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By all rights, even with the Grand Line's unpredictable weather and treacherous currents, this ship should have lasted another few years.
But the course they sailed had never had anything to do with the word "normal"-
climbing above seas of clouds, diving into abysses, charging up waterfalls. Every adventure hastened the hull's deterioration.
"Wah... I don't want to leave either..."
Chopper wrapped his furry forelegs around the figurehead too, his tears spreading into dark patches on his fur.
For the simple-hearted ship doctor, from the day he first set foot on deck, this ship, like the people aboard it, had become an inseparable part of his life.
In the shadows by the kitchen door, a glowing ember flickered.
Sanji slowly stubbed his cigarette out against the railing.
He had been silent ever since returning from the docks, and only now did he raise his eyes.
"There's a way."
His voice was slightly hoarse. "We can restore the Black Cat without spending much money."
The deck suddenly fell quiet.
"Really?!"
Luffy sprang up, slapping both hands hard onto Sanji's shoulders.
Chopper rushed over too, clinging to Sanji's leg with his whole body, tears still hanging on his upturned little face.
Looking at those two faces, their joy utterly undisguised, Sanji finally curved his lips into a smile.
In that moment, his earlier hesitation vanished.
"It's simple."
He said, "I've got plenty of 'memory metal.'"
Zoro opened his eyes.
The green-haired swordsman's gaze crossed the deck and landed squarely on the blond cook.
"Hey."
Zoro's voice was low. "You're not thinking of using that suit to fix the ship, are you?"
That black battle suit was the culmination of the Vinsmoke Family's technology-not an invention unique to this generation. Legends of it had circulated in the North Blue for years.
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