Leaving for Now

"You really pushed yourself," Robin said as she bandaged Li Ziming's wounds. Then she mischievously poked one of them.

"Hey, that hurts!" Li Ziming rolled his eyes. "Besides, everyone else is fighting. I don't want to be the only one lying in bed."

"All right, you did well," Robin said. "That fight with the priest was impressive. What did you make of it?"

"The Dials and Mantra were the main things." Li Ziming shrugged. "How you use the different Dials can make a huge difference in a fight. Impact Dials and Heat Dials are especially bad for my abilities. And that Mantra ability feels strangely familiar."

"Familiar?" Robin asked. "I think it's what we call Observation Haki."

"Exactly. But I mean it feels like something I should be able to use. When I trained before, though, I couldn't sense Observation Haki at all." Li Ziming frowned. "Fighting on Sky Island puts me at a serious disadvantage. If I could master it, I'd become much stronger."

"So how do you plan to learn?" Robin asked curiously. "You're not going to ask those priests to teach you, are you?"

"No. Some of the Shandia seem able to use Mantra too, so I want to see if they'll help me. It won't be easy, though," Li Ziming said helplessly.

"And you're going to find the Shandia now?" Robin placed a hand on his wound. "You haven't healed yet."

"I know. I'll worry about it when the time comes." Li Ziming shrugged.

"In that case, I found something interesting about this island." Robin took out two maps.

"Jaya is Sky Island, isn't it?" Li Ziming said with a smile, leaving Robin stunned.

"You already knew?" Robin gave him a helpless look. "Is there anything you don't know?"

"That smells good." Instead of answering, Li Ziming sniffed the air. "Sanji must be cooking. Help me outside?"

Robin gave him another helpless look, then let him lean on her.

"You smell nice too," Li Ziming said with a grin. Robin was tempted to dump him on the ground, but his injuries made her think better of it.

"Ming, you're better!" Luffy said happily through a mouthful of meat as Li Ziming emerged.

"Yeah. I heard you beat a priest. Pretty impressive, Captain." Li Ziming sat beside the large pot. "What's Sanji making?"

"Stone-roasted stew. You're still recovering. Want me to make you something lighter?" Sanji asked. After hearing about Li Ziming's fight from Chopper, he had already come to think of him as a crewmate.

"No need." Li Ziming shook his head. "If I could only smell a stew this good without eating it, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

"Ha!" As a cook, Sanji loved hearing his food praised. "It's almost ready. I'll give you a big bowl!"

"Thanks." Li Ziming smiled and nodded.

"Ming, we're going to look for gold. Want to come?" Luffy asked.

"Gold?" Li Ziming thought for a moment. "I do have two leads for you."

"No need. We already know!" Nami triumphantly produced two maps and pointed to the skull's right eye. "There's a huge amount of gold right here!"

"There's more than that," Li Ziming said, surprising everyone. "There's also a giant snake on Sky Island with a lot of gold in its belly. And then there's Enel's ark."

"Ark?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

"It's a ship Enel built, powered by lightning and made entirely of gold." Li Ziming looked up at the sky, faintly sensing something.

"Did he notice me?" Enel sat on his throne, having felt Li Ziming's gaze for the briefest instant. "What an interesting Blue Sea man. If they're after gold, perhaps I should play a game with them."

"What is it?" Robin asked. Li Ziming's sudden movement had caught her attention.

"Nothing." Li Ziming shook his head. "Those are the other two places I know with a lot of gold. If you want it, they're worth a look."

"Then let's split up!" Luffy shouted excitedly. "Three groups, so we can get all the gold!"

"But that so-called god must be really hard to beat," Usopp said fearfully. "Can we actually take him on?"

"We'll be fine. Our captain's incredibly strong." Li Ziming had complete faith in Luffy.

"That's right! I'll send him flying and take all the gold!" Luffy declared proudly between bites.

"Oh, right." Li Ziming seemed to remember something. "Have a look at these Dials and see if any of you need them—especially Nami, Usopp and Chopper." He took out three Dials. "I took them from the priest Shura. They're a Heat Dial, a Flame Dial and an Impact Dial. They might come in handy while we're looking for gold."

"I'm curious about Dials, but someone else can have them." Usopp waved a hand. "I'm staying behind! I won't let anyone hurt the Going Merry again!"

"I'll stay too." Nami wanted to go, but it was too dangerous. She couldn't be sure she could protect herself. For the first time, she hated being weak.

"I don't need one either. Let's leave them all on the ship. If someone comes, it could be dangerous here too," Chopper said. "Besides, I'll be with everyone. I'll be fine!"

"Then I'll leave these three Dials aboard." Li Ziming handed them to Usopp.

"But what do they actually do?" Usopp asked. "Aren't they just everyday things Skypieans use?"

"Not at all. Allow this old man to explain the Dials," Gan Fall said, emerging in a robe. He then gave them a lesson on how to use them.

Quite a few people were fascinated by the Dials, but Zoro turned his attention to Li Ziming. "Ming, are you coming to look for gold with us? Your wounds haven't healed."

"No, I'm not looking for gold." Li Ziming shook his head. "I'm not staying on the ship either. I want to do some training."

"Training?" A spark lit Zoro's eyes. "Is there a good place for it on this island?"

"I don't know. But you know how the priests here can use something called Mantra? Back home, we call it Observation Haki. I want to see if I can learn it." Li Ziming explained his plan. "My abilities are too restricted on this island. I badly need to improve my fighting strength."

Zoro glanced at the Dials and thought back to how Li Ziming fought, relying largely on the heat and shockwaves produced by explosions. He immediately understood. "Then be careful out there on your own."

"Don't worry. I'm not ready for my journey to end here. Following a captain like ours is too much fun to give up." Li Ziming smiled.

"Here!" Zoro raised his cup.

"Cheers!" Li Ziming grinned and raised his in return.

The next day, Li Ziming woke early. He hadn't intended to say goodbye to the others, and he also wanted to see the legendary Ship Spirit.

Clang! Clang! A hammer struck away in the distance.

"You're terrible at repairing ships. Are you going to be all right doing it like that?" Li Ziming's voice clearly startled the little figure. It dropped the hammer and vanished.

"Won't you come out and meet me? Repairs like these will only hurt you more." Li Ziming looked helplessly at the battered mast, picked up the hammer and began working on it himself.

"How did you find me?" The little figure peeked out curiously.

"Would you believe me if I said it was a hunch?" Li Ziming smiled at the figure before him. "Hello, Going Merry."

"That's not my name." The little figure sounded dissatisfied. "That's just my builder's name. Someday I'll have a truly great name!"

"How about Sunshine?" Li Ziming suggested with a smile. "It suits your coloring." He sat beside the Ship Spirit and ruffled his golden hair.

"No! It doesn't sound powerful at all!" the Ship Spirit protested. "I want a name that sounds mighty and imposing the moment you hear it!"

"Mighty and imposing?" Names like Gundam and Ultraman flashed through Li Ziming's mind.

"Preferably someone famous on these seas!" The Ship Spirit seemed to know this man knew a great deal, so perhaps he could come up with a good name.

"Oars?" Li Ziming recalled the giant's name. "He's the biggest guy in the world. Even giants look like children next to him."

"Oars..." The Ship Spirit sounded disappointed. "It doesn't feel powerful at all."

"How many names do?" Li Ziming said with a laugh. "Most famous names are titles, like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Fire Fist and Marine Hero."

"Whitebeard?" The Ship Spirit seemed interested. "Who's that? It sounds so different from the others."

"Different?" Li Ziming laughed. "He's the strongest man on these seas. Out on the ocean, his name means invincibility."

"Really?" The Ship Spirit's eyes shone. "Can I call myself Whitebeard?"

"Hm?" Li Ziming looked at him. "Whitebeard's a relic of an old era. He might be gone someday, so that name wouldn't be very lu—" Seeing the sorrow in the Ship Spirit's eyes, Li Ziming swallowed the rest. He placed a hand on his head. "How about Edward? That's Whitebeard's real name."

"Yes!" The Ship Spirit nodded excitedly.

"Who's there?" Usopp's voice suddenly rang out. "A ghost!"

"Looks like everyone's waking up. I should go." Li Ziming stood.

"I'll disappear for now too." Edward vanished into the ship.

Li Ziming left using Geppo. It's still a long way to Water 7. I need to find a way to repair the Going Merry, or transfer the Ship Spirit from one ship to another.