𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 (one piece x reader)

Chapter 41: Our Dear Friend

"Thanks to you we escaped!" Luffy laid on Merry's head with a big smile as he looked down at her, "I didn't think you'd come but thinking back now, you've always protected us!"

A soft smile crept on my face at the loving tone in his voice and my eyes shifted to the figurehead beneath him. I couldn't help but feel sad when I realize her condition. My heart aches at the thought that she was fighting to keep afloat just to save us and carry us with her.

The others celebrated our win, but my attention was on the rough wood beneath my fingers. My mind wondered how Merry was feeling, if she was hurting bad and if she could feel her end coming. My fingers grazed over the wood, feeling the love radiating off the old material as splinters threatened to pierce my skin.

Next thing I know, Luffy is on Choppers shoulders looking around the ship for Usopp who had put his Sogeking mask back on. The captain threw his arms in the air with an angry pout, "Come out right now or I'm going to beat you up!"

Sanji crouched down next to Usopp who was holding his face with both his hands with a regretful look on his face. Grinding his teeth with an irritated expression, Sanji whispered to Usopp, "Oi. He's calling for you."

I quirked a brow at the two younger crew mates who were still calling out for Usopp, wondering how they could genuinely not see that Sogeking was him. Nami came back after searching the ship saying that she didn't find anyone on the ship. Everyone agreed that it was strange, but that we all heard the same voice calling out to us.

"Like I said," Luffy seemed a little irritated at the fact that nobody believed him, "this whole time it's been Merry's voice!"

"Eh?! Really?!" Chopper looked up at his captain in awe at the idea of Merry speaking to us.

When Luffy told Merry to say something, Zoro shut him down saying that a ship can't talk, but Nami reluctantly agreed with her cheek in the palm of her hand, "I kinda felt that way too though..."

"I see a ship coming towards us!"

Luffy's shout grabs all of our attention and we turn our heads to see a big ship with the words 'Galley and Co.' on the sails. On the deck there were multiple shipwrights from Water 7 smiling down at us and pointing, "It's the strawhats! They're alive!" Multiple shipwrights called out to us with joy, "So you guys are okay!" They talked amongst themselves about how impressive it was that we made it out of Ennies Lobby and even made it here despite leaving during Agua Laguna.

Luffy held a grin on his face as he waved at Iceburg, "Ahoy! Ice pops!"

Suddenly, Merry started to shake beneath us and we all grabbed onto something close with concern and confusion. Before we knew it, Merry started to break in half, dividing the deck down the middle as the old wooden boards broke in half.

"Merry!"

We all shout out to her as we look at the giant crack in our ship. It hurt to see her like this. It made me wonder if we really were to blame for her bad shape.

"All of a sudden, but...isn't this just natural?" Sanji's words seemed to catch all of our attention as Merry had stopped shaking, "It was declared that Merry could no longer sail."

I pursed my lips together, a little above Sanji as I held onto her white railings, "He's right...should we really be surprised?"

Luffy looked down and shook his head in denial as he hopped on top of the frightened head and called out to the shipwrights, "Ice Pops this is bad! Merry's in trouble! This is good timing...you guys are all shipwrights right?! I'm begging you, please help her!" His voice shook slightly with desperation as he looked up at the shipwrights who only looked back with sympathetic eyes, "She's our friend that's been with us for a very long time and just a little bit ago she saved us!"