's unique way of greeting each other.

"Waaaaah..."

Usopp, with a nosebleed streaming down his face and two clear shoe prints on his cheeks, raised his hand tearfully, saying, "I'm... so sorry..."

……

After the farce, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate again.

Usopp struggled to his feet and patted the huge backpack on his body.

He didn't look at Luffy and the others, but turned around with his back to Kaya, seemingly afraid to look her in the eye.

"So you really are going to sea, Usopp." Kaya's voice was soft, but it conveyed a sense of understanding.

"Ah..." Usopp adjusted his goggles and said in a serious tone.

"I need to get going before my resolve wavers. Don't stop me, Kaya."

He was very serious, like a lone hero about to go to the battlefield.

Kaya smiled gently: "I won't stop you, because I had a feeling that you belong to this sea."

Usopp stiffened slightly, then turned his head, his nose a little red: "Now that you mention it... I do feel a bit empty!"

He sniffed, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed his signature smile:

"Don't worry! When I return to this village next time, I'll tell you a real adventure story that's ten thousand times more unbelievable than those 'foolish' tales I told you before!"

"Yes! I'll wait!" Kaya nodded vigorously, her eyes glistening with tears.

This is a promise made between childhood sweethearts, and also a declaration of a boy growing into a man.

After doing all this, Usopp took a deep breath and suppressed the sorrow in his heart.

He turned around and looked at Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, who were already standing on the deck of the Going Merry.

Looking at his former comrades, a hint of sadness flashed in Usopp's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

He stood on the shore, waving to the crowd, and shouted in a deliberately nonchalant manner:

"Hey! You guys! Take care! Hope to see you again at sea sometime!"