Chapter 126: Return to the Blue Sea and Recruiting Shipwrights.

Splash~

The Golden Merry descended from the sky and landed in the sea.

"Hahaha, we're back!"

"The long-lost blue sea~~~ No wonder the Sky Islanders call us Blue Sea people."

Back on the familiar sea, everyone cheered and then looked up at the sky—who would have thought that there were islands and people above those rings of white clouds and the boundless blue sky?

"It's hard to believe we were adventuring at ten thousand meters high." Sanji lit a cigarette.

"Especially after falling down, it feels even more distant~~"

Even the knowledgeable Nico Robin couldn't help but sigh.

"It's like a dream."

...

"Alright, so today's training schedule—"

"Don't ruin the mood!" x7

Facing Robin, who had already integrated into the Straw Hat crew, Roman rolled his eyes. Drifting on the Grand Line, how could there be no danger? If you don't train regularly, you won't even be able to run away when you encounter a strong enemy—that would be truly tragic~~

We can't always end up in prison, right...

"Fine, let's take a day off today."

After all, they had just returned to the Grand Line from ten thousand meters high, and the sudden increase in oxygen levels indeed required some adjustment. Roman canceled today's training schedule, and everyone needed to sort out their gains from Sky Island.

"The Cloud Shells can't be used here,"

Usopp took out a bunch of Sky Island shells he had exchanged for.

"It's a pity, otherwise our crew members with abilities wouldn't have to worry about falling into the water~~~"

"Actually—?"

Roman, pulled by Nami, turned to look at the orange-haired girl beside him, asking her with his eyes.

Why don't you let me tell Usopp that I have better military shells here~~

Let Usopp use the civilian ones for research first, don't waste materials~~

Ah, makes sense~~

"What are you two winking at each other about?"

Facing Usopp's confusion, Nami waved her hand. "Nothing, let's get down to business!"

"Ta-da~~~"

A pile of gold jewelry was placed on the table in the cabin, and the Straw Hat crew was dazzled by the golden glow! After all, pirates can't do without gold and treasure, right?

As for who was steering the ship outside, it was, of course, Roman's tool, the 'White Knight.'

"The treasure we got from the adventure should be shared by everyone. I estimate it should be worth a few hundred million Berries."

"Yay!!"

"I want to buy a huge statue!"

"I want books, medical books~~"

"I want to replace the kitchenware, iron pots, and large mouse traps..."

"Finally, we can drink to our heart's content!"

No matter what, having money is always a good thing. So:

"First, divide the spoils into six parts..."

"Mm, mm, very reasonable—"

???!!!

Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper, who were nodding just now, suddenly froze:

Shocked faces! X5

"What kind of look is that?" Nami put her hands on her hips. "It's very rude to look at me like I'm a monster!"

"N-Nami... Miss, are you sure it's six parts?"

Sanji pointed tremblingly at the people around: Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, six people in total.

"Yes—"

"Who are you!!"

Luffy was furious~~

"Where is the real Nami?"

Usopp was in despair~~

"Could it be that you're Mr. 2 disguised as a trans..."

Sanji was so scared he dropped his cigarette~~

"No, I think it's Roman's 'puppet'~~"

Zoro calmly analyzed the truth~~

Wham! X4

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Nami, who had just given each of them a 'hundred-thousand-kilogram' book, rubbed her forehead.

"Got it, you are indeed Nami." X5

The few who had pulled their heads out of the deck nodded seriously, but:

"That's not right,"

Luffy rubbed his chin, unusually serious.

"If you were Nami, you would say 'I'll take 80% as my private stash'— not split it into six shares."

"Eh? Ah... this..."

The flustered Nami waved her hand, "I just... for a moment..."

"And,"

Pointing his index finger, Luffy used a 'the culprit is you' gesture towards Nami.

"You didn't include Roman's shares, which means—"

Cold sweat, cold sweat~~

It's over, it's over, could it be that Roman and I hiding the gold pillar...

"So Nami, you're not a greedy person~~ boohoo,"

Luffy grabbed Nami's hands, his face full of cold sweat, while he cried.

"I've always misunderstood you, I'm sorry~~"

"Boohoo, we all wrongly blamed Nami~~" x2

Nami, hugged by the three fools of the Straw Hat crew, awkwardly turned her face away.

"Haha, hahaha, yes... right..."

"I'm not a greedy person, right, Roman?"

"How would I know." Roman rolled his eyes, "I don't lack money."

...?

"By the way, before that."

Switching back to serious mode, Luffy looked around.

"I think we should repair the Going Merry."

That's true, although whenever a battle or emergency occurred, Roman would habitually wrap the Going Merry in paper, greatly enhancing the ship's resistance. But Roman couldn't do anything about various impacts and blunt force damage.

After all, even Roman himself needed a strong physique to withstand such attacks.

"Agreed!" x7

For a team like the Straw Hat crew, who are always drifting at sea, written as pirates but read as adventurers, the ship is like their home, their best partner to withstand storms and escape enemies. So:

"Since we don't know how much it will cost to repair the ship, let's not use this batch of gold for now."

"Agreed!" x7

"Great, then let's eat first."

As Sanji prepared the food and Robin helped serve the dishes, the group started eating and chatting.

"Speaking of which, we can't always rely on Usopp's patchwork repairs."

Zoro glanced at the long-nosed guy beside him. Whenever a battle occurred, Roman would wrap the ship in paper, simply and crudely enhancing the 'armor'. But after the battle, when the paper was removed, there were cracks and breaks everywhere...

After all, the Going Merry is just an ordinary wooden sailboat.

"For the record, I'm a sniper!"

Usopp was unhappy, doing two jobs for one salary... well, no salary at all. Is it easy for me?

"Yes, we should indeed find a professional shipyard for repairs."

Roman nodded after taking a sip of coffee. As the Straw Hat crew's strength steadily increased, Roman was gradually less anxious.

Luffy had developed his Gear Second, was fairly proficient with Observation Haki, and although Armament Haki was hit or miss, when it did activate, the damage was considerable. Combined with his rubber physique, he could at least be considered at the level of a Marine Rear Admiral.

Zoro, with two sharp swords and one great sword, along with his iron-cutting and sword energy skills, had also reached the threshold of a Rear Admiral. As for himself:

Although his Devil Fruit ability was versatile and all-encompassing, there was nothing particularly outstanding...

"Really," Nami rubbed her forehead and looked at the guy next to her holding a cup of coffee to his mouth without moving. "Roman, you're daydreaming again."

"Let's do this!"

Luffy summarized everyone's opinion.

"Let's find a shipwright to join us."

"Our journey is still long, we must find a professional shipwright!"

"The Golden Merry is our home, our partner!" Luffy spread his arms as if it was the most natural thing, "Let's find a shipwright who can protect it."

...

"Agreed!" x7

"This kid," Sanji, who came over with a plate, sighed.

"Occasionally, he hits the nail on the head." Zoro finished the sentence, and after realizing it, the two exchanged glances.

"Hmph!" x2

They looked at each other with disdain—

A shipwright?

Franky.

"Nami, can I have the newspapers from the past few days?"

Taking the newspapers Nami handed over, Roman carefully flipped through every corner but couldn't find what he was looking for.

The 'Wapol Consortium' hasn't appeared yet?

After being knocked away by Luffy, Wapol started a... wandering life.

The Munch-Munch Fruit is indeed powerful against ordinary people, but this world is full of hidden talents. Soon, Wapol encountered two old Marines who chased him relentlessly. He couldn't even use his abilities to bully others and didn't dare to fight back when bullied by little girls and dogs. He ended up selling matches and living under bridges, completely disgracing the ability users...

Later, he used the 'Munch-Munch Factory' ability to combine the waste from the bridge into metal toys, selling them to children to make a living. He accidentally created the famous 'Wapol Metal'!

That metal could withstand a punch from Big Mom without Haki and had self-repairing abilities. Its strength was evident! —After its appearance, it immediately attracted various heroes to purchase it, even prompting the World Government to reinstate Wapol as a member nation!

Even though he 'sold' his country...

"What a pity..."

Wapol, oh Wapol, where are you eating garbage now~~ Can't you quickly create Wapol Metal?

Roman and Nami both had 'Munch-Munch Pages' from Wapol. As long as they got the finished Wapol Metal, they could reverse-engineer the formula and use the pages to produce the alloy.

They could instantly strengthen Franky to a billion-level power!

Unfortunately... never mind, let's just train honestly.

How can mere alloy compare to well-trained muscles~~ Roman could only comfort himself this way.

——————

 ----

You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu