Ten days later.
After holding a continuous ten-day feast at the Twin Cape, the Starry Sky Pirates finally departed, leaving behind Kurokasu's reluctant, teary gaze.
After a brief moment of thought, Luffy chose the same course as in the original story.
The reason was simple.
By observing the supernovas recklessly cruising other routes, he could easily see how weak those other paths truly were.
Any one of those pirates, whether it was the all-powerful Enel or just a Crocodile or CP9's Lucci, would crush these routes without breaking a sweat.
Luffy was genuinely curious how safe the other routes must be to allow those "weaklings" to storm into the New World with such arrogance.
Moreover, most importantly, Chopper's Drum Kingdom was also near this route.
Besides, he had already explored most of the other parts of the Grand Line before.
Except for the uncontrollable weather and the fickle currents, there wasn't much else worth seeing.
So, after selecting a record pointer from Kurokasu, the crew set out on a new journey.
…
The warm sunlight scattered softly, and carefree clouds floated leisurely across the sky.
On a rare calm stretch of the Grand Line, a massive water bubble suddenly formed on the smooth surface.
Water cascaded downward as a colossal shape emerged at the center of the bubble.
Its massive body, sleek and dark-skinned, accompanied by a piercing cry, surged into the air. Island-sized whale Lab floated above the sea, casting a huge shadow over the Going Merry.
"Hahaha!!! Charge!!!"
"Go, Laboon!!"
Perched on the whale's forehead, a small, adorable girl in a gray-black cloak stood firm.
Compared to the island-sized whale, Merry's tiny frame looked minuscule. One hand rested on her hip, the other pointed toward the endless horizon.
Her wide-open mouth laughed loudly, ringing across the sea like silver bells.
Boom!
The flying island-whale crashed its massive head into the still-churning waves below, splashing enormous amounts of water that rained down like a torrential storm.
On the Going Merry's deck, the crew rarely left the training room, but today, even Zoro stepped out to watch little Merry frolic like a child in the sea.
Cute. The word seemed tailor-made for her.
From the moment she appeared, Merry became the darling of the entire ship.
After all, no one could resist a cheerful, polite, pretty little loli who said "I love you" three thousand times a day!
Thus began the Starry Sky Pirates' carefree adventure through the Grand Line.
…
The small sailboat, fearless of any danger, sailed through severe storms and disasters.
Around the boat, a colossal guardian devoured any sea beasts or Sea Kings attempting to attack, converting them into pure energy to nourish Lab.
From time to time, a clear, bell-like laughter echoed across the waters.
…
"Damn it!!! These wretched pirate hunters!!!"
The captain slammed his fist into the ship railing, cracking it wide open, frustrated as he looked at the dwindling number of crew left.
Having recently entered the Grand Line from the North Blue, they had chosen the same route as Luffy and friends, starting their own adventure.
But they didn't expect Whiskey Peak, one of the Grand Line's initial islands, to be a den of bounty hunters.
With bounties of 15 million, they were immediately discovered and trapped in the bounty hunters' snare.
Pleasures turned deadly.
After an afternoon of indulgence, surrounded by alluring women, the Firearms Pirates enjoyed the island, unaware of what awaited them.
When night fell, the seemingly delicate women transformed into ruthless killers in an instant!
If it weren't for the blood-curdling screams that awakened their captain, the crew would have been wiped out that night.
Even then, their captain, Anrique, was no match for the bounty hunters.
After a night of desperate flight, just as hope seemed lost, two mysterious and incredibly powerful figures appeared, battling the hunters.
They seemed to be from the same faction, but were fighting due to betrayal and infighting.
Anrique, concerned only for his life, dared not linger a second longer.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he nimbly escaped Whiskey Peak.
This bloody lesson finally impressed upon him the Grand Line's legendary cruelty.
Less than half a day after fleeing Whiskey Peak, some of the Firearms Pirates still groaned and tended their wounds.
Seeing his crew in such a state, he sank into deep guilt.
But it was too late to change anything.
As he pondered the next step, a pirate he had sent to lookout suddenly returned, panic etched on his face:
"C-Captain!!! Up ahead! Someone… standing on the water!!!"
"What!!?"
The already jittery Firearms Pirates were terrified by any disturbance.
Anrique rushed to the railing and peered through his telescope in the indicated direction.
Sure enough, a cloaked figure, identity hidden, stood strangely on the water's surface.
And worse… the figure was rapidly approaching them!!!
"Helmsman! Helmsman!!"
Panicked, Anrique threw down the telescope and shouted for a response, but none came.
He dashed to the helm and took control himself.
Turning the ship 180 degrees, he steered in the opposite direction of the figure.
Even though it was only one person, Anrique felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
This was a long-standing intuition he always trusted: never fight your instincts.
Now, he regretted venturing into this perilous Grand Line, regretted not listening to his instincts and staying safely in the North Blue.
But today, he was destined for misfortune.
…
Less than a minute after changing direction, a massive BOOM resounded across the Firearms Pirates' ship.
After the noise, the ship suddenly stabilized, completely still.
If they could have seen from above the vessel, they would have realized…
They were now atop a gigantic whale, completely immobilized!
…
"Yay~"
With a cute, soft cry, a light-footed, taller loli jumped onto the center of the ship.
Every Firearms Pirate immediately went on high alert.
Having been tricked once, they would no longer be deceived by appearances, even a cute little Merry!
Each raised a specially crafted firearm, etched with intricate designs, aiming at Merry's head.
Seeing the pirates point weapons at her, Merry tilted her head and lightly asked, innocently:
"Excuse me… are you pirates? Hmm?"
"Y-You… who are you!?"
Captain Anrique, wielding two long guns almost as large as cannons, aimed at Merry and demanded:
They would not tolerate any threat. Any hint of danger from her, and they would fire without hesitation.
…
"I'm Merry~! (^～^)"
Upon being asked her name, Merry clasped her tiny hands behind her back, puffed her chest proudly, and answered happily.
Seemingly disarmed by her innocent smile, Anrique relaxed slightly:
"We are the Firearms Pirates. Do you have any business here?"
Despite her harmless appearance, the injured crew still aimed their weapons at her.
Merry's excitement only grew as she replied:
"The Firearms Pirates? (>w<)
That's great!
Luffy told me to defeat any pirates I meet…
But it's been so many days! This is the first time I've met pirates!"
"What did you say…"
POOF!
Before Anrique could finish, a strange thudding sound echoed.
Merry's tiny, pink fists slammed down onto a pirate's chest as she moved forward.
The tremendous force shattered half the pirate's body into a bloody mist.
Blood splattered across Merry's pristine face.
To Merry, just gaining a physical body, everything in this world was still unfamiliar.
Like a baby, she curiously explored everything… even tasting it.
She stuck out a playful little tongue and licked the blood from her face.
"(><) Uh!!!"
What a strange taste!!!
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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