Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Log Pose in Nami's hand had successfully stored enough magnetic force. Now, all that was left was Franky's ship.
"The banquet we had the other day was so much fun," Luffy said nostalgically. "I wonder when the next one will be."
"You still have the nerve to talk about the banquet?" Nami glared at Luffy in annoyance. "Do you even know how much money you wasted treating the whole city to food, you idiot?!"
"If it weren't for Meiser, we wouldn't even have money to buy furniture!"
Recalling the scene from before, Nami clenched her fists again.
Hearing this, Luffy shrank his neck and muttered, "But it all worked out in the end..."
"Huh?"
BAM!
In a flash, Nami appeared beside Luffy and punched him to the ground, leaving Merry wide-eyed in shock.
"Hey, Nami, why'd you hit Luffy?"
"Hmph, he deserved it," Nami snorted, then turned to Meiser, her eyes turning into the shape of Berries. "Meiser, if something like this happens again, please don't hold back."
What Nami was referring to, of course, was Meiser taking money from Enies Lobby.
"Ah... got it..."
Seeing Nami's money-grubbing expression, Meiser twitched his lips—this was so typical of her.
"Meiser, did all the furniture arrive?"
"Yeah, it's all in the Scroll," Meiser nodded.
Most of the Straw Hat Pirates' belongings were stored inside his Scroll, ready to be taken out once they returned to their ship.
Honestly, when Meiser first revealed this ability, it had completely stunned them.
Of course, Merry's spatial abilities had also left them just as amazed.
"Hey, Straw Hat Boy, are you guys there?"
"Sounds like that pair of sisters," Meiser remarked, glancing toward the door.
BANG!
The door suddenly burst open as Kiwi, Mozu, and Chimney rushed in, looking completely exhausted.
"Oh, it's you guys. What's up?"
"Straw Hat Boy, Boss sent us to get you—the ship is ready!"
"Really?!"
The entire Straw Hat Pirates crew lit up with excitement—this meant they were ready to set sail!
"It's finished already?!"
"It was built by five top-tier shipwrights working overnight, so of course it was fast."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!" Sanji said eagerly. "I can't wait to see the new kitchen."
"I wonder what the new ship will be like," Merry said excitedly.
"We'll find out when we see it," Meiser chuckled, ruffling Merry's hair.
"By the way, Merry, can you still use that ship-controlling ability of yours?"
"I'm not sure," little Merry tilted her head thoughtfully. "I haven't tried yet, so I don't know."
"Then we'll test it later."
"Okay!"
Just then, another commotion erupted outside.
"Straw Hat Boy, Boss!!"
"Today sure is lively," Nico Robin laughed.
"Let's go see what's going on."
Curious, everyone stepped outside and looked at the panting members of the Franky Family rushing toward them.
"What, are you here to tell us about the ship too?"
"Ship?" Zambai was momentarily stunned before shaking his head. "No, we have other matters."
"Have you all seen your bounties yet? The Straw Hat Boy's bounty is terrifyingly high."
"And the Ninja brother's—his first bounty is already at such a staggering amount..."
At this point, Zambai swallowed hard. In all his years, he'd never seen anything so outrageous.
"Oh ho, so I've been given a bounty too?" Meiser grinned. "Now that's something worth celebrating."
"Yes, and the others have bounties as well," Zambai nodded.
"I have one too!" Chopper exclaimed excitedly.
"Hahaha, I finally have a wanted poster! My bounty must be higher than Moss Head's, right?"
"Tch, keep dreaming, you damn cook."
"How come I also..."
Unlike their jubilant crewmates, Nami was completely frozen in shock.
"Anyway, take a look first." Zambai placed the wanted posters on the ground so the Straw Hat Pirates could see them clearly.
"Straw Hat Boy, bounty: 420 million Berries!"
"Awesome, it went up! Hahaha!"
"Blood-Eyed Ninja, Meiser, bounty: 400 million Berries."
"Oh ho~"
Meiser examined his wanted poster with great interest. He hadn't expected his first bounty to be this high. The photo must have been taken during the Enies Lobby incident—no idea how they managed that. But why did his poster include the words "Capture Alive"?
"A first bounty this high?!!" Kiwi gasped in disbelief.
"This is unbelievable. I've never heard of anything like this," Mozu added, equally stunned.
"It's probably because Meiser defeated the Buster Call," Nico Robin speculated.
That had to be the reason—otherwise, there was no explanation for such an astronomical bounty.
"Pirate Hunter, Zoro, bounty: 150 million Berries."
"Hmph, not bad," Zoro smirked.
Though it wasn't as high as Meiser's, the amount still satisfied him greatly.
"Cat Burglar Nami, bounty: 20 million Berries."
"W-Wait... why do I..."
Nami's face turned pale as she stared at the staggering 20-million figure.
"Chopper, the Cotton Candy Lover, pet, bounty... 50 Berries."
"F-Fifty?!"
Hearing the number, Chopper was utterly speechless.
"Devil's Child, Nico Robin, bounty: 80 million Berries."
Robin merely smiled at this, offering no reaction.
"Hold on—who the hell is this?!"
Sanji's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the sketch on his poster, looking as though his soul had left his body.
"Black Leg Sanji, photo unavailable, bounty: 90 million Berries."
Sanji:
At that moment, Sanji felt like the sky had fallen.
Meiser glanced at Sanji, then back at the poster, wondering if the Marines had done this just to mess with him.
"Sogeking is here too."
Merry: ???
Isn't that just Usopp?
"Everyone, I know you have a lot to say right now, but please take a look at this first." Zambai anxiously pulled out Franky's wanted poster and placed it on the ground.
"That's Franky!"
"Cyborg Franky, bounty: 50 million berries!"
"Big Bro has become a wanted criminal..."
Kiwi and Mozu's expressions immediately changed—they knew exactly what this meant.
"That's right. Big Bro is now a wanted man. A peaceful life is no longer possible for him." Zambai took a deep breath, then looked at Luffy with pleading eyes. "Straw Hat Boy, please take Franky with you to sea."
"Otherwise, if he gets captured, we don't have the strength to rescue him."
"Even if you have to force him... please, you must take him with you!"
"We're begging you!"
Seeing the desperation of the Franky Family, Luffy suddenly grinned and said, "Even if you hadn't asked, I would've done it anyway."
"I already decided he's going to be my shipwright!"
"Really?!" Zambai exclaimed joyfully. "That's great! Thank you, Straw Hat Boy!"
As long as Big Bro joins the Straw Hat Pirates, even the Marines won't stand a chance against him!
"Everyone, we're entrusting Big Bro to you."
"Where are you all going?"
"Home, of course."
"Aren't you going to see Big Bro off?" the Square Sisters asked.
"Men don't need many words when parting." With that, Zambai turned and led the others away without looking back.
"Alright, let's go find Franky," Luffy said.
"Yeah!"
As the others went inside to gather their things, Merry bit her lip and murmured, "Usopp, he..."
"That depends entirely on his own choice," Robin said, crouching down to meet Merry's eyes. "Whether he comes back or not is up to him."
Merry fell silent for a moment before nodding in understanding, though Robin's figure grew blurry through her tears.
Robin's heart ached as she picked Merry up and carried her inside.
Gazing at the distant sky, Merry seemed lost in thought.
Usopp... will you come back?
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!