Chapter 436: Arrival at Water 7: The Shipwright Search Begins

Whenever the ship needed repairs, Usopp was always the first to step up and fix it.

But he wasn’t a professional shipwright. Even though Ye Fan had strengthened the ship again and again, some parts still took damage. Usopp patched those places with planks, nailing them in bit by bit.

Still, Ye Fan’s efforts paid off. At least Merry’s keel and most of its main structures hadn’t taken any fatal hits.

If they could double the size of the ship and replace the keel with a new one, not only would the Merry be saved, they’d get twice as much space inside.

Up on the second floor, Nami and Chopper were huddled over the map, faces scrunched in confusion.

“It says here to find someone named Iceburg on the map,”

“But who can even read this thing?”

A simple drawing showed two puffy clouds, a sun, a tiny mountain with a rail track stretching out. Left and right was all sea, and Iceburg’s marked spot sat just to the left of the mountain.

Nami, exasperated, flung the map onto the floor.

Drawn like this, no one could make heads or tails of it.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Luffy proudly held up his own version of the ‘best shipwright’ for everyone to see.

It looked like a doodle with a duck bill, spiral hair standing straight up, two Ultraman-shaped eyes, a skinny body, stubby legs, and a massive left hand. Honestly, it was even more abstract than the map.

Sanji, Zoro, and the others glanced over, looks of pure disdain spreading across their faces.

Seriously, was this supposed to be a shipwright and not some kind of monster?

Back on the second floor, Nami finally folded the baffling map and tucked it away with Kokoro’s introduction letter.

“Alright, everyone, we’ll be landing in Water 7 soon. Here’s your spending money for when we get to shore!”

Their treasurer had spoken. Instantly, everyone gathered around.

They’d already blown through most of their money back on Skypiea. Now that they were at such a unique island, nobody wanted to miss a chance to buy something special.

Nami, who scored 800 million berries in Skypiea, was feeling generous. Everyone got a million berries each, except Sanji who received five million. Not for splurging—he was in charge of restocking food supplies for their next voyage.

Once the cash was handed out, Zoro muttered off to the side about how stingy Nami was. They had won 800 million berries, yet she only gave out a million each. That was pretty tightfisted.

No one dared voice those thoughts out loud, though. Nami’s punches hurt way too much.

Money sorted, everyone headed back to their posts, the Merry flying toward the distant horizon.

……

“Hey guys, that must be the island right ahead!”

Standing on the lookout, Usopp peered through the telescope and spotted land along the shore.

“It’s definitely an island!”

“That’s gotta be Water 7.”

“All right!”

After another ten minutes or so, the Merry approached the waters right outside Water 7.

Even before they docked, the entire group was blown away by the breathtaking sight in front of them.

“Wow, this is too cool.”

“So beautiful.”

“So this is Water 7… It’s incredible.”

Rising before them was a city shaped like an upside-down spinning top, a giant fountain at its center pouring seawater into special rivers that ran out to the sea, painting a mesmerizing scene.

“Amazing!”

“Adventure, here I come!”

They finally docked at the harbor reserved for pirates, officially arriving at Water 7.

Locals here had seen all kinds of pirates, but it was rare for anyone to cause trouble in Water 7.

First, because this was home to the world’s top shipyard. Every pirate dreamed of owning a custom ship, so there was an unspoken agreement: keep the peace while here.

Second, Water 7 was also one of the main shipbuilding bases for the World Government. Pirates who stirred up trouble tended to disappear quietly, so nobody was foolish enough to play with fire.

Soon, they moored the ship at one of Water 7’s pirate docks.

Dozens of pirate ships floated nearby.

“Alright, we’re here. Drop the sails!”

Nami put away her Eternal Pose and called out to Yosaku and Johnny.

But as the two reached the sail to lower it, it shot up on its own.

“Merry, almost forgot about you.” Nami chuckled, patting Merry, who’d somehow snuck up beside her.

Merry was always darting around the ship. Everyone was used to it, sometimes forgetting he was actually the Ship Spirit and treating him like a regular friend.

“Still, it’s wild seeing so many pirate crews parked here all getting along.” Nami glanced at the other crews, amazed at the peaceful atmosphere.

Ever since they’d first set out, whenever they ran into pirates on the sea or on another island, it almost never ended peacefully.

“Maybe the islanders just don’t even bat an eye anymore.”

“After all, this is Water 7. Even pirates count as customers here.”

Usopp lowered his telescope, then slid down from the lookout.

“Or maybe there’s someone really strong keeping all the pirates in line,” Robin mused.

She figured, even with this being the global shipbuilding capital, some pirates would be reckless. The only reason nothing major had ever happened must be because some bigshot was holding things down.

After all, pirate crews like Luffy’s were still a rare breed on these seas.

“Whoa, for real?”

“Ahahaha, I hope we get to meet them!” Luffy was always up for fun. The moment Robin said that, he was itching to get off the ship and explore.

“So, who’s staying behind to watch the ship today?” Sanji asked calmly.

Ye Fan was about to volunteer, but tiny Merry suddenly stepped up. “Relax, everyone. I’ve got it covered,” he declared.

As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and shadowy holes appeared all over the ship.

This was a new anti-theft setup Ye Fan and Usopp had installed. If the crew all left, Merry could control the traps to keep the ship safe.

“Alright, we’re heading out!” Luffy, already strapped with a pouch, patted Usopp’s shoulder as he passed, and the two of them nodded in silent agreement before heading for the shore.

“Wait for me, I’m coming too!” Chopper had changed into a breezy outfit and caught up with them.

“We need to find the Iceburg that Kokoro told us about to help repair the ship, and somewhere to trade the gold for berries.” Nami and Robin were followed by Johnny and Yosaku.

Those two would watch their backs after cashing in the gold—there were still plenty of pirates here, and the girls couldn’t defend everything on their own.

“Alright, let’s get going!”