If there's a problem, figure it out yourself. Luffy was never the type to think that crying would get him milk.
Carue looked plump and meaty—perfect bait material. Seeing was believing, and Luffy immediately started going after the duck.
It wasn't long before a series of pitiful shrieks erupted from Carue.
Even an animal, when it senses death is near, can erupt with a certain latent potential. Luffy's grip slipped for a moment, and Carue instantly ducked behind Vivi, trembling uncontrollably.
Luffy was still trying to lure him. A top-tier bait like Carue might attract some giant Sea King, right? Then they'd have enough for several meals!
Hearing this, Usopp also came over to size up Carue, deliberately trying to scare the duck by saying it was the favorite food of giant goldfish.
In Usopp's fabrication, these giant goldfish were as large as islands, feeding on other islands, and their droppings were the size of islands themselves.
Carue's little duck eyes instantly went wide, all its feathers standing on end. It shook its head frantically, letting out terrified quacks, its short wings flapping wildly as if it wanted to jump into the sea and escape immediately.
Even though it was actually a super spot-billed duck (a fast-running species), not a regular duck, using it to lure giant Sea Kings from the depths?
What was the difference between that and turning it directly into fish food?
Carue's soul was practically scared out of its body. It clung desperately to Vivi's clothes, leaving only its trembling rear end facing Luffy.
"Luffy, stop eyeing Carue!" Vivi said.
Luffy felt it was a bit of a shame.
"Luffy, I have an idea," Merry said.
Luffy's eyes lit up. "What is it?"
Sitting on Luffy's shoulder, Merry gently swung her little legs, raised a small hand high, and pointed to the sea beside the ship. Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of pride. "We don't need bait.
I see lots of big fish over there, whole schools of them. I can have the waves help push them up, and then you can just reach out and grab them, Luffy!"
"...So there's a method like this! Let's try it!"
Excited, Luffy carried Merry to the ship's side.
'Manipulating waves'... Can something like that be said so casually? Robin had been quietly watching the scene. At first, she thought Merry was just an ordinary crew member on the ship. Now, it seemed she might be the least ordinary one.
"I see. Could this little lady be the legendary Klabautermann?" Robin tilted her head slightly, an elegant curve at the corner of her lips.
Her knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary people; she had naturally heard the legends of the Klabautermann. But seeing one with her own eyes was still astonishing.
"The Klabautermann?!" Vivi exclaimed, her sapphire blue eyes filled with disbelief. "That's a being that only exists in legends! They say it's the incarnation of a ship, appearing at midnight in a raincoat, carrying a small mallet to repair the vessel."
"Merry, show them your hammer," Luffy said, a bit of boasting in his tone.
Merry's abilities weren't that simple. Being able to control the ship's sailing was one thing, but Luffy didn't really care much about that. Once, he saw Merry throw her hammer, only for another one to appear in her hand almost instantly.
It was like infinite ammo—throwing hammers non-stop. Merry said it didn't cost her anything.
So, Luffy had helped Merry develop a new "move."
Continuously throwing hammers.
It was too adorable, throwing little hammers with no particular technique.
Merry seemed to know she was cute. She closed her eyes and, with an "Eee-ya-ya" sound, hurled hammers out to sea.
Vivi looked at Merry not far away—with her lively ponytail, her little dress cleverly stitched together, cute as a little angel—and found it impossible to overlap this image with the mysterious, vague figure from ancient legends.
The first time Vivi saw Merry, she was indeed in that traditional image.
But with a woman like Nami, who had such good taste in clothing, how could she let Merry stay in a raincoat forever? Nami was quite proud of this.
"So, what do you think? Our Merry is adorable, right? I made this outfit for her myself." Nami placed her hands on her hips, smiling with pride.
Vivi looked at Merry again, just as Merry flashed her a brilliantly innocent smile, her pure, large eyes curving into crescents.
With that one look, Vivi felt her heart had been struck by something.
"Oh my god, she's too cute!"
Vivi unconsciously gasped, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Thinking she was a little demon earlier was definitely an illusion!
This was clearly a little angel descended to earth. Who could resist such an adorable and magical being?
If there was any demonic influence, it was definitely because of Luffy!
Vivi subconsciously rubbed her own backside.
Luffy was already itching to eat fish, so he urged Merry to start "casting her spell." He eagerly leaned over the ship's railing, his rubber arms stretching out, ready to strike at any moment.
Merry nodded, then closed her eyes, a look of concentration on her little face. She stretched out a small hand and gave a gentle wave towards the distant sea.
Something marvelous happened.
The waves around the Merry Go seemed to be guided by an invisible force, beginning to surge gently and orderly. It wasn't a storm-like violence but more like a gentle herding. In the distance beneath the sea's surface, a large shadow could vaguely be seen approaching rapidly.
Splash!
The next moment, countless sea fish were carried out of the water by a perfectly timed surge. Fish of all shapes and sizes glittered with silver scales under the sunlight, leaping out of the water with a splish-splash, creating an extremely spectacular scene.
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly. Who needed bait or fishing rods? With Merry around, you could just pick up the fish.
Luffy certainly wasn't slow. This was also a form of training. What did Kenbunshoku Haki require? Precision and speed. His mind had been full of thoughts about Devil Fruit development earlier, and now there was a practical test right before his eyes.
"Gomu Gomu no... Grab-Gun!"
Luffy's rubber arms shot out like a storm. With each shout, one or several large sea fish were precisely struck on the head, knocked unconscious, and then scooped back onto the deck by Luffy's elongated arms.
Nami and the others hurried over, busily sorting and stacking the catch. With a bottomless pit like Luffy around, no amount of stored food was ever too much.
Sanji was already stroking his chin, appraising the ingredients and considering cooking methods.
Soon, the fish on the deck piled up into a small mountain, causing the Merry Go to sink a little lower under the weight of the bounty. The fish in this area of the sea seemed endless, and the variety was astonishingly diverse.
Everyone noticed the strange-looking school of fish.
Some had heads shaped like hammers, others had mouths full of sharp teeth, and scales as hard as armor.
They seemed to be entirely new species. No one knew what these fish were called.
Knowledge is never useless; it only fulfills its purpose at a critical moment. Looking at these bizarrely shaped fish, Luffy suddenly began naming them.
And in that moment, he became the focus of everyone's gaze.
***
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