Chapter 24: Conspiracy or Confession?
As a result, the problem circled back to the starting point.
"Can I ask the original size of your ship?" Nami pressed.
Cheng Lang scratched his head and glanced at Alvida.
"Six meters long, five meters wide."
"A small-to-medium vessel, expanded into something about twenty-four by twenty," Nami calculated quickly, eyeing the ship.
"So… do we just make do with it? I think we could manage with a medium fishing boat, maybe seventeen or eighteen meters."
"Luffy, your ship was that little boat you left from my side with, right?" Alvida asked. She remembered clearly—he hadn't had a proper ship, and she herself hadn't bothered with her old pirate vessel. Cheng Lang's modified ship was far more comfortable, and at the time she'd been too focused on chasing the Straw Hat boy to waste time selling her own.
"Yes," Luffy answered without hesitation.
"Then forget it. I know how worn out that boat is. It's fine as a dinghy for going ashore, but for long voyages? It's slow, and the hull's too weak. After all this time at sea, don't you feel it dragging?"
Luffy didn't notice, but Nami did.
"Indeed. That boat is very slow."
"The wood's poor quality. After years of soaking, the hull's heavy and sluggish. It's fine for the calm East Blue, but if you try the Grand Line, it'll break apart." Alvida spread her hands.
She had been frugal back then—pirates didn't care about quality as long as it floated. If it capsized, they could swim.
"This is troublesome." Luffy didn't catch the details, but he understood the gist: the boat was broken.
Nami sighed. She had thought about modifying Buggy's old boat, but the hull was just as bad. She'd read about the Grand Line—just Reverse Mountain alone would destroy a weak ship.
Even with modifications, it wouldn't survive.
Cheng Lang stayed quiet, leaving the others puzzled. He didn't want his presence to erase the Going Merry from existence. But seeing Luffy so tangled, he decided to change the subject.
"Come to think of it, didn't anything else happen today?"
"Anything else? What do you mean?" Nami asked, puzzled.
Usopp also looked curious.
Cheng Lang glanced at the sunset. Something felt off.
In the manga, events flowed seamlessly, as if only a day or two had passed. But here, reality was different. Nearly a month had gone by since Luffy set out, and he had only recruited Usopp.
At this pace, would it even be possible to reach Sabaody within a year?
On Earth, a modern steamship could circle the globe in seventy-nine days, with only brief stops. But here, with sailboats, supplies, and the Grand Line's magnetic fields, the journey was far slower. Add in battles, detours, and shipbuilding delays—completing even half the Grand Line in a year was absurd.
Time itself felt wrong.
"If there's anything else, it's probably about Usopp…" Nami said, recounting what had happened.
Cheng Lang immediately understood. This was the butterfly effect. In the original story, Usopp had run off mid-meal. But here, because of him, things had shifted.
"Krabatel? Suspicious. Think about it—your presence has helped Kaya. Her depression has lifted, she's cheerful again. If this butler truly cared, he'd act like Merry: turn a blind eye, keep balance, but not drive you away. Forcing you out risks worsening her condition."
"So this guy really cares about Miss Kaya?" Usopp asked.
Cheng Lang gave a pointed look.
"Or he cares too much."
Luffy didn't get it. But Usopp stiffened. The words hit home.
Nami frowned. She hadn't thought about it before, but now it seemed full of holes. Still, suspicion wasn't proof.
"If nothing unexpected happens, something will happen tonight," Alvida guessed.
"What?!"
"Think about it. Usually he just scolds you. Today he pushed and pushed, even let you hit him. Why? You didn't do anything different with Kaya. That's not normal."
"Maybe we're overthinking," Nami offered.
Cheng Lang shrugged.
"If you ask me, this Crabatel likes Kaya. Seeing you cheer her up, he's been jealous for a long time. Now that she's nearly recovered, he's seizing the chance to drive you away. My guess? He'll confess to her tonight."
Reframed like that, everyone nodded. It made sense.
Then all eyes turned to Usopp.
After all, this had become a love rival's war.
Usopp's face turned crimson. He stayed silent, clearly torn.
Finally, he muttered, "I'm gonna go see."
Everyone burst out laughing.
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