The magnificent, water-logged city of Water 7 sprawled before the Going Merry. The crew was immediately enamored by the aquatic metropolis. However, the true crisis began almost immediately: the Merry's structural degradation.
The diagnosis from the dock workers was grim, but Kenji was already steps ahead.
"The frame is broken, beyond repair," the shipwright announced sadly.
Luffy and Usopp were instantly distraught, but Kenji placed a calming hand on their shoulders.
"There is no need for despair," Kenji said, his voice quiet but firm enough to command attention. "The Merry can be saved. The problem is simple physics and material fatigue. Both can be corrected."
He walked the length of the damaged keel, his fingers tracing the broken, salt-eaten wood.
• Target: Wood material (Keel of the Merry).
• Copying...
• Apex Enhancement Active...
• Resulting Ability: [Apex: Molecular Structural Refinement] Acquired. (The ability to instantly restructure any material at the atomic level, enhancing its durability and longevity to absurd degrees).
Kenji took a deep breath, focusing his will into the Apex: Molecular Structural Refinement. He didn't use hammers or nails. He simply channeled the energy, imagining the entire ship's frame as being forged from the strongest, most impervious material in the world.
A faint, luminescent silver glow emanated from Kenji's hands, spreading across the Merry's entire hull and keel in a single, mesmerizing wave.
The shipwrights, Luffy, and Usopp watched in stunned silence as the cracked, brittle wood of the keel healed. The fibers knitted together, the salt corrosion reversed, and the wood itself transformed, taking on the density and integrity of Adam Wood—the toughest lumber in the world—but stronger. The Merry was no longer just a wooden ship; it was a nearly indestructible vessel.
"The Merry is now structurally sound," Kenji announced, stepping back. "In fact, I've reinforced her to withstand cannon fire from an Admiral's ship. She will sail the New World and beyond."
Usopp burst into tears of relief, clinging to Kenji's leg. "Kenji! You're a miracle worker! You're the best fixer ever!"
Kenji had instantly neutralized the drama surrounding the ship's fate, saving the crew from internal conflict. But a more insidious threat remained.