Chapter 73: Jaya – The Night Hunt & the Merry's Transformation
In the pitch-black forest, shadows swayed. Nami hugged her arms tightly and couldn't help shivering: "Sneaking into a place like this in the middle of the night to catch a bird… this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever done in my life."
"I think it's pretty fun!" Vivi looked around excitedly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Alabasta doesn't have forests this dense, right Karoo?" The duck beside her quacked in agreement, warily scanning the surroundings.
Sanji lit a cigarette; the orange-red ember glowed especially bright in the darkness. He glanced back in disgust: "Hey Usopp, get your paws off my clothes—you're grossing me out!"
"I-I don't want to either!" Usopp clung desperately to the hem of Sanji's shirt, voice trembling. "But my hands won't listen! There might be some terrifying monster in this forest…"
"Haa—" Zoro let out a huge yawn and scratched his head impatiently. "Hurry up and catch that damn bird so we can go back to sleep."
Sol gazed into the deep woods, a nostalgic smile unconsciously curling his lips: "Luffy, remember how we used to sneak out to the back mountain at night to hunt when we were kids?"
"Yeah, those were the days…" Luffy replied automatically, then suddenly realized. "Wait—no! That was you and Ace tying me up as bait every time I fell asleep! Don't rewrite my memories like that, you jerk Sol!" He puffed out his cheeks and waved his fist angrily.
Sol guiltily looked away: "Come on… in the end you ate the grilled meat happily too…"
At the very back of the group, Chopper and Robin followed quietly.
Luffy suddenly stopped, tilted his head and asked: "By the way… do any of you actually know where that bird is?"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and recalled: "Cricket said two main traits—strange cry, and appearance like the carving on a golden bell." He frowned and added, "But what exactly 'strange' means…"
"Hey hey, that description is way too vague!" Zoro crossed his arms skeptically. "Who knows what kind of 'strange' cry it has?"
Usopp trembled in agreement: "Y-Yeah! What if it sounds like 'gaaa—'? Or 'coo coo—'? It wouldn't be something creepy like 'keke ke ke' right?" He scared himself with his own imagination.
Sol's eyes suddenly lit up. He turned to Nami: "Speaking of which—you ate the Mythical Zoan Thunder Bird Fruit, right? Want to try calling out in beast form?"
"Me?" Nami blinked, then understood. In the next moment, dazzling golden light burst from her body, accompanied by crackling electric sounds. A magnificent giant bird with nearly five-meter wingspan appeared—its entire body wrapped in dancing arcs of lightning. The brilliant golden glow instantly banished the forest darkness; even the leaves were edged in gold.
"Wooooah!! So cool!!" Luffy and Chopper turned into starry-eyed fans, bouncing around Nami. Usopp's mouth fell open; he even forgot to be scared: "Th-This is way too awesome?!"
Sanji instantly sprouted heart eyes and spun frantically around the thunderbird-form Nami: "Nami-san is beautiful even as a bird~ Ahh!" Before he finished, a thunder wing slapped him flat. Charred and smoking, he still wore a blissful smile: "This… this is love's electric shock…"
"You're making me dizzy, idiot!" Nami in beast form grumbled.
Sol helplessly kicked the smoking Sanji: "You curly-brow moron really are hopeless…" He turned to Nami: "Try calling out? It might attract others of its kind." Nami nodded. She raised her head and let out a clear, resonant cry. In that instant, thunder-like birdsong echoed through the sky, shaking leaves from the trees. Even more astonishing—the entire forest's birds responded, flocking to the branches around them like pilgrims, bowing their heads in unison.
Robin suddenly chuckled softly and pointed: "Looks like we found our target." Perched on the most prominent branch was a South Bird identical to the golden carving—special crest on its head.
With another call from Nami, the leader South Bird flapped over and landed affectionately beside her. Nami returned to human form and proudly patted the bird's head: "Got it. It'll guide us."
"Nami!" Chopper bounced excitedly. "Can you understand bird language now?"
Nami gently stroked the bird's feathers: "Only bird speech… and they seem to think I'm their 'king'." The South Bird on her shoulder nuzzled her cheek affectionately.
Sol rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "Phoenix cries, nine chicks respond; a hundred birds pay homage to the phoenix… though your thunderbird form feels more localized—gold and flashy."
Luffy was already bursting with impatience: "Awesome! Then let's head back and get ready to fly! Let's go!" He started to rocket off—only for Zoro to grab his collar. "Idiot! It's the middle of the night! Let's go back and see if the Merry's reinforcements are done first."
Amid the group's playful bickering, Nami noticed the South Bird's head always pointed steadily south. "What an amazing bird."
When Luffy's group returned to Cricket's place with the South Bird, the sight before them made their eyes widen—the Merry had been completely transformed.
"Wooooah!!" Luffy and Usopp charged forward excitedly, inspecting every angle. "Diamond-face old man, this is incredible! The Merry looks super cool now!"
The originally cute sheep figurehead now wore a majestic red cockscomb. Massive wings had been added to both sides of the hull; even the bottom was fully armored in iron plates, gleaming metallic in the bonfire light.
Masira and Shoujou scratched their heads bashfully at the praise: "Heh heh, our craftsmanship isn't bad, right? These wings are made of special wood—can withstand strong winds!"
Cricket—pipe in mouth—walked over and patted the reinforced hull: "Kids, go rest well now. Tomorrow at noon…" He looked up at the starry sky, firelight dancing across his sharp features. "You'll face the most thrilling adventure of your lives."
Under the night sky of Mock Town, salty sea breeze carried the scent of liquor through the port. A drunken man had just relieved himself at the dockside when he stumbled over a newspaper washed ashore by the tide. The latest delivery from News Coo was damp at the corner, but the grinning face on the wanted poster was still clearly visible.
"This isn't… the guy from earlier…" The drunk wiped his blurry eyes with a dirty sleeve. When he counted the bounty digits, his cloudy eyes suddenly bulged. "One… ten… hundred… million?! 100 million Berries?!" He rubbed his eyes repeatedly until he was sure it wasn't the alcohol playing tricks.
In the tavern, Bellamy—head wrapped in bandages—was mechanically pouring rum down his throat. The glass clinked dully against the wooden table. Sarquiss toyed with his dagger, trying to sound casual: "If you ask me, that 'Fire Dragon' Sol definitely used some dirty trick. Look at their captain—beaten so bad he didn't even dare fight back…"
Before he finished, the tavern door burst open. The drunk rushed in waving the wanted poster, voice distorted with excitement: "Straw Hat kid… his bounty… 100 million Berries!"
The noisy tavern fell deathly silent. Bellamy slowly took the poster; the paper trembled slightly in his fingers. Under the dim kerosene lamp, Luffy's bright smile looked especially glaring beside the 100 million figure.
The tavern was utterly quiet. Only after the four left did someone whisper shakily: "Th-That's 'Fire Dragon' Sol… 100 million Berry pirate!"
Bellamy gripped the corner of the poster tightly. "Dreams, huh?"
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