Chapter 45

Sanji stretched his arms wide as he stepped onto the deck of the Going Merry, the morning sun warming his face. He took a deep breath of salty air—last night had been strangely peaceful. No midnight raids on the fridge by a rubbery captain, no sudden food shortages to panic about. For once, Luffy had actually behaved. 

Should I hate Nolan for this... or thank him? Sanji mused, lighting his first cigarette of the day. 

"Good morning, Franky. You've been up all night?" he called out, spotting the cyborg slumped against the railing. 

Franky let out a sigh so heavy it could've sunk a battleship. 

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Why the long face?" 

Franky paused, then suddenly shot upright, his eyes sparkling like a kid who'd just been handed a lifetime supply of cola. "THIS SHIP IS SUPER AMAZING!" he bellowed, his earlier gloom vanishing in an instant. 

Sanji blinked. "Uh… yeah? We all love Merry, but what's got you so worked up?" 

"SHE TALKED TO ME!" Franky nearly vibrated with excitement. "THE KLABAUTERMANN! I MET IT LAST NIGHT!" 

As Tom's apprentice, Franky knew better than anyone how rare and precious a ship's spirit was. The fact that Merry had one? It was like finding out your pet goldfish was secretly a legendary warrior. They'd talked for hours—about adventures, about the crew, about… 

Sanji exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "Yeah, Nolan mentioned something like that before. Said Merry was more than just wood and nails." He shrugged. "Not that surprising, really." 

Franky opened his mouth to explain the other thing the Klabautermann had told him—the bad thing—when Sanji's gaze suddenly locked onto the horizon. 

"Hey… why is there land already?" 

Franky turned. Sure enough, an island loomed in the distance—an island that definitely shouldn't be there. Nami had been crystal clear yesterday. No land for at least a week. And Nami was never wrong about navigation. 

A cold trickle of dread ran down Sanji's spine. 

"Where's Nami-san?" he asked, already dreading the answer. 

Franky scratched his head. "Oh, Robin's looking after her. She got super sick last night—fever, chills, the whole deal. Had to turn in early." 

Sanji's cigarette nearly fell from his lips. "Then… who's been steering the ship?" 

Franky blinked. "Huh? Oh, Zoro and Yachiru took over!" he said cheerfully. 

Sanji's face went white.

They're all fucked.

Zoro and Yachiru, the perfect duo. At this rate, they weren't just off-track—they might've accidentally charted a direct path to the One Piece itself. 

"MARIMOOOOO!!" Sanji's scream echoed across the Grand Line. 

---

Gloriosa leaned against a tree, arms crossed, staring at the bush that was very obviously hiding Hancock. Leaves stuck out of the empress's hair, and her sandal-clad feet were clearly visible beneath the foliage.

"You know," Gloriosa said dryly, "if you're going to spy on someone, you might want to pick a better hiding spot."

Hancock jumped, nearly knocking over the bush. "I-I wasn't spying!" she hissed, brushing leaves from her dress. "As empress, it's my duty to ensure our... guest is resting properly!"

Gloriosa raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And that requires hiding in shrubbery?"

Hancock's face turned pink. She peeked through the branches at Nolan, who was sprawled under a nearby tree, snoring lightly. After winning the competition, he'd taken to sleeping in random places to avoid the swarm of admirers. Right now, he looked perfectly content, using his arm as a pillow while a curious butterfly landed on his nose.

Gloriosa smirked. "You know, if you want to talk to him, you could just—"

"I don't!" Hancock snapped, too quickly. She crossed her arms, looking away. "I was merely passing by."

"Passing by. Through a bush."

Hancock's glare could've melted steel, but Gloriosa just chuckled. 

A comfortable silence settled between them before Gloriosa casually added, "Oh, that's right. Didn't you have that diplomatic meeting on Florian Triangle today? You're supposed to set sail this afternoon."

Hancock stiffened. Her fingers twisted in the fabric of her dress. "I... That is..." She glanced at Nolan again, her expression conflicted. 

Gloriosa took pity on her. With a dramatic sigh, she marched over to Nolan and nudged him with her foot. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Her Majesty has a proposal for you."

Hancock's eyes widened in horror. "Gloriosa, you—!"

Nolan yawned, blinking sleepily. "Hm? What's up?"

Gloriosa ignored Hancock's frantic gestures. "The empress here was just saying how she'd love for you to accompany her to the next island. Sightseeing, diplomacy, that sort of thing."

Nolan rubbed his eyes, considering. He wasn't thrilled about more travel, but Hancock had been... nice, in her own prickly way. And he had said he wanted to be friends. 

"Sure, why not?" he finally said.

Hancock's tense shoulders slumped in relief. A tiny, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips before she caught herself. "W-Well! Since you're so eager, I suppose I can allow it!" She spun on her heel, marching toward the palace with as much dignity as she could muster—though the slight skip in her step ruined the effect entirely.

Gloriosa shook her head, grinning. "Kids these days."

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the Amazon Lily docks as Nolan stood before the massive Kuja pirate ship. He tilted his head slightly, listening to something no one else could hear.

A soft creaking sound, like wood settling - but to Nolan's ears, it formed words. "Lonely... cold... help me..."

Unlike the Going Merry with its fully formed spirit, this ship's consciousness was still fragile. Its voice came in broken fragments, like a radio with poor reception. Nolan reached out and placed a hand on the ship's hull.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "I'll take care of you."

The ship gave a gentle shudder beneath his palm. Nearby warriors exchanged confused glances as the rigging ropes swayed without any wind.

"Did you feel that?" one whispered.

"Probably just the tide," another replied, though she didn't sound convinced.

Nolan was about to board when a flurry of movement caught his attention. A group of warriors came rushing down the dock, their sandals slapping against the wooden planks. Marguerite led the pack, waving a bundle of papers above her head.

"Nolan! Wait!" she called out, slightly out of breath as she skidded to a stop before him. "Look what we found in the latest news coo delivery!"

She thrust the papers into his hands. The top sheet showed a familiar grinning face - Luffy's wanted poster, his 300 million bounty printed in bold letters beneath. Underneath were the rest of the Straw Hat crew's posters, each one slightly worn from travel but perfectly intact.

The other warriors crowded around, peering over his shoulders:

"Is that your captain? He looks... energetic."

"That green-haired guy scares me a little."

"Wait, is that your bounty? Scary!"

Nolan ran his thumb over the inked portraits, feeling the slightly rough texture of the paper. A quiet smile tugged at his lips as he studied each familiar f

ace. The corners of Luffy's poster were slightly bent, as if someone had been handling it frequently.

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