Pirates: From Vice Captain to Lord of the Dead

but

"So, what about the bad news? Isn't this already pretty good?"

Reiner regained his serious expression. The good news about Kaku meant that the Merry could be completely saved, so why was there still bad news?

Hearing this, everyone fell silent and looked at Kaku, and began to worry about the Merry again.

Because all the good things have been said, there is only one piece of news left, a piece of news that has only bad news and will definitely hit everyone!

"Emm, this one."

Kaku looked troubled and pondered for a while, "Seeing how happy you were just now, it's a bit hard to speak now."

Kaku looked around at the eyes that were cast upon him, and said with a stiff face, “We have to face it eventually, so I won’t be polite;

"Even if the repairs are completed this time, the life of this ship will not be very long."

wow~

Splash~, the waves still gently hit the Merry. A red fish floating on the water surface dived into the seabed with a thud, leaving behind circles of ripples.

There was a sudden silence on the boat, and everyone looked at Kaku blankly until...

"Hey, you guy!"

Usopp's eyes widened, and his voice became louder. "What do you mean by lifespan? Are you saying that the Merry is dying? Explain clearly!"

"You didn't misunderstand me, that's what I meant."

Kaku looked indifferent, and said something that sounded like common sense, yet extremely cruel:

“A ship naturally has a lifespan. The main structure of this ship has been obviously worn out. Just because it is well preserved does not mean it can be used forever.

"As long as the ship is sailing, even if it is always idle and never sailed, wear and tear and aging are inevitable, just like people, who are destined to grow old from the moment they are born."

"This is an irreversible process. It's the same for any ship, and your ship is no exception."

Whoosh~ A cool breeze blew, making everyone feel cold.

"But! But,"

Usopp was getting more and more anxious as he spoke, "Merry! It's only been a short time since we set out to sea. How could a ship be so fast?!"

“It’s a multifactorial problem.”

Kaku pondered for a while, organized his words and said: "For example, although this ship has just been out to sea for a short time, it is not newly built;

“Not to mention that this type of ship is retro, in fact, some of the signs of aging inside existed before you went out to sea, I can still see that;

"Besides that, the maintenance of the ship is also a problem. Judging from the condition of this ship,

"There has never been a professional shipwright on your ship."

Chapter 106: Just Logistics

White clouds blocked the sun, shadows passed by, the sparkling sea gradually lost its luster, and deep blue waves kept hitting the shore.

The regular waves were not interrupted by any sound, which made the silence on the boat seem even more obvious.

Kaku's words were plain, but they sounded chilling to everyone's ears.

He was just stating the objective facts, which made it seem even more cruel.

"The climate change in the Grand Line is strange. You must have some idea of it since you have sailed here."

Kaku leaned against the railing of the boat and looked around at the people surrounding him.

"Sailing on such a sea without a professional shipwright responsible for daily maintenance, the life of the ship will naturally be drastically shortened."

Then he pointed to the mast and the triangular sail at the stern, “In your eyes, the mast is just a huge piece of wood, the sail is just two pieces of cloth, and the rigging is just a few ropes;

“But for a professional shipwright, these things are very particular, even every plank on the ship is something completely different to me;

"There are many other influencing factors, such as the materials and craftsmanship of the ship. I think you can understand it now."

As the words fell, a cool breeze blew, making them feel cold in their hearts, and they all looked at Kaku in shock.

Hear this.

Although everyone was unwilling, they understood it. They cherished the Merry, but this could not change the facts that had already happened.

Ships will age from the moment they are born until they die, and the same goes for people. They and the Merry will all face this inevitable day.

"Damn it!!"

Usopp clenched his fists, "I should have found a shipwright sooner!"

"Come on Usopp, this isn't anyone's fault."

Reiner turned to Kaku again and asked tentatively: "You just said that the life of this ship is not much, so how long can it sail?"

"As for time, I can't make a very specific assessment." Kaku spread his hands.

"Aren't you a professional shipwright?"

Usopp was a little dissatisfied and questioned loudly, "You said the Merry couldn't hold out for too long, and now you say you can't evaluate it. What do you mean?"

Kaku didn't care about Usopp's excited words. The other party just cared too much about the ship. After so many years of career as a shipbuilder, it was natural for him to encounter such a situation.

"I can only see the problem with the boat, but your trip is unpredictable."

Kaku explained to everyone calmly:

“Where you will go next, what kind of bad weather you will experience, how fierce the battle will be, all these will determine when the ship will reach the end;

"But at least, even if it is repaired, it probably won't reach the second half of the Grand Line, and you

Kaku looked at Luffy.

"You said you were going to travel around the world, right? That's why I have to tell you that the lifespan of the ship is short. This ship is not destined to accompany you forever."

Usopp became emotional as soon as he heard that the Merry was destined to be abandoned during their voyage.

After all, he is the one on the ship who best understands the hardships that the Merry has gone through!

"In that case, what we just said is not good news!"

Usopp's face was filled with reluctance, and his eyes became red with excitement. "Even if it is repaired now, we still have to replace it in the future!"

"If a person has a serious illness and can recover, it is of course good news."

Kaku used the most vivid metaphor, "Just because you are in your twilight years, you can't just sit there and wait to die if you get sick.

"I just gave you another option. After repairing it, it can still sail for a while. You can consider changing the boat in the future."

"We don't want to!"

"That's right, there's no ship like the Merry!"

"Well, can you think of a solution?" Nami couldn't help but ask.

"We still have a sufficient budget. Can you think of ways to increase it and do better? Even if it means extending its sailing time, we don't want to give up the Merry after all."

Kaku didn't expect that they would be so resistant to "changing ships". In his opinion, this was a very normal thing and almost all pirates would have this experience.

It was here that One Piece got a new ship, the Or Jackson.

Based on his experience here, changing ships is a must for almost all pirates who reach the New World.

“That’s not impossible.”

Kaku scratched his head. "If we increase the budget, we can use better materials, and we can naturally do better, or even make some improvements, but in this case

"The cost of repairing the boat is much higher than buying a new one. And even if you do that, to be honest, the possibility of using this boat to complete the entire journey is extremely small, and the risk is very high."

This ship can still sail after a simple repair, but if it costs a lot of money to repair and renovate it, rationally speaking, it is not worth it at all!

In addition, just like doctors treating patients, if the patients are not dead, they can bring them back to life or even extend their lifespan a little, but rejuvenation and resurrection are the only two things that are impossible.

"how so."

Nami was obviously very disappointed with this result and retorted:

"Didn't you say that there are several broken skeletons in the main structure that need to be replaced? In other words, the main structure can be dismantled and replaced with new ones, right? Then can't we just replace the other worn ones as well?"

"That would make no sense at all."

Kaku pointed his finger into the cabin and patiently explained: "The so-called life of a ship mainly refers to the degree of wear and tear of the keel and the main structure. The keel of a ship is like the spine of a person, and the other main structures are like the skeleton of a person, built one by one around the core;

"It's fine if the surface is damaged and replaced, but if all the bones are removed and replaced, it's actually the same as building a brand new ship. Even if the appearance is restored to be exactly the same, it's not the original ship. You will feel this the most strongly at that time."

"So, rather than repairing it, I actually recommend that you replace it directly. I have no other intention, I am just making a choice from an objective point of view."

"I do not want it!"

Luffy slapped the suitcase on the ground and shouted excitedly,

"You just said it can be repaired! In that case! We have a lot of money, so it doesn't matter if we spend a little more. Just fix it. We believe in the Merry!"

"Okay, you guys make the decision."

Kaku said unfazed, "I respect your feelings for this ship, but feelings cannot change the facts. My advice will not change. The most sensible thing to do is still to change the ship."

"Hey! You guy!"

Usopp seemed to have discovered something, and pointed at Kaku and shouted:

"You have been urging us to get a new ship since the beginning! You didn't mean to make more money from us by deliberately saying that the Merry was about to fail!

"I knew it! You guys are all profiteers and cannot be trusted at all. You don't know how strong the Merry has been all the way. How could it not hold on?"

“That’s it, it’s up to you to believe it or not.”

Kaku ignored Usopp's questioning, "I am confident that my diagnosis is not wrong;

"As a professional shipbuilder, it is my job to give you correct feedback and more rational suggestions based on the objective conditions of the ship."

"Usopp, don't get excited."

Sanji blew out a puff of smoke, looked directly into Kaku's eyes and spoke calmly,

"He didn't lie. Although I'm not a shipbuilder, the confidence and seriousness in his eyes couldn't be fake. He is the kind of person who deserves the title of shipbuilder."

"Unfortunately."

Chopper's eyes were watery. "Although I also hope that he is lying, I am afraid that what he said is true."