The Straw Hats had been crying for a long time, and soon, everyone else joined them. Even Whitebeard, Ace, and Sabo had a complex mix of sadness and empathy on their faces. Carl gently patted Usopp's shoulder. "It's okay, Usopp."
For Usopp, the loss of the Going Merry was the hardest. It was a gift from his friend Kaya, and it was the first ship he ever sailed on. He was the one who had always repaired it, and his feelings for the ship ran deeper than anyone else's. Carl was worried that Usopp wouldn't be able to handle the pain.
Usopp's eyes were still full of tears, but he said with a firm voice, "It's all right. Men don't need tears when they say goodbye!"
Only then did Carl feel a sense of relief. He silently watched the flames consume the ship until it finally sank to the bottom of the sea. Carl was sad too; he had always been careful not to let the Merry get damaged, and he couldn't believe it had ended this way.
"It's over now," Luffy said, burying his face in his straw hat. His voice was calm again. "Let's go back to Water 7. Our adventure isn't over yet."
Carl glanced at the sea again, then suddenly flew forward, grabbing something from the water. He flew back and handed it to Luffy. Luffy was startled for a moment, then subconsciously hugged it tightly. It was the Going Merry's sheep figurehead.
"I can't believe the figurehead was still intact," Carl said softly. "Think of it as a souvenir of the Merry. Keep it safe."
"Yeah," Luffy replied, his face filled with determination. "We're going to continue our adventure with the Merry, and we'll eventually sail to Laugh Tale together!"
Whitebeard watched the Straw Hats for a long time, and his respect for them grew even more. What a great crew. It was a shame that these kids weren't his sons.
The crew returned to Water 7. There was no live news broadcast there, so the people only knew that Whitebeard was going to fight the Marines.
When they saw the Whitebeard Pirates suddenly arrive, they were terrified. The huge number of prisoners and troublemakers with them only made the civilians even more scared. However, when they saw the Straw Hats were also with them, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Iceburg, the mayor of Water 7, came in person to understand the situation. After hearing about everything that had happened, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
No one had expected Marineford to end this way. It was a catastrophic defeat for the Marines, but the Whitebeard Pirates had also suffered heavy losses.
Blackbeard, who should have been the biggest winner, didn't seem to have gained anything either. The Straw Hats, on the other hand, had lost their beloved ship.
The only ones who were truly happy were the prisoners, who had been living in darkness in Impel Down and never expected to see the sea again. However, even though Marine Headquarters had been destroyed, the elite members of the Marines were still out there. Many of the prisoners were scared that the Marines would track them down.
Buggy was the first to leave with his group of prisoners.
"Straw Hat kid, you were able to save your brother because of my help, so you should be grateful!" Buggy said with his nose in the air. "One day, when we meet on the sea, you'd better be careful! You and I will be enemies then!"
"Wow! You really are Captain Buggy, a true Emperor!" one of the prisoners cheered.
"Captain Buggy, we'll follow you forever!"
"Straw Hats! Whitebeards! You'd better watch out! When you meet our great Captain Buggy on the sea, he might even go easy on you and let you go!"
The prisoners cheered wildly for Buggy. Buggy, who was trying to look intimidating, started to tremble with excitement and quickly led his followers away.
"What are those guys doing?" Luffy asked, still confused. The rest of the Straw Hats didn't bother to answer. It was just a self-important clown with a group of simple-minded prisoners; they weren't worth thinking about.
At that moment, Ivankov also came with a group of Newkama to say their goodbyes.
"Hee-haw! Straw Hat Boy, and everyone in the Straw Hat crew! I, Ivankov, the Queen of the Newkama, am here to bid you farewell! Woohoo, you are all such a great bunch of guys. This sudden goodbye makes me so sad, so sad, so sad! Hee-haw!"
"He doesn't look sad at all!"
Ivankov showed off his unique expressions while the Newkama cheered for him. The Straw Hats felt a bit uncomfortable, especially Sanji, who had already hidden behind the others, as he had no love for the Newkama.
Ivankov chatted with Sabo for a bit longer. Sabo wasn't leaving yet and wanted to spend a few more days with Luffy and Ace. Ivankov, on the other hand, had to return to Momoiro Island with his team to prepare for any calls from the Revolutionary Army.
Ivankov believed that with Sabo's strength, he would be safe even alone and could eventually fly back to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters on his own.
"Hey! Straw Hat Boy, I'll personally tell Dragon that you're safe and well," Ivankov said to Luffy.
"You know my dad?" Luffy asked, still having no idea who Ivankov was.
"Of course! Your father and I are both veterans of the Revolutionary Army. We've worked together for years!"
"Oh, I get it now! Little Iva, thank you so much for helping save Ace this time!"
"Little... Little Iva? Well, Little Iva it is! Then, farewell, Straw Hat Boy, and my sweets, the Straw Hats!"
"Yeah! Goodbye, Little Iva! And say hi to my dad for me!"
With the Newkama gone, only the Straw Hats and the Whitebeard Pirates were left. The grief of losing the Going Merry had begun to fade, so Luffy immediately decided to throw a party and invited the Whitebeard Pirates to join them. Whitebeard readily accepted. After such a massive battle, he and his crew really needed to relax.
The Whitebeard Pirates didn't feel any discomfort about sitting on the same level as the Straw Hats. They had proven they had the strength and the qualifications.
Nami then reluctantly took out hundreds of millions of berries and had Sanji and the Whitebeard Pirates' chefs go on a massive shopping trip. Luckily, Mayor Iceburg was very understanding and sent a lot of food and drinks and even found a great location for a banquet.
Late into the night, the smell of food and wine filled all of Water 7.
Holding a glass, Luffy shouted, "To our crewmates, our friends, and to our victory in saving Ace! Cheers!"
"Cheers!!!"
Everyone happily clinked their glasses and began to eat and drink. Both the Straw Hats and the Whitebeards loved a good party, and after a few drinks, their previously distant relationship grew much closer.
Jango began his own dance performance, and many others joined in, laughing and dancing together. It was a truly joyous scene. The three brothers, Luffy, Sabo, and Ace, clinked their glasses and drank happily, just like when they became sworn brothers as kids.
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