During their few days in Water Seven, the group finally found a ship Luffy loved.
The ship had been built from the legendary adam tree and cost several billion Belly.
Its entire hull was a warm orange-yellow, like the rising sun.
A cartoon lion statue adorned its bow, its mane flaring like flames. The ship was not only magnificent but also possessed the adam tree's indestructible strength.
Ordinary currents, cannon fire, and even the Ascending Sea Current that had destroyed the Going Merry were nothing to it.
The moment Luffy saw the ship, he could not tear his eyes away. He ran several laps around it, gesturing wildly with excitement, then swept out his arm and gave it a resounding name.
Thousand Sunny!
And so the group boarded their brand-new companion, raised the sails once more, and set off for their next destination, the Sabaody Archipelago.
Only seven days remained until Jace's public execution.
The Thousand Sunny cut through the waves along the sea route to the Sabaody Archipelago.
As that day drew closer, everyone could clearly feel Luffy growing increasingly impatient and anxious.
The boy who had always been so cheerful and carefree now often sat alone on the lion statue at the bow, gazing silently at the distant horizon with a grave expression.
Even eating, his greatest passion, had lost its appeal. Faced with Sanji's delicious cooking, he often picked distractedly at a few mouthfuls before losing his appetite.
Seeing him like that left everyone with a heavy heart.
And Luffy was not the only one who had grown quiet.
As the Thousand Sunny drew closer to the Sabaody Archipelago, Shanks also became increasingly withdrawn.
He often stood alone at the bow, staring at the rolling sea, lost in thoughts no one could guess.
Grief sometimes flashed through