Two pirate ships sailed steadily across the Icy Sea Route.
Since those Ferocious Penguins had already been eliminated by Meiser, there were no obstacles this time. They advanced almost unimpeded toward the Accino Family's headquarters.
They would reach their destination soon.
Behind the Thousand Sunny, on the pirate ship being towed by ropes, Stanson and the others stared blankly at the Thousand Sunny, still unable to process what had happened.
It wasn't until they heard Luffy's voice that they snapped out of it. "Your strength is terrifying..." Erl said to Luffy. "You took them down so easily."
Back then, they had fought with all their might but couldn't even defeat Brindo alone. Yet the Straw Hat Pirates had effortlessly crushed them.
"Of course! We're really strong!" Luffy grinned.
"What was that Water Dragon about?"
"Ah, that was Meiser's Ninjutsu. Pretty cool, right?"
"So powerful!" Erl exclaimed in shock. "That was Ninjutsu?!"
"Legendary Ninjas truly are stronger than imagined."
Someone like that wouldn't even be in danger in the New World. They might actually be able to establish themselves there!
"Hahahaha, Meiser is crazy strong!" Luffy laughed heartily.
Hearing others praise his crewmates always made Luffy happy.
"As expected of a pirate crew with a total bounty exceeding 1 billion Berries..." Stanson gulped.
"Eh?!"
"Over 1 billion?!"
Erl and the others gaped at Luffy, their eyes practically bulging out.
They had no idea this group's bounties were so terrifying. One billion?!
Their own Phoenix Pirates captain only had a bounty of 100 million Berries.
"Huh?"
"Did I not tell you?"
"No!" Erl roared with a shark-like grimace.
Had they known how monstrous these guys were, they wouldn't have dared entertain any thoughts of resistance.
Stanson: ...
He really had forgotten to mention it. No wonder these guys had been so bold.
"Luffy..."
Chopper came running out from the cabin, his little backpack strapped to him.
"Chopper, is the treatment done?"
"Yep." Chopper nodded. "He's awake now."
Thanks to his medical care during this time, the patient had not only been pulled from death's door but had also regained mobility.
"Then let's go."
With Chopper's task completed, there was no reason to stay any longer.
"P-please wait..."
A weak male voice came from the cabin, followed by a man being helped out by Gino.
"Mr. Puzzle, be careful."
"I'm fine."
Puzzle shook his head and looked up at Luffy. "You must be this doctor's captain. Thank you."
"As you can see, all our belongings were stolen, so we have nothing to offer as thanks..."
"No need. I was just respecting my doctor's wishes."
"Don't mention it." Chopper smiled. "I was just doing my duty as a doctor."
Puzzle pressed his lips together. He never expected to encounter a pirate crew like this.
"I heard you're heading to the New World?"
"Yeah."
"The New World is extremely dangerous," Puzzle said.
As he spoke, a shadow flickered in his eyes, as if recalling how his own vice-captain had died.
The meteor that fell from the sky shattered his pirate dreams in an instant.
The New World was no place for ordinary fighters like them—venturing in recklessly meant certain death.
"Puzzle-san..."
"I'm fine." Puzzle patted the little guy beside him, then turned to Luffy. "I just want to warn you—the dangers there are beyond your imagination."
"We'll find out when we get there," Luffy replied carelessly.
"Even if it's deadly?"
"No matter what dangers we face, we'll push through!" Luffy grinned. "We're strong!"
Seeing the confident smile on Luffy's face, Puzzle's mind wavered for a moment. In that instant, he saw a reflection of his past self—back when he was just as bold, certain he would become the Pirate King.
But in the end... his vice-captain fell in battle, and they barely escaped the New World alive.
"Is that so? Then good luck to you."
"Thanks."
"Chopper, let's go."
"Right!"
Watching the two walk away, Erl quickly spoke up. "Captain, they're planning to challenge the head of the Accino Family. We should prepare too."
"Prepare for what?"
Erl froze, then exclaimed, "For battle, of course! We need to take back the Phoenix Pirates' flag!"
"The Pirate Flag..."
Puzzle glanced up at his ship's mast, his expression complicated.
After a long silence, he finally said, "We don't need the flag anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because we're not pirates anymore."
"Captain, you..."
Erl stared at Puzzle in disbelief. He never expected to hear such words from him—was this really the same undying phoenix who never gave up?
"Luffy, they..."
Chopper looked back worriedly. Would things be alright?
"Chopper, they're not pirates anymore," Luffy said without turning around. "Let's go."
"Okay..."
Chopper didn't argue, simply hugging Luffy's leg as they walked.
"Dammit! How could Puzzle-san say something like that?!"
Tears welled up in Gino's eyes. He never imagined their captain would lose even his fighting spirit.
"Gino..."
"Even if Puzzle-san won't keep being a pirate, I'll get our flag back!" Gino declared before sprinting after Luffy.
"Doctor! Luffy-san! Wait for me!"
Hearing the call, Luffy didn't turn around, but he didn't speed away either.
"Take me with you!" Gino said firmly. "I can fight too!"
"Pirate battles are brutal, Gino."
"I'm not afraid!" Gino clenched his fists. "I'll reclaim the Phoenix Pirates' flag—no matter what!"
"Even if it means death?"
"Even if it means death!"
Hearing Gino's unwavering resolve, Luffy suddenly laughed.
"Me too!"
"And us!"
Erl and the others rushed forward, eyes burning with determination. "Let us join the fight too!"
"You guys?"
Puzzle looked at his crew in disbelief, unable to understand why they still wanted to fight in this situation. They had already lost—did they still intend to remain pirates?
"Captain..." Keku glanced at Puzzle and said, "I don't know why even your fighting spirit has vanished, but I believe that phoenix will return sooner or later."
"That's right, so we must reclaim our Pirate Flag!"
"Both of you, please take us with you."
Listening to his comrades' words, Puzzle felt as if he had been struck, his expression gradually twisting with inner conflict.
But the moment he thought of his vice-captain's fate, that fire within him extinguished again.
Luffy didn't look at Puzzle or the others, merely grinning as he said, "I'm not stopping you from following."
"If you're not afraid of death, then show some spirit."
With that, Luffy stretched out his arms, grabbing onto the ship's bow. "Until we reach our destination, this rope won't be cut."
"Whoosh—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy launched himself and Chopper toward their Pirate Ship, landing steadily on the deck.
"Thud—"
"We're back."
Hearing the noise, Meiser turned to look at the two and asked, "That guy's healed?"
"Yeah, he can move now," Chopper nodded. "As long as he doesn't engage in overly intense battles, his wounds shouldn't be a problem."
After speaking, Chopper glanced at the two strangers on the deck. "Who are they?"
Chopper looked at Arbell, then at Lil, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Especially Lil—this little girl was sitting side by side with Merry on the swing, chatting happily as if they were sisters, which struck Chopper as odd.
"They're the bounty hunters we just fought," Meiser said, surprised. "Didn't you see them?"
"After Luffy came back, I went to check on that pirate captain in the cabin in case something happened to him."
"No wonder you didn't know."
Meiser nodded in understanding and explained, "These two are our prisoners from this battle. We're keeping them to guide us."
As he spoke, Meiser shot a glance at Arbell, as if warning her.
Arbell shuddered and immediately lowered her head. "Don't worry, I won't try anything again."
Earlier, she had entertained some sneaky thoughts, wanting to take a longer route to buy more time.
But this Ninja had caught on. With just one look, he had shown her terrifying visions that nearly scared her out of her wits.
After that experience, Arbell had become extremely obedient, not daring to scheme anymore.
Chopper blinked. Though he didn't know what had happened, since Meiser said so, there was no need for him to worry.
"Hey, Meiser, be gentler with the ladies!" Sanji scolded, handing a cup of tea to Arbell.
"Miss Arbell, have some tea to warm yourself up~"
"Th-thank you," Arbell replied.
Who would've thought this pervert would be the most courteous one? The realization left Arbell with mixed feelings.
"Merry, I never expected you to be the legendary Ship Spirit." Lil, sitting on the swing, looked curiously at Merry and asked, "How were you born?"
Little Merry, seated beside her, tilted her head thoughtfully before replying, "Actually, I don't know either."
"One day, I suddenly gained a body and could sneak out to help my crewmates repair the ship."
"Hey, let me tell you, when I secretly fixed the ship back then, I really scared Usopp~"
As if recalling something amusing, Merry giggled.
Not far away, Usopp's face darkened. It wasn't his fault, really—who wouldn't be startled when an unfamiliar figure suddenly appeared on the ship at night, repairing it and then flashing a smile at him?
From his perspective, it was just a shadow in the mist baring its teeth at him. How was he supposed to know what it was?
For an ordinary person, not wetting himself was already impressive.
"Oh~"
"So this Usopp guy is really a coward, huh~" Lil remarked, glancing subtly at Usopp with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Hey, what are you saying, little brat?!" Usopp protested. "I'm the great warrior of the seas—how could I be a coward?"
"Lil, don't say that~" Merry interjected. "Usopp isn't cowardly at all. He's a true man who's fought in countless battles!"
Even though Usopp often talked a big game about running away, when it came down to actual fights, he had never backed down.
Merry knew that well.
"Merry..."
Usopp was moved to tears. Merry truly understood him—she was practically an angel!
"That's right, Usopp is really strong!" Chopper chimed in. "I've fought alongside him in battles before—"
"A t-tanuki... a tanuki is talking!!"
Lil stared at Chopper in shock, completely unprepared for the pet-like little creature to speak human words.
"I'm not a tanuki!" Chopper angrily pointed at the antlers on his head. "I'm a reindeer, a reindeer!!"
"Look at the antlers, you dummy!"
Seeing Chopper's annoyed expression, Lil sincerely apologized, "Oh, so you're a reindeer. Sorry about that."
"Well, since you apologized, I'll forgive you—"
"Wait, reindeer can't talk either!"
Chopper: "..."
So that was the real issue?
"I'm a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit," Chopper explained. "Remember that!"
"A Devil Fruit Ability User..."
"Chopper is our ship's doctor," Merry added. "His medical skills are incredible—there's almost no illness he can't cure."
"Eh?!"
"So he's a famous doctor?!"
"E-even if you praise me like that, I won't be happy..." Chopper squirmed, though his expression clearly showed he was delighted.
Lil was surprised by his reaction—was he actually shy?
"Hahahaha, they're so funny."
Luffy burst out laughing—these little guys together were just too entertaining.
"What a clever little one," Nico Robin remarked with a smile, her eyes fixed on Lil.
"What do you mean?"
Nami glanced curiously at Nico Robin, not understanding her comment.
"Clearly, this little girl named Lil has recognized Merry's importance within our crew," Nico Robin explained. "Making friends with her at least ensures she won't be killed."
Though they had never intended to harm the child in the first place, the other party wouldn't see it that way.
From Lil's perspective, they were just a group of ruthless pirates—who knew if they might suddenly decide to kill her? But if she became good friends with Merry, then Merry could plead for mercy when the time came. She might even survive, and possibly protect her sister too.
One had to admit, the girl was truly clever, making full use of her age advantage.
But what this little one probably didn't anticipate was that Merry's genuine innocence would lead the two of them to become real friends.
"That really is a smart kid," Nami said with a smile.
That cleverness reminded her of her own past self.
"Hey everyone, we can see the Accino family's building now!" Franky shouted from the ship's bow.
Hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately turned serious. Luffy adjusted his hat and declared, "Alright crew, prepare for battle."
"Ooh-rah!"