Ray, Luffy, and the rest of the crew remained blissfully unaware that their chaotic wake had drawn a new, fervent kind of follower to the Grand Line.
Shortly after the "Floating Artists" departed Alabasta to chase their idols, another ship dropped anchor off the sandy coast.
This vessel bore a crew of rough-looking delinquents, led by a man with a distinctive green mohawk and a savage grin.
This was the Barto Club.
Standing at the prow was Bartolomeo the Cannibal, a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit and the former underworld boss of 150 towns.
He was a man of infamy, a top-tier delinquent known for audacious crimes—including the legendary incident where he and his men allegedly secured nude photos of Vice Admiral Momousagi.
"Boss! We've finally made it!" Bartolomeo's intelligence officer cried out, tears streaming down his face.
"We're standing on the hallowed ground where the Straw Hat Pirates fought!"
The entire crew erupted in cheers.
These men had spent over twenty years rotting in the grime of Loguetown, but the spark ignited by the Strawhats had driven them to this terrifying, thrilling ocean.
To them, the Grand Line wasn't just a sea; it was a pilgrimage site.
Inside their cabin, the walls were plastered with a shrine's worth of wanted posters and clipped news articles.
Every headline featuring the Straw Hats was treated like scripture.
The crew had a daily ritual: memorize the great achievements of the Straw Hats and offer prayers for their safety.
Bartolomeo threw his head back and laughed, a sound that was half-maniacal, half-joyous.
"Listen up, you bastards!" he bellowed. "Princess Vivi of this kingdom has an extraordinary bond with Luffy-senpai and Ray-senpai. We are on holy ground! There will be absolutely no causing trouble here!"
He paused as a menacing glint entering his eyes.
"However, since we are here, it is only natural we offer some tribute. When you go into town for supplies, keep your eyes peeled. If you spot any lingering rebels or anyone badmouthing our idols... eliminate them. Understood?"
"YES, BOSS!!"
As he watched his subordinates swarm into the port town, Bartolomeo puffed out his chest, his imagination running wild with future glory.
"Senpais of the Straw Hat pirates," he whispered to the wind, "our strength might be nothing compared to yours right now. But for the sake of our ideals, we will come to help you when the time comes!"
He clenched his fist. "Let the Marines try to move against you. They'll have to get through my barriers first!"
....
Five days later—marking a full week since the Straw Hats had left the nameless island.
On the Going Merry, Ray observed the crew with a sense of grim satisfaction.
The physical training had been brutal, but effective.
Everyone's Armament Haki was blooming, their bodies hardening against the rigors of the New World.
However, progress always demands a price. And this time, the price was being paid by their beloved ship.
The atmosphere in the galley was heavy, thick with the smell of uneaten food and frustration.
The crew sat around the table, heads hung low.
Usopp was the first to snap, his voice trembling with accusation.
"Zoro, this is all your fault! You and those damn giant rocks! You've caused the Merry so much damage!"
Zoro crossed his arms, looking uncharacteristically guilty.
He knew light caravels like the Merry weren't built for this kind of abuse, but he hadn't expected the internal damage to be so catastrophic.
A few tons of rock had cracked the deck, and the lower cabins were taking on water.
The ship was dying.
Even the meat in Luffy's mouth tasted like ash.
After a long, painful discussion, the consensus hung in the air: "Repair the ship and upgrade her."
Luffy, Usopp, Nami, and Chopper threw their hands up in immediate agreement.
It seemed simple enough.
But Sanji, Robin, Zoro, Ray, and even the dog, Chouchou, remained silent.
Usopp stared at them, his eyes wide with betrayal.
"What do you mean by this silence? The Going Merry has been with us through everything! Can't we even agree to fix her?"
"I don't get it either," Luffy said, tilting his head. "We just need to pay for repairs, right?"
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
"We aren't against it, Usopp. If the Merry can be upgraded, we'll do it. But we have to be rational. Every ship has a limit. We need a professional shipwright to tell us if she can even handle an upgrade."
Luffy and Nami fell silent, the logic hard to argue with.
Usopp opened his mouth to shout, to fight, but his voice cracked.
"But... what if there's a really amazing shipbuilder? Someone who can do miracles?"
Suddenly, Chouchou barked, speaking on Ray's behalf. "Master said, Zoro, and Master... know something you don't. Perhaps it is best if you hear it from Merry itself."
Before the crew could question this, Ray activated his Demonic Power.
The air in the galley shimmered, the spiritual energy condensing into a visible form.
A young boy appeared.
The crew gasped.
The boy was a patchwork of their own traits—wearing a little black suit, a straw hat with tufts of green hair peeking out, a fluffy white scarf, and a green slingshot strapped to his back.
He held a medical book in his small hands.
This was the Klabautermann.
This was Merry.
The spirit looked at them with eyes full of love and sadness.
"I really want to carry everyone forever," Merry said, his voice soft like the creaking of wood in a calm sea.
"But... I know my limits."
"Ray gave me the chance to train," the spirit continued, clutching the book. "But I only improved my spiritual energy. I cannot change the wood I was born from. It is just ordinary timber. My keel... it's struggling to hold the weight. It will break soon."
Merry smiled, a heartbreaking, gentle expression. "So, please. I hope everyone can accept my reality."
Usopp slumped onto the floor.
Hearing it from Sanji or Zoro was one thing; hearing it from the soul of the ship himself was devastating.
He remained silent for a long time before letting out a shaky sigh.
"If... if you're saying it yourself, Merry... then I'd be an ungrateful captain to force you to suffer."
The tension in the room broke.
Luffy's face lit up with a his signature grin, realizing this wasn't a goodbye just yet.
"Shishishi! Well, after Merry gets modified and fixed up, he can stay with us forever as a spirit, right? That's awesome!"
Nami and Robin, however, had completely different priorities.
"Oh my gosh!" Nami squealed, ignoring the existential crisis to rush over to the spirit.
"You are absolutely adorable! But Merry, why don't you look like me or Robin?"
She pinched the spirit's cheek, pouting playfully.
"I need more representation here!"
Robin smiled with a warm blush on her cheeks. "I agree. He needs a makeover."
Before the boys could react, the two women had scooped up the spirit of the ship and dragged him toward the girls' dormitory.
"Time to change your clothes, little one!"
The men watched them go, expressions of sympathy on their faces.
That poor, dignified spirit was about to be used as a dress-up doll.
"Tsk tsk..." Sanji shook his head.
Then, realization struck Luffy and Usopp simultaneously!
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Luffy shouted, turning to Ray and Zoro.
"When did you guys find out Merry had a spirit?! Why didn't you tell us? I'm mad!"
"Yeah!" Usopp chimed in. "We're the ones who fix him the most!"
Chouchou barked a translation, looking amused. "Merry was too shy to tell you. He said the people who love him the most are Luffy and Usopp... so he was scared to show himself."
The anger vanished instantly.
Luffy and Usopp rubbed their noses, grinning sheepishly.
"Ah, well. He has good taste," Usopp muttered, clearly flattered.
...
Later that night, Ray stepped out onto the deck, leaving the noise of the galley behind.
He leaned against the railing, gazing up at the crescent moon hanging in the ink-black sky.
The mood was lighter now, but the reality remained.
To preserve the Going Merry—even just as a spirit or a smaller vessel—they needed a shipwright with god-tier skill.
They needed Franky.
As for Luffy and the others, they had already come up with the plan to recruit a shipwright during dinner earlier today.
Thinking of Franky, Ray suddenly realized something.
In Water 7, the ones targeting Franky weren't the Marines, but the Celestial Dragons (World Goverment).
They had only shown their strength to the Marines so far, but that wouldn't intimidate these arrogant nobles of the world.
By intuition, Ray felt that after arriving in Water 7, another battle awaited him.
"Even though so much has changed, why do these inevitable events still occur?"
"Never mind, I'll just face it head-on."
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A question, The original Tessaiga is split into two and become Tessaiga and Tenseiga right ?