Chapter 112: Water 7 Arrival – Kokoro's Teasing & the Golden Exchange Plan
"What's your name again? Something like Cool, right?" Granny Kokoro furrowed her brow, thinking hard for a long time before finally squeezing out those two syllables.
"It's Sol! Sol!" Sol jumped up in fury, voice rising considerably.
"Oh come on, close enough—don't sweat the small stuff, Cool." Granny Kokoro waved dismissively without a care and turned to walk back into the station.
"Don't hold me back—I'm gonna kill that damn old hag!" Sol bared his teeth and roared toward the station.
"Wait, wait, Sol—calm down, don't do anything rash!" Usopp and Chopper clung to him desperately, trying to restrain him.
"Cool big brother, do you know Granny?" Chimney asked curiously, looking up at Sol on the ship. "Oh right—I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Chimney, ten years old, nice to meet you~ And this is Gonbe." The blue rabbit-like creature in her arms also raised a paw in greeting.
"I'm Sol… never mind, call me whatever you want." Sol sighed helplessly and looked down at the lively little girl. "I did know Granny Kokoro more than ten years ago—you were probably still in diapers back then."
Recalling that time, Sol's mind drifted back to his days at G-8 Fortress. He had been ordered to escort large groups of pirates to Enies Lobby, right around the time the sea train had just entered service.
As the first train conductor, Granny Kokoro had left a strong impression on this young pink-haired Navy officer who made over a dozen round trips in two months. That was how their connection began.
"Your social circle is ridiculously wide—how do you even have acquaintances in a place like this?!" Sanji muttered around his cigarette, face full of disbelief.
"Hey, more friends means more paths forward," Sol scratched his head sheepishly with a goofy grin, leaving Sanji speechless.
Then Sanji handed a plate of snacks to Chimney and Gonbe. "Here—special afternoon tea treats."
"Thank you, curly-brow big brother!" Chimney and Gonbe thanked him and immediately dug in. "So yummy!"
"Here, Cool—this is the recommendation letter I wrote. Go find a guy named Iceburg. He'll help you. He's the mayor of Water 7 and president of the Galley-La Company." Granny Kokoro walked back out holding an envelope.
Seeing this, Sol didn't go down to take it. Instead he first went into the ship's hold and carried out two barrels of fine liquor before disembarking.
Granny Kokoro's eyes lit up when she saw the two barrels; her grin stretched ear to ear. "Not bad at all, Cool—you know I love my booze. Just put them in that room over there."
Sol took the recommendation letter and immediately turned to leave. "I remember Water 7 is in that direction, right?"
"That's right, Cool big brother—safe travels!" Chimney wiped her mouth, hugged Gonbe, stepped off the ship, and stood at the station waving goodbye to Sol and the others.
Sunlight poured across the Merry's deck. The Straw Hats sat in a circle, excitedly discussing their upcoming recruitment—a shipwright.
Sanji puffed his cigarette confidently, thumping his chest: "Leave this to me! I'm definitely going to find an absolute goddess of a shipwright to join the ship!"
"Idiot!" Luffy immediately stretched his arm out, gesturing an exaggerated height. "A shipwright has to be a huge, mountain-like macho guy! At least five meters tall!"
Usopp facepalmed and sighed: "How would a five-meter-tall guy even live on the Merry? He wouldn't fit in the cabin!"
Zoro folded his arms calmly: "As long as the craftsmanship is good, I don't care who it is. But… how many people would dare board a pirate ship like ours anyway?"
Meanwhile, Nami sat on the deck giving Sol a lap pillow while he rested his head on her thighs. Her slender fingers gently massaged his temples as she asked softly: "Feeling any better?"
Sol closed his eyes and gave a muffled "Mm," finally seeming to recover from the dizziness.
Chopper and Vivi sat at the stern; the little reindeer excitedly waved his hooves: "A new nakama's coming! So exciting!"
Vivi smiled and patted Karoo: "Yeah—I wonder what kind of person Luffy will invite this time?"
At that moment, Luffy suddenly pulled out his sketchbook, scribbled a few quick changes, and proudly held it up: "Everyone, look! This is exactly the guy we need!"
Usopp leaned in for one look and immediately jumped back three steps: "If I ever meet someone like that, I'm running the other way!"
Sanji studied it for a moment, stroking his chin: "Hmm… if that thing had a ship, I'd set sail immediately and never look back. But it looks like it's got octopus blood—might chase us across the ocean…"
Zoro rolled his eyes hard: "Luffy, we're looking for a shipwright, not a monster."
"What?! I drew it super well!" Luffy huffed indignantly and handed the drawing to Robin. "Robin, look!"
Surprisingly, Robin stared at the abstract masterpiece with genuine interest, resting her chin on her hand: "Hmm… it has quite an artistic feel."
Usopp's mouth twitched: "Robin, your taste is really something special…"
Just then Nami clapped her hands to get everyone's attention: "Alright, gather round! Granny Kokoro said the Log Pose needs a week to record. I'm distributing everyone's pocket money for the next week."
She had just settled the sleeping Sol comfortably and was now pulling out a thick stack of Berries from the safe, beginning to hand them out.
Luffy's eyes instantly turned to stars: "Pocket money! I can buy meat!"
Everyone looked down at the money in their hands, faces full of disbelief—Nami being this generous? This was rarer than the sea suddenly going completely calm!
"Hey hey, this isn't counterfeit, is it?" Usopp suspiciously held a bill up to the sunlight.
"Could Nami have been swapped out?" Zoro narrowed his eyes, half-suspecting some ability user in disguise.
Nami stood with hands on hips and grinned triumphantly: "Stop guessing! These are old-version Berries I saved up—perfect time to spend them." As soon as she finished speaking, she dragged out a bulging sack from behind her and slammed it onto the deck. The mouth of the sack parted slightly; dazzling golden light instantly blinded everyone.
"And why am I being so generous?!" Nami's eyes turned into Berry symbols; she cupped her face in ecstasy. "Because we're going to exchange all this gold for crisp new bills! Ohohohoho!" She could already see banknotes raining down on her.
Task assignment time!
Nami clapped her hands again, suddenly serious: "Alright—split into two teams. Team One: me and Sol will find an exchange office to convert the gold. Team Two: head to Galley-La Company to repair the Merry and scout for a shipwright at the same time. Everyone else is free until we regroup at Galley-La!"
"I'm going to Galley-La!" Usopp jumped up first, raising his hand. Luffy immediately stretched his neck and shouted: "Leave finding the shipwright to me! I'm gonna find someone super strong!"
"Wait!" Sanji and Zoro's faces instantly changed color. They grabbed Usopp from both sides. Sanji hissed in a low voice: "Listen, long-nose—absolutely do not let Luffy pick the person alone! Last time he drew a 'shipwright' it was basically a deep-sea monster!"
Zoro gritted his teeth: "If we end up with another weirdo as crazy as Luffy, this ship is doomed!"
Usopp took a deep breath; his eyes turned resolute like he was about to swear an oath. He thumped his chest: "Don't worry! Even if it costs my life, I won't let any freakish creature board this ship!"
Chopper quietly asked Vivi: "Aren't they being a little too tense?"
Vivi gave a wry smile: "Well… considering Luffy's 'taste'… you know how it is."
Robin flipped through her book leisurely and delivered the finishing blow with a smile: "Who knows—maybe we'll find someone even more interesting than a monster."
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