[A/N: Merry is the ship RBG modify]
Chapter 47 -The Gift of a Merry
Sunny pov
The Black Cat Pirates were finished. The last traces of their cowardly retreat had long since been swept away by the salt air and the cries of gulls above. For the first time in days, the air in Syrup Village felt peaceful. Too peaceful, almost.
Usopp, Kaya, and the villagers were gathered in front of the mansion, patching wounds, laughing nervously, still trying to believe they were safe.
Sunny leaned against the stone wall at the side of the courtyard, eyes half-closed. On the outside, he looked calm. On the inside—
{ego}: "Heh, you're holding back that smug grin again. You basically terrified a whole pirate crew into wetting themselves. Admit it, you're enjoying this."
[system]: "Don't tease Sunny. He's tired. And besides… he looked cool. Really, really cool~"
Sunny smirked slightly. "Both of you shut up. I need to focus. He's coming."
And sure enough—his vision flickered. For a heartbeat, reality shimmered, and the oppressive voice of RBG coiled into his mind like smoke.
RBG: "Sunny boy… You did well. You crushed Kuro's little circus and earned yourself more than scraps. So, as agreed, I'll give you what you want. A proper ship. Something worthy of your little band of misfits."
Sunny's eyebrow twitched. "You said I'd get a vessel. Don't trick me, old monster."
RBG: "Kuhahaha! Do I look like I break contracts? Well, don't answer that. The ship will be docked by dawn. Sleek, sturdy, with a few… extra touches courtesy of our bargain."
A shadow of unease curled in Sunny's stomach. "Extra touches?"
RBG: "Let's just say the interior space has been… expanded. More room than it should have, even if you walk its halls for hours. Kitchens that never run out of flame, storage that doesn't rot, rooms that always feel… lived in. A moving fortress, tailored for your little family."
Sunny's hand flexed. He hated the idea of owing RBG anything.
{ego}: "Tch. Sounds shady. But admit it—convenient as hell."
[system]: "A cozy home! Sunny, I want the room next to yours!"
Sunny ignored them both. He had no choice but to accept.
And then, as RBG's voice began to fade, a final whisper slithered through Sunny's mind, cold enough to make the hairs on his neck rise.
RBG: "Oh… I didn't say this last time, did I? That girl, Lucy? She's a yandere. You'll know it soon enough. Enjoy your new toy, Sunny boy. Kuhahaha—"
The voice vanished.
Sunny's eyes opened sharply, but no one noticed. The villagers were still laughing, Kaya was busy smiling weakly at Usopp.
Only Sunny knew. Only he had heard it.
{ego}: "Lucy? A yandere? Ooooh, this is going to be good."
[system]: "No! Sunny's mine, not Lucy's! Don't you dare even think about it—"
Sunny pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to be a headache…"
Later, when the chaos settled, Kaya approached the group.
"I have something for you all," she said softly, her voice weak but determined. Usopp supported her arm, glancing at her like she was made of glass.
Sunny couldn't help himself. He grinned. "You two really look like boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Wha—w-w-what?!" Kaya's face went crimson as she nearly tripped over her own slippers.
"I-I'm not—he's not—" Usopp stammered, waving his arms around like a windmill.
The crew burst into laughter. Lucy slapped her knee and howled, Zoro smirked behind a lazy yawn, and even Nami hid a chuckle behind her hand.
{ego}: "Nice one. You broke them."
[system]: "He's so mean sometimes, but that smile… ugh, so unfair."
Sunny winked at Kaya. "Take care of him, alright? He's fragile."
"I AM NOT FRAGILE!" Usopp bellowed, voice cracking.
The next morning, the village gathered at the docks.
Moored at the pier was a ship that didn't belong to Syrup Village. Sleek white sails, a sturdy body, and at the bow—a carved figurehead of a sheep with wide, innocent eyes.
"The Going Merry…" Kaya whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "It's my gift to you. To thank you for saving me. For saving all of us."
The crew fell silent, struck by the sight.
Lucy was the first to break it—"IT'S SO CUTE!" she squealed, darting toward the figurehead like she'd found treasure.
Zoro folded his arms. "Hmph. As long as it floats."
Nami touched the railing gently, her eyes softening. "It's… beautiful."
Sunny said nothing. His hand rested on the wood, and for just a moment, he felt the faint pulse of RBG's influence deep inside the ship. It looked ordinary enough, but he knew better.
{ego}: "A wolf in sheep's clothing, huh?"
[system]: "Home. It's going to be our home."
Sunny smiled faintly. Whatever twisted strings RBG had tied into this ship, it was theirs now.
And when Kaya whispered, "Please take care of each other out there… and Usopp, don't forget us," Sunny saw it—the look in Usopp's eyes, torn between duty and love.
He grinned again. "Boyfriend, don't make her cry."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Usopp shrieked. Kaya turned red again, covering her face with both hands.
The laughter rolled across the dock, loud and warm, like a new beginning.
Sunny turned his eyes toward the horizon. "From here on… I'll take care of the pirates. That's my job."
The sea breeze carried his words forward, like a promise.
---
The Merry's First Laughs
The sails of the Going Merry billowed in the sea breeze, white and proud against the endless blue. The ship cut across the waves smoothly, as if she had always belonged to them.
Lucy was sprawled across the sheep figurehead, arms wide, shouting at the gulls:
"FLYYYY FREEEEE, SHEEP-CHAN!"
The gulls cawed back, unimpressed.
"Oi, get off there before you fall!" Zoro barked, lounging against the mast with his swords as pillows.
"I won't fall! I'm light as a feather! Wheeeee—" Lucy leaned too far forward and slipped, screaming.
"—SHEEEEEEP SAVE ME!"
Sunny sighed, catching her midair with one arm without even looking, still sipping tea with the other. "How many times are you going to test gravity, Lusy?"
Lucy clung to him like a child. "At least five more times today!"
{ego}: "Push her overboard and be done with it."
[system]: "Nooo, keep her! She's funny. Like a pet, but louder."
---
On deck, Usopp puffed out his chest, pointing dramatically at the horizon.
"Behold! Your new captain! Captain Usopp of the Going Merry!"
Nami smacked him over the head with a rolled-up map. "You're not the captain."
"Y-You can't deny destiny, woman!" Usopp cried, clutching his skull.
"Wanna bet?" Nami growled, smacking him again.
Zoro chuckled lazily. "Better let her have her way. Otherwise you'll end up swimming home."
"Some first mate you are!" Usopp wailed.
---
Sunny wandered toward the railing, his senses sharpening. With his Observation Haki, he could feel it—something faint, flickering, like a candle in the dark. A heartbeat, soft and shy, coming from the ship itself.
He rested a hand on the polished wood. "…You're alive, aren't you? Little sheep."
The Merry's timbers seemed to hum under his touch, almost bashful.
{ego}: "Hah. Your ship has a crush on you already."
[system]: "She knows Master is the best. Even wood falls in love with him~"
Sunny shook his head with a faint smile. "Not everything is in love with me."
"Wanna bet?" Nami's voice purred near his ear. She leaned against the railing, close enough that her shoulder brushed his. Her orange hair shimmered in the sunlight, her smirk smug. "Everything good on this sea will end up mine… including you."
Sunny smirked back. "Pretty sure I already belong to you."
Nami blinked—then blushed faintly, looking away quickly. "D-Don't say it like that, idiot…" She busied herself with her charts to hide her smile.
{ego}: "Pathetic. You turn into a lovesick fool so easily."
[system]: "Nooo, it's perfect! Kiss more! Hug more! Claim each other!"
---
Meanwhile, Lucy had found a barrel of apples in the galley and was rolling around the deck with them.
"APPLES FOR EVERYONE!" she declared, juggling four at once.
Zoro caught one without looking and bit into it. "Thanks."
Sunny caught one midair, tossed it behind his back to Usopp, who fumbled it, dropped it, then scrambled after it like it was treasure.
Lucy gasped dramatically. "Usopp! You dishonor the fruit!"
"I DIDN'T DROP IT—THE SHIP MOVED!" Usopp shouted defensively.
"Sheep-chan would never betray us!" Lucy cried, hugging the figurehead again.
The Merry creaked faintly under Lucy's touch. Sunny felt it—the ship's spirit pulsing like laughter.
He smiled faintly. "…She really does like you, huh?"
---
Later that evening, as the sun dipped low and painted the sea in gold, the crew gathered on deck for dinner.
Lucy gnawed a drumstick like a wolf. "Meat is happiness!"
"Chew properly," Nami scolded, but Lucy ignored her.
Usopp was in the middle of another tall tale about how he "singlehandedly defeated a hundred Black Cat pirates" when Zoro leaned back and snored loudly, drowning him out.
"ARE YOU IGNORING MY HEROICS?!" Usopp screeched.
"Yes," Zoro muttered in his sleep.
Even Nami cracked a smile at that.
Sunny leaned back, watching them all bicker and laugh, and for a moment, he let himself relax. The sea was wide, the air smelled of salt, and the Merry's newborn soul thrummed beneath his feet like a lullaby.
{ego}: "Don't get soft. Storms are coming."
[system]: "Let him rest. Just for tonight… this is happiness."
Sunny closed his eyes, the corners of his lips tugging upward. "Yeah… happiness."
And the Going Merry creaked warmly in agreement, her first whisper of laughter joining the crew's.