Companions: Bringing the Dead Back to Life

"Captain, look—"

A large sailing ship flying a pirate flag sailed towards the rear of Water 7, and the lookout spotted something unusual.

"A small sailboat without a flag?"

"They look pretty dilapidated," the captain of the 'Magic Frog' pirate crew, with a bounty of 45 million, lowered his binoculars and stroked his tentacles. "Let them go this time..."

"Wait, what's that?!"

On the charred shore lay a long-nosed man, unconscious. But that wasn't the point; the point was what was around him!

"A first-aid kit, food, a nautical chart, seashells, and— Beli?!"

Putting everything else aside, those stacks of banknotes instantly caught the ship's attention! A casual glance revealed at least tens of millions! This prompted Captain Magic Frog, with his bulging eyes, to immediately give the order.

"Look back, today is our day to make a fortune!"

Snap,

A tall, white-armored figure descended from the sky onto the deck, raised his ornate helmet, swept his gaze around, and then spoke in a cold, chilling voice.

"Leave here, or—"

"Kill him!"

Ping-ping-pong-pong—

The dense barrage of bullets bounced off the armor, sending sparks flying. 'White Knight -Modified' sighed.

"Isn't it good to be alive?"

Die!

The battle began, and the white-armored warriors, moving at high speed, slaughtered across the deck, with no one able to withstand their attacks. Even the Demon Frog Captain, who had entered the Grand Line with his Zoan 'Poison Dart Frog Fruit', was soon lying in a pool of blood.

The deadly poison, which kills instantly, was useless against this 'armored knight,' and after his head fell to the ground, the powerful regenerative abilities of the Zoan were futile.

The battle ended quickly. Facing the blood-stained deck, the 'White Knight' first looked around, then leaped high into the air!

"Cut!"

A massive, white, crescent-shaped sword aura crashed down, instantly cleaving the entire pirate ship in two! The chilling sword aura even forced the sea to churn and split apart.

Then the surging waves squeezed in the middle, rapidly swallowing the ship and turning it into underwater debris.

After doing all this, the white knight with wings on his back flew to a nearby mound, silently sat down Pang Lei, and once again turned into a motionless statue.

The Water 7.

"I feel so heavy-hearted~~"

On the rooftop of a hotel, Luffy sat Pang Lei on the eaves.

"This is the captain!"

Zoro, holding onto the hilt of his sword, pushed open the rooftop door and walked over.

"Don't be confused, Luffy."

"If even you are indecisive... who else can we trust?"

"Besides, you have more important things to do right now." Zoro patted Luffy on the shoulder.

Robin is missing.

Roman... seemed a little guilty, believing he had been too oppressive, which caused Usopp...

"I should have given the seashells I harvested from Sky Island to Usopp to boost his combat power sooner."

Inside the room, Roman sighed, looking at the seashells on the table. "But Usopp's current body... using overly powerful seashells would only damage him..."

"In short, it's my fault as the 'Chief of Staff' who didn't coordinate things well—"

"No!"

Luffy in, interrupting Roman's words.

"If anyone is to blame, it's me, the captain!"

"Whether it's Crocodile or Thunder's Long Ears, they're both people I'm determined to fight." Luffy around. Nami and Chopper's eyes were red, clearly they'd just been crying. The ashtray next to Sanji was piled high with cigarette butts. Roman was deep in thought, holding a page from a book...

"If my actions have caused any difficulty for anyone, I apologize."

When Luffy took off his Straw Hat and bowed his head, everyone in the room stood up.

"You're the captain, after all..."

"Luffy, don't do this—"

"But,"

After putting on the Straw Hat, Luffy looked at everyone seriously.

"I don't regret my decision! Perhaps I'll make even more and stronger enemies in the future. I just want to know, you—"

Will you still support me?

"Puff,"

Nami was the first to laugh.

"Certainly."

"Without us, you wouldn't even be able to get the ship off the dock!"

"That's right,"

Roman nodded seriously.

"If no one gives you advice, I can imagine you eating all the prison food in the enemy's houses."

"We ate all the food on the first day at sea,"

Sanji lit a cigarette and gave a disdainful look to one of the refrigerator vandals.

"And then they spend the rest of their days starving, what King of the Pirates like that is~~~"

"Oh,"

Zoro merely snorted, but the slight upturn of his lips undoubtedly indicated his approval.

Luffy,

Chopper wiped away his tears and looked at the man who had forcibly taken him out to sea.

"But what about Usopp and Robin? I'm so worried about them~~~"

"That's for sure—"

Luffy Guotou and looked at Roman with a serious expression.

"Roman, you think of a solution."

???

Has this meant I've been upgraded to an all-powerful wish-granting machine?!

"I·······"

Looking at the expectant and trusting eyes in the room, Roman could only shrug.

"Okay, okay."

"I sent the 'White Knight' to guard Usopp's side..." As soon as Roman finished speaking, a collective sigh of relief filled the room—including from Luffy!

It's obvious they haven't truly let go of Usopp. Otherwise, why would they have all that medicine, sea charts, Beli...?

"Actually, the core issue of this incident is that Usopp felt it would drag us down."

"Can't you think of a way to help him, Roman?" Sanji tapped his heel; he had mastered the two 'Spray Wind Shell' on them and could easily fly short distances.

"I have indeed considered solutions, but Usopp's physical abilities..."

Despite his consistent training since joining the crew, Usopp's physical abilities have improved significantly.

However, unlike Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, who were trained by famous teachers from a young age, Usopp was just an ordinary person before he met the Straw Hat crew. He had never had any proper training, let alone received any guidance from famous teachers.

It's not easy to catch up in more than ten years—in fact, it's unrealistic to expect to catch up with someone else's ten years of hard work after only a short period of training.

"Of course, Usopp actually has a lot of potential, and if he perseveres, he can also stand on his own. The premise is:"

"Is he still willing to fight—or rather, fight alongside us?"

This is the crucial point: if Usopp chooses to return to his hometown in the East Blue to get married, then Roman would absolutely never mention anything about strengthening his fighting power.

"There's no need to discuss this issue."

Luffy adjusted his Straw Hat. "Whatever Usopp chooses, I'll respect his decision. —Because we're partners for life!"

"Okay, then the second question: the Golden Merry."

???

In an instant, everyone in the room was shocked and incredulous.

"Actually, the Golden Merry is not beyond saving—"

Swipe, swipe

Bang!

Two figures rushed over, grabbing Roman by the collar from both sides and pinning him against the wall.

"You idiot!! Why didn't you say so sooner if you had a solution?!"

"Calm down,"

Roman waved his hand at Luffy and Zoro, whose veins were bulging.

"Although I said I have a way, it's not now, and it's not 100% certain. — You know I won't guarantee anything until I succeed."

"So, what's your plan to save Merry?"

Facing the excited Luffy, Roman waved the paper in his hand: it showed a gaping hole like Iron Barrel.

"That iron-chin's 'swallowing ability'?"

"That's right, Wapol's 'Munch-Munch Fruit' extends to the 'Baku Baku Factory' which can combine two people into one."

As Luffy and Zoro let go, Roman's collar automatically returned to its neat state.

"By the same token, I can also use the 'Baku Baku Factory' to fuse the Golden Merry with a new ship, thereby extending the Golden Merry's lifespan."

"Wow, that's amazing!! Mr. Roman ~~"

Chopper, standing next to him, jumped up excitedly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off immediately! As long as we save the Golden Merry, Usopp will also—"

"It's not that simple,"

Zoro, having calmed down, crossed his arms.

"There must be some restrictions, right? Otherwise, Roman would have mentioned it already."

"That's right, there are two difficult aspects."

Roman held up two fingers. Devil Fruit aren't omnipotent, let alone his 'pirated' ability.

"First, we need a very good ship to integrate it. Otherwise, given the condition of the Golden Merry, an ordinary ship simply cannot share the burden of his injuries."

This problem can be solved by the legendary material, the Adam Tree, which Franky purchased.

"Secondly, the Munch-Munch Fruit has its limits. Swallowing an entire ship whole is beyond my ability—and even beyond the capabilities of the original owner of the Wapol!"

"Then Roman, you must have a solution to the problem, right?"

Roman nodded in response to Luffy's question.

"This page is an extension of my 'limbs', so if I can enlarge the page, I can proportionally increase the volume of the Munch-Munch Fruit's absorption capacity."

The two golden pillars were swallowed in a 'chewed' manner, so this method certainly couldn't be used against the Golden Merry. —Leaving aside whether 'chewing' would kill the Going Merry's 'Ship Spirit,' you couldn't just spit out a bunch of parts and slowly assemble it, could you?

"And to do that, I need to master a skill."

"Life Return!"

Where can one learn this skill?

Seeing Luffy, Roman pointed to the city center—that was the direction of the Galley-La Company headquarters building.

"CP9!"