Robin struggled with all her might.
She wanted to leave now.
But how could her strength possibly compare to Vir's?
When she saw Vir raise his hand once again, she was so terrified that she shut her eyes tightly.
Luckily, Vir still had some conscience left.
The Going Merry was waiting for him.
Time to stop messing around.
A soft voice called out.
But compared to before, it was noticeably weaker this time.
By the time the blushing Robin opened her eyes again, Vir had already teleported her down.
At this moment, Vir looked at the small figure by his feet, clearly weakened, and felt a pang of heartache.
Let's wait until Merry speaks to everyone.
They probably haven't had a chance to talk to her yet.
A ghostly voice spread through the entire area.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Iceburg's face was particularly stunned.
It was the Klabautermann!
The other shipwrights had similar expressions.
As shipbuilders, there wasn't a single one among them who didn't know about it.
But this was the first time they had actually encountered one.
Even Jozu looked towards the source of the voice in disbelief.
But unlike them, the Straw Hats reacted as if they had been struck by lightning.
That voice... was so weak.
Was it… about to fade away?!
At that moment, a wave of regret surged in everyone's hearts.
They regretted not taking better care of the Merry when they had the chance.
Even the unconscious Chopper woke up the instant the voice rang out.
Looking at the cracked hull of the Going Merry and hearing that voice echoing in his mind, Chopper's eyes instantly filled with tears.
"Thank you… for always treasuring me so much~ I was truly… very happy~"
That single sentence shattered the hearts of everyone.
Tears started rolling down their cheeks without end.
Even Robin was no exception.
On the Merry, she had felt an unprecedented warmth.
Every day and night spent on it had been so reassuring.
But now, that safe and warm harbor was about to be lost…
Luffy's tearful shout rang out, causing the shipwrights behind him to avert their gazes.
Even their own eyes were slightly red.
A great ship had met great owners...
Luffy and the others understood.
Merry… was leaving them.
"Let it return to the sea."
Iceburg spoke as he handed a torch to Luffy.
Just as Luffy was about to send the Merry off on its final journey, the weak voice rang out again.
"Vir~ Vir said~ he wouldn't let me sink into the sea~"
"He even~ swore on Chopper staying single for life~"
Everyone immediately turned to look at Vir!
Their gazes were shining with anticipation!
He actually said that!
Everyone knew—Vir was a man of his word!
Well… except when it came to Chopper…
But since he had promised Merry, then he definitely had a way!
If that was the case…
"Vir!!! Save Merry!!"
Usopp, who was already crying his eyes out, was about to drop to his knees.
But Sanji stopped him.
"Kneeling for your most treasured friend is understandable, but if the one you're kneeling to is also your treasured friend, then there's no need…"
Sanji was absolutely right.
How could Vir not save Merry?
Looking at the tiny spirit by his feet, barely reaching his shin, Vir gently patted its head with a heart full of pity.
But as soon as he touched it, he froze.
Why could he touch it???
Wasn't the ship spirit supposed to be intangible?
Vir was completely baffled.
Merry, however, seemed to understand his confusion.
"Vir~ If I want you to touch me, then you can~"
"But~ I can only let one person touch me~"
Merry spoke innocently.
But her words left Vir dumbfounded.
Why did that sound so ambiguous?
However, he didn't dwell on it.
There was no time for that.
The Going Merry was already leaking water badly.
Sentimental talks could wait.
Reshaping shouldn't take long.
With that in mind, Vir waved at Merry.
Seeing this, Merry obediently nodded and stepped aside.
It knew Vir was going to save it.
Vir really didn't lie~
Vir slowly crouched down, pressing his hands against the slanted deck beneath him.
As soon as he made contact, the cracks widened, and the Going Merry, which looked like it was about to split in two, suddenly stopped moving.
Then, under the stunned gazes of the world's top shipwrights, the ship slowly began to change…
The cracks shrank, and the broken hull started to mend.
The mast, which had split in half due to the sudden tilt, gradually stood upright again.
The old patches and repairs blended seamlessly into the hull.
And most crucially—the keel.
Under Vir's reshaping, the massive fracture began to shrink.
Until it vanished completely.
In just three minutes.
A once-dilapidated but beloved ship was restored to its original state, just like the day it was born.
Only now, the Going Merry seemed more mature than before.
Iceburg and Franky were completely dumbfounded.
Franky's eyes bulged so hard that his sunglasses shattered!
They had just witnessed a miracle!
The shipwrights behind them were no better off.
They knew better than anyone the state that ship had been in.
He had simply touched it, and now it was as good as new?!
Luffy and the others, however, didn't care about shipbuilding knowledge.
They only knew one thing:
Their faces were still streaked with tears.
But this time, the tears didn't taste so salty…
Yet Vir wasn't finished.
As he continued exerting his power, the Going Merry's size began to shrink.
The reshaping ability compressed it tighter and tighter.
Eight meters, five meters, two meters, one meter…
Going Merry kept getting smaller!
A minute later, it was too small for Vir to stand on.
He stepped off, standing on the sea.
Looking closely, one could see that he was using Geppo, though with such minimal movement that it seemed like he was simply standing still.
Another minute later, the ship had shrunk to the size of a handheld model.
But an ordinary person shouldn't try picking it up.
Because its weight hadn't changed.
Looking at the now palm-sized Going Merry, a sudden thought struck Vir.
He just put Merry in the medical kit?
Would the ship spirit turn into a pet like Chopper?!
Read 45+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/KakuzuTL