117 Marine's Hunt

"Yes, so let's do something that we must do." Liam nodded his head and spoke.

"What?" Usopp looked at him in confusion and asked.

"Merry is our ship but it is also our partner. So, we must do anything to keep her with us. But, there is one problem. Right now, we barely have eight people and it is already cramped."

"Even if we do ask Shipwright to increase the size of Merry, we don't know how it works with Ship Spirit. Maybe Merry can increase her size on her own or maybe we can't increase its size without taking away the keel."

"In other words, we must discuss with Merry before we make any decision. Even in the case of Merry not being able to sail with us in the future, we can still make a massive ship and keep Merry inside it."

"So first of all, we must communicate with Merry."

After hearing Liam's explanation, Usopp finally understood the situation they were in. But, he was still clueless about communicating with Merry.

"Merry has just awakened, right? Can we really communicate with her? And, shouldn't we call others as well for this?"

Liam shook his head and said.

"We don't know how long will it take Merry to properly come out. So, my plan is to communicate using our Observation Haki."

"Huh? Observation Haki can do that?" Usopp's eyes widened as he asked.

"You have no idea what Observation Haki can do. Think about it! Observation Haki is all about seeing the world without your eyes. It is about seeing the intent and life form around you without even looking at them."

"Observation Haki can trace the tiniest form of life as long as it is used properly. Of course, for us, we only need to concentrate on Observation Haki on this ship."

"Since Merry is a spirit now, she should be traceable with Observation Haki. Originally, I plan to ask for Luffy's help since he can listen to anything."

"But, I am not sure if we can even draw out Merry without your help. So, I need your help to communicate with Merry. You are the one who loves her the most on this ship. So, your presence should help us."

Upon hearing his words, Usopp finally understood his plan.

Observation Haki was an amazing power for someone like him. His combat power was weak in this ship but thanks to Observation Haki, he can be called somewhat of a powerhouse.

Of course, he understood just having Observation Haki won't be enough. Even with an extremely powerful Observation Haki and the destructive power of lightning, Enel wasn't Luffy's opponent.

That made him understand the importance of Armament Haki. But as a sniper, he hasn't been engaged in hand-to-hand combat making it harder for him to awaken his Armament Haki.

So, if he had to help Liam with Armament Haki, he wouldn't even hesitate to say no. But, if it is Observation, his confidence soared.

That's where his power comes from.

They tactically nodded to each other and sat down. They closed their eyes and open their Observation Haki.

Outside the ship,

Luffy suddenly turned his head toward the bottom of the ship and his Observation Haki saw Liam and Usopp working on something.

Suddenly, he got curious. He didn't know what Liam and Usopp were planning to do with his Observation Haki but this only made him more curious.

His Observation Haki began to dig deeper. It got spread all around the ship. Concentrating his Observation Haki on the ship, he sensed several auras. Most of them were his friends.

But, there was one unfamiliar aura. His Observation Haki got closer to this Aura as if he was looking at it from different angles.

This aura was stagnant and looking at back him.

Suddenly, Luffy smiled and withdrew his Observation Haki.

During his battle with Enel, not only he managed to reach Future Sight with his Observation Haki but also made his Observation Haki extremely sensitive.

His senses were so strong that even when he wasn't actively using his Observation Haki, he can feel anyone around him.

And, as long as someone has bad intentions toward him, his Observation Haki would instantly get activated, giving him the sight of the future.

Of course, there was one problem. To see the future, he must be calm. At least, his mind shouldn't be filled with anger or hatred.

But for normal Observation Haki, no matter what emotions he has, nothing can affect it.

After he sensed this unfamiliar aura inside his ship, he immediately understood what Liam and Usopp were doing. That's why he just smiled and continued his training.

He didn't stop them since this can be considered training for them. Even if Liam had Future Sight, his Future Sight comes from his devil fruit ability.

That wasn't something he worked hard to hone. That's why Liam's Observation Haki was weak compared to his. And, this was a good opportunity to improve his Observation Haki.

The same goes for Usopp whose main specialty was Observation Haki.

Unlike Luffy, nobody else found anything. They were just busy training.

Zoro was constantly enduring the lightning bolts that Sanji was shooting at him. He found that whenever his body get electrocuted, he would feel his Armament Haki trying to block it.

And, whenever it was destroyed, it would only grow stronger. The more he struggled, the stronger his Armament Haki got.

The same goes for Sanji. He had sea stone bracelets on his hands which was draining him of his stamina making him almost unable to use his devil fruit ability.

Fortunately, with enough Willpower, he could still discharge powerful lightning bolts and with each lightning bolt that he discharged, he could feel his own endurance growing.

The more he uses Sea stone bracelets, the more he got used to it.

The girls were focused on their own basic training but they had escalated the basic training to extreme.

They would do things like push-ups or lift weights until their bodies give up. After that, they would eat the food that Sanji made and regain their stamina, and start training once again.

Even Robin who mostly likes to spend her time reading didn't stop training. She understood that this was the ship that she was waiting for all this time.

So, she didn't want to give up anymore. She knew that her crew wouldn't hesitate to fight anyone for her so she must get stronger to help her crew.

On the other hand, Chopper was doing something extremely important.

He was researching a medicine that Liam talked about. He wasn't sure if it was even possible but he did find some alternatives.

If he manages to create these alternatives, it would be a huge growth for the entire crew.

So, he was completely focused on his own work.

.........….

Marine Headquarters,

Bang!

"Damn that Morgan, how dare he release such news? What are those bastards from the Government doing? Why didn't they stop it?"

Sengoku slammed his fist on the table and roared.

Inside that room, all three admirals, some vice admirals, and some special people like Tsuru and Garp were present.

"Admirals are the highest combat power of Marines. Except for those Four Emperors, any other pirate would lose against the Admiral, including the Emperor's deputy."

"So, if a group of newcomers suddenly defeats an Admiral head-on, it would definitely reach the ears of Morgan. This is probably one of the most interesting news after the duels of Mihawk and Four Emperor Shanks."

"So, even if he is threatened by the World Government, Morgan wouldn't hesitate to release this news."

Tsuru calmly replied. Unlike Sengoku, she didn't let this information anger her. Instead, she thought about the pros and cons of releasing this news to the world and she understood why Morgan would dare to release such news.

Hearing her words, Sengoku slowly calmed down.

"Fleet Admiral, you must send me this time. I will hunt down Straw Hat Pirates before they enter the New World." Sakazuki immediately stood up and spoke with a stern tone.

Sengoku stared at Sakazuki and his eyes fell on Garp. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said.

"One Admiral is not going to be enough."

When he said that, everyone's eyes widened. Even Garp looked at his best friend in shock. Only Tsuru saw through his words and kept a calm expression.

"For some reason, Red Hair Shanks has made contact with Whitebeard. So, I need you to go to G-1 Marine Base, Sakazuki."

"Borsalino and Kuzan will hunt down Straw Hat Pirates together with two of their Vice Admirals, three Rear Admirals, and a Marine Fleet of Five Hundred Men."

Sengoku's voice only grew louder as he continued.

"If we let Straw Hat escape this time, they will definitely reach the position of the Emperor, and having Double Emperors in a single crew would be much worse than any of the current Four Emperor Crew."

"Straw Hat Pirates must be destroyed and Straw Hat Luffy must be captured and sent to Impel Down at any cost."

After speaking, Sengoku gave Garp one last look.

'This is the last time I can help you, my old friend.'