Miss Valentine, her ankle suddenly grabbed, didn't even have time to react.
Thanks to the Kilo Kilo Fruit's gravity control, her body arced downward around Merry as the pivot.
Thud!
Under gravity far beyond what a human body could endure, Miss Valentine's head smashed violently into the ground.
Fortunately, Whiskey Peak's port wasn't exactly professional.
Her face sank into the soft sand, cushioning the impact.
Even so, the sudden shock and the recoil left her seeing stars, her consciousness scattered.
Her eyes rolled back, and she slipped into a light unconsciousness.
Seeing this, Mr. 5 took a large step forward, shouting sharply:
"Who are you people?!"
"Hm?"
The hooded little girl looked back at Mr. 5, apparently frightened by his filthy appearance, and instinctively stepped back at full pace.
In doing so, Miss Valentine's face in the sand was dragged roughly a meter along with her.
Panicked, little Merry shouted:
"Y-you, you don't come any closer!!!"
"Luffy said I'm not allowed to touch any dirty things! I have to listen to Luffy! Stay away from you!"
As she spoke, Merry dragged Miss Valentine back two more steps.
They almost stepped into the crashing waves at the port before finally stopping.
Vivi looked up in bewilderment, utterly unable to process the scene unfolding before her.
For a moment, she couldn't even discern the situation.
Even more confused, Mr. 5 didn't understand a word Merry was saying.
Watching Miss Valentine being carried by Merry, he coldly put his hands in his pockets and asked:
"What are you saying?! Who are you? Let go of Miss Valentine this instant!"
Even though Merry had subdued his partner, Mr. 5, used to the arrogance of the first half of the Grand Line, still didn't take her seriously.
If Miss Valentine weren't right there beside Merry, he would have attacked immediately.
The Bomb Fruit didn't just change his body, it altered his temper as well.
Just as Mr. 5 and Vivi looked toward Merry, waiting for an explanation, a sound suddenly pierced the air, a cry from afar.
Out at sea, a small sailboat cut a straight, sparkling line across the waves, moving like a surfer riding the crest of the ocean.
It raced toward Whiskey Peak's port at breakneck speed.
In mere tens of seconds, the tiny ship had crossed from the distant horizon to the port.
…
"Seriously, Merry! Why did you run off alone?!"
"If it weren't for Laboon telling us, we'd all think you were still on the ship!"
Descending from the Going Merry, it wasn't Luffy nor Sanji who scolded Merry.
It was Nami, the navigator, now freed from much of her navigation duties thanks to the ship's new transformation, who had more time for training.
Since the ship became the ship spirit, Merry, Nami's workload dropped drastically.
Now, with the record dial pointing the route, the crew didn't need Nami's calculations.
Merry simply had to keep the ship aligned with the dial's direction.
Such a simple task was a breeze for little Merry.
The crew could now focus fully on training.
Though Nami didn't understand why, ever since Sanji and Brook's fight, the entire crew seemed caught up in a constant state of preparation.
But the competitive Nami refused to lose.
Training was just training, she had done it all her life.
…
That day, Nami trained with the crew as usual.
Suddenly, Laboon outside began to cry out incessantly.
Brook went to check and returned with the news: little Merry, being playful, had flown ahead to the island herself.
With no choice, Nami rushed to Merry's helm.
She pushed the ship to full speed, heading straight for Whiskey Peak, and caught sight of Merry confronting Mr. 5.
Worried for Merry, Nami shouted to her.
She wasn't worried about Merry's safety, she knew the little ship spirit could handle herself.
She only feared that Merry's innocence might cause her to be tricked or misled by someone.
When Luffy previously taught Merry some basic knowledge, Nami had been right there, assisting.
She knew exactly how pure and simple-minded Merry could be.
Yet, as for Merry's skill, Nami couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.
Honestly, if Nami didn't unleash her ultimate Dragon Slayer magic with full force, she might not even surpass little Merry.
This was one reason Nami had been so obsessed with training lately.
She couldn't let the ship's beloved mascot outshine her, or she'd be the only ornamental figure in the crew!
Nami's pride would never allow that.
…
"Nami! Nami!"
"Look over here!"
As soon as Merry saw Nami, she raised Miss Valentine happily and called out:
"Look! This person is amazing! She can fly into the sky!
It's so strange, aren't humans not supposed to fly!?"
In the starry sky pirate crew, Merry always called everyone by their first names.
Among the ship spirits, calling by name was the closest sign of friendship.
After speaking, little Merry posed adorably, thinking hard, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Nami, once again charmed, shook her head and said:
"That's nothing, Merry. That's just a Devil Fruit ability.
Luffy already explained it to you last time!"
She stepped forward, tapping Merry lightly on the head while continuing:
"Did you forget? Luffy, Sanji, and I can fly too!"
"Ah?!"
Merry's eyes widened in sudden realization, as if a mystery had been solved:
"Could it be… all humans can fly!?"
Sighing softly, Nami rubbed Merry's head:
"We'll leave that explanation to Luffy for later…"
"But first, tell me, why weren't you on the ship, watching the route? Why did you come here!?"
"Oh (·o·)!"
Merry's face reddened slightly as she shyly explained:
"Well… I saw Luffy jump into the air and step hard to fly, so I tried it too…
And while flying, I saw someone else flying, so I wanted to check it out…"
"Hmm?!"
Nami didn't scold her; instead, she asked excitedly:
"You mean Moonwalk?"
A few days ago, Luffy had proposed an ability that increased aerial mobility, one of the Marine's Six Techniques.
Unfortunately, most of the crew, including Zoro, lacked the precision to use it.
Only Sanji, due to his exceptional leg skills, had mastered it even before Luffy introduced it.
"Yes!"
Merry's eyes sparkled as she released Miss Valentine's grip.
With a push of her legs, she stepped into the air, flying up in front of Nami, then floated gently back down.
Nami watched, amazed, and genuinely praised her:
"You're incredible, Merry!"
Nami's praise was sincere.
Even Zoro couldn't master this technique, yet little Merry could do it effortlessly.
"Hehe!"
Merry beamed happily, basking in the praise.
Nami patted her again, enjoying the little ship spirit's delight.
As the crew matured, they were all growing together.
Glancing at Miss Valentine, now discarded, and Mr. 5 and Princess Vivi in the distance, Nami asked Merry again:
"By the way, Merry… who are they?"
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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