Nami sighed. It was a beautiful day on the waters of the East Blue. The sun shone brightly in a sky filled with large, beautiful white clouds, whose rays reflected on the blue water. The redhead's gaze swept across the deck of her new ship as the wind whipped through her short hair, searching for her crewmates.
Luffy slept sprawled out on the figurehead of his boat, not caring that he might fall into the water at any moment. He'd called the perch "his spot" as soon as they set sail. The girl looked around for the other occupant of the boat and her eyes fell on a head of green hair exercising just outside the storage area. It was where he'd decided to keep all his... equipment. He sneered, remembering when he and Luffy had hauled their "weights" aboard. He still couldn't believe humans were so strong. He shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on it.
Her eyes stopped searching for passengers and resumed scanning the deck, her smile growing wider. She couldn't help it. The ship was perfect. The Going Merry. Her three companions called it Merry for short. She climbed the steps to the galley and turned around when she reached the top. She leaned against the railing and looked out once more, the memory of her first time there flashing through her mind. She didn't linger, for it made her see the ship for the first time all over again.
"A ship?!" Nami exclaimed. She'd completely forgotten about it, but she'd planned to ask Kaya if she had one she was willing to part with. Obviously, if the blonde had asked for compensation, Zoro would have paid it, but that wasn't the point.
The thing was, she wanted to get to Mad Treasure's hideout as soon as possible. She'd been gone for a while now, and Arlong didn't like her being away for too long. The girl resisted the urge to frown. She wanted a bigger ship so she could sail straight to the hideout instead of having to stop along the way. It would definitely save time. Not too much, but enough to make it worth asking. The problem was, she'd completely forgotten. And with everything that had happened, she was surprised Luffy had managed to get one.
"Yes!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "Kaya said nobody uses it anymore!" The straw hat boy stood up and nodded toward the door. "Do you think you can make it to the dock?"
Nami groaned, but she swung her legs out of bed and placed them on the wooden floor, slowly standing up. Her muscles cracked slightly, but it wasn't too bad. She tried to take her first step and instead screamed when she was lifted into the air.
"Too slow!" Luffy shouted, laughing, as he led the little girl toward the door. "Zoro! Let's show Nami the ship!" he said to his green-haired friend. He was so excited. He knew she was going to love it!
"Yes, yes, I'm coming," Zoro replied. He stood up, grabbed his swords from the windowsill, and stowed them in his belly warmer. "He has legs, you know?"
"SHUT UP, IDIOT! I DIDN'T ASK HIM TO PICK ME UP!" Nami yelled from Luffy's arms.
Zoro simply smiled as he listened to Luffy's laughter echoing in the hallway.
Upon arriving at the pier, Nami could only think of one thing: it was beautiful.
Merry and Kaya were chatting by the boat as the three of them approached. Merry, seeing the teenagers, pointed over Kaya's shoulder, and she turned to face them with a slight smile.
Luffy carefully climbed onto the dock and helped Nami down. "Hey, Kaya!" said the straw hat boy, greeting the blonde girl.
"Hello, Luffy," Kaya said, returning his greeting and smile. She turned her gaze back to Nami, whose expression softened noticeably. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Nami. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."
The orange-haired girl smiled back at the blonde: "It's okay. I'm alive, and that's all that matters." And she meant it.
"We can talk later," Kaya said. "Right now, I know you want to know about the ship." Her smile turned into a small smirk as she looked at Nami knowingly.
"I believe I could be of use in that regard," Merry's voice said over Kaya's shoulder. She walked forward and looked Nami in the eye before bowing her head. "Before that, however, I must offer my sincerest apologies, my lady."
Nami's eyes widened. She hadn't expected an apology. In her mind, the blame lay solely with Kuro, that damned pirate. So the butler's apology surprised her. "Merry, there's no need," he said, waving his hands. "Kuro was the one to blame."
Merry looked up curiously: "Kuro?"
The redhead let her hands rest at her sides. "That was her real name. At least that's what she told me," she replied.
"NOW!" Zoro suddenly shouted. He approached Luffy and addressed the group with his revelation: "I knew I'd seen his face before! He was on an old bounty poster!"
Luffy looked at the swordsman in puzzlement. "What the hell are you talking about, Zoro?" he asked.
"A while back, when I first started bounty hunting, he was one of the highest-ranking bounties in the East Blue. I don't remember the exact figure, but I do remember it being high," Zoro said. "But his name was Kuro of the Hundred Planes. And his bounty expired almost two years ago. I think some Marine got it."
"That matches what she told me," Nami chimed in. She was about to continue, but her eyes fell on Kaya and she stopped. She was pretending, but Nami could tell the subject was bothering her. Perhaps it was best to drop it for now. "That's enough," the redhead said, quickly changing the subject. Her gaze swept over the lamb-headed ship at the edge of the dock. "Merry," she ordered. "Stand up and tell me all about this beauty."
The steward immediately stood up straight like a soldier in the presence of his commander and began reciting from memory all the specifications of his new vessel: "The name of the ship is the Going Merry. It is a caravel with a mainmast and a mizzenmast. It has no foremast. It is equipped with a jib and a centerline rudder. Instead of a traditional rudder, a steering whip is used, attached to the rudder. The steering whip is located in the same room as the galley."
The man paused to take a deep breath and began again: "The ship's armament consists of four cannons. One in the bow pointing forward, one in the stern, and two pointing to each side of the ship. Next, I will explain the rigging. First..."
"TOO MANY WORDS!" Zoro and Luffy shouted simultaneously.
The butler jumped nearly a foot high, not expecting the interruption, but quickly recovered. "Yes, of course," he said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "I suppose you can go and discover the rest for yourselves. If you have any questions afterward, please don't hesitate to ask. After all, I designed it," he said before bowing again and taking his previous place behind Kaya.
"You heard him," Kaya said, laughing slightly, "Go see what else he has in store."
Luffy didn't need to be told twice. "Let's go!" the boy shouted, jumping from the dock into the boat.
Nami smiled as she walked past Kaya and Merry toward the ramp and onto the deck, with Zoro following close behind. Slowly climbing onto the ship's wooden planks, she couldn't help but smile even more. Luffy's laughter, echoing in the air, only made it harder. It was time to explore their new home for the next month or so.
Nami was interrupted from her memory by Luffy shouting from his perch.
"Guys! Quick! Come and see!"
Zoro put down the weights and walked toward the stairs, wiping the sweat from his brow. "What's wrong, Luffy?" the swordsman asked. He refocused on his weights and couldn't help thinking he should probably take them upstairs. He considered it for a moment before deciding to do it later.
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