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Chapter 53 — To Cocoyasi Village
The Going Merry cut across the sea like a lazy bird, sails full and crew restless. Sunlight danced off the waves, the kind of picture-perfect morning where adventure felt both inviting and terrifying.
Sunny leaned against the rail, lips curled into a smile that made even the gulls fly wider arcs around the ship. It wasn't his usual grin — this one was slow, sharp, like he'd just remembered the punchline to a joke nobody else had heard.
Usopp shivered. "W-what's with that smile? He looks like he's planning to cook us all alive…"
Zoro cracked an eye open from his nap. "Hmph. If he tries, I'll cut him down."
Lucy cheerfully ignored the ominous aura and swung from the rigging with a laugh. "We're almost there! Conomi Islands, here we come!"
But Sunny wasn't thinking about arrival. His head was full of whispers only he could hear.
{ego}: "Ohohoho, yes. Perfect. Let's make training so brutal it'll make Aqua's sessions look like kindergarten nap time. I'm talking blood, sweat, tears — and maybe some vomiting. A LOT of vomiting. Readers, you're gonna love it!"
[system]: "Proposal received. Designing optimal hell regimen. Recommendation: twenty hours daily, minimal food, maximum pain. Their screams will be fuel for Master's ascension. Protecting Master means breaking everyone else." ♥
Sunny's smile deepened, shadow pooling in the corners of his mouth. He whispered back, too soft for anyone else to hear: "Make it worse. Make it unforgettable. But don't tell them yet."
Nami stepped up beside him, her hair catching sunlight like molten copper. She eyed his grin with suspicion. "What are you plotting now?"
Sunny tilted his head, voice dipped low with a teasing lilt. "Would you be jealous if I said it's a surprise?"
Her cheeks colored faintly, though she tried to brush it off. "I'll only be jealous if it's stupid."
"Then I'll make sure it's just stupid enough," he murmured, leaning closer.
Lucy, ever the chaos machine, threw herself between them. "Oi! No lovey-dovey on deck unless I get to be referee!"
Nami shoved Lucy away with practiced ease, and Sunny just chuckled, sliding an arm around Nami's waist for a second too long before stepping forward.
"Everyone on deck," he called. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried.
Usopp groaned but obeyed, Zoro lumbered up with his swords half-dragging, Lucy practically cartwheeled, and Sanji sprinted the second he heard Nami would be there.
The crew gathered around, bracing for either a speech or another one of Sunny's terrifying surprises.
He glanced at each of them, eyes calm. "We're heading for Cocoyasi Village. Aqua, Nojiko, and Bell-mère are waiting. But before that…" His expression sharpened. "We need to talk about strength. If we want dreams like Pirate Queen, All Blue, or becoming the world's greatest swordsman to mean anything, we'll need power to match it. Real power."
The words hung heavy in the salty air.
Zoro straightened, serious for once. "Hmph. Finally, you're speaking my language."
Usopp's knees knocked together. "D-does this mean more death-defying battles? Because I already risked my life against a crab!"
Lucy flung her arms wide, laughing. "Bring it on! No dream is too big for me!"
Sanji knelt dramatically at Nami's side. "For Nami-swan's dream, I'd face hell itself!"
{ego}: "Oh, reader, he really would. The eyebrow freak is one bad day away from serenading her with a frying pan. But fine. He's entertaining."
[system]: "Warning: Sanji's excessive devotion toward Nami poses a distraction. Suggest elimination—correction—surveillance." ♥
Sunny lifted a hand, silencing them. His usual cool blue aura of haki pulsed outward, washing over the deck like a tide. But then, something changed. His eyes darkened, the blue sinking deeper until they looked like voids — endless, starless, terrifying.
"What the hell—" Usopp choked.
Before anyone could blink, the world folded.
The deck buckled under their feet, the sea twisted, and suddenly the Going Merry wasn't gliding across calm waves. It was hurtling upward.
Zoro's hand shot to his swords. "What did you—"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Usopp screamed, clinging to the mast like a terrified gecko.
Sanji wrapped both arms around Nami — who, annoyingly calm, just crossed her arms.
"Why aren't you panicking?!" he yelled.
Nami sighed. "Because I already know Sunny can do this. Idiots."
Lucy, hair whipping in the gale, screamed with delight. "WE'RE FLYING! MERRY'S FLYING!"
The Going Merry soared higher and higher until the clouds swallowed them whole. 30,000 feet — air thin, wind brutal, the ocean a dizzy smear below.
Sunny stood steady, cloak snapping like wings, void-colored eyes reflecting the awe and terror of his crew. "This is what it takes. This is what we'll need if we want to reach our dreams." His smile widened, sharp as broken glass. "So get ready."
The ship groaned, creaked — but then settled, as though even Merry herself had decided to bear the impossible.
{ego}: "Ha! Did you see their faces? Priceless! Usopp might actually need new pants. This, my friends, is comedy gold mixed with trauma. Ten out of ten!"
[system]: "Master demonstrated superiority flawlessly. Emotional instability among crew noted. Proceed with training plan to maximize loyalty. Fear is an efficient adhesive." ♥
Sanji finally unclenched enough to light another cigarette, muttering, "Remind me why I left a perfectly good kitchen for this madness."
Zoro snorted, one hand on his sword. "Because you'd get fat otherwise."
"Say that again, moss-head!"
"Gladly, love-cook."
They butted heads as always, their bickering echoing even at 30,000 feet.
Meanwhile, Lucy had her arms spread wide, laughing like a kid on the world's deadliest rollercoaster. "This is the best day of my life! Merry's alive! She's a bird now!"
Sunny just stood at the center of it all, smile lingering, the whispers of {ego} and [system] coiled in his mind. Training. Pain. Strength. All of it hidden behind that void-blue gaze.
And Nami — steady, close enough to feel the edge of his arm brushing hers — looked up at him with a knowing glance. She didn't ask what he was planning. She already knew she'd find out, sooner or later.
The Going Merry soared on, and for the first time, their dreams felt like they were truly above the world.