Chapter 120Chapter 170: Never Fought Such a Rich Battle!Zoro is in charge of combat, Sanji is in charge of meals, Usopp is in charge of sniping and repairs, Chopper is the ship doctor, and Robin is the archaeologist...Nami half-closed her eyes, watching the bright yellow light of the bathroom ceiling lamp diffuse through the mist, her voice carrying a hint of laziness and imperceptible warmth."Everyone gathered together because of a certain idiot Captain.""In terms of judgment, partners recognized by Luffymore or less possess certain abilities or have unwavering dreams."Vivi blinked, thinking Nami might have misunderstood her meaning; the reliance she spoke of wasn't just about work.But seeing Nami, who seemed to have opened up, Vivi chose to listen quietly, her body gently floating in the water.With a splash, Nami raised her fair arm, stirring the hot water in the bathtub, creating ripples. She continued, "We gathered for various reasons, and Luffy, as the Captain, is the core of our gathering..."At this point, Nami suddenly paused, realizing belatedly, how did the conversation circle back to that Rubber idiot again?She shook her head, wet hair clinging to her cheeks, and turned to another matter that concerned her: "But Vivi, do you think we rely too much on Luffy?""I think so too," Vivi softly echoed.Powerful enemies like Eneru were naturally left to Luffy to resolve.Eneru's cadres, on the other hand, were dealt with by Zoro, Sanji, and the others.They seemed accustomed to Luffy taking the lead, bearing the greatest pressure and risk.However, in the more intense battles they might encounter in the future, they should also possess the ability to protect themselves or even participate in combat, so as not to distract Luffy with worry."So after you ate the Wind-Wind Fruit, you no longer look so worried."Nami turned her head to look at Vivi. Her whole body splashed half out of the water, leaning against the edge of the bathtub, water droplets rolling off her smooth skin, and she said with a smile, "Otherwise, after leaving Alabasta, you really looked like a princess taken hostage by us."Vivi: "Was I that obvious?""You forgot that Luffy is the most sensitive to emotions. Several times he came to ask me if something had happened to you," Nami said.Vivi let out a small sound, leaned against the tub, hugged her slightly curled knees with both arms, and slowly sank until the warm water covered her shoulders, leaving only a delicate, blushing face exposed.This was indeed one of her thoughts.Gaining power meant being able to protect herself better and help everyone at critical moments.Before, she had always been troubled by not having a suitable role.Luffy naturally didn't know what profound topics Nami and Vivi were discussing in the bathroom.After changing his clothes, he placed the heavy golden stele in a corner of the deck.Placing the golden stele on the deck of the going merry, although the three-story-tall giant stele's volume was compressed, it still looked quite out of place on the going merry.The matter he wanted to ask Nika just now was whether he could use his ability to turn the golden stele into Rubber that would be easier to preserve.However, awakened power cannot permanently change the nature of an item. At least, that's how it is for the Gum-Gum Fruit."It seems changing ships needs to be put on the agenda."Looking at this giant golden stele, Luffy more clearly realized that as more partners joined and the adventures became more dangerous, the going merry, the small ship that first carried their dreams, was beginning to feel inadequate in many aspects.He had seen Marine's giant warships.In front of such steel behemoths, the Merry was like a fragile small boat; in terms of firepower, defense, and carrying capacity, it was completely on a different level.Sailing at sea is full of unknowns and dangers. As Captain, he had to consider his partners' safety more.So, when Nami and Vivi emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and changed into dry clothes, Luffy asked them to gather everyone.He had something important to announce.Morning.On the going merry.Usopp and Sanji were the first to return."Are we leaving so soon?"Usopp and Sanji both held large packages. Sanji's contained various specialty foods from Sky Island, while Usopp brought back several large baskets of various Dials purchased on Sky Island.Usopp excitedly showed Luffy his haul:"Luffy, come look, this is a Wind Dial, it can store wind energy; this is a Lamp Dial, so we won't worry about lighting at night! And these..."There were many various Dials. Usopp, unlike a fierce person like Zoro who could endure an Impact Dial head-on, naturally needed various tools without a Devil Fruit.Luffy curiously picked up an Impact Dial and played with it, feeling the astonishing impact force contained within."Not bad, Usopp, how much did these cost?"Upon hearing this, Usopp's proud expression froze. He scratched his long nose a bit sheepishly and said cautiously, "They were quite expensive, all the ten million Berries Nami gave me are gone."After speaking, he quickly ducked behind Luffy's broad back, only poking out half his head, nervously observing Nami's reaction, fearing that Nami's iron fist would send him flying into the sky the next second.However, to his surprise, Nami just squatted down with Vivi, carefully examining and organizing the various functional Sky Island Dials. Not only was there no anger on her face, but rather a composed expression of wealth."Alright, why are you hiding?"She looked up, glanced at Usopp hiding behind Luffy, waved her hand and said, "As long as these Dials are as useful as you say, ten million Berries is well spent."After all, they were now super-rich with tens of thousands of tons of gold, so money wasn't something they needed to worry about for now.Short on money?Just chip off some gold and sell it.According to Nami.They had never fought such a rich battle!Usopp couldn't believe his ears; Nami wasn't angry?He tentatively stepped out from behind Luffy, and only after confirming that Nami was indeed in a good mood did he let out a long sigh of relief.Not long after, the Shandian tribe kept their promise, mobilizing nearly a hundred strong warriors who, shouting chants, steadily transported the other massive stele, forged and compressed with tens of thousands of tons of gold, to the side of the going merry.Then Luffy used the properties of the Gum-Gum Fruit to place it on the other side of the deck.Logically, with such a terrifying weight pressing down on the Merry, this small ship should have been overwhelmed and even disintegrated long ago.However, when the golden stele landed steadily on the deck, the Merry merely sank slightly, the hull made a few faint creaking sounds, and then regained its stability. The waterline showed no significant change, and sailing seemed completely unaffected.Chapter 171: The Straw Hat Crew's First Formal MeetingThis was naturally the Klabautermann Merry's doing.Her tiny body contained a mysterious power intimately linked to the ship, capable of influencing the ship's essence to a certain extent.Meanwhile, Zoro, eager, had already gone ahead to train, drenched in sweat as he practiced striking in front of the newly transported golden stele.Fists, elbows, and knees took turns, emitting dull thudding sounds.He even tried to hack and slash the stele with yubashiri and sandai kitetsu; the sharp blades only left shallow white marks on it, completely unable to cut through."Phew, this thing really is a natural training tool," Zoro said, sheathing his swords and panting heavily.Sanji lit a cigarette, leaned against the ship's railing, and frowned as he looked at the two extremely ostentatious golden giant steles on the deck:"Hey, Luffy, isn't putting these two huge guys on the deck a bit too conspicuous?"Don't most pirates go out to sea just for money?These two huge golden steles standing here seemed to be telling those pirates, 'We have money!'It was practically a pirate trap.They would probably be targeted by countless pirates, drawn by the scent of gold, even before reaching Water 7.Moreover, if those scavenging Marines saw it, the trouble would be considerable.Luffy nodded; this was precisely why he had gathered everyone. He stood between the two golden steles, clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention:"Everyone listen, I've decided to build a new ship!"Upon hearing this, Usopp was the first to jump up, his face filled with shock and disbelief."Hey, Luffy, you're not joking, are you?""Of course not, the Captain's word is law."Luffy, are you going to abandon the Merry?The words remained unsaid.For Usopp, the Merry was not just a ship, but a precious gift from Kaya, a home that held all their memories from their journey starting in the East Blue.However, when he saw little Merry sitting quietly on Luffy's shoulder, her small hands tightly gripping Luffy's Straw Hat, her small face showing no sadness of being abandoned, but rather a nervous and expectant expression, the words that were about to burst from Usopp's mouth stopped short.He realized things might not be as he thought."Usopp, you've grown up."Sanji and Zoro both looked like they were about to restrain the agitated Usopp.They could mess around normally.But there is only one person who truly gives orders on a ship, and that is the Captain.As Zoro would say, this isn't playing pirates; everything must be carried out under the Captain's decision."So what exactly is your idea, Luffy?""To build a bigger new ship! This ship needs to be sturdy and spacious enough to accommodate our Merry. Let the Merry stay inside the new ship, and continue our adventure together!"Luffy stated his idea.Pirates changing ships is a common occurrence.On the contrary, not changing ships would be irresponsible to the lives of the crew and himself.Luffy looked around at his companions and seriously stated his thoughts: "As you've all seen, we have more and more partners, and future adventures will surely encounter stronger enemies and worse weather.The Merry is great, she's our first home! But her size is indeed a disadvantage. Once she's severely damaged in battle, or encounters huge storms, not only will the Merry be in danger, but it will be even more troublesome for us Devil Fruit users if we fall into the sea!"As the ship's concurrently Navigator, he had checked the log pose and Nami's nautical charts, and the next island was Water 7, known as the City of Shipbuilders.They had the best shipwrights in the world there!Now with so much gold, they had ample funds to build a top-tier ship, and they had always cherished the Merry. The Merry definitely had the basic sailing capabilities, and perhaps they could even make some modifications and upgrades to it while preserving it, making it even better.Luffy had expected Usopp, who treasured the Merry, to be the most opposed, but he spread his hands, his tone unexpectedly calm: "So that's it. Well, it's the Captain's decision after all.""Usopp, you're not bad! I thought you'd cry and make a fuss," Luffy exclaimed."Hey, don't underestimate me, you bastard!" Usoppdeclared confidently, "I'm a brave warrior of the sea, so I naturally know this is the right thing to do."Moreover, even if Luffy hadn't said anything, Usoppand the others had observed that little Merry had been secretly worried, worried that she wasn't sturdy enough, not big enough, and that one day she would no longer be able to carry them forward.It was a good thing that Luffy brought it up and made the final decision now.The method Luffy proposed might be the best solution.To let the Merry become the heart of the new ship, taking her along to venture to farther places—how could that be called abandonment?This was an upgrade!It was evolution!Everyone chimed in, one after another.Little Merry could no longer hold back and burst into tears.Nami, Vivi, and the other girls spent a long time comforting the little Klabautermann, who was crying tears of joy.Since Usopp didn't object, the other partners naturally had no issues either.Sanji imagined having a more spacious and well-equipped kitchen on the new ship. Zoro thought having more space to train would be good. Chopper looked forward to a dedicated medical room. Robin hoped for a quieter study... The proposal to build a new ship passed unanimously!Days later, at the end of the clouds in the Lower White Sea.The going merry lay quietly anchored at the edge of the cotton-like white clouds."You must come back to visit!" Conis said goodbye to everyone, tears in her eyes."Take care, everyone!""I'll definitely be back!""Thank you for the Waver!"
