Chapter 147: Water 7 – Relaxation, Pool Party, and Everyday Life
The party lasted from daytime into the late night. Only when all the ingredients were completely exhausted did the lively banquet finally come to an end.
The next morning, while Sol and the others were having breakfast, Zoro, who had returned from his morning training, walked in with a newspaper. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and opened the paper.
"Oh, interesting," Zoro said while eating. "The Navy only mentioned the Straw Hat Pirates. They didn't say anything about the Franky Family or the Galley-La shipwrights at all."
"Could it be that Luffy's grandpa helped cover it up, saying they were innocent civilians who got caught up in it?" Vivi put down her red tea and guessed.
"No way. That old man Garp isn't the type to do something so delicate. It must have been Kuzan," Sol waved his hand, speaking with absolute certainty.
"But that's good. We don't mind, but if those guys had to start living as fugitives too, that would be too pitiful," Sanji, who had finished cleaning up after breakfast, lit a cigarette and added.
"They described us as utterly evil. Openly declaring war on the World Government, and even pinning the destruction of Enies Lobby on us," Robin took the newspaper from Zoro, read it, and sighed softly.
"Who cares. This means our bounties will definitely go up," Zoro said without any worry—in fact, he looked a little excited.
"What about me? Will I get a bounty too?" Chopper raised his hand excitedly.
"Mine will definitely cause a bigger sensation around the world!" Sanji immediately jumped in.
"Stop it! What are you guys so happy about, you idiots! I don't want to have a bounty hanging over my head!" Nami was the first to object.
Usopp put on a serious face and "lectured" Nami: "Nami, how can a pirate be afraid of having a bounty? That's not right!"
"Get lost! You're the one who always wears a mask—who even knows who you are!" Nami instantly bared her shark teeth and shot back.
"Whatever, it's pointless to talk about this now. Franky still needs two or three more days to finish the new ship. During this time, everyone can do their own thing and relax properly again," Nami sighed and started handing out pocket money, ending the argument at the breakfast table.
"Nami, why don't I have any pocket money? I want some too!" Luffy saw everyone happily receiving their allowance while he got nothing. Thinking Nami had forgotten him, he quickly reminded her.
"Hehe, I did some calculations. Suddenly there's 100 million berries missing from the account. Luffy, can you explain that?" Nami stared at him with a fake smile.
"Oh! We used it last night for the party—buying booze and meat! Ahahaha—couldn't be helped, more and more people kept coming! It really was an super fun banquet!" Luffy recalled the lively scene from last night, waving his arms excitedly.
After a series of loud smacks, Luffy was left with a bruised and swollen face.
"Your pocket money—there is none!" Nami clapped her hands and said irritably, then took Robin and Vivi out shopping.
Usopp and Zoro went out together. Usopp wanted to restock materials for his ammunition, while Zoro was looking for supplies to maintain his swords. If he could find a famous blade, that would be even better.
Sanji, after washing the dishes, didn't idle either. He ordered Sol, who was serving as his errand boy for the day, and the two set off to buy ingredients.
The remaining Chopper, seeing Luffy's pitiful look, kindly said: "After I buy my medical books, I can treat you to something with the leftover money!" This finally cheered Luffy up again.
After shopping at the ingredient stores all afternoon without even eating lunch, Sol pulled a whole cart of spoils—piled high with meat, eggs, vegetables, and all kinds of seasonings. Watching Sanji still bargaining with the shopkeeper, Sol was so hungry his chest was sticking to his back, and his stomach grumbled loudly.
"Alright, let's call it a day here. Let's find a nearby restaurant to eat," Sanji finally finished buying the last ingredient and remembered to comfort the starving Sol.
"Ah! It's Curly Brows and Cool big bro!" Chimney's voice suddenly cut in. Behind her, Gonbe was bouncing along.
"Yo, Chimney, what are you doing here?" Sanji somehow produced a lollipop and smilingly handed it to the little girl.
"Hah, if this were anywhere else, Sanji, you'd definitely be eating pig's foot rice for a few years," Sol grumbled weakly.
Chimney volunteered as a guide: "I heard you guys want to eat, right? There's a street stall over there. I'll take you!"
Scene change
"I mean… with the old man's hands shaking like that, can he even cut vegetables? And he's drunk too?" Sanji muttered quietly while looking at the trembling old man at the stall.
"If he can run a stall here, he must have some skill. Old man, I want a super large portion of fried rice, extra spicy, thank you!" Sol called out to the old man.
"Fried rice! Fried rice!" Chimney held up a knife and fork, excitedly joining in.
Before long, a seemingly ordinary plate of egg fried rice was served to them.
"Let's dig in!" Everyone shouted together and started eating. Sanji had thought it was just normal fried rice, but the moment he took a bite, an overwhelming oceanic freshness exploded in his mouth. By the time he came back to his senses, the entire plate was already empty.
"So damn good! Another serving!" Sol, who had already finished, raised his hand to order more.
"Old man, this dish… what is this shocking flavor? Please tell me, I want to get this seasoning!" Sanji asked excitedly.
"It's sea salt, right? The salt left on the rooftops after the 'Aqua Laguna.' Am I right?" Sol, now full, wiped his mouth and calmly guessed.
"Oh? Someone who knows his stuff. That's correct—it's sea salt. If you want some, you two can spend a little time collecting it from the rooftops," the old man said, then leisurely sat back in his chair and continued drinking.
After paying, Sol said goodbye to little Chimney and went with Sanji to a rooftop. Sanji looked at the white, sparkling salt, squatted down, scooped a bit, and tasted it: "Yes, this is the flavor! Sol, help me collect some."
Sol snapped his fingers. A gust of wind immediately rose, quickly gathering the sea salt from the nearby rooftops. It was efficient and convenient. In no time, they had collected dozens of bags—enough for the crew to last one or two years at sea.
That evening, Luffy and the others sat together enjoying seafood fried noodles. The extreme deliciousness made their souls feel like they were floating away. Only when their stomachs were round and full did they finally put down their chopsticks.
Vivi clutched her rounded belly and said regretfully: "Oh no, I accidentally overate… No good, I'll have to train extra hard tomorrow to make up for it!"
"Me too! Vivi, Robin, let's train together tomorrow? Sanji's cooking has improved again. If this keeps up, I'm really going to worry about getting fat," Nami agreed wholeheartedly.
Three days later, in the Franky Family's dismantlement base in Water 7.
Sol and Luffy were currently inviting Franky to join the crew. Not far away, Zoro and the others were busily carrying luggage onto the new ship.
"You've already got a bounty, so why are you still hesitating, Franky? If you're a man, just say yes already. Who are you acting all shy for?" Sol said, holding the bounty poster that had arrived that morning.
"Yeah, Franky! You're such a pervert—come join our ship! Hehe!" Luffy added with a cheeky grin.
"Looking at you, you're worried about your little brothers, right? Don't worry, I'll take good care of them. Besides, isn't your dream to see the 'dream ship' you built reach the end of the world with your own eyes?" Iceburg also chimed in from the side.
Franky was struggling inside. He really wanted to go on adventures with Sol and the others—they had become true comrades who had been through life and death together. But on the other hand, he couldn't bear to leave his silly, lovable little brothers. In the end, he stubbornly said: "Why do I have to become a pirate? Even if I have a bounty, as long as I'm not discovered, it'll be fine, right?"
Thud! Franky collapsed on the spot. Sol blew on his fist: "I'll invite you one more time, Franky. If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."
With a big lump on the back of his head, Franky quietly fainted.
Luffy clapped his hands: "As expected of Sol! Franky agreed right away!"
Watching this scene, Iceburg broke out in a cold sweat: Is this how pirates recruit crew members? It's completely different from anything I've seen before.
Luffy hoisted Franky onto his shoulder, ready to leave. Sol said goodbye to Iceburg and waved to Franky's little brothers.
"You're leaving already?" Iceburg and Zanbay and the others walked to the shore to see the Straw Hats off.
"Hehe, yeah, Uncle Iceburg! Thank you for building the new ship! We're setting off on our next adventure!" Luffy, back on the ship, smiled brightly.
"You idiot! That's the dream ship I built! Iceburg was just the helper!" Franky, who had woken up at some point, grabbed Luffy by the collar and shouted.
"Big bro! Although we're reluctant to see you go, I have to say—your acting earlier was really terrible!" Zanbay said, tears starting to fall. "But we all understand. Big bro, you were worried that without you, we wouldn't be able to survive in this city… But, Franky big bro!"
The Franky Family members all bowed together and shouted loudly: "We're already capable of standing on our own! So this time, Franky big bro, be selfish for once! Set sail for your own dream!"
"You guys… you bunch of idiots… suddenly saying such emotional things…" After hearing them, Franky was already in tears.
He made them raise their heads, then dramatically pulled down his underwear and struck his classic pose, declaring boldly: "A man may be naked, but his spirit never bends! Brave as a lion, his power never fades! Farewell, everyone—I'm heading out to sea as a pirate!"
"That guy really is a true man!" Luffy's eyes sparkled as he said.
Sol commented from the side: "He's just a pure pervert." Usopp and the others, who had just finished loading the luggage, all nodded in agreement.
As the ship set sail, Luffy and his crew officially bid farewell to Water 7 and headed toward the next island.
On the deck, Sanji knelt on the ground, quietly grieving. It turned out that the moment Sol boarded the ship, he had fainted, and the bounty posters in his arms had scattered. One of them was blown by the wind and caught by Sanji. However, when he saw the ugly hand-drawn portrait on the wanted poster, sorrow welled up again, and large teardrops continuously wet the paper in his hands.
Chopper didn't say anything. He simply walked over silently and gently patted Sanji on the shoulder.
"Heh," Zoro picked up another bounty poster from the deck and couldn't help but laugh. "This one actually looks pretty similar—'Black Leg' Sanji with a 77 million berry bounty!"
"You moss-head! Why isn't your bounty poster hand-drawn?! Why do I have to suffer like this?! And why is your bounty so much higher than mine?!" Sanji's jealousy was written all over his face.
Franky, who had just boarded, curiously took the bounty poster from Zoro and looked through it. Since he had been busy building the new ship these past few days, he had only just heard from Sol that he himself had been wanted.
"Let me see too," Franky began reading out the bounty amounts.
Straw Hat – Monkey D. Luffy: 300,000,000 berries Fire Dragon – Sol: 500,000,000 berries
Pirate Hunter – Roronoa Zoro: 120,000,000 berries Black Leg Sanji: 77,000,000 berries Devil Child – Nico Robin: 80,000,000 berries Sniper King – Sniper King: 30,000,000 berries Thunder Empress – Nami: 60,000,000 berries Cotton Candy Lover – Chopper: 50 berries Iron Man – Franky: 44,000,000 berries
"It's Super amazing!" Franky exclaimed loudly after reading the bounties, finally understanding why Sanji and Chopper looked the way they did.
"What's so amazing?! 60 million berries! Why is my bounty so high!" Nami looked at the wanted poster with her hybrid form photo, feeling depressed. Although the photo looked cool and gallant, she still couldn't help muttering: "I should have worn a mask like Usopp…"
"Nami, Vivi doesn't even have the chance to get a bounty," Robin smiled and comforted her in the opposite way, casually sprinkling salt on Vivi's "wound."
Vivi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance: "Being a princess is such a hassle… I want a bounty too!"
"Ha? You spoiled little brat who doesn't know how good you have it!" Nami reached out and pinched Vivi's cheek, starting to play around.
Sol, who had been seasick for half the day, suddenly seemed to have an epiphany on the edge of life and death. He manipulated the wind to lift himself, his feet leaving the deck as he steadily hovered above it.
"What the… Did I really get infected by Luffy? Why didn't I think of such a simple solution before?"
"Oh! Sol! Sol! That's not fair! I want to fly too!" Luffy saw Sol floating so coolly in the air and immediately looked at him with pleading eyes. Before long, Usopp, Chopper, and Karoo also gathered around, staring at Sol with wide eyes.
Soon, the air above the deck was filled with Usopp and the others floating around excitedly, their cheerful noise never stopping.
"One or two of you is already noisy enough!"
A flash of lightning suddenly streaked across. Except for Sol, everyone was struck down by Nami's lightning bolt. In her rage, the lightning Nami unleashed was actually able to hurt Luffy—this scene was truly something special.
Sol pinched his chin, thoughtfully observing Nami for a moment. Then he took out Merry's soul crystal from his bosom and gently tossed it toward the deck. Under Usopp's surprised gaze, the crystal slowly merged into the deck and disappeared.
"Hey, Sol, what was that just now…?" Usopp quickly asked.
"It's Merry. Now it has fused with this ship—it's like a rebirth. But it consumed too much energy driving the ship alone earlier, so I don't know when it will wake up," Sol explained.
"Rebirth? Then should we still call this ship the Merry, or give it a new name?" Usopp asked.
"How about 'White Bear Lion'!" Luffy suggested excitedly.
"Thousand Sunny. We can also call it Sunny—that's the name of this ship," Franky announced to everyone.
"It does sound better than the 'Lion Claw' that flashed through my mind," Zoro nodded.
"Yeah, and better than my 'Dark Maru'," Robin said softly.
"Better than my 'Mr. Sunflower' too," Sanji said, stroking his chin.
Sol also nodded: "A bit worse than my 'Dragon King'."
Usopp couldn't help but facepalm and complain: "Is there something wrong with all of your mental states?!"
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