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The Going Merry was in a state of disrepair. From the outside, it looked like it was barely held together by patches. Onboard, the situation was even worse—especially since the main mast had been repaired multiple times. In truth, the ship was barely holding together.
Apart from the keel, almost every part that could be replaced had been, with some parts replaced more than once. This was why Jason was hesitant to board the Merry, fearing he might misstep and fall from the deck into the cabin.
In contrast, his ship, the Demon, had sailed for ten years with minimal damage. Even when it did sustain damage, Jason spared no expense to restore it to like-new condition. Not everyone was like Luffy, who was so reckless.
"That's it! You damn pirates!" Jason shouted.
Luffy, who was busy repairing the mast, looked up in confusion. "No! It's those Marines who've been chasing us!"
"What should we do? The mast isn't fixed yet!"
"It's all Luffy's fault!"
"Are we going to fight?" Nami asked, worried.
Zoro, always calm, had his hand on his sword's hilt. Surprisingly, the warship didn't fire at them. Instead, it turned around to capture the former Mayor of Witton, who had once been a pirate!
"Huh? What's going on? They didn't attack us?" Luffy was puzzled.
"Who knows? Let's finish repairing the ship before they change their minds!" Zoro suggested.
Even though the Marines didn't attack, Zoro wasn't about to relax. He joined in the effort to repair the mast, knowing that if they left it to Luffy alone, the repairs might not be finished until tomorrow.
Jason didn't seem to care much; he was already lying down.
While Luffy and the others were still repairing the ship, Dr. Hanso appeared with the Marines, and behind him was the bound Third Generation descendant of Witton!
"No! The Marines are coming!" Chopper shouted, his legs trembling as he hid behind Zoro, covering his face.
The crew stopped their repairs and gathered together, alarmed by Chopper's warning.
"As expected, the Marines weren't going to just let us go," Sanji muttered.
"Damn it, the ship's not ready yet!" Nami added.
"Then we'll have to fight!" Zoro declared, drawing his sword. Sanji lit a cigarette, while Luffy's fighting spirit flared up as he clapped his hands.
"Yoshi! Let's get ready, everyone!" Luffy shouted as he prepared to charge.
"Wait a moment!" Robin called out, causing Luffy to skid to a halt and fall flat on his face. He held his hat and looked up, confused.
"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.
Dr. Hanso then spoke up. "We're not here to fight! This is Rabbani, and this is Isoka! They won't take action!"
The crew's eyes bulged, and their jaws nearly hit the ground.
"Nani? That explosion turned you into an old man? And now you're a Marine?" Luffy was shocked.
"Idiot! Something must have happened! They were still on the ship when we arrived, but they disappeared after the explosion," Nami explained, exasperated.
"Is that so?" Luffy wondered aloud, scratching his head.
Nami slapped her forehead in frustration. It was embarrassing to have such a clueless captain! Rabbani, on the opposite side, continued.
"Yes, that explosion sent us to Lulujia Island fifty years ago! When I woke up, Isoka and the others were with me!"
"So, you've traveled through time?" Robin, intrigued as a scholar, took out a small notebook and started taking notes.
"Then why are you here now?" Luffy asked.
"Oh! I almost forgot! I'm here to arrest you!" Rabbani exclaimed.
Everyone was stunned.
"You still want to fight? Then come on!" Zoro said, ready for battle.
Usopp and Nami, terrified, hid on the Demon because the Merry was too fragile. They feared falling into the sea if a fight broke out.
Jason, lying comfortably with Robin in his arms, watched as the two reindeer—Chopper and Usopp—rushed to their beach chairs.
"What are you doing?" Jason asked, annoyed.
"I just kissed Robin a few times, and now you're coming over?"
"Shh! Stop talking. Luffy and the others are about to fight the Marines. We're here to protect you and Robin-san!" Chopper whispered.
Jason was exasperated. "Are you three sure?"
"Of course! It's safest behind Jason! I'm not scared at all!" Chopper declared confidently.
Nami and Usopp were less than thrilled, their faces betraying their unease.
Meanwhile, the main combatants on the other side were already in their fighting stances, and Rabbani continued to speak.
"We carry the Marine flag of justice, and we can't let pirates with bounties go unpunished!"
"So let's fight!" Luffy shouted, about to charge.
But Rabbani quickly changed his tone. "But we have to escort Witton and his gang to prison first. We don't have enough manpower to fight you now. We don't know if reinforcements will arrive tomorrow or the day after. What if the Straw Hat Pirates escape in the meantime?! Damn it!" Rabbani exclaimed, scratching his head in frustration.
"Isoka!" Rabbani called out.
"Yes, sir!" Isoka responded.
"Let's quickly deliver Witton and his gang to prison and then come back to hunt down the Straw Hat Pirates! I just hope they don't escape in the meantime!"
"Uh…yes, sir!" Isoka was a bit stunned but followed orders.
Luffy and the others watched as Rabbani, cursing and grabbing his hair, led his men away.
"This…is okay?" Luffy asked, confused.
"He's as dumb as Luffy!" Sanji remarked.
"It's hilarious! Hahaha!" Usopp laughed.
With the danger seemingly passed, the crew lowered their guard and returned to the ship to continue repairing the mast. Rabbani had already set off with Witton's grandson, Third Generation, to the prison.
The next day, the Going Merry was slowly moving forward at sea when debris suddenly began to fall from the sky! In Jason's disbelieving eyes, a ship more than ten times larger than the Merry or the Demon came crashing down from the heavens.
Looking at Luffy and the others, a realization dawned on Jason, and memories long buried began to surface.
"Emmmm, a ship fell from the sky! It's an island in the sky!" Jason muttered, his mouth curling into a grin.
Finally! Hehehe! No! It should be…Jie Jie Jie!!
Robin, who was calmly reading and drinking coffee beside him, rolled her eyes at his sinister laughter. She knew he was up to something, but she didn't ask. She was more interested in the fallen ship's style, which seemed to be from an older era.
Robin ran over to investigate, and Jason, not wanting to be left out, followed. But when he saw Robin preparing to examine the remains of the ship, he wasn't pleased.
How can Robin use her delicate hands for this? Those hands are meant only for daily life and touching me! He couldn't allow it!
Under his strong insistence, Jason took over the task. As he worked on restoring the skull, he felt like he was assembling a Gundam model.
Nami, Chopper, and Usopp kept their distance, watching with chattering teeth as Jason's excitement grew.
"Sure enough, these two are perfectly matched—like the Devil's Son and the Devils guardian! They even share the same hobbies!" Usopp commented.
"Nonsense! Jason's the only pervert here. Sister Robin is doing this for research!" Nami countered.
"It's still scary!" Chopper added.
Through Jason's haphazard reconstruction and Robin's expert analysis, they gathered a wealth of information, even determining the age of the ship and the health of the deceased. Everyone was impressed by Robin's vast knowledge.
Jason, proud of Robin, beamed. "Did you see that? My wife!"
"Help!" Luffy's panicked voice rang out.
"Come on, Luffy, climb up quickly!" Usopp shouted, encouraging him.
Turning around, Nami saw Luffy flailing in the water, with Usopp cheering him on rather than helping, as if hoping Luffy would drown and leave him as the captain.
Zoro dove into the sea and swam to Luffy, rescuing him. Once back on the ship, Luffy excitedly pulled out a map—it was a map of Sky Island! Luffy then got into a heated argument with Nami about going there, only to be violently subdued.
But in the end, Luffy was still the captain, and despite her fierce demeanor, Nami doted on him.
However, she pointed out that a map wasn't enough; they also needed the ship's logbook and other recorded information. Without hesitation, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji donned the diving suits Usopp had crafted and dove into the water to retrieve it.
It should be said that while Usopp might not excel at everything, his craftsmanship was top-notch. Whether it was Nami's Clima-Tact, repairing the Merry, or the diving suits he made, everything he created was exceptionally reliable.
As they were salvaging the ship, a boatload of monkeys approached, making a ruckus with gongs, drums, and whistles! They bore an uncanny resemblance to Luffy!
But before they could get too close, a flying slash from Jason split their boat in two. Didn't they see he was busy fishing? Couldn't they take a hint.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were in shock.
"I must be dreaming..." Nami murmured.
"Ah! It's just a dream!" Usopp added.
"That's a relief!" Chopper sighed.
This was the first time they had seen Jason use swordsmanship, as he had never truly shown his skills before, whether in Alabasta or when dealing with enemies.
They knew Jason could block Zoro's three-sword style with one finger, so he had to be strong, but they didn't know just how strong.
This time was different. Jason had actually drawn his sword, displaying a power they had never imagined. He held the fishing rod in his left hand and his sword, the Soul, in his right, and with a gentle swing, he split a ship several times larger than the Merry into two.
The cut was so clean that it looked like a dream.
"Nani! My ship! What the hell!" the monkey captain shouted.
"Boss! Help!" the crew cried out.
But the cries for help confirmed that this was no dream.
"It's not a dream!" the trio shouted in unison, their eyes wide as they turned to look at Jason.
Jason, unfazed, casually thrust his sword into the deck and continued fishing. Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets again.
"Jason! You're so…"
But before Usopp could finish, he seemed to think better of it and quickly shut up.
"Ah? What is it?" Jason asked, glancing at him.
"Gulp... nothing. I just wanted to say that your sword is very valuable. It would be bad if it got corroded by seawater! Want me to put it away for you?" Usopp laughed nervously.
"Oh! That's okay, thanks!" Jason replied, handing over the sword.
"No, no, it's fine!"
Usopp wiped away imaginary cold sweat from his forehead. If he had been so blunt earlier, he might have been split in half by now!
"As expected of the great Captain Usopp, I'm simply too smart!" He comforted himself while carefully pulling out the Soul lodged in the deck and returning it to its scabbard.
"Good weight!"
Usopp noticed how incredibly heavy the Soul felt. Meanwhile, the group of people who had been thrown overboard began swimming back to the Merry.
"Hey, did you see who attacked our ship just now?"
"Huh? Damn it! A monkey?"
Usopp couldn't help but complain when he saw the face of the person approaching. However, instead of getting angry, the person wore an embarrassed expression.
"Oh? Do I look like that? Hahaha!"
"I'm not complimenting you!"
"Wait a minute, even if you praise me, I won't be happy. I'm asking you, did you see anything?"
"No, I didn't see anything!"
Although Usopp was frustrated with Jason, he wasn't about to betray his crew. The ape-like man seemed to believe Usopp's lie and didn't press the issue further.
"Can we come aboard? We're too far from the island!"
"No!"
Nami refused firmly before Usopp could say anything.
"What about if I trade you my treasure?"
"Really? No, no, no, no!"
At first, Nami's eyes lit up, but she quickly shook her head furiously to decline. After hearing her refusal, the ape didn't push further. He simply crossed his arms and drifted with the waves, though his underlings were clearly unhappy.
"Boss, we can't just stay in the water like this. How about we seize the ship?"
"Idiot! Only sunken ships belong to me! Even though this ship is pretty shabby, I would never attack a living ship!"
"Oh! Got it! Brothers, let's sink the ship! Just poke a hole in it and let it go down! Then it'll be ours, and we can fix it up later!"
"That's not what I meant! Come back here!"
The ape shouted anxiously, but his crew wasn't listening. They dove into the water, preparing to sabotage the Merry.
"This is bad!"
"Oh no, if the Merry sinks, I'll definitely drown!"
"What do we do? Quick, think of something!"
Nami and the others panicked, but Robin and Jason remained completely calm. After a while, they noticed nothing unusual happening to the Merry and started to relax.
When they peeked over the side, they saw all the henchmen floating motionless on the surface, like dead fish. Only the ape was still conscious.
"What happened?"
"Could it be…?"
"Did Jason poison them?"
Jason couldn't help but smirk. "As expected of you, I knew you'd believe it!"
"Yes, they were poisoned. And you were too!"
"What?! Give me the antidote, quick! I don't want to die!"
"Just go drink some lemon juice!"
"That simple?"
"Yup!"
Usopp and Chopper dashed into the kitchen immediately, while Nami, a bit more cautious, asked:
"Jason, are you lying? What kind of poison is cured with lemon juice?"
"Yes, I was lying."
Robin burst out laughing, "Pfft hahaha!"
Nami glared: (▼皿▼#)
Just as they were about to ask more, Luffy and the others surfaced, riding an enormous turtle. Luffy held a permanent record pointer with "JAYA" written on it.
As the trio climbed back onto the Merry and removed their diving suits, the sky suddenly darkened.
Everyone was puzzled since it wasn't time for nightfall yet.
Then they noticed the giant turtle's eyes, wide with fear, staring straight ahead.
Following its gaze, they all turned pale, their throats tightening in fear.
In the distance, they saw several enormous black shadows approaching the Merry, growing larger as they came closer!
The Merry was as small as the turtle's eye, and the black shadows were much larger than the turtle!
Even Robin wasn't immune to the fear, instinctively leaning closer to Jason and gripping his arm tightly.
Jason twitched his arm:
(o ロ o*) Hiss ~ this feeling!
Robin didn't care about Jason's discomfort, and Jason wasn't concerned with the looming shadows either. He knew they were just shadows cast by ordinary people from Sky Island, nothing to be afraid of!