One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

"Why can't I learn it..."

Usopp seemed to have lost all strength, his entire being shrouded in gloom.

Not being able to master such cool ninjutsu felt like losing hundreds of millions—it was agonizing.

"Because our physiques are different," Meiser explained. "I'm probably the last ninja left in this world."

After a pause, he added, "Well, a rather special kind of ninja."

Considering what Kokoro had mentioned about the Land of Wano, Meiser felt the need to clarify.

Hearing this, the others stopped pressing the matter. Some things were simply inherited through bloodlines—no one could force it.

Nico Robin froze for a moment, realizing that Meiser might have had experiences similar to hers.

'He's the only ninja left...'

Could it be that his homeland... was also destroyed?

"Mmm..." Chopper suddenly trembled before slowly opening his eyes. "Where... am I?"

"You're awake," Meiser said with a smile. "How do you feel?"

"My body's exhausted, but... I can still move."

As he spoke, Chopper sat up and began examining himself. After a moment, he said, "I remember now... I took a Rumble Ball..."

"Yeah, you went berserk, but I managed to subdue you."

"Is that so? Thanks, Meiser."

"No need for thanks. I'm just glad you're okay."

Meiser reached out and ruffled the little guy's head—the texture was surprisingly pleasant.

"You really scared us back then," Nami chimed in. "Chopper, don't do something so reckless again."

"Sorry, I'll be more careful," Chopper replied, scratching his head.

It wasn't like he had a choice back then—otherwise, he wouldn't have risked taking a third Rumble Ball.

"Huh?!"

"Isn't this the Going Merry?!" Chopper exclaimed as he noticed their surroundings. "Why are we on the Merry?"

"That's... a long story..."

"Speaking of which... why did this ship come to Enies Lobby?" Meiser glanced at the Going Merry. "Wasn't it deemed unseaworthy?"

"I thought it might have something to do with you..."

Meiser gave Nami a puzzled look. "Why would you say that?"

"Remember, the first time I met you guys was near the Sea Train—I never even saw this ship before."

Since he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, his reasoning made sense.

Seeing that Meiser didn't seem to be lying, Nami grew even more confused.

"If it wasn't you... then what happened?" she pressed. "We searched everywhere but found no trace of anyone else."

"It's almost as if... as if the ship came here on its own. But how is that possible?"

After all, for a ship to reach its destination, environmental factors had to be considered!

In the Grand Line, the weather varied drastically between seas—calm waters here could mean violent storms there.

Drifting to a specific location on its own was practically impossible, let alone... surviving the terrifying Aqua Laguna!

They were able to pass through Aqua Laguna thanks to Meiser, but how did the Merry get here?

"Long-nose, remember what I told you before," Franky suddenly said.

Usopp, no longer despondent, immediately stood up and said, "You mean... the Ship Spirit?"

"Yes, the Ship Spirit!"

"Ship Spirit?"

Facing the confused looks from the others, Franky calmly explained, "The Ship Spirit is a legend of the sea. When a crew cherishes their ship deeply, there's a chance for a Ship Spirit to be born."

"And this long-nose here has actually seen the Ship Spirit of this very ship!"

"So..." Franky glanced around and said, "I believe this ship managed to cross Aqua Laguna and reach Enies Lobby because of the Ship Spirit."

Otherwise, there was no way to explain how the ship had arrived at Enies Lobby on its own.

"Our ship actually gave birth to a Ship Spirit?!" Sanji said in disbelief.

"Cherishing the ship..." Usopp looked at the patched-up hull and fell silent for a moment before choking up, "Merry..."

Had they really taken good care of this ship?

If they had, why had it ended up in such a state?

"Merry!!"

Chopper burst into tears. Had the Merry really braved the dangerous Aqua Laguna to save them?

"I knew I loved the Merry the most!!"

"Really?!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, "Merry!!"

"Merry, where are you?"

"Merry!!"

Luffy, lying on the deck, struggled with great effort to stand up but couldn't manage it. In the end, he resorted to using his chin as a means of movement, inching his way across the ship, clearly trying to find the Ship Spirit.

"Even I have never seen a ship that gave birth to a Ship Spirit before," Kokoro remarked with emotion.

Though she hadn't seen the Ship Spirit with her own eyes, she felt her life was now complete.

"Hmm?"

Meiser seemed to sense something and turned to look at the Merry's cabin, narrowing his eyes.

'This feeling is...'

"Don't waste your energy," Franky said. "If she wants to see you, she'll come out on her own."

"But... don't forget, this ship is already on borrowed time. Even with a Ship Spirit..."

"You jerk, don't talk about Merry like that!" Chopper shouted angrily. "The Merry is fine! Why would you say such a thing?!"

"If it weren't for the Merry, we wouldn't have escaped Enies Lobby, you heartless bastard!" Nami said.

"It's just how it looks..."

Franky wanted to explain further, but after seeing the looks in the eyes of the Straw Hat Pirates, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

Clearly, to the Straw Hat Pirates, this wasn't just a pirate ship—it was a companion who had been through countless life-and-death situations with them!

This stirred a feeling in Franky's heart that he had never experienced before.

"Merry..."

Zoro placed his right hand on the ship's railing, unable to keep his emotions in check.

"Is there really no other way?" Nico Robin looked at Franky and said, "This ship really..."

"The keel is beyond repair," Franky shook his head.

Although he really wanted to help the Straw Hat Pirates fix this ship, once the keel was damaged, it was essentially a death sentence.

Replacing the keel would be equivalent to building an entirely new ship—could that even still be considered repairs?

That would just be constructing a new ship altogether!

"Sigh..."

Nico Robin sighed. She hadn't expected everyone to face such a situation right after escaping from Enies Lobby.

"Huh?"

"Where's Meiser?"

The others blinked. Their attention had been completely focused on Franky, and they hadn't even noticed when Meiser had disappeared.

Just then, a childlike voice came from inside the ship's cabin—it sounded... like a little girl?

"Please put me down. I don't want them to see me like this."

"Please..."

"No." Meiser shook his head. "You became like this for everyone's sake... How could I let you hide alone in a dark corner waiting to die?"

The sight of Merry made Meiser's heart ache!

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