That's right! I'm hitting you guys with a double whammy and a beefy chapter! We're getting off this damn Marine Island this chapter so we can end this long-drawn out arc (Zoro was fighting that damn giraffe for like eight episodes straight, I don't know HOW I kept my sanity through that)

Also real quick, someone requested all of Pika-chan's moves so far: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Brick Break, Skull Bash, Dig, and Light Screen, and honorable mentions go to Lightning Bullet which was picked up from Eneru, Megavolt which was just a special occasion, and Volt Tackle since it was just used once and Pika-chan didn't even realize they did it.

With that said, bundle up, cause you all KNOW the feels trip that's just around the corner


We wait around for a while, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and Franky waiting at the top of the stairs to keep watch for Luffy. But the longer he takes, the more anxious I get. That Lucci guy must really be giving him a run for his money.

Just then, another explosion rings out, this one much closer than the last. Most likely because this time the cannons hit and destroyed half the bridge! What the hell?! An announcement rings out from the ships that Luffy and Lucci are inside the support column; I'm guessing that's the place on the other side of the bridge where all the stairs are. Shadows fall over us as more giant warships sail past us and towards the island.

Another announcement comes out, identifying Zoro and Robin and the rest of us as the ones who defeated CP9. Looks like they're leaving Luffy to Lucci while the rest of them come to take care of us and take Robin back.

Nami whips out and twirls her Climatact, "They want to take Robin back? Let them try!" She growls.

"Chu!" I agree, sparks coming from my cheeks.

"Hey, where's Sanji?!" I hear Usopp from the bridge. Wait what?! I look up and sure enough, he's gone. Dammit, of all times…? He better be doing something sneaky and worthwhile to be skipping out on this!

Hundreds of Marines jump out of the battleships towards Zoro, Franky, and Usopp and Nami and I hurry off the boat to take position at the base of the stairs. We have to hold the line as best we can!

"You guard the boat, Robin!" Nami says. "Pika-chan and I will do our best to hold them back!" A large group of Marines starts charging down the stairs at us and Nami and I run towards them. "Heh, I've kinda always wanted to say this," Nami laughs. "Pika-chan, give me some lightning!"

"Pika!" I beam. I shoot electricity into her Climtact as she spins the top third of it.

"Alright, Thunder Mega Charge!" She then swings the top part of the Climatact and shocks the first half of the soldiers with a combination of her electricity and mine. Nami grins and looks up at a cloud she had made while we were running. "Thunder Ball!" The ball enters the stormcloud and shoots lightning down onto the remaining Marines. "Thunderbolt Tempo!" Okay, that's a move I want in on for a combination! Speaking of…

Nami looks up as even more soldiers make their way towards us. I leap off Nami's shoulder and into the cloud that's still up above them. "Pika!" I call.

"Oh, got it!" Nami catches on. "Thunder Ball!" The ball enters the cloud and I feel the lightning get drawn into me. I take in all the lightning (it's decently easy compared to Eneru's giant one) and fire a massive lightning bolt out of the side of the cloud, blowing away the wave of Marines.

I drop out of the cloud next to Nami, "We did it!" Nami cheers, and I jump up and give her a high-five. At that moment, another wave replaces the one we just got rid of, and I get ready for a standard electric attack. But then arms appear on their backs and pull them every which way, making them tumble and fall.

We turn to see Robin behind us, her arms crossed, "You don't have to worry about protecting me anymore," She says with a smile. "If the crew is fighting, then so am I." Nami and I smile back at her and nod just as even more come down. I have a feeling we're gonna be here for a while…

More and more waves of soldiers keep coming, but Nami, Robin, and I hold our own well. Robin uses her arms to flip people down the stairs so Nami can get in a Thunderbolt Tempo on them. I resort to my usual electric attacks and occasionally take down a few at a time with my tail, or Brick Break. Nami and I also make full use of our newly created combo.

Eventually, soldiers have us surrounded. Nami and Robin stand back to back and I balance on both their shoulders. "Looks like we gotta up the juice on this one," Nami says, looking at me. I jump into another storm cloud she made and she sends a Thunder Ball up into it that I absorb along with the rest of the naturally made lightning. "Now, Megabolt Tempo!" That has a nice ring to it! I blast them all with a giant electric attack from the cloud and drop down as the soldiers all collapse.

Chimney and Gonbe cheer from the boat. "Listen, we're alright down here, so head on up and help the boys!" Kokoro calls.

"Yeah, your raccoon-dog will be safe with us!" Chimney adds.

"Okay!" Nami nods, and the three of us hurry up the stairs.

We make it up and see Zoro and Franky fighting some Marines who have Devil Fruit powers; looks like they're finally sending out the stronger ones. The three of us jump right into the fray, taking out regular underlings by the hundreds. We fight and fight until there's a loud boom. We all turn towards the column across the bridge to see a massive part of the wall explode in a mess of debris. What happened?!

"Attention all ships! This is an urgent report!" The fleet announcer comes on again, "Rob Lucci has been defeated! I repeat, Rob Lucci has been defeated by Straw Hat Luffy!" We all visibly deflate in relief; I was almost starting to have doubts for a second!

"HEEEEY! ROOOBIIIIN!" We hear Luffy yell from the wreckage. "WE'RE ALL GOING BACK TOGETHER!"

Robin smiles and tears up at his words, and I sigh in relief. And to top it all off, we hear the Franky Family all cheering through a transponder snail; sounds like they were able to avoid the chaos and survive! Alright, things are really looking up! CP9 is taken care of; now we just gotta grab Luffy and get the hell out of here! Once the relief and shock wears off, the Marines are right back to fighting us. Okay, Luffy should be here pretty soon so then we can-

"Straw Hat Luffy doesn't seem to be moving!" Someone on a loudspeaker suddenly says. "Sir, he...he appears to be severely wounded!" What? Oh no...no no no no!

I quickly scamper through the Marines until I reach the broken end of the bridge where Usopp is walking on a destroyed beam to get a better look. I quickly follow him and jump onto his shoulder, barely realizing that he took his Sniper King mask off. We gaze into the ruined column and see Luffy. He's lying on his back, breathing heavily, but he seems to be conscious.

"Luffy!" Usopp screams. "What are you doing?! Hurry up and get the hell over here!" Luffy turns his head to look at us.

"Pika pikachu!" I yell towards him.

"C'mon! Stretch your arm and slingshot yourself over here! I'll carry you the rest of the way!" Usopp yells. "We got Robin! All that's left is to run!"

"Pika! Pika pika pikachu!" 'Luffy! Just stretch out your arm towards us, we'll pull you!'

Luffy seems to twitch, but he still doesn't move. "My body...won't...move…!" He chokes out. Oh no...fighting Lucci took that much out of him?!

"Well try harder!" Usopp yells. "C'mon, you can do it!"

"Usopp!" Nami's voice cuts through the dyn of the fighting behind us. "We'll take the ship to Luffy and grab him! C'mon, everyone get onboard!" Okay, I can get behind that! I jump off Usopp and make a beeline back towards the stairs and-

"FIRE!" There's a loud explosion, and the escort ship bursts into flames. I skid to a halt, my breath caught in my throat. That's...Kokoro, Chimney, Gonbe, and Chopper were still on there!

"No...that was our escape ship!" Nami cries. The escort ship is quickly eaten by the flames and sinks within seconds; oh Arceus… Nami falls to her knees beside me, "No...what do we do now…?"

My ears twitch, "Pi…?" I take a few steps forward and squint. I see a figure coming through the smoke...someone tall, blonde...Sanji?!

Sure enough, Sanji comes barreling towards us, Kokoro and Chopper under his arms and Chimney and Gonbe on his back. "WE MADE IT!" He bellows. Nami and I run towards him and he stops, putting everyone down. Holy shit, Sanji…! That was amazing and all but… "Sanji, where the heck have you been?" Yeah, that!

"Sorry…" Sanji breathes. "There was something I had to take care of…" Okay, guess we'll learn what that something is later.

My ears twitch again as I hear whistling...coming right for us...oh crap! "Pikachu!" 'Incoming!'

Cannons start to fire on the bridge and we book it. Kokoro scoops up Chimney, Gonbe, and Chopper, "RUN!" The cannons hit right on our heels, explosions making the air shake. The bridge starts to collapse behind us, unlucky Marines falling into the water below and throwing off our steps a bit.

I start to pass the others, when I hear Chimney yell, "Racoon-Dog!"

I blink and squeak; Chopper slipped out of Kokoro's grasp! I skid to a halt and bolt back towards him as he bounces on the ground. "Pika! Chu!" 'Sanji! Catch!' With a well-timed hit, I smack Chopper with my tail, making him soar through the air towards the others.

Sanji jumps and catches him and I start to run again, when I hear whistling really close to me. There's a boom, and a blast of hot air and flames shove me up and off the ground. Suddenly, the bridge is getting smaller and further away. I can hear everyone scream for me as I fly through the air.

"NO!"

"PIKA-CHAN!"

"OH NO!"

I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel air rush around me until I feel myself start to drop. I look to see the choppy blue waves below me, greedily waiting for me. I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself to get ready to swim when-

Thump! All the breath gets knocked out of me as I land on something hard. I cough and wheeze getting my breath back; what was that? What did I land on? It's smooth and hard...

"It's alright…" I open my eyes at the familiar voice. "I've got you…"

I get up and look down, seeing smooth but dirty wood, belonging to an empty deck. I glance around until my gaze falls on a very familiar wooden head that I know so well. 'Merry!' I exclaim, tears pricking at my eyes.

"Are you okay, Little Mouse?" she asks. "I came as fast as I could..."

'I'm fine! I'm great!' I exclaim, running over and leaping onto her head. I look around, noticing the ship is empty. No one's sailing, it's just...Merry. 'How...How did you…?' I try to ask, but I'm just too dumbfounded to get the right words out.

"I wanted to sail…" Merry answers. "I wanted to help in any way I could…"

'You're a lifesaver Merry!' I exclaim. 'The others need a way out of here, and fast!' I look down at Merry. 'Can you make it?'

"For you and my friends...of course I can." I can almost feel the smile in her words. "Now...let's go!" Merry exclaims. "Let's help our friends!"

'Yeah!' I punch the air as I sit on Merry's head. Merry navigates the waves with ease and for a while, it doesn't feel like I'm on a ship. I feel like I'm riding on the back of a friend. A flash from my memory comes to my mind, but gently, showing two figures on the water. One like a ship and the other like a small passenger, almost exactly like how Merry and I are now. Enies Lobby grows closer and closer, but thanks to Merry's small size and the violent waves, the Marines can't even catch a glimpse of her or me.

"Listen carefully Little Mouse." Merry says as we near the area where everyone is. "I need you to go into the galley and man my rudder; I may need help getting through these waves to find the right place. Can you do that?"

'But I'm too small!' I remind her. 'I can't move that thing by myself; I've never been able to!'

"You aren't by yourself," Merry says. "I will help you as best I can; as you say, that's what friends do, right?"

I slowly smile, 'Yeah.'

"Good luck, Little Mouse."

I give a small salute, leap off Merry's head and bolt into the galley. The door slams shut behind me due to the rocking of the ship but I pay it no mind as I take my place near the rudder. I put my paws on it and feel a warmth come through me. Almost immediately I know where to go, because Merry knows where to go, like I'm reading her mind. I push the rudder to move it ro the right with ease; what was normally a task too heavy for me to handle is now as easy as breathing, even with these rough waters. Merry's resolve to get to the others is so strong that even I can feel it.

Merry rocks quite a bit, but we navigate with ease. "We're here!" Merry says happily. "Everyone...I came to get you!" My smile grows as I hear Merry's voice call out to the others. "Let's go back everyone...back to the seas of adventure!"

My heart swells and I cheer as cannons fire in the distance, "Pikachu!" 'To the sea!'

"Thank you, Little Mouse," Merry says.

'Thank you, Merry,' I respond. I peek out the window and sigh in relief as everyone gets onto the ship safely from the water. I open the door and run onto the deck, jumping onto the railing. "Pika pi!" I exclaim, finally revealing myself.

Everyone spots me and their faces light up with shock and relief. "Pika-chan!" Sanji runs up and I leap down from the railing, bolting into his arms. "Pika-chan…" He just about crushes me in his grip, as if I would fly away if he let go.

"Pika!" I nuzzle Sanji happily. He hasn't held me this tightly since Skypiea.

"You're okay!" Nami exclaims, her voice close to cracking.

"Oh Pika-chan!" The breath is nearly knocked out of me as I'm jumped by a bawling Chopper, Sanji nearly toppling over from the assault. "I was so afraid that you were blown up or something! I'm so glad you're okay! You're really okay! Thank goodness!" I laugh and accept his hug, nuzzling him happily; did you really think a cannon would be enough to stop me after everything we've been through?

"Wait…" Sanji says suddenly. "Pika-chan...did you bring the Merry to us?"

I smile and shake my head, "Pika, pikachu." I say, pointing to Merry's head.

"I knew it!" Usopp wails, his tears still pouring down his face. "I knew she wouldn't let us down! Oh Merry! My sweet Merry!"

"I wish I could give you a hug, Merry!" Chopper agrees, tears still in his eyes as well.

"Hey, looks like you're moving again, Chopper," Zoro comments.

Chopper blinks, "Oh wow...I am! Thank goodness!"

"That was a close one…!" Luffy breathes. "I thought I was done for; you saved me Robin, thank-"

Robin summons a hand and covers his mouth. She slowly turns and looks at all of us. "Luffy...everyone...thank you…" We all smile back at her.

I wordlessly run up and jump onto Robin's chest, catching her a bit off guard. She holds me and I look up at her with a big smile, "Pikachu!" To my delight, Robin smiles and hugs me back, stroking my head in that familiar way I've grown to love. I nuzzle her, leaning into her touch, giving her a kiss on the cheek; I'm so glad she's back with us…

"That's nice, but save the sappy stuff for after we escape, okay?" A vein pops on my head as I look at Zoro sharply. The next second, Sanji, Chopper and I are on him, angrily.

"You take that back you heartless bastard!" Sanji yells, kicking at him.

"Yeah, you bastard!" Chopper agrees, biting Zoro's leg.

"Pika pika!" 'Wait to ruin a moment, you stupid Snorlax!' I say, on his head and pounding him with my tiny paws.

"If we sit around we'll just end up dead, stupid!" Zoro retorts.

"I don't care, apologize to Robin!" Sanji yells.

"Yeah!"

"Pika!" Robin simply laughs at our antics.

"Alright, let's get moving!" Nami announces. We all snap to attention and get to our positions, taking to sailing like Magikarp to water. It feels like it's been ages since we've sailed a proper ship. We start to move, but the cannons all take aim at us. I wince in annoyance as I also hear Spandam's voice from one of the ships; Arceus, can someone please kill him?

"Catch the starboard wind and head east!" Nami orders.

"But there are too many ships around us!" Franky responds. "With so many of them there's no way they're gonna miss!"

The cannons and fire and we all brace...but then some of them land around us in the water while the others hit the other ships. "What was that? Their aim can't be that bad!" Usopp comments.

"Pika?" Just then the water starts to get rough, and the giant ships start being pushed into each other.

"Whew, that turned out better than I thought!" Sanji comments from the railing. Wait…

"Is that what you were doing when you disappeared?!" Usopp exclaims.

"Yeah; figured it'd take more than just guts to get out of here alive." He closed the gates! Damn, I think he's finally catching up to me in terms of sneaking and undercover plans!

"You're like my hero forever, Sanji!" Usopp cries.

"Are you a genius or what?!" Luffy exclaims.

"Pika pikachu!" I cheer, jumping on his shoulder.

"You realize these whirlpools are a problem for us too, right?" Zoro bites out.

"It's not a problem!" Nami cuts in. "As long as we're together, there's no sea that the Going Merry can't cross!" Awww, Nami.

"You're so cool, Nami!" Sanji croons.

"Go for it, Navigator!" Usopp agrees.

"Everyone hold them off until I find a path for us!" Nami orders.

"Got it!"

"Chu!" More cannons fire as we zoom across the water, most of them landing in the water.

But one wave flies through the air towards us and Zoro steps up. "One Sword Style; 36 Calibur Phoenix!" He sends out a wave ith his sword, blowing up all the cannonballs at once. However, Zoro growls, "I lost a sword, so I can't do a full 108 Phoenix." I blink and see that Yubashiri is broken, leaving the hilt; oh Arceus, what the hell happened?!

"Why don't you go cry about it?" Sanji taunts.

Zoro bristles. "I'm gonna make you cry!"

"Uh, guys, there are more coming!" Usopp yells.

Another group of cannonballs fly towards us and Sanji jumps up. "Colliet Shot!" He kicks the cannonballs one by one back towards the ships.

Usopp steps up as another wave approaches, "Triple Flame Star!" He shoots three projectiles and all the cannonballs blow up. On the main deck, I see Franky and Robin working together to send back some shots as well.

Another wave comes in our direction and I step up. "Pika!" 'My turn!' I leap into the air and let loose a wide web of lightning. I catch each cannonball in my attack, and once they're all in my grasp, I power up. The four cannonballs explode with ease in mid air and I land safely. I'm honestly feeling a bit of a rush from this excitement; sticking it to giant warships like this feels amazing!

"Guuuuys, save some for me tooooo!" Luffy whines, squirming up the stairs like an Ekans.

"Oh really? Are you gonna squirm them to death?" Usopp snipes.

"Hate to say it Captain, but this is our fight," Sanji agrees.

"Yeah, go take a nap or something," Zoro grunts.

"You take a nap…" Luffy mutters as he keeps dragging himself towards us. Just then, the ships all concentrate their fire on our direction; that's a lot of cannonballs! Just then, Zoro, Sanji, and I somehow get the same idea. Zoro and Sanji grab Luffy and stretch him out like a tarp. All the cannonballs get caught in his stomach and I move towards them.

"Pika-chan!" Sanji calls.

"Pika!" I cover my paws with lightning and charge all the cannonballs with lightning, making Luffy giggles as the lightning touches his skin.

"Here we go!" Zoro yells, and they fling all the cannonballs back. The massive electric explosions that occur on the offending ships are glorious, and Sanji and Zoro drop Luffy to the ground. "You never let us down, huh captain?" Zoro says with a grin.

"I guess we needed you after all!" Sanji agrees.

"Pika pika!" I chirp happily.

"You people are monsters!" Usopp yells.

"Yep." We all chime, flashing victory signs.

At that moment, the ship makes a sharp turn; looks like Nami found us a route! The Merry catches the current of a nearby whirlpool, making us speed past the ships at top speed. Just then my ears twitch again as I hear Spandam's voice grating in my ears from the ship nearest to our tail as we sail.

As he rants, Robin steps up and joins us on the back deck. I look up at her as she crosses her arms and I catch the glimpse of flower petals and arms around Spandam. Robin closes her eyes as the arms slowly but surely bend him in half, drawing it out for as long as possible. I watch with eagerness until…

"Clutch!"

The snap can be heard even by all of us. Ooooooh words cannot describe how good that felt. He won't be bothering us ever again.

"Okay, Franky time to do your thing!" Nami yells.

Franky nods and jumps onto the back with us. "This might bang up your ship a bit, so sorry about that," He says, his forearms inflating. "Coup de...Burst!" A blast of air shoots out of Franky's palm, and the Merry shoots forward and up, flying right past a ship that was trying to block our path. Usopp puts the final cherry on top as he shoots a giant smokescreen projectile on the water, obscuring all the Marines' views of us.

After that, none of the cannons can hit us, only splashing in the water. We're finally home free!


A few hours pass and everything quiets down. The storm clouds even part, letting the sun shine on us. "Hey Monster Granny, put me up on Merry's head, would ya?" Luffy asks.

"You sure?" Kokoro asks, despite already dragging him over.

"Yeah; that's the captain's seat," Luffy says. I jump up before him and wave to Kokoro; I'll make sure he doesn't fall.

"Alright then," Kokoro places Luffy on the head and I help pull him up so he's draped over the top.

"Thank you Merry," Luffy says softly. "We never would've made it if you weren't there. You're a great friend to have."

"Pika," I nod.

"I hate to spoil the mood, but that was pretty crazy back there," Franky speaks up. "I don't think the government is gonna let you off easy for all that."

"Aw, who cares," Luffy says, rolling onto his back. "I mean the only reason we did all of that was because they took our friend." He looks up at Franky. "And we couldn't have done all this without you, too, so thanks."

Franky rubs the back of his head, "C'mon, it's not a big deal; I just did what I had to do," He says.

Luffy blinks, "Oh, that reminds me! Usopp!" Luffy looks around, "Huh? Where did he go?" What? What do you mean, he's right- I look up and see that Usopp has put his mask back on. Oh, you little…! Chopper carries Luffy around as they look for Usopp while 'Sniper King' sits in a ball.

"Hey, they're looking for you you know," Sanji growls softly.

"Pika pika," I growl right along with him.

"No, I can't," Usopp whimpers. "It's too soon!" What do you mean 'too soon'?! This is your chance to apologize and fix things between the two of you! I understand you being a coward against giant monsters and stuff but you can't be this pathetic!

"Usooooopp! Come out or I'll kick your ass!" Luffy yells.

"Kick your ass!" Chopper echoes.

"Hey Sniper King, did you see where he went?" Luffy asks, making Usopp jump to his feet.

"Oh er, yes! He got on another ship and went on ahead."

"Whaaaaat?!" Luffy exclaims. "But the Merry is his!" Sanji gives Usopp a kick to the head and I drag my paw down my face. Looks like we'll have to deal with this bullshit once we get back to Water 7.

"Hmm...that's so weird," Nami wanders around the main deck. "I've checked everywhere; we're the only ones on this ship." I tilt my head; why would that be weird?

"That's strange…" Sanji muses.

"Yeah, I mean, the Merry didn't sail itself here, right?" Nami adds.

"Of course not," Zoro says. Wait, what? No one else heard her when we came to get you?

"We just heard a voice beckoning us out to sea," Robin adds. So they did hear her; then why haven't you put it together yet?

"C'mon guys, the answer is obvious!" Luffy exclaims. "It was Merry calling us!"

"You think so?!" Chopper exclaims.

"Hey, Merry! Say something else!" Luffy calls to her head.

"I think we would know by now if the ship could talk," Zoro says flatly.

Well yeah, she doesn't say anything until you least expect it! "Pika pikachu!" She talks when she has to, not because she needs to!

"See? Pika-chan knows it was her too, right Pika-chan?" Luffy says. I don't know how he knows that, but I nod regardless. I've heard her a bunch of times now to the point where it's not a surprise.

"As ridiculous as it is, I was kind of thinking the same thing," Nami says. "But there's no way...that's impossible." But it's not! I don't know how, but it's not!

"Pika pika!" I protest, jumping back onto Merry's head. I look down at her; I almost wish she would talk now just to freak everyone out. My ears then twitch and I look up; a giant ship is heading our way. "Pika pi!" I call, pointing out.

Luffy looks up, "Hey, a ship!"

"Who is it?" Usopp asks. As it draws closer, it slows to a stop and we see the Galley-La name upon the sails. It's Iceberg and the shipwrights; they must've come to meet us!

Luffy laughs and waves, "Ahoy! What's up Ice-Pops?" I smile and wave a bit too, Iceberg smiling down at us. It's nice to see all these friendly faces after so long in that-

My smile fades as a creaking noise graces my ears. The creaking gets louder and louder until there's a sickening crack. I yelp as Merry's head suddenly dips down, along with the whole front of the ship.

"Merry!" Usopp chokes.

"What happened? Why's it falling apart all of a sudden?" Zoro exclaims.

"There's nothing sudden about it," Sanji says. "Remember? They told us Merry was unfit to sail."

No… No no no no no no… That can't be… Merry can't be done! She can't be…after all that, there's no way she's… 'Merry! Merry are you okay?!' I ask frantically. 'C'mon, say something! Tell me you're okay!'

"...I'm sorry Little Mouse…" My eyes widen at her weak voice. "But...I'm afraid...this is it for me…"

'No!' I exclaim. 'You can't be done now! Not after everything that's happened! You-' My eyes widen in realization. 'Don't tell me...you were hurt this whole time!'

"I didn't want you to worry…" Merry whispers. "I had to make sure...you were all safe…"

I choke on my breath as a retort dies on my tongue. She did it for us...she knew she was giving up her remaining time by coming to save us...and she did it anyway. 'Dammit Merry…' I hear Luffy appear next to me on her head, begging Iceberg to do something to help her.

"But now...I'm afraid my time has finally come…"

'You saved my life, Merry!' I exclaim. 'You're family! We just got you back! We can't lose you! I can't lose you...I can't…' Tears come to my eyes. 'I can't lose you...I can't lose my family…'

"You're not…" Merry says gently. "I'm merely a ship; you still have the others." I blink my teary eyes. "They all care for you just as deeply, and you need to look after them in my place along with your new ship."

'No! Don't...don't say that!' I choke out. 'I could never replace you or live up to what you've done! You're our ship! You've carried us through storms and rocks and fog! You've kept us alive so many times!' I lower my head, squeezing my eyes shut. 'All I've done is keep lightning away from you…'

"You've done much more than that, and you know it." Merry responds. "You and I...we've always been stubborn. No matter how many times we got knocked down, all the times it seemed hopeless...we kept fighting." I raise my head. "I've had enough...it's time for me to rest." Merry continues. "But you...you still have so much more energy left inside you. You need to keep fighting and take care of our friends...it's not time for you to give up yet."

I open my eyes, just as I hear Iceberg's voice. "She's done so much for you...it's time you let her rest."

The silence that follows is deafening until Luffy finally speaks. "...I understand.."

Deep in my heart, I understood too, and I know everyone else does as well. There's nothing more we can do for her...as much as it hurts...it's time to say goodbye.


Iceberg gives us two lifeboats for us to get off the ship. We move them a decent distance away from Merry so we can give her a send-off. It's only right after all. Luffy stands in his own small boat while the rest of us stand behind him on a larger one, all of us gazing at Merry.

"Ready?" Luffy asks softly. We all nod.

Luffy lights a torch and moves the boat back over to the ship, "Merry...I know the bottom of the ocean is a dark and lonely place, but we're here to see you off." He slowly touches her with the torch, and the wood catches. "I'm sure you probably miss him, but it's probably for the best that Usopp isn't here; I don't know if he could take this."

"That true?" Zoro says softly to Usopp.

"Of course not," Usopp whispers. "Every man knows they have to say goodbye someday; we must hold back our tears." The flames spread quickly and Luffy floats back towards us, never taking his eyes off Merry.

"Thank you for carrying us for so long, Merry," Luffy whispers.

As the smoke rises into the now cloudy sky, snow begins to gently fall, seeming to glow from the flames. As it falls, memories seem to flash into my mind against my will; memories of Merry, and how throughout everything, she was always there. She's the reason we made it this far, and the reason we're here now. She was a ship so special that she could even fly.

"I'm sorry…" My ears twitch as Merry's voice echoes around us. "I wanted to carry everyone just a little bit further…" She isn't just talking to me...she's talking to everyone. Everyone can hear her now… "I had so much fun...I wish our adventures would never end…" I start to shake as everyone's sadness increases tenfold. Chopper wails and Nami falls to her knees, overcome with sobs. "But I'm sorry I can't-"

"No Merry!" Luffy yells. "If anyone should apologize, it's us, not you!" Oh Luffy… "I suck at steering! I ran you into icebergs and stuff and ripped your sails! And Zoro and Sanji were always breaking your stuff! Usopp tried to fix you but we all knew he was never any good at it! So, if anyone's sorry it's...it's us!" I bite my lip as Luffy falls to his knees, finally breaking into sobs.

"I don't mind…" Merry says gently. "I was happy; I know you always treated me with love." I can hear the tears in her voice. "Thank you, my friends. Even if the time we spent together was short...I'm glad that I could spend it with you…"

By this point, hardly a single eye is dry. Even Sanji and Zoro I can tell are struggling with all their might to keep tears back. My tears have been falling for so long now...I'm surprised I still have any left. I swallow as Merry's form becomes more and more distorted as the flames begin to finally finish what they started.

"Pika-chan…" My ears perk up as I hear her say her name for the first time; she's speaking only to me. "…No matter how hard things get...and no matter what happens..." A beat of silence. "...Always remember how much we all love you…"

Tears pour out of my eyes as I can't take them off Merry's quickly vanishing form. I grit my teeth and try desperately to keep my sobs back, 'I will Merry...I promise…' I choke out.

The fire finally begins to fade and Merry finally starts to vanish. I can't even see her face anymore… Luffy yells out her name one final time and I can't take it anymore. I finally start to sob as I watch until Merry completely vanishes under the sea, leaving nothing but water and a few scraps of burned wood.

She's gone.


'True strength is keeping everything together when everyone expects you to fall apart' - Anonymous