Chapter 116 The New Merry Sets Sail to Subdue MoriaThis led to an awkward situation: any warship entering without a Vice Admiral in command was essentially suicide.
Even with a Vice Admiral leading a fleet, if they were unlucky enough to run into a powerful pirate crew, they would still be wiped out.
This is the fundamental reason why Sengoku, despite immense pressure, was determined to push through the Marineford War plan.
The Navy needed to establish a foothold in the New World, to have its own territory, to instill fear in these lawless pirates!
Unfortunately, the entire New World was now essentially out of the World Government's control.
Even Navy Admirals dared not approach the Four Emperors' headquarters alone.
"Whitebeard! It's that old bastard again!"
Sengoku angrily squeezed his fist, shattering the teacup in his hand with a "crack," scalding tea dripping through his fingers.
"Pass down the order! All fleets in the New World immediately withdraw! Contract the defenses and prepare for battle!"
The communications officer responded loudly, saluted, and quickly retreated.
Sengoku casually handed the battle report to the goat eating paper beside him, a chilling glint of domineering arrogance flashing in his eyes.
"This time, I will definitely plant the banner of justice throughout the New World!"
...
Back to the Going Merry.
Chopper and Usopp were excitedly rolling and frolicking on the artificial turf.
Thanks to the modifications made by Iceberg and Franky, the Going Merry was almost identical in function and structure to the original Sunny.
The only difference was that the originally imposing lion's head on the bow had retained the Going Merry's classic, adorable goat's head design.
What pleased Luffy most was that, with his Observation Haki fully activated, he could clearly sense the warm presence within the ship.
The Going Merry's ship spirit was not only still there, but was also growing stronger in its slumber.
"So it really did inherit it."
Luffy sat cross-legged contentedly in the VIP seat with the goat's head, feeling the ship spirit's vibrant life force, and nodded slightly.
Next, all he had to do was go to Marine Headquarters and install a seastone hull on the Going Merry that could traverse the Calm Belt, and he'd be all set.
Of course, the main event was figuring out how to feed the Going Merry a top-tier Devil Fruit!
This was Luffy's long-planned, insane scheme.
As everyone knows, Vegapunk, that mad scientist, had already mastered the technology of feeding Devil Fruits to inanimate objects.
Whether it was Mr. 5's broken gun that ate the Dachshund Fruit, or Spandam's broken sword that ate the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, they were both successful precedents.
Speaking of that sword, it seems it's still in the hands of Kaku of the Hell Path.
Back when he was a pirate, he didn't have access to such core secrets, but now Luffy was a Vice Admiral with real power in the Marines.
Go find Kizaru, the guy in charge of the science unit, for a cup of tea, and maybe ask him for some technical advice. That lazy admiral probably won't refuse.
The only headache is, what if the Going Merry eats a Devil Fruit and becomes a landlubber? Won't it just sink?
After all, the curse of a Devil Fruit is being rejected by the sea. Being a ship that can't go into the water is just too much to bear.
However, Luffy is still incredibly excited to see what it looks like when the ship spirit gains self-awareness and transforms after acquiring its Devil Fruit power.
Then, the Going Merry might actually be able to speak and communicate normally with everyone like partners.
At this time, the new Going Merry's interior space was luxuriously divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.
The top-floor open deck not only featured Nami's favorite orange tree but also had a lawn and a swing.
This level also housed three extremely important functional rooms: Nami's surveying room, Robin's library, and a luxurious large bathhouse where everyone could wash away their fatigue.
The second level was the living area.
Back then, the old Going Merry only had a pitiful single bedroom. Aside from a few girls, Luffy and his crew of men had to sadly squeeze into the storage room and sleep on the floor.
Now, thanks to Luffy's insistence, the middle level not only had girls' dormitories with oversized soft beds but also spacious male dormitories, and even two guest rooms were reserved.
As for Luffy's own captain's cabin, it was extremely luxurious, especially the ridiculously large bed, making it hard to believe his thoughts were pure.
In addition, the restaurant and kitchen were separated, and the restaurant was even more outrageously enclosed by a viewing fish pond made of transparent reinforced glass.
The separate infirmary was fully equipped, and Chopper was so excited that he jumped around inside for ages, refusing to come out.
On the third floor at the bottom, there was a huge bar with a fantastic atmosphere, as well as a gym for weightlifting.
The energy room, the soldier dock system, and the weapons system were all cleverly hidden in the compartments on this floor.
The original outdated single-masted design had been upgraded to a more maneuverable and powerful two-masted sailboat.
Countless high-tech gadgets were on display, dazzling the eye.
Everyone was excitedly exploring, and even Usopp, who had initially been somewhat saddened, completely fell in love with the new ship after learning that the ship spirit had perfectly transferred.
"Super!!"
"Long live Franky!"
Usopp and Chopper followed Franky around like little lambs, mimicking his poses in all sorts of funny ways.
"Now we even have a professional shipwright!"
"Hooray!"
The crowd cheered and jumped for joy on the deck, the air filled with elation.
"Hmph, actually Iceberg sent me to monitor Monkey D. Luffy, that dangerous individual, to see if he'll abuse his power as a spy to destroy the world!"
Franky, standing on his dream ship, accidentally blurted out his true feelings.
The air suddenly fell silent for three seconds.
Franky: "..."
"Ah! Oops! I accidentally blurted out the truth..."
Everyone: "..."
"Are you an idiot..."
Luffy, however, didn't care at all, sitting cross-legged and laughing loudly:
"In that case, use your eyes to watch closely, watch the future changes of this world!"
Franky was instantly struck by this incredibly cool statement, moved to tears: "Ah! What an unbearable man!"
Everyone: "..."
"This guy really is an incurable pervert..."
Just then, Kalifa, dressed in a black business suit, appeared on the deck in high heels.
She held a notebook and a pen, quickly scribbling something.
"Vice Admiral Luffy, according to the Log Pose, our next stop was originally Fish-Man Island."
"But before that, we must cross the Devil's Triangle to carry out Vice Admiral Garp's special order—to subdue the Shichibukai Gecko Moria."
"According to headquarters intelligence, his Thriller Bark has been roaming that misty sea for a long time."
"After completing the mission, we will reach the Sabaody Archipelago and then return directly to Marine Headquarters via the special currents there."
"These are all the operational orders issued by headquarters."
Having finished reporting, Kalifa habitually extended her index finger and adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses.