Chapter 87: Skypiea – Campfire Night & Merry's Silent Return
"Burp~ I'm stuffed!" Luffy sprawled flat on his back, happily patting his swollen, ball-like belly.
Chopper swung his little hooves and asked: "So what are we doing tomorrow?"
"Of course we're going to settle the score with that self-proclaimed god, Enel!" Sol said as if it were obvious.
"I'm going back to Shandora to keep searching for the gold!" Nami clenched her fist stubbornly, her eyes practically flashing with Berry symbols.
"Poneglyph." Robin elegantly raised her hand, tone calm but firm.
"But I haven't had enough adventure yet…" Luffy scratched his head in frustration, looking like a kid who hadn't finished playing.
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and frowned: "But if we split up again, it'll be dangerous if we run into strong enemies like today."
At that moment Chopper shouted in delight: "Sky Knight-san, you're awake! Feeling better?"
"Still a bit weak, but no longer in danger." Gan Fall slowly sat up. Pierre flapped over and nuzzled close.
"Would you like some stew?" Sanji asked kindly.
"Thank you. Please serve some for both me and Pierre." Gan Fall nodded gratefully.
After they finished eating, Gan Fall bowed solemnly: "I'm truly ashamed. I came to rescue you, yet ended up being saved by you instead."
"Please don't say that. We should be the ones thanking you," Vivi replied gently.
After a moment of silence, Gan Fall asked thoughtfully: "I overheard your conversation earlier—you called this island Jaya? Do you know why it's now called the sacred land of Apayado?"
He scooped up a handful of soil and let it slip through his fingers: "To you, land is the most ordinary thing, right?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Zoro leaned against a tree and countered.
"But on Skypiea, this is the most precious treasure." Gan Fall's voice suddenly grew deep. "Island clouds can nurture plants, but they cannot give birth to life. This green land and soil… are miracles that never existed in the sky."
A nostalgic light shone in his eyes: "We call it 'Vearth.' It is the eternal longing of all Skypiea people."
"Let me tell you the history of this country. Until six years ago, I was the god of this sky island." As soon as Gan Fall began, Luffy stood up and pointed at him: "Ah! So that god was you all along! Take this—I'll send you flying!"
"Gah!" Pierre shot like lightning and clamped Luffy's head in his beak, mercilessly shaking and tearing. Blood immediately dripped down the straw hat.
"Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts! Let go, you stinking bird!"
"Please continue. Ignore this idiot." Nami delivered a hand-chop to Luffy's head, forcing him back down.
As Gan Fall calmly continued, four hundred years of enmity gradually became clear in the firelight—the furious roars of Shandian warriors, the longing of Skypiea residents, the blood spilled between two peoples fighting over this "Vearth"…
The night breeze blew past; the campfire crackled.
Everyone gazed at the soil falling from the old man's hand, truly understanding—for the first time—what this land meant to the people of Skypiea.
"Just beat the crap out of that Enel guy, then have everyone shake hands and make up, right?" Luffy suddenly blurted out, breaking the silence.
"Pfft… hahaha!" Vivi couldn't hold back her laughter. "That really sounds like something Luffy would say!"
Robin gracefully tucked back her hair: "Since it's already late, we should put out any unnecessary fires so we don't reveal our position."
"Hey hey Usopp, did you hear that?" Luffy dramatically widened his eyes. "She just said to put out the campfire!"
"Can't really blame Robin," the bandaged Usopp spread his hands. "She used to live in darkness after all. It's normal she doesn't understand these things."
Robin tilted her head in confusion: "What are you talking about?"
"Camping obviously needs a campfire party! Isn't that common sense?!"
"People can die, but the campfire must not go out! That's the romance of a real man!" The two idiots knelt on the ground and pounded the dirt in exaggerated despair.
Nami facepalmed and sighed: "I say we just use you two as firewood."
"Hey Luffy, is the campfire set up like this?" Zoro and Sanji had somehow already silently built a new bonfire platform together.
At that moment, countless pairs of eerie green eyes suddenly lit up deep in the forest, floating like fireflies in the darkness.
A white wolf leader with a ferocious scar over its left eye slowly stepped forward and let out a low growl toward Sanji.
"Chopper! Come translate quick!" Sanji called, cigarette in mouth.
Chopper perked his ears, listened carefully, then suddenly stood tall and mimicked the wolf king's fierce tone: "Hey! You noisy outsiders! Screaming and yelling in the middle of the night instead of sleeping—do you even know the rules?!"
"Hah? What did you just say?!" Luffy and Sanji immediately rolled up their sleeves.
"I-I'm just translating!" Chopper retreated in fright, then continued: "Every blade of grass and tree in this forest belongs to us! You start fires and cook without even asking—are you trying to steal our territory?!"
Before he finished, Nami's iron fist smashed down on the wolf king's head: "You dare eye my treasure? Tired of living?!"
The surrounding cloud wolves immediately bared their teeth, fur bristling. Usopp trembled and hid behind Zoro: "We're done for… the mood just got terrifying…"
"Everyone stop!" The wolf king—now sporting a huge lump—barked at his pack, then turned to Nami. His gaze suddenly softened: "This lady… your fist… really makes my heart race."
Chopper dutifully continued translating beside them.
Usopp quietly poked Sol: "Hey, that wolf seems to have fallen for Nami!"
Sol covered his face but couldn't hide his proud grin: "As expected of my Nami—even her charm transcends species~"
"…Never mind, forget I asked." Usopp's face went deadpan.
"Party time!!" Luffy suddenly spread his arms and shouted. "Everyone—let's have a campfire party together!"
Surprisingly, the cloud wolves actually joined in. They brought out their treasured fruit wine; Zoro also fetched the Merry's stored liquor.
Around the bonfire, humans and wolves slung arms over shoulders, dancing bizarre dances.
Gan Fall watched the unbelievable scene and murmured: "To actually get along so well with ferocious cloud wolves… what an extraordinary group of Qinghai people."
Sol walked over to Robin, who was sitting alone, and handed her a cup of wine: "Don't just sit there. A campfire party is only fun when everyone joins in."
Robin was pulled into the circle by Sol. Soon after, Vivi and Nami grabbed her hands and started dancing.
The party lasted deep into the night until everyone collapsed in exhaustion. In the end, only the campfire embers glowed quietly in the darkness, warming them all.
Around two or three in the morning, Usopp woke up needing to pee. Groggily he got up to relieve himself.
Just as he was about to head back to sleep, a faint "tap tap" sound came from the Merry's direction.
"Hm? Who's knocking on the ship at this hour? Didn't we say we'd repair it tomorrow morning?" Usopp rubbed his eyes and followed the sound.
Thick fog blanketed the lake; the Merry's silhouette appeared faintly in the night.
Usopp squinted and vaguely saw a hazy figure crouched by the ship's side, holding tools and diligently repairing something.
"Uwaaah! Gh-ghost!!" Usopp's hair stood on end; his legs gave out and he fainted on the spot.
"Not going to say hi to Usopp? He's the one who loves you most." Sol's voice came from the deck. He sat leisurely on the rail, clearly having known who the "ghost" was all along.
"No need." A gentle voice came from beneath the hood. The figure's hands never stopped working. "I have to hurry and fix the ship so everyone can keep sailing… that's what I should do right now."
"Is that so? Then I'll head back to rest." Sol lightly jumped down, casually hoisted the fainted Usopp over his shoulder, and glanced back before leaving: "See you tomorrow, Merry."
"Mm." Merry gave a soft nod. Her hammer continued striking the wood with precise rhythm. "I'll always stay with you all… until the very last moment."
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