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[By the time they reached the entrance of Reverse Mountain, although the process was somewhat perilous, they ultimately succeeded in entering without mishap!!]
[The Going Merry followed the river current of Reverse Mountain, smoothly flowing upwards!!!]
[But after crossing Reverse Mountain and rushing towards the Grand Line, a giant island whale blocked the entrance to the Grand Line...]
[The Going Merry, carried by the current, crashed headlong into this "giant mountain"!!]
Portgas D. Ace: "No way...!! Is entering the Grand Line this difficult for Luffy...?"
Capone Bege: "That's what I was thinking... first no wind, then a perilous circumnavigation, and now this giant mountain blocking the route... I didn't encounter anything like this back then."
Bartholomew Kuma: "Indeed, my ship entered the Grand Line very smoothly, there wasn't this much trouble~~~"
Charlotte Linlin: "I just want to know, how did the Straw Hat Pirates manage to survive this time!!!"
Nami: "Haha! That's all thanks to our brilliant Captain Luffy..."
[CRASH!!!]
[Just as the Going Merry was about to smash headfirst into the island whale, the Merry's cannon fired with a bang!!!]
[The cannonball landed on the giant island whale's body, seemingly just tickling it, but this powerful recoil actually brought the speeding Merry to a dead stop!]
[However, the next second.....]
[CRACK!! ——]
[Accompanied by a crisp snapping sound, the Going Merry's figurehead broke off with a crack!!!]
[It fell with a thud onto the Merry's deck...]
Usopp: "It actually stopped like this... Luffy, you really are a little rascal..."
Shanks: "Ahaha!!! Honestly, if I were in that situation, and didn't have the strength of an 'Eight-Zero' to move the island whale, then I could only close my eyes and accept my fate..."
Lucky Roux: "Hahahaha~~ Who says otherwise! Luffy, this kid... has been smart since he was little!!"
Bartholomew Kuma: "Just entered the Grand Line for a second, and the ship's figurehead already broke off. This is not a good omen..."
Killer: "So the Straw Hat Pirates' ship did indeed sink into the sea later, right??"
Charlotte Linlin: "Yes, I remember the pirate ship they were docked on at the Sabaody Archipelago wasn't this one; it was much larger than this!"
Usopp: "Merry..... Could it be that from the moment we just entered the Grand Line, the Going Merry was destined not to be able to continue with us?"
Although the Going Merry was gifted to Luffy, Usopp's "love" for this ship was definitely the most among the entire Straw Hat crew!!!
Before the Straw Hat Pirates even recruited a shipwright, all the repair work was done by Usopp...
If one had to say it, the Going Merry accompanied the Straw Hat Pirates all the way; she was like everyone's child, but all the diaper changing and stuff was done by Usopp...
Undoubtedly, Usopp poured far too much into this ship.
Vinsmoke Sanji: "Looking back at this scene now, it's really sad...!! Just now in the Calm Belt, the Merry fell from such a high place. I didn't think anything of it before, but thinking about it now, that must have also caused considerable damage to the Merry!"
Nami: "Sigh..., it's us who didn't take good care of Merry....."
[Afterwards, Laboon opened its huge mouth and sucked the Going Merry into its stomach~~~]
[Crocus makes his appearance~~]
[Subsequently, the Straw Hat crew had another minor conflict with Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9; the two became prisoners of the Straw Hat Pirates~~~]
[Crocus recounted Laboon's past to the Straw Hat crew, and only then did everyone understand why Laboon kept ramming its head against the mountain...]
Crocus: "Sigh..., that group of bastards... just abandoned Laboon like this. This is a pitiful, abandoned island whale~~~"
Even as a character in the video, seeing this scene again, Crocus still felt deeply moved~~~
Tashigi: "Those pirates are real bastards! They actually abandoned this island whale!"
Brook: "Yohohoho!! You mustn't say that!!! They didn't want to abandon Laboon, nor were they bastards!!"
Tashigi: "They just left Laboon behind and ran off, isn't that abandoning it?"
Franky: "No! Actually..., when the Rumbar Pirates entered the Grand Line and reached the Demon Triangle, all the crew members were killed by other pirates!"
Crocus: "How do you know??"
Black Maria: "Yohoho~~ That's not right!! Since you said all the crew members of the Rumbar Pirates were killed, then how do you know about this? This happened 50 years ago..."
Brook: "Because I am a crew member of the Rumbar Pirates!!"
Gol D. Roger: "Nani?? Didn't you just say everyone in the Rumbar Pirates died???"
Nico Robin: "Indeed, they all died. But Brook is a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi, possessing one chance to revive himself."
Brook: "Yes, after I died, my soul returned from the Revive-Revive Fruit, ready to return to my body, but I got lost in the Demon Triangle for a year. By the time I found my body, it had already become a skeleton, so my revival is in this current state..."
...
Crocus: "Ah...? So that's how it was...?"
Monkey D. Luffy: "That's right, Uncle Crocus! That's how it happened."
Crocus: "This...!! I'm truly sorry!! I'll go explain to Laboon right away and tell him he still has a crewmate!"
Brook: "If possible, please convey to Laboon for me, after I finish circumnavigating the Grand Line with Luffy, I'll come back and play Binks' Brew for him."
Luffy: "That's right! And my promise with Laboon! Tell him, after I come back, we'll have another decisive battle!!"
Crocus: "Hahahaha!!! I'll go tell Laboon right now!!"
[While Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp were still lamenting Laboon's sad experience, Luffy had already appeared unnoticed at the Going Merry's main mast...]
[He hugged the Going Merry's main mast with both hands and pulled upwards with all his might!!!]
[Crack!! ——]
[Sure enough..., the Merry's main mast snapped cleanly under Luffy's pull!!!]
*["Gugyagyagyagya.....!!!"]*
[Luffy, holding this main mast, charged straight at Laboon's body, then along its skin upwards, arriving above Laboon's head!]
*["Gomu Gomu no... Ikebana!!!"]*
[Luffy thrust forcefully, and this main mast plunged into a wound on Laboon's head, instantly causing fresh blood to gush out!!!]
["GWAAAAAH——"]
[Laboon let out a painful roar, then angrily attacked Luffy.]
[Luffy also attacked Laboon with punch after punch!!!]
[Finally, with a smack, Luffy was swatted onto the mountain wall by Laboon.]
["Bastard!!! What are you doing!!! That's our ship's main mast!!!"]
["Why are you destroying our ship!"]
["What are you fighting Laboon for!?"]
[The Straw Hat crew members couldn't understand Luffy's actions, all questioning him hysterically.]
[However, Luffy didn't answer them, but stared at Laboon with eyes full of fighting spirit: "I hit you once, you hit me once, we're even!!!"]
["Laboon, I'm pretty strong, right?"]
["We haven't settled our match yet, so we definitely have to fight again!!"]
["Although your crewmates are dead, your opponent is still here, and that's me...!!"]
["After we circumnavigate the Grand Line and come back to see you, we'll have a good fight then!!!"]
[Luffy stood with his legs apart, his right thumb pointing at himself, looking extremely cocky~~~]
*["Gugyagyagyagya....."]*
[Laboon could understand human speech. It excitedly shook its head, apparently accepting Luffy's promise!!!]
[Afterwards, the Straw Hat crew, along with Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9, left Twin Capes, continuing their joyful voyage towards~~~]
[Crocus stood on the shore, muttering: "They... are they the pirates we've been waiting for for so long...? He really is an extraordinary boy...! Right... Roger?"]
Gol D. Roger: "Oi? Crocus, you recognized my hat back then?"
Crocus: "Nonsense! How could I not recognize the captain's hat??? And I really have to thank Luffy; ever since then, Laboon hasn't rammed its head against the mountain anymore~~~"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Ahahaha! Haven't seen Laboon in a long time, I kind of miss him~~~"
Marco: "Straw Hat Luffy, what you did to help Laboon was really great!!"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Ahahaha!! Just a small effort~~"
Marco: "However...!! You overlooked one thing!!! While helping Laboon, you harmed another one of your crewmates!"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Huh!?"
Hearing this, Luffy was bewildered. He thought carefully; he didn't seem to have harmed Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, or Nami in any way...
Roronoa Zoro: "No, right? At least I wasn't harmed. Luffy fought with Sanji there, and then both of them were kicked into the sea by Nami..."
Sanji: "Idiot, that was Nami-swan's kick of love! I like it! Besides, Luffy fighting with me doesn't count as Luffy harming me, does it!"
Usopp: "What he's talking about... is... is... Merry~~"
Usopp's voice was choked with sobs!!
When Marco said those words, Usopp, who was on Boin Archipelago, his eyes had already turned red~~~
Because Marco said "crewmate"...
And in Usopp's heart, he had always considered Merry a crewmate!
Marco: "Yes! Not talking about crew members, just the captain...! As a pirate captain, your ship is your second life! Even more so, one of your most trustworthy crewmates!! If someone tried to destroy your ship, you should fight them with your life!!! But you... Straw Hat Luffy, what did you just do???"
Trafalgar Law: "Straw Hat-ya, you really shouldn't have personally broken the Going Merry's mast..."
"Look at the Red Straw Hat-ya over there; when he got the Merry, he vowed to protect her forever, and then the Merry gave a legendary response!! She birthed a Klabautermann!! This is an existence all sailors have only heard of in legends!"
Trafalgar Law: "If you think about it carefully..., the reason this Merry here didn't produce a Klabautermann by the time it reached Twin Capes, Straw Hat-ya, isn't your responsibility the greatest?"
Law actually likes Luffy a lot, but it's precisely because he likes him that he would point out Luffy's mistakes so directly~~~
Marshall D. Teach: "Straw Hat Luffy, don't listen to them!!! A ship is just a means of transportation; if it breaks, just get another one. Making it sound so mystical, isn't that foolish!!!"
Franky: "No!!! I used to think so too! I thought the meaning of a ship's existence was just to transport people from one port to another; ships were born to fulfill this contract!!! But ever since I learned about the Going Merry's Klabautermann, my views changed! A ship..., it's the crew's best companion!!!"
On the warship heading to Impel Down~~~
As Luffy listened to everyone's arguments in the chat room, his gaze once again fell upon the Going Merry in the video...
Scenes from when he first obtained the Going Merry flashed through his mind~~~
At that time, he had just officially owned his first ship in the true sense, and he was overjoyed!!!
But...
Searching his heart!!!
He really hadn't, like Red Luffy, made a vow to protect her well the moment he first saw the Merry...
Back then...
He really just saw the Merry as a means of transportation~~~
However, that scene just now...
He had snapped the Merry's main mast with his own hands, and then when he went to stab the whale...
Little Merry must have been very sad~~
Thwack!!
Luffy fiercely slapped himself hard across the face~~~
Startling Buggy and Old Croc beside him!!!
Buggy's eyes widened: "Oi! Straw Hat kid, are you crazy?"
Crocodile, however, said coldly: "Does that even need asking? Can't you see he's blaming himself over the ship?"
"Merry..."
Luffy's eyes turned red~~~
He remembered during the Battle of Enies Lobby, the Going Merry, already unable to continue sailing, dragged her battered hull and fearlessly charged into the Buster Call's bombardment zone!!!
When the Straw Hat Pirates originally had no way out, she personally came to take them away...
It could be said...
Their lives were given by Merry~~~
Without Merry, the Straw Hat Pirates' story would have ended at Enies Lobby!
Thwack!!
Luffy slapped himself again!
"Ah!"
Buggy clutched his heart, "O-oi oi, Straw Hat kid, let's talk things out properly, can you not be so startling? It's scary..."
Tears welled up in Luffy's eyes and streamed out~~~
I abused Merry so many times, yet Merry treated me like her first love...
I...
I'm really not human!!!
Thinking about what he had done to Merry, then thinking about how much Red Luffy valued Merry, Luffy was filled with incomparable regret~~~
He remembered what Red Luffy had said in the video before...
I train desperately because I don't want to end up like those corpses one day~~~
I train desperately because I don't want to see the things I want to protect destroyed one day while I'm powerless to do anything~~~
If only I had understood this principle sooner!!!
If only I had started training sooner!!!
If, when I set sail at 17, I had the strength Red Luffy had at 14, the Merry's fate might not have been like this~~~
Merry...
Merry!!!
Monkey D. Luffy: "I'm sorry..., Merry!!!"
Luffy's remorseful voice echoed in the chat room~~~