I, the great swordsman, am definitely not a bootlicker

Well... according to Grandma Kokoro's explanation, the iron thing is called Smoking Tom, and there is a track under the water. In short, it is a water train.

The frog, called Yokozuna, came here to block the train out of boredom, and it was said that it was trying to compete with the train in strength. So, Luffy magnanimously said that he was a man of integrity and would not eat it.

Finally, Granny Kokoro introduced the location of the Water City and gave everyone a letter of introduction to help them find the dock and recruit reliable boatmen. She also gave a brief account of the situation in the Water City. According to her, it would take a week for the island to be fully charged with magnetism, so everyone could take their time to explore.

After everyone thanked them, they sailed to Water City and held a board meeting. The content of the meeting mainly focused on the following three items.

The first is the issue of recruiting boat workers. Sanji said that he should find a beautiful woman with a great figure, but this immature idea was rejected by Director Lu as soon as it was proposed. Director Lu said that he must find a strong man who is five meters tall. In this regard, Vice Director Suo said that it doesn't matter because he knows who the next partner will be.

The second issue was the repair of the Merry. Everyone fondly recalled the ups and downs they had experienced with the Merry and put forward many ideas for repair, such as adding a few more cannons, a bronze statue, etc. Vice President Suo was worried and hoped that the keel of the Merry was not broken.

The third was a profit-sharing plan. Nami, a newly promoted finance employee, offered to share some pocket money with everyone for the next seven days. Vice President Suo immediately said he didn't need to buy anything, so Nami would use his share, earning a small profit of 500 Love Points. This made Sanji clench his teeth, and Director Lu was jealous, but it was useless.

Zoro saw that no matter how much money was given to Nami, she would be happy, all 500 love points. Maybe she just wanted an attitude, um... money! Must make money!

After the meeting, a fairyland-like floating city on the water quietly emerged before everyone's eyes. Countless fountains surrounded it, creating a picturesque scene. Water droplets fell like bead curtains, sparkling with glittering luster, making the world look like a dream.

The quaint castle-like buildings are scattered in an orderly manner, standing above the water, as if guarding this tranquility and beauty, which makes people yearn for it.

In the center of the city, an enormous fountain stands tall, its magnificence and grandeur are breathtaking.

The fountain's water jets reach the sky and then cascade down like silver threads, creating a dazzling display of water that shimmers in the sunlight. This fountain is not only a symbol of the city but also its soul, inspiring endless imagination.

Only when the Merry approached the port could the noise of various gears and machinery be heard.

"Wow! It's so spectacular... It's like an industrial city!" Usopp was surprised.

Well, we’re here…the Water City!

With Zoro's current strength, killing a giraffe or a leopard is a piece of cake, but after all, this is Robin's exclusive story, so there must be a wave of love value, which needs to be sorted out carefully.

First, Luffy and the others exchanged the gold for Beli, then Franky robbed Usopp of the 200 million and used the money to buy the treasure tree Adam and build the Sunny... Emotionally speaking, Zoro certainly prefers Merry, but Merry does have limitations, and going to the New World is actually more cruel to Merry.

It doesn’t matter whether these 200 million are given to Franky, since they are used for shipbuilding anyway.

Next is Robin. If Zoro remembers correctly, Robin was probably afraid that one day the Straw Hat Pirates would think she was a burden, so she chose to make a deal with the World Government, let the Straw Hat Pirates go, and she would follow CP9.

Hmm... so we have to declare war on the World Government before Robin can fully return to her roots.

Finally, it’s Usopp. Hey, he has deep feelings for Merry. After all, it was given to him by his childhood sweetheart Kaya. How to say it, without making a life-or-death decision, it would be difficult for him to get the Sniper King skin.

Well, that’s it.

While Zoro was thinking, Luffy and his crew had already lowered the sails and stopped the ship, preparing to disembark to exchange money. Nami was very enthusiastic about exchanging money, no one could stop Luffy from entering the city, and no one cared more about repairing the ship than Usopp.

Chopper wants to go into town to buy medical books, and Robin also wants to buy something.

Sanji has to prepare kitchen utensils and ingredients.

Zoro finally decided to stay on the boat, exercise self-discipline, and watch the boat at the same time.

-

The time for self-discipline is always short, and half a day passed in a flash. Perhaps it was because Zoro's bounty had increased, or perhaps it was because Zoro was waving a barbell weighing hundreds of kilograms in his hands. His observation Haki clearly noticed a group of people approaching quietly, but they soon dispersed quietly.

"The Franky family? Oh, yes, there are two cube-headed girls in the Franky family who have appeared in more than two episodes! We have to find an opportunity, hey!" Zoro grinned evilly.

At this moment, Zoro noticed a figure approaching the Merry at a high speed from high altitude. He turned his head and saw a square man with a long nose.

The giraffe is coming!

"Who are you and what do you want to do?" Zoro asked knowingly.

"Excuse me, my name is Kaku, and I'm a carpenter at Carrera Company. Your partner came to our company to repair the ship, so I came to take a look at the situation first."

"Oh, thank you for your help then." After all, he is a professional now, and we have to respect him.

"The damage is indeed quite serious." Kaku inspected the surface of the ship. "The mainmast needs to be replaced."

Then Zoro took him to the bottom deck, which was full of patches. These were all patched up by Usopp using clumsy repair methods after it accidentally bumped into something and leaked.

Finally, Kaku dived underwater to check the keel.

"Well, with all due respect, there's little point in repairing your ship."

"Is there still something wrong with the dragon bone?" Zoro sighed.

"Yes, although there are no obvious signs of fracture, the keel is already overwhelmed. I'm afraid it can't withstand a few more storms. Perhaps it can still take you to the next island, but it won't be too far. I'm sure you know how harsh the sailing environment of the Grand Line is."

After giving a general talk, Kaku left. After all, Zoro couldn't make the final decision, so it had to be Luffy's turn.

Standing at the bow, Zoro whispered, "Merry, how about leaving you in the Water City, just like Lab? We'll come back to tell you stories of our journey after we've traveled around the world for a week."

-

"This ship..." Sanji exhaled smoke.

"Even if we have a lot of money, we can't repair it? Then, what should we do with this ship?" After hearing what Zoro said, Chopper found it difficult to accept.

"I don't know. It all depends on what Luffy and the others decide! The three of them are still in the shipyard, so they should have made a decision. The best way is to store it here."

"But this is too hard to accept. Look! The Merry is no different from before..."

"From the East China Sea to here, it has gone through hardships with us. People will become stronger after experiencing storms, but ships are different. It is because of the hardships they have experienced that they become scarred." Zoro was very calm.

"This is really unacceptable. I don't know what Usopp would say if he knew." Sanji was a little angry.

"I like the Merry very much!!" Chopper was also very dissatisfied with the shipwright's diagnosis.

"...We're all the same. But in other words, letting the scarred Merry sail with us might not be a cruelty."

"Hey!!" At this time, Nami's call came from the shore.

"Why is she alone? Where's Usopp?"