When Xi Yan found her, the little girl was curled up in a dark corner, her body covered in cracks. She looked like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.
Even Xi Yan, a ninja, felt his heart tremble at this scene. What an unbearably sensible little girl she was!
She clearly looked as though she was about to die, yet she had still chosen to endure the pain in silence, curling up alone in the corner to wait for death.
It was as if... as if she was afraid her partners would worry... She was so tiny!!
If he had not noticed that something was wrong and activated his Sharinggan to come down and look for her, they might not even have gotten to see her one last time. Merry would have died!
"But looking like this..." Merry said softly, "will make them sad. I don't want to see them sad..."
"If everyone is sad... my heart will hurt too."
"It's okay... It's okay... It's okay, Merry."
Merry opened her mouth, but in the end, she merely sighed quietly and slowly closed her eyes.
In her current state, she could not resist even if she wanted to.
All her strength was being used to sustain this pirate ship. At the very least, she could not die before getting her partners somewhere safe.
Once her partners were safe, her mission would be over.
After they returned to the deck, everyone immediately turned their eyes toward the little girl in Xi Yan's arms, who looked... as though she was about to die.
The green raincoat, combined with the name Xi Yan had just mentioned... everyone instantly understood who this little girl was!
And Merry's condition made the string in Usopp's mind snap outright.
"Merry!!!"
Usopp charged over like a madman. Even when he fell halfway there and broke his nose, he paid it no mind whatsoever.
After arriving beside Xi Yan, Usopp instinctively wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid of breaking the little girl. He forcibly stopped himself.
"Merry?!" Luffy said excitedly. "Zoro, hurry, help me up!"
"I want to see Merry!"
For some reason, he felt that Merry's voice was extremely weak, as if... as if she were about to die.
Zoro said nothing. Without a word, he pulled Luffy up, placed Luffy's arm over his shoulder, and walked toward Xi Yan step by step.
The others also came over, carefully gathering around Xi Yan.
"Th-this is Merry?" Nami said, covering her mouth. "What happened to her?"
"She doesn't look well..."
"Merry, Merry, what happened to you?!"
"Chopper, hurry! See what's wrong with Merry!"
"Everyone, don't crowd too close. Make some room!"
The others did as they were told, afraid of affecting Chopper.
Chopper carefully approached Xi Yan and said, "Give her to me."
"I'm not sure whether you can touch her."
"What does that mean?"
Xi Yan did not explain. He merely motioned for Chopper to do what he needed to do.
Chopper did not waste words either. He immediately tried to examine her, but his hand passed through Merry's body without any resistance.
"Huh?!!!"
"Why? Why can't I touch her?!"
Unwilling to believe it, Chopper reached out again, but this time, he still could not touch Merry's body.
Chopper panicked at once. What was going on?
If he could not touch her body, then there was no way he could find a way to treat her.
"Chopper, what are you waiting for? Save her!" Usopp said anxiously.
"But I can't touch her. It's like she doesn't have a physical body."
Chopper was on the verge of tears. He wanted to save people too, but he could not even touch her!
"How is that possible? Merry has a physical body!" Usopp said. "Back on Skypiea, she repaired the ship all by herself. How could she not have a physical body?"
"Maybe she no longer has the strength to maintain one," Kokoro said.
Usopp froze. It was as though his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, stopping for an instant.
Kimone looked at the little girl in Xi Yan's arms, unable to accept it for a moment.
Was this little girl, who looked even younger than her, really going to die?
"Then why can Xi Yan touch her?" Nami asked.
"Because I'm a Ninja."
Using the properties of Yin Yang Release, Xi Yan had gained the ability to touch the little girl. Before using that ability, even Xi Yan had been unable to touch Merry.
"Merry... what happened to Merry?!" Luffy looked at the cracks gradually appearing across Merry's body. "Why does her body look like it's falling apart?"
"Maybe it has something to do with this ship."
Franky recovered from his shock and pointed at the pirate ship. "Since a ship spirit is born from the pirate ship, then... her fate should be connected to this ship too."
Franky did not finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
Once the Going Merry was completely destroyed, Merry's life might reach its end as well. That was probably why her body was covered in cracks.
But how could they possibly accept such an outcome?
"I don't believe it... I don't believe it!!" Usopp roared. "How can there be no way to save her?!"
"She looks so young. Why does she have to go through something like this?!"
Usopp looked like he had gone mad. He simply could not accept this.
"I'm sorry... Usopp." Merry struggled to open her eyes. "I'm sorry, everyone."
"Please don't be sad for me. Before I disappeared, I was able to get everyone out of that dangerous place. I... I have no regrets..."
Even now, Merry was not thinking about herself. Her sensible nature was heartbreaking.
"No... We should be the ones saying sorry." Usopp's body trembled, and tears spilled down his face uncontrollably.
"It's all our fault. We failed to protect the Going Merry."
"If anyone should be blamed, it should be us."
"Everyone, I've never blamed any of you." Merry turned her head, glanced at them all, and smiled. "I could feel your love. Thank you, everyone."
"Merry!!"
Everyone burst into tears, unable to stop them from flowing.
"Why... why!!!"
Usopp's legs seemed to lose all strength, and he collapsed onto the ground. Then he pounded the deck with his fist again and again. "Why does Merry have to go through this?"
Though the little girl looked several years old, Usopp knew her true lifespan might have been only a few months!
A few months... She had only existed for a few months, yet she was already going to die. How cruel was that?
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Nico Robin looked at Xi Yan. "Xi Yan... do you have a way?"
Usopp seemed to have seized a lifeline. He sprang up from the ground and ran to Xi Yan. "Xi Yan, save her!!"
"If you have a way, you have to save her!!"
"Right, Xi Yan is a Ninja. You must have a way, don't you?!"
"You're the only one who can touch her body. Is there a way?!"
"Xi Yan, save Merry!!"
Xi Yan was the only one who possessed all sorts of strange and unusual abilities. Maybe he really could save Merry?!
Faced with everyone's hopeful gazes, Xi Yan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'll do my best."
Before you continue