Beneath the azure sky, the weather was clear and bright. Cool breezes swept across the sea, stirring gentle waves.
Sunlight spilled over the water, glittering in rippling gold as seabirds occasionally skimmed overhead.
Rocky Bay's beach consisted entirely of exposed rock, dotted with patches of moss like a massive sapphire set amid a field of emerald green.
The Going Merry rested by the shore, gently swaying. Directly above it, a hawk spread its wings and soared, blocking out the sunlight.
The hawk slowly descended onto the deck. Reiner and the others had arrived ahead of time, and the undead guarding the ship had all been put away as they approached.
"Great, Going Merry."
Usopp was overflowing with excitement, waving his arms around on the deck as he shouted for no apparent reason. "We found an amazing shipwright to take a look at you. You'll get a major overhaul soon."
"Come on, Usopp. Do you have to get that excited?"
Nami laughed helplessly. "It's a ship, not a person. You're making it sound like the Going Merry has become sentient."
"What do you know, Nami? I saw it before."
Usopp stood beneath the mast with his hands on his hips. Just as he was about to argue, he found himself unable to say it aloud. "Ah, forget it. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
"You mean that night, right?"
Reiner gave Usopp a strange look and tentatively asked, "The night before we came back from Skypiea?"
"Hey, wait a second!"
Usopp immediately ran over, his face full of shock. "Don't tell me! Reiner, you saw it too, right? I knew it was real! I wasn't sleepwalking!"
"What are you two talking about?"
Nami looked at him in confusion. "The night before we came back from Skypiea? The night