Kairo yawned a bit as they entered the island. His brow, however, furrowed the second he stepped onto the shore.
"We can restock on supplies here," Sanji said.
Zoro could be seen docking the ship and making sure the sails were where they needed to be.
Though as he pulled on one of the ropes—
Crack
The helm of the ship cracked, almost falling on Zoro.
Zoro seemed shocked, but he caught it.
"Are you trying to destroy the ship?!" Usopp yelled as he slapped Zoro on the back of his head.
"I wasn't trying to do that! I was just fixing the helm as usual, and it cracked," Zoro explained, still holding the very heavy object.
"The Merry has taken quite a lot of damage," Sanji said as he stepped on a creaky board.
"Some of the installations aren't even working anymore. The floor creaks, and some of the doors don't even open," Sanji added, walking around the creaking boards.
"The Merry is still our ship—she just needs some fixing," Usopp said.
He really seemed to like this ship. Did it hold a special place in his heart or something?
"It's a miracle the ship can still sail in this condition," Sanji added. The ship was only running on hopes and dreams.
Kairo didn't say much. His ass could fly—ships were just convenient. Though he could tell the ship meant a lot to Usopp, he'd have to get that story another time.
The boat was working off hopes and dreams.
"Water 7 should be east of here. The ship can get repaired there," Kairo said calmly.
"Mister know-it-all of course knows where it is." You could tell Sanji didn't fuck with Kairo.
"Water 7 is basically where all the top helmsmen go. It's affiliated with the World Government—practically everyone gets their ship fixed there. Even Gol D. Roger's ship was made there by some guy named Tom, a fishman."
Luffy seemed excited.
"You mean to say the person who made the Pirate King's ship is there? So cool!"
His eyes practically had stars in them.
Kairo scratched the back of his head.
"I mean, that place is where the best ships are made, so yeah."
"Fucking walking encyclopedia..."
Kairo ignored that—none of his business.
"As long as we can make it there, we can try and repair the Merry," Kairo said calmly.
Usopp's brow furrowed. Kairo said try, not repair.
The fuck did he mean by that? Kairo didn't elaborate further. The Merry was beyond saving; the only reason it was still going was because of Usopp. Don't ask him how or why—it just happened.
"The shield better hold. Nami cannot fall into the ocean."
"This is seriously what you're worried about?!" Usopp shouted. Sanji didn't care about the ship sinking—just that Nami-Swan didn't drown, since, you know, Nami had a Devil Fruit that had to do with the weather.
"Worst-case scenario, Nami can just make a cloud path for the ship to follow—or guide it with her clouds," Kairo said calmly.
Nami's brow furrowed. That was a lot of trust put on her—someone who'd barely had her fruit for a week.
Luffy, meanwhile, just smiled as if that was obvious—like duh.
"Jeez, what if I fail? That's a lot," Nami said, to which Luffy shrugged.
"You won't. You're the best navigator around. I'm sure you can do it."
Nami seemed taken aback by her captain's trust. Even Sanji was, of course, clit-riding...
Zoro also seemed to trust her, even Chopper and Usopp.
And Robin was—
"You'll do well. After all, if you fail, we all die."
"How can you say something so morbid in such a touching moment?!" Usopp shouted, to which Robin simply smiled as if she were the most innocent person in the sea—she could do no harm.
She simply chuckled at Usopp, finding his fear funny.
Anyway, they had set sail. The helm was relatively safe... for now.
The people on the ship were ready to explore.
"So, who's going to stay on the ship to guard it?" Nami asked.
Kairo looked at her before saying, "You."
"Heh... why me?" She seemed confused.
"Yes, why her?" The sniper himself asked.
"Your Devil Fruit," Kairo said calmly.
"You're the one with the fruit that can alert us at any time. If there's trouble, you can always make it rain or thunder a lot. Plus, we're on the earlier half of the Grand Line—people don't typically learn Haki until the second half. So, you're the safest bet, as you can't be harmed unless they use Haki or have your counter." He explained carefully.
Nami nodded at that, but still—she kinda didn't want that.
But... she could probably use this chance to practice her powers a bit more. She was still getting used to them.
Maybe in the future, she could do amazing stuff with them, but for now, she seemed a bit limited in her ability. Though she was sure with practice, she'd get better.
Hell, it wasn't like something big was finna happen on this island.
A/N how strong is current Kairo?