On Iceburg's ship, the Straw Hat crew stared unblinkingly at the distant Golden Merry.
For three full hours, not a single one of them had moved.
Iceburg stood beside them, silently watching as well.
When Franky had mentioned that the Straw Hats' ship had given birth to a ship spirit, Iceburg had been shocked at first—but after thinking back to the sounds he once heard while repairing the vessel, everything suddenly made sense.
That voice back then…
had been the ship spirit.
Come to think of it, if not for a ship spirit, what force could possibly allow a vessel already sentenced to death to cross the Aqua Laguna—no, the Sea Train's terrifying Water Seven tides and the raging Water of the Gods?
He only wondered…
whether he would ever get the chance to see that legendary being with his own eyes.
"It's been so long. Why is there still no movement over there?" Sanji frowned.
Could it be that even Jin had no solution?
"Sometimes, silence doesn't mean bad news," Robin said calmly.
Because as long as there was no result yet…
Merry might still be saved.
At the very least, Robin didn't want to see Jin walk back shaking his head.
Because that would mean—
Merry was truly gone.
"Robin's right," Zoro said.
"Let's wait."
Even Luffy, who was starving and normally unable to sit still, didn't go looking for food.
He simply leaned against Zoro, staring quietly into the distance.
Then—
Something changed.
Poof—
A massive cloud of white smoke suddenly erupted, completely enveloping the Golden Merry.
"What?!" Nami exclaimed.
"What happened?!"
Where did that smoke come from?
Was someone attacking Jin?
"I don't know—but it doesn't look like an attack."
"Wait… the ship's gone!"
"What?! The Merry disappeared?!"
The massive ship vanished just like that.
Everyone froze in shock.
How could something that big simply disappear?
"Could something have gone wrong?" Sanji said anxiously.
"Trust Jin," Robin replied.
Meanwhile, on the sea's surface—
Jin stood on a floating plank, staring at the summoning scroll spread before him.
Drawn clearly upon it was the Golden Merry.
Beside the illustration, on the left side, was a name written in delicate script.
Sephiroth · Merry
That was the name Merry had possessed since the moment of her birth.
The Golden Merry had been sealed into this scroll using sealing techniques, locking its condition in place so it would no longer continue deteriorating.
And once Merry signed her name—
She became directly bound to this summoning scroll.
Any ninja who bore her consent could summon her.
"Why did I have to sign this?" Merry asked curiously.
"I had no other choice," Jin said helplessly.
"This was the only way to keep you alive."
At first, he had tried using Yin–Yang Release to sever Merry's connection to the Golden Merry.
But it was impossible.
So he changed his approach.
By sealing the ship itself, he forcibly froze its condition.
And unexpectedly, that action cut off the mysterious link between Merry and the vessel.
Hope appeared.
But the next moment, Jin's expression changed—
Because Merry's body began turning transparent, as if she were fading from existence.
He quickly realized why.
Without the ship as her anchor, she had lost the foundation that allowed her to exist.
In desperation, Jin used Yin–Yang Release to stabilize her form, giving her temporary physical presence.
Then he attempted something even bolder—
Turning her existence into something akin to a summoned being, using the scroll itself as her new vessel.
The result…
Succeeded.
Perhaps because Merry was an exceptionally unique lifeform born of the sea, she was able to inscribe her name effortlessly.
The moment she did—
Her body stopped deteriorating.
With the support of Jin's Yang Release chakra, her vitality rapidly recovered, as if the laws of the world themselves had granted her permission to continue existing.
She was no longer bound to the ship.
She had become an independent spirit.
Maybe someday, she might even master summoning techniques herself, Jin thought.
"So… I can keep traveling with everyone?" Merry asked.
She looked down at her body.
All the cracks were gone.
She was once again the small, adorable little spirit she used to be.
"Yes," Jin smiled.
"You can keep adventuring."
Merry clenched her tiny fists.
Her lips trembled.
The strong little girl finally couldn't hold it in anymore—
tears welled up in her eyes.
"It's okay to cry," Jin said softly, crouching down and rubbing her head.
"It's alright now."
"Waaah—!"
Merry burst into tears, releasing everything she had been holding back.
Only she knew how much she had endured.
Alone, she had piloted a ship already on the brink of destruction.
She endured the agony of her body tearing apart.
She forced herself through the Water of the Gods.
She crossed the dark sea by herself—
with no one to talk to, no one to guide her, no light at all.
Even the direction… she found little by little on her own.
She was scared.
She was in pain.
But for her companions—
she endured everything in silence.
Only now, after learning she could live, did she finally allow herself to cry.
After all…
She was just a child who had been born only a few months ago.
"I was so scared being alone…" she sobbed.
"The sea was so dark…"
"Being able to live is really… really wonderful!"
"I don't want to leave everyone!
I want to keep going on adventures together!!"
Jin felt his chest tighten.
It was hard to imagine how such a small being had crossed raging tides alone.
She was tiny—
yet she had accomplished a miracle.
"It's okay now," Jin said gently.
"You won't be alone anymore."
"From now on, we'll all keep adventuring together."
"Mm!"
On Iceburg's ship, the Straw Hats noticed the change.
"…Did you hear that?" Sanji said.
"I think I heard crying."
"Let's go check," Luffy said.
"Iceburg, can we borrow a lifeboat?"
"Of course," Iceburg replied, then pointed downward.
"But… shouldn't you stop that guy first?"
Everyone looked—
Usopp had already jumped into the sea.
He hadn't even waited for the lifeboat.
"Quick! Lower the boat!"
After crying for a while, Merry finally calmed down.
She looked up shyly.
"Sorry, Jin… I got your clothes wet."
"It's nothing," Jin smiled.
"Are you ready to meet everyone?"
"Mm!" she nodded firmly.
"Alright." Jin picked up the scroll.
"I'll put this away first."
He shrank the summoning scroll and prepared to store it in his ninja pouch.
But Merry stopped him.
She explained that she had her own small personal space for storing items.
As proof, she pulled out a tiny hammer—the same tool she had once used to repair the ship.
Jin froze.
"…Wait. That's a built-in storage ability?"
Then he thought about it and relaxed.
She was a spirit, after all.
Having special abilities made perfect sense.
"Hehe, I'm amazing, right?"
"You really are," Jin laughed.
"As expected of Merry."
He then looked toward the sea—
where Usopp was dog-paddling desperately toward them.
"Let's go," Jin said.
"Someone's about to lose his patience."
"Okay!"
Jin instinctively bent down to pick her up—
Then his vision went black.
His body collapsed forward.
In that instant, he understood.
His chakra… was completely exhausted.
After the intense battles, and then saving Merry—
he had finally hit his limit.
"Jin!!"
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