Chapter 112 – [112] : [BONUS] – The Klabautermann! See you soon, Aokiji!

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The unprecedented bonfire feast raged from night into day, then from day back into night.

Joyful laughter echoed ceaselessly until everyone—every race present—was utterly exhausted. As the bonfires slowly died down, the grand celebration gradually drew to a close.

Nami and Vivi lay peacefully on either side of Rowen’s chest, their beautiful faces adorned with blissful, contented smiles.

Robin too had fallen asleep, her head uncharacteristically resting on Rowen’s lap, her hands subconsciously clutching his torso—a position that clearly brought her immense comfort and security.

Rowen opened his eyes, shaking his slightly aching head, then smiled fondly at the two lovely sleeping faces beside him and Robin clinging to his leg.

This epic party—even he had had a bit too much to drink. The subsequent headache wasn’t pleasant, but the joy of the drinking itself was unforgettable.

Rowen carefully extracted his now numb arm from beneath Nami and Vivi’s heads, shaking it out.

Looking at Robin, sleeping so peacefully with a serene smile, still hugging his leg—Rowen found her unexpectedly adorable. He smiled and playfully poked her cheek.

“Mm?”

Robin frowned slightly, like a little girl whose dreams were disturbed, and slowly opened her eyes.

“Good morning—” Rowen greeted her with a smile.

Robin looked at Rowen, then at her current position, and her face instantly flushed crimson.

But her hands subconsciously tightened their grip on Rowen, reluctant to let go.

She had slept so soundly, so peacefully—more peacefully than at any time since the Ohara Incident…

Since she was eight, witnessing the horror of Ohara under the Buster Call, burdened with a 79 million Beri bounty, she had endured countless betrayals and pursuits, even with her Flower-Flower Fruit.

Never a truly restful night’s sleep.

But this sleep—had been incredibly sweet, incredibly secure. In her dreams, there were no horrors of Ohara, no pursuits, no nightmares of being captured by the World Government.

Only endless tranquility and sweetness. And it was all because she was leaning on—Rowen.

Robin cherished this feeling, reluctant to let it go!

“Mmm! Rowen… Robin… Good morning,” Nami and Vivi stirred awake. Nami blinked, looking at Rowen, then at Robin still clinging to his leg.

“Ahhh!” Like a startled rabbit, Robin instantly let go of Rowen.

Seeing Robin like this, Nami and Vivi stared, momentarily stunned.

Especially Vivi…

Miss All Sunday, who always seemed so enigmatic and unreadable in Vivi’s eyes—was now acting like a little girl!!

“Um… I…” Robin looked at Nami and Vivi, wanting to say something but unsure where to begin.

But just then—

“Shhh.” Rowen placed a finger to his lips, his expression mysterious.

Thump! Thump!

The clear sound of a wooden mallet striking, amplified by his Rumble-Rumble Fruit-enhanced Observation Haki, reached Rowen’s ears.

“Rowen?” Nami, Vivi, and even Robin looked at Rowen, confused. They didn’t possess his enhanced Haki.

“Follow me—” Rowen said, standing up and walking towards the slightly misty White-White Sea.

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Aboard the Going Merry, shrouded in light mist.

A figure in a raincoat, wielding a wooden mallet, was diligently repairing the ship. Under its ministrations, the wings that had been attached for their ascent to Skypiea vanished, and the Merry gradually returned to her original form—the way she looked when Kaya gifted her to them.

“Th-That’s…” Nami stared incredulously at the figure.

“The Klabautermann… It’s Merry’s spirit—” Rowen murmured, looking at the figure in the raincoat, a wave of emotion washing over him.

The ship’s spirit, whose appearance brought tears to countless One Piece fans in the original story—had finally manifested…

More importantly, this spirit was born from the ship Kaya had given them.

Thinking of that beautiful lady from Syrup Village, a gentle smile touched Rowen’s lips.

‘The day I fulfill my promise and return to take Kaya to sea… is not far off.’ Rowen’s eyes gleamed.

Nami, Vivi, and even Robin pressed their lips together, watching the figure in the mist diligently repairing their ship, the Going Merry.

This legendary spirit—said to only appear on ships deeply loved and cared for by their crew—had been born on their ship?

“Merry,” Rowen called out softly.

“R-Rowen… N-Nami… V-Vivi… R-Robin…” Merry looked towards them, speaking somewhat haltingly, but accurately naming each of them.

Hearing her name, Robin covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

‘The ship’s spirit… remembered her name? Did even Merry acknowledge her… as a true member of this crew?’

In that moment, Robin felt the darkness in her heart, which Rowen had slowly been dispelling, recede even further.

“You’ve only just been born—you probably can’t talk much yet, can you, Merry?” Rowen asked with a kind smile.

Merry nodded, smiling back.

“I… I can’t appear… where there are many people…” Merry spoke in broken sentences, but Rowen understood.

As a somewhat ethereal ship’s spirit, she arguably didn’t exist in the same plane as humans.

This was likely why Klabautermanns always appeared amidst mist.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out—” Rowen stated seriously.

So what if they weren’t the same species?

After dealing with the World Government, they would definitely have an unprecedented feast—a final feast—and Merry would absolutely be there!

With the Strongest Trait System, Rowen was certain he could make it happen.

“Mm… Th-Thank you, Rowen. W-Without your ability… I-I would have been hurt much worse,” Merry’s voice was filled with a cheerful lilt.

“Unfortunately, none of us are shipwrights—we can’t properly modify you. Don’t worry, when we reach the next island, we’ll definitely find the best shipwright to make you even stronger!” Rowen promised earnestly.

After acquiring the Munch-Munch Fruit, Rowen had made some minor reinforcements to the Merry, focusing primarily on strengthening the wood of her keel—

But Rowen wasn’t a shipwright; he knew little about ship modification.

Carelessly using the Munch-Munch Fruit for major alterations could lead to unforeseen problems. So, Rowen had been very restrained, only focusing on the keel.

“Mm,” Merry nodded, smiling.

She too wished to accompany Rowen and the others on their voyages for much longer.

But on the Grand Line, her hull was inherently ill-suited for such demanding conditions. If not for Rowen using his Munch-Munch Fruit to strengthen her somewhat, she might already be struggling to sail.

“I-I have to go now,” Merry said, looking at the gradually dissipating mist with a smile.

“See you next time, Merry,” Rowen replied, smiling.

As the mist cleared, Merry’s figure vanished, leaving only the Going Merry, now restored to her original appearance.

“Incredible… Merry,” Nami smiled softly. Vivi and Robin also smiled.

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“Alright, let’s get ready. Time to leave this place. Nami, how’s the Log Pose?” Rowen asked.

“ALL SET!” Nami held up her wrist; the Log Pose needle was now pointing downwards—towards the next island, in the Blue Sea.

“Let’s go,” Rowen commanded. Only in Water 7 could the Merry be properly modified and repaired.

“Mm!” Nami, Vivi, and even Robin—buoyed by Merry’s appearance—eagerly anticipated their next journey.

When Rowen told Luffy and the others about Merry’s appearance, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper immediately started yelling, clamoring to see her.

But the newly born ship’s spirit couldn’t manifest without mist. A single sharp look from Rowen quickly silenced them.

However, Luffy and the others were now incredibly excited for their next stop, all shouting about finding the best shipwright to upgrade Merry.

With so much gold, their crew was very wealthy.

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Next came preparations for leaving Skypiea.

Nami’s Clima-Tact had already been upgraded to a Sorcery Clima-Tact. With the Munch-Munch Fruit’s ability and the assistance of the Skypieans, Usopp found many Dials perfectly suited for it.

Leveraging Usopp’s Inventor Trait, the thunderclouds created by the Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit were successfully integrated into the Sorcery Clima-Tact.

(Because Rowen himself used the Munch-Munch Fruit for the process, the normally violent thunderclouds became remarkably docile, like Zeus, and were smoothly incorporated.)

Now, Nami just needed to continuously practice using her new weapon.

Rowen also conducted Haki training for Wyper and the other elite Shandian warriors.

Since they were now allies, Rowen could naturally use their spiritual link channel to infuse them with spiritual power.

Wyper successfully awakened Armament Haki and Observation Haki.

Kamakiri, Braham, and Genbo awakened only Armament Haki (Observation Haki was generally harder to awaken).

Raki, surprisingly, like Usopp in the original story, awakened only Observation Haki.

Rowen didn’t completely give up on the Shandians who hadn’t awakened Haki.

Instead, like Joy Boy 800 years ago, he ‘tied a knot’ of his own spiritual power, storing it within the statue of Kalgara the Great Warrior, one of Shandora’s landmarks.

(Thanks to the System, this spiritual ‘knot’ was even more better than Joy Boy’s. Joy Boy’s ‘knot’, once untied, released all its Haki at once. But Wyper and the others could gradually untie Rowen’s knot, drawing out portions of the stored spiritual power as needed—

Whether to enhance their own spiritual strength or to help other physically qualified Shandian warriors awaken Haki, it was very convenient. And because a link was established, Rowen could replenish the spiritual power in the ‘knot’ at any time via the System, without needing to physically return.)

Now, Wyper and the other elites just needed to train the rest of the Shandian warriors.

The Shandians possessed formidable physiques—with Rowen’s help, before the final war, they would become a force not to be underestimated in Rowen’s arsenal.

Rowen also equipped the physique Traits from Wyper and the others, but the gains were minimal—after his own physique reached Apex Gold, these lower-tier physique Traits offered little improvement.

To achieve significant further physical enhancement, besides slow, diligent training, Rowen would need to plunder high-tier Traits from truly powerful individuals.

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During this period, Rowen and his crew also enjoyed the unique sights and culture of Skypiea—its distinctive food and fruits, its unique architecture.

The beautiful, dreamlike Sky Island, freed from Enel’s tyrannical rule, had regained its original splendor, much to the delight of Luffy and the others, who exclaimed in awe constantly…

Rowen, accompanying Nami, Vivi, and Robin, watching their happy smiles as they experienced the beautiful sights, also smiled.

Girls, after all, loved beautiful things.

Rowen enjoyed it too, experiencing the unique charm of this land ten thousand meters above the sea.

A truly magical experience—

Before leaving, one final preparation was needed: storing the Ark Maxim and the giant golden pillars.

The Going Merry certainly couldn’t carry these colossal objects.

Fortunately, Rowen had the Munch-Munch Fruit—Combining it with his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, he could ‘consume’ both massive items and then store them as wisps of smoke.

Since this was an inherent ability of the Munch-Munch Fruit, the continuous stamina drain was minimal—negligible for Rowen’s current Apex Gold physique—he could store them easily.

The synergistic use of multiple Devil Fruit abilities was truly miraculous and convenient, making Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper—the ‘Curiosity Trio’—gape in awe, loudly praising Rowen’s awesomeness.

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All preparations complete, the Going Merry set sail once more.

“THANK YOU… truly, thank you!!!”

As the Merry weighed anchor and sailed towards the Cloud End, Shandians, Angel Island citizens, the dancing wolves, even the Master of the Sky, all came to see them off.

A countless crowd chased after the Merry, their faces filled with profound gratitude, escorting the ship on its departure.

After the unprecedented bonfire feast, the Shandians and Angel Islanders reached a consensus:

Gan Fall would resume his role as leader, guiding them towards a better life.

Upper Yard would become a shared land for both Shandians and Angel Islanders.

The 400-year war finally, truly, ended—

Their gratitude towards Rowen and his crew was beyond words; they could only express a fraction of it through this heartfelt farewell.

“GOODBYE! WE’LL DEFINITELY MEET AGAIN!!” Luffy grinned, waving enthusiastically at the crowd. The others also smiled, looking at the people whose faces were now filled with joy, free from war.

Rowen smiled, watching the crowd escorting the Merry.

This feeling… was very good.

“ROWEN!!!”

Wyper’s shout made Rowen and the others look back.

“WE WILL BECOME STRONGER! When you need us—use the power stored in Kalgara’s statue to let us know! No matter where you are—WE WILL COME! AND FIGHT FOR YOU!” Wyper yelled, raising his right hand, his expression fiercely determined.

Behind him, the Shandian warriors all raised their right hands, their faces equally resolute.

“I look forward to your growth,” Rowen laughed heartily.

Then, amidst the farewells of the Shandians, Angel Islanders, dancing wolves, and the Master of the Sky—a giant octopus balloon unfurled above the Going Merry, grasping the ship and slowly descending towards the Blue Sea.

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“Raki?” Aisa blinked, looking at Raki, who lingered, unwilling to leave.

“Let’s go. I need to train,” Raki said, taking a deep breath, her eyes shining with determination.

She deeply admired Rowen, but knew with her current strength, she would only be a burden…

Fortunately, she still had a chance to contribute to Rowen’s cause.

Before that, she had to train relentlessly. “Aisa… tell me again… about the feeling of Observation Haki.”

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SPLASH!

With the help of the octopus balloon, the Going Merry landed safely back on the Blue Sea.

“We’re back! The SEA!” The crew cheered, looking around at the familiar sights and sounds, all smiling.

Rowen took a deep breath, a crimson-black light flaring in his eyes.

SEE YOU SOON—AOKIJI!

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