An Unexpected Encounter, Akainu's Resolve!

"Hey, Nami, are we really going to wait here for three days?"

Luffy turned back with a look of utter resistance. "Aren't you the navigator? Can't you think of something, like making the Log Pose fill up immediately or something..."

Bang!

After a dull thud, Luffy crashed backward onto the railing.

Nami raised her fist and bared her teeth as she roared.

"Explain yourself! What kind of monster do you think navigators are?!"

Then Nami glanced at the three-sided Log Pose on her wrist and sighed.

"No choice. Let's go ashore..."

"The alternating hot and cold air currents have made the waters around here extremely dangerous. Unbelievable storms could appear at any time... Chopper, Franky, prepare to dock!"

"Be careful. Don't hit any floating ice."

"Oh! Leave it to me!"

Franky raised both hands and struck a pose. "The Sunny Go I built is super reliable. A little ice is nothing."

"The Merry Go can handle it too!"

Suddenly, Luffy argued with a solemn expression.

"That's right, that's right. If it were the Merry Go, it definitely would've been fine!"

Usopp chimed in from the side.

Just like in the original story, the Merry Go had been lost at the end of the first half of their journey. Only this time, there had been none of the same conflict; it had been a choice made by everyone aboard.

To rescue Franky, who had been dragged back to the Devil's Fog Sea by Law and Fujitora, the Merry Go had unfortunately run aground when they encountered Brook. They could either press onward to save Franky or retreat and regroup.

Luffy had resolutely chosen to move forward.

Treading upon the corpse-like wreckage of the Merry Go, they had traded one companion's sacrifice for another companion's survival.

Franky had felt deeply guilty over