Lucy attacked Emma.
Emma dodged and kicked Lucy in the back.
Lucy lost her balance and stumbled, her boots scraping against the floor. She quickly got up and grabbed one of her men's swords.
"The big bad Marine using a weapon against a weaponless girl," Emma taunted, smirking.
Lucy swung the sword at Emma, the steel whistling through the air. Emma ducked and countered with a spinning kick to Lucy's chest.
Lucy flew backward, crashing into her men with a loud thud. They all went down, groaning, crates rattling around them.
"Is that all you got?" Emma asked, brushing dust off herself.
Lucy scrambled to her feet and lunged again. Emma stepped aside, letting Lucy slam into a wall.
"Too slow," Lucy muttered, appearing behind Emma in an instant.
Emma swung her hand. Lucy disappeared and reappeared above her.
"Die, bitch," Lucy hissed.
EMMA- [I… can't dodge this.]
Vector Manipulation – Gravity Crush.
Lucy slammed into the ground. Dust and concrete fragments exploded around her.
The Marines froze, mouths open.
"He… he defeated Captain Lucy in one move!" one Marine yelled, stepping back.
Noah grabbed Emma by the waist and leapt into the air.
"Thanks for the food," Noah joked, holding emma tightly.
Noah focused his power, compressing vectors in the center of his palm. Energy swirled violently, twisting the air around them.
"What are you going to do?" Emma asked.
"Something new," Noah replied.
NOAH- [Now… let's see if this works]
He dropped the ball of compressed vectors. It exploded with a deafening boom, a shockwave tearing through the halls.
Steel beams bent, windows shattered, walls cracked, and smoke erupted in clouds that blinded the Marines. Crates flew through the air.
Marines screamed and stumbled, some thrown into walls, others trying to escape as debris rained down.
"Everyone… get down!" a Marine shouted, barely keeping balance.
EMMA- [This is insane…]
The explosion destroyed the base.
Noah hovered above the chaos, holding Emma tightly. "Did you kill them?" she asked, looking down at the carnage.
"Nope," Noah replied. "The attack wasn't strong enough. Just… enough to make a mess."
More Marines scrambled through the ruins, yelling in panic. "Retreat! Call for backup!"
Emma laughed, gripping Noah's arm.
The two soared out of the base, dodging falling beams and flying debris. Smoke and dust trailed behind them as the base collapsed further.
They approached the Going Merry.
"Welcome back!" Usopp shouted. "We heard an explosion!"
Noah slowly landed, setting Emma and the supplies down gently.
"That was me," Noah said casually, dusting off his clothes. "I wanted to test a new attack." He tossed an object to Nami. "By the way, look at this."
Nami caught it, brushing ash from her hand. "This is… an Eternal Log to Water Seven?"
"I've never heard of that place before," Sanji said, looking at the object.
Emma noticed Robin's smile fade when Nami mentioned Water Seven.
Usopp shook his head. "Man… what did you do back there? We felt that explosion way out here!"
Noah smirked. "Sorry about that".
Emma laughed softly, shaking her head.
EMMA- [ He's unbelievable.]
The Going Merry rocked slightly as the smoke from the destroyed base drifted away.
Two weeks had passed since the chaos at G–9. The blue ocean rolled gently under the Going Merry as it cut through the waves.
In that time, the crew had settled into a rough routine.
Early morning: Sanji cooked breakfast — eggs, bacon and bread.
Mid‑day: Noah and Emma took turns keeping watch.
Late afternoon: Usopp tuned his slingshot aim, while Zoro sparred with imaginary opponents on deck.
Night: Nami charted the stars (and scolded Luffy for eating all the meat). Robin quietly read maps. Chopper makes first aid medicine in case anything happens.
Emma sat on the deck one evening, legs dangling over the rail, watching the sunset. Noah joined her, quietly handing her a cup of coffee.
" It's been two weeks," Emma said softly. "Feels like we just left chaos behind—"
Noah nodded. "Maybe. But trouble has a way of following us, doesn't it?"
Emma smirked, but didn't argue.
THE NEXT DAY.
The sun rose gently over the calm sea. The Going Merry drifted forward, the morning breeze pushing them along.
"LAND HOOOO!" Usopp shouted from the front of the ship.
Everyone rushed to the deck.
A giant city of canals, shining water, and blue rooftops came into view. Buildings towered above the sea, connected by bridges and waterways. Massive sea-trains puffed white steam in the distance.
"Wow…" Emma whispered.
Noah leaned on the railing. "So this is Water Seven."
Luffy's eyes sparkled like treasure. "IT LOOKS AWESOME!"
Sanji lit a cigarette. "A city built on water… quite fancy."
Robin smiled softly. "It's known as the City of Shipwrights. The best craftsmen in the world live here."
Noah nodded. "Good. Maybe I can finally get my own ship ."
"Let's head to the main docking area. We need to exchange our treasure for money." Nami said.
The Going Merry sailed into the canals, passing between tall colorful buildings. People waved from the walkways.
Emma leaned closer to Noah. "This place is so lively…"
Noah smirked. "Yeah… and it feels expensive."
Luffy jumped onto the railing. "LET'S EXPLORE!!"
"Wait!" Nami yelled. "We need to exchange our gold first!"
The ship pulled into Dock One, where workers stopped and stared at the Merry.
A man walked forward, wiping his hands on a cloth.
"Welcome to Galley-La Company," he said. "I'm Kaku."
Emma whispered, "This guy looks like Usopp long lost twin…"
Noah almost choked trying not to laugh.
Kaku hopped onto the Merry with insane speed.
"Let me inspect your ship."
Usopp watched nervously. "Be gentle with her!"
Kaku nodded and disappeared inside.
A few minutes later, Kaku returned.
"Your ship… can no longer sail."
Everyone froze.
Nami blinked. "What? What do you mean?"
Usopp stepped forward fast. "That's a lie! The Merry can be fixed!"
Kaku shook his head. "The keel is broken. Even if we rebuild everything else, she'll fall apart at sea."
The words hit the crew like a punch in the face.
Usopp's face went pale. Usopp shook, fists tight. "You're wrong… you're wrong…"
Luffy stepped forward. His face was serious for once.
"Thanks for checking. We'll talk about this later."
Kaku bowed and left the ship.
Silence crushed the crew.
Emma placed a hand on Noah's arm. "This is bad."
Noah nodded. "Yeah… really bad."
Usopp stormed off.
"Don't follow me! I need time alone!"
Luffy didn't stop him.
Zoro crossed his arms. "Let him cool down."
Sanji watched quietly. "This is going to get ugly."
Noah looked at the Merry's wood, the cracks, the scars, the old patched-up parts.
He felt something sting in his chest.
Emma touched the railing. "Poor ship…"
Noah whispered, "Thank you… for carrying us this far."