After the Disaster's Going Merry

On the ship where Iceberg was, the Straw Hat Pirates stared intently at the Going Merry in the distance. They hadn't moved at all for the past three hours.

Iceberg stood beside them, watching the distance together.

When he heard Franky say that the Straw Hat kid's ship had birthed a Ship Spirit, he was a little surprised. But after thinking about the voice he heard while repairing the ship before, he felt relieved.

That voice he heard back then was the Ship Spirit's voice!

Come to think of it, if it wasn't a Ship Spirit, what other power could allow a ship that was sentenced to death to pass through the Gods of Water?

He just didn't know if he would have the chance to see the Ship Spirit with his own eyes.

"It's been so long, why is there still no movement over there?" Sanji frowned.

Could it be that even Xi Yan couldn't do anything?

"Sometimes, no result doesn't mean it's a bad thing," Nico Robin said.

Because Merry still had a chance to be saved, didn't she?

At least Nico Robin didn't want to see Xi Yan walk over and shake his head at them, which would mean Merry was beyond saving!

"Robin is right," Zoro said. "Let's wait quietly."

Even Luffy, who was uncomfortably hungry, didn't run back to the ship to find food. Instead, he leaned against Zoro, silently watching the distance.

Just then, a change occurred in the distance.

"Bang~"

A huge cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared, directly engulfing the Going Merry.

"What's going on?!" Nami exclaimed. "What happened?"

Where did the white smoke come from? Could it be that someone attacked Xi Yan and the others?

"I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be an attack."

"Look quickly, the ship is gone!"

"What's happening? Why is Merry gone?!"

Merry's disappearance stunned everyone.

How could such a large ship just vanish?

"Could something have gone wrong?" Sanji worried.

"Trust Xi Yan," Nico Robin said.

On the other side, Xi Yan, standing on the sea, looked at the summoning scroll spread out on a wooden board. It had a drawing of the Going Merry on it, clearly the Merry that had just disappeared.

This pirate ship had been sealed into this scroll by Xi Yan using a sealing technique. To the left of the drawing, Merry's name was written.

Sephiroth - Merry!

This was the name Merry had possessed since her birth!

After signing her name, Merry and this summoning scroll had the most direct connection. Any ninja who signed their name on it could summon her with her consent.

"Why did you have to sign this?" Merry, standing on the wooden board, asked curiously.

"I had no choice, this is the only way," Xi Yan said helplessly. "This way, you can survive."

Initially, Xi Yan had planned to use Yin-Yang Release to sever Merry's connection with the Going Merry. But after trying, he found it was impossible.

So, Xi Yan changed his approach, using a sealing technique to seal the Going Merry, forcibly locking its state, at least preventing it from deteriorating further.

However, this action inadvertently obscured the special connection between Merry and the Going Merry. This unexpected gain gave Xi Yan hope.

But the subsequent changes made Xi Yan's expression change, as Merry's body was gradually becoming transparent, as if she were about to disappear.

Xi Yan thought for a moment and understood. This change might be because Merry's connection with the Going Merry was severed, losing the vessel that supported her existence!

In his anxiety, Xi Yan tried to use Yin-Yang Release to maintain Merry's state, which temporarily gave her a physical form.

After that, Xi Yan tried to turn her into a state similar to a summoned beast, making this scroll a summoning scroll to serve as the newest vessel.

As it turned out, Xi Yan was right. Perhaps because Merry was an extremely special being in the world, she easily wrote her name on the scroll.

The moment she signed her name, her body stopped deteriorating. Instead, with the help of Xi Yan's Yang Release chakra, her vitality rapidly recovered, as if some rule allowed her to continue existing!

From then on, this little cutie was completely out of danger and became an independent spirit!

'Perhaps this little guy will be able to master the Summoning Technique in the future,' Xi Yan thought to himself.

"So, does that mean I can continue adventuring with everyone?" Merry asked.

As she spoke, she examined her body and found that all the cracks had disappeared, and she had once again returned to her cute little spirit form.

"Yes, you can continue adventuring," Xi Yan said with a smile.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Merry clenched her small fists and pursed her lips.

This strong little guy finally couldn't hold back, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Cry if you want to," Xi Yan, looking a bit pale, crouched down, rubbed her little head, and said, "It's okay."

"Waa!"

Going Merry burst into tears, letting out all her emotions.

Only she knew the pain she had endured during this time.

To save her friends, she had piloted the damaged Going Merry alone, enduring the agony of her body being torn apart, forcing her way through the Gods of Water and crossing the sea to Enies Lobby to save people.

The journey was pitch black, with no one to communicate with, and she had to figure out the direction bit by bit.

She felt pain, she felt fear, but to save her friends, she silently endured it all.

Only when she learned she could survive did she finally release her emotions.

After all, she was just a child born a few months ago.

"I was so scared of being alone, the sea is really so dark..."

"It's so good... so good that I survived!" Going Merry cried, "I don't want to leave everyone either, I want to continue adventuring with you all!!"

Xi Yan couldn't help but be moved. He found it hard to imagine how such a little guy managed to brave the tsunami alone.

She looked so small, yet she had achieved a shocking miracle.

"It's okay now, from now on you won't be alone," Xi Yan said. "We'll all continue adventuring together."

"Mm!"

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates also noticed the situation over there.

"What's going on? I think I heard crying," Sanji said.

"Hey, let's go see what's happening," Luffy said. "Mr. Iceberg, could you get us a lifeboat?"

"Okay, I understand. But don't you want to persuade that guy?" Iceberg pointed below.

As soon as he said that, everyone noticed Usopp, who had jumped down.

That guy didn't even wait for a lifeboat, he just jumped!

"Quick, lower the lifeboat!"

After crying for a while, Going Merry's emotions gradually stabilized. A hint of embarrassment then appeared on her face. "Sorry, Xi Yan, I got your clothes wet."

"It's fine, that's a small problem," Xi Yan smiled. "Are you ready to meet everyone?"

"Mm!" Going Merry nodded vigorously.

"Okay, I'll put this away first." Xi Yan finished speaking, the scroll shrank, and he prepared to put it into his ninja pouch.

But Going Merry said she could take it, as she had a small personal space where she could store things.

While explaining, Going Merry casually pulled out a hammer and showed it to Xi Yan, the same tool she had used to repair the ship before, which completely stunned Xi Yan.

"Is this... a free space ability?" Xi Yan was dumbfounded.

But then Xi Yan thought about it and felt relieved. Since this little guy was a spirit, it was normal for her to have some special abilities.

"Heh, I'm amazing, right?"

"That's great!" Xi Yan praised. "As expected of Merry!"

After speaking, Xi Yan glanced back at Usopp, who was dog-paddling towards them in the sea, and continued, "Let's go, it's time to find our friends, or someone will get impatient."

"Oh!"

Xi Yan instinctively wanted to pick up Going Merry, but as soon as he looked down, his vision went black, and he fell straight down.

In that instant, Xi Yan understood that he had overused his chakra.

It was clear that the high-intensity battle, coupled with the immense consumption of saving Going Merry, had completely depleted Xi Yan's chakra.

"Xi Yan!!"