Despite some restless nights, tossing and turning over the Admiral's words and wondering what was it that she had forgotten, Emmy and her nakama headed towards the next island in high spirits. After encountering a frog that indeed swam oddly for it's kind, a steam train called the Puffing Tom, and an old lighthouse keeper named Kokoro and her granddaughter, Chimney, they were given directions to a place called Water 7. Granny Kokoro informed them that it was a place renowned for its shipyards and master craftsmen. She even gave them a letter of recommendation to a person named Iceberg that would be able to help them repair their ship. After hearing that information, any thoughts of Aokiji were removed from Emmy's thoughts and she could only think about restoring Merry-san back to the way she was.
The rest of the crew were eager to get to Water 7 as well. Luffy was busy drawing out his ideal shipwright while Chopper and Usopp badgered him about the details. Nami was calculating how much everyone's allowance would be for the week. Sanji was in the galley trying to figure out what was needed for food. Zoro was working out and getting himself pumped for their arrival and Robin was watching everything quietly on the steps. Her eyes swept over the deck and landed on the first mate, who was scurrying around with a notepad and pencil in hand. Every once in awhile, she would stop short, write something down on the pad, and then continue on. There were times where she took no more than two steps before putting graphite to paper.
"Little Pirate?" Robin called out, "What are you doing?"
Emmy looked up from her writing. "I'm making a list of all the repairs needed for Merry-san. When we find a shipwright, I want him to have a full understanding of Merry-san's state. Should we give them the ship's log as well? Just so they know what she has survived?"
"Of course not!" Nami yelled, "We're a pirate ship! We might as well be confessing to him every illegal thing we've ever done."
Emmy frowned. "But I don't think we've done anything bad."
"It's illegal just to be a pirate!" Nami said, "We've caused damage to towns, not to mention we have hurt multiple naval officers AND naval ships!"
"Let me see that list, Emmy," Usopp said before Emmy and Nami could intensify their argument. He took the notebook out of her hands and started to go through many pages that were already filled with writing. With each page, his face got paler and paler, "This...is a lot of damage. Are you sure you didn't repeat anything, Emmy?"
Emmy shook her head. "That's all just from the bottom deck and I was very thorough. I'm sure I didn't repeat anything."
Usopp gulped but before he could say anything, Luffy flung his arm around the sniper. "That granny said Water 7 has the best technology. We'll be able to get Merry fixed up in time."
"Yeah and we have the money too," Nami said and her eyes twinkled at the thought of the piles of gold stashed in her and Robin's room.
"That's true," Usopp said. His expression got marginally better and he then gave a nod to assure himself and Emmy, "Yes. We'll even be able to power her up. Maybe add some more cannons."
"And a bronze statue!" Luffy cheered.
"No!" Usopp and Nami shouted at the same time.
"Wait. I think I see it!" Zoro called out.
Everyone raced to the aft of the ship and their eyes widened at the island jutting out from the horizon. It was indeed a city of water. The whole island looked like one enormous stone fountain with thick jets of water spurting out from the top and cascading down onto the different layers of the city below. Heavy streams flowed down the sides of the city in deep set canals and rushed into the sea. There were large numbered stone gates that sat between each stream. A two story building stood between gates 2 and 3 with large pillars and arched openings along it's walls.
"Wow...It really is an industrial city!" Usopp gasped.
"So much water! Where is it springing out from?!" Chopper asked.
Robin smiled. "It looks like the water comes from the fountain, goes through the canals and falls into the sea."
"Emmy! Let's go race on those water slides!" Luffy laughed.
"Dream on, you idiot. Neither of you can swim," Zoro scoffed, "More importantly, what do those numbers mean?"
"I bet those are the entrances for giant shipwrights who stand 5-meters tall!" Luffy cheered as he pulled out his drawing of a clumsily colored man with tentacle-like limbs.
"There's definitely no way that's possible," Usopp snapped.
"The building up from must be the station Granny Kokoro told us about," Nami said and pointed at the building between gates 2 and 3, "Blue Station. I wonder where the harbor is..."
"It must be in the town," Usopp said, "With all the canals and water, we can probably sail right in."
"Oy! You guys!"
They looked down at a small fishing boat and a man waving at them with his fishing pole in hand. "It's not good for you pirates to be openly sailing in the front," the man advised and then pointed towards the west of the city where there was a canal that led into the city, "Go around the backstreets over there."
"Thank you, sir!" Emmy shouted as Nami directed everyone to turn the ship.
When they entered the city, everyone's jaws dropped. They were sailing through the city as if the canal was an actual city street. Buildings stood on raised platforms and lined the canals. Stone bridges connected one building to another. There were cafes, stores, hotels, and everything expected in a city, except this city existed above the water.
"Oy! Oy! Pirates shouldn't be coming this way. What are you here for? To plunder?" a man asked as he swept the porch of a quaint coffee shop.
"No. We wanna get our ship repaired!" Luffy replied.
"Is that a normal question for pirates?" Usopp muttered to Nami, "He doesn't seem concerned."
"Oh! There's a cape ahead of here. You can anchor your ship there for now!" the man said and motioned for them to turn left at the next intersecting canal.
"Thank you!" Luffy shouted.
They followed the man's direction and swiftly exited the city, to their dismay. However, they did find the cape the man was referring to and they anchored the ship behind a tall and wide protruding piece of land with grassy moss peppered along the top.
Creeeeak. Snap!
With a sickening crunch, the top portion of the mast broke and it started to fall on top of the swordsman, who had been trying to furl the sails. He managed to grab hold of the toppling log and he held it above his head.
"Watch what you're doing!" Usopp shrieked as Zoro's legs buckled under the weight.
"I didn't do anything! I just pulled the rope," Zoro said through gritted teeth as he hoisted the mast back in its place.
Creeeeeak!
"Holy crap. The Going Merry has gotten this rickety?" he asked incredulously, keeping his hands on the either side of the splintered wood just in case it decided to fall again.
Emmy let out a heavy sigh and added that to her list for the new shipwright. Merry-san...hang in there. Help is on the way, okay?
Emmy felt her eyes stinging with the promise of tears when there was no response from the ship. She had thought that maybe some good news would prompt the ship to spark speaking again but nothing seemed to be working.
Merry-san...Don't give up, okay? We'll get through this. Together.
"Emmy! Come on. Let's go into the city. Adventure!" Luffy cheered from behind her but she didn't move.
"Oy! Hold it!" Nami scolded, "Before we do any of that, we have to go find this Iceberg person and see if he can help with Merry and we'll need to find a bank or something to cash in our gold. We can't relax just yet."
Emmy squared her shoulders and she turned to the captain. "Luffy...if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay with Merry-san. I want to make sure I have everything in order when the shipwright gets here."
Luffy frowned at her and she didn't need her powers to know that he was disappointed in her response.
"I'll come explore with you once everything is settled," Emmy promised, "It's like Nami said. We can't relax just yet. I'll have fun once I know Merry-san is being taken care of."
"Fine," Luffy grumbled with his face still a pout.
"Yeah. It might be good for you to stay behind," Usopp agreed, "That way you can keep an eye on Zoro so he doesn't damage the ship even more."
"All I did was pull a rope!" Zoro snapped.
Soon Nami, Luffy, and Usopp left with their gold in tow. Sanji returned to doing inventory and Emmy went into the galley with him to note any damages done in that room for the future shipwright. When they were both done and exited the room, they found themselves alone on a quiet ship save for a sleeping swordsman on the deck.
"Oy, Zoro!" Sanji shouted and earned him a disapproving frown from the first mate, "Where's Robin-chan?"
"Shh," Emmy whispered, "Let him sleep, Sanji."
"He's supposed to be on the watch, Emmy-chan," Sanji protested.
"I know but he'll wake up if we're under attack. It'll be-"
"Robin went out with Chopper earlier. She said she was going shopping," Zoro grumbled sleepily with his eyes still shut, "Oh! Emmy, she said she'll bring a few more books for you."
He yawned loudly and then went back to sleep.
"I guess I'll go grocery shopping then," Sanji said and then smiled at Emmy, "Do you want to come with me, Emmy-chan? Or would you rather stay here? I don't think there's anything else you can do and it might be awhile before Luffy and everyone comes back with a shipwright."
Emmy twisted the hem of her apron in her hands. "I...I think I should stay, Sanji, but thank you for the offer."
Sanji's smile faltered and he knelt down slightly so that they were eye level. He put his hands on her shoulder and gave them a gentle squeeze. "We have enough rice crackers to last us a whole month but I'll get some more. If you get hungry while I'm gone, I've also made some onigiri for you and the mosshead. Do you want me to get you anything else? Does Merry-san need anything?"
Emmy nodded faintly. "We're running low on wax and we could use a new mop and bucket. Luffy and Usopp destroyed them when playing Joust with Chopper."
"Oh yeah…" Sanji said with an eye roll, "Forgot about that. I still have a bruise on my side from when Chopper tripped and careened into me. I could've lost an eye if Luffy didn't drop the mop in time. I don't even want to think about what would've happened to Nami-san if I didn't put myself in front of her."
Emmy gave a weak smile but it was a smile nevertheless. "Thank you, Sanji."
Sanji straightened up. "Don't work too hard, Emmy-chan. It's a nice day out. Enjoy some time in the sun at least."
"I'll try," Emmy said but when the cook left, she did the exact opposite and went straight into the storage room to continue on her list. She had marked down 13 loose floor boards, 5 tin-plate patches, and 2 unknown dents in the wall when she heard scratching on the other side of the ship. She froze and then she felt her bond with Zoro stir. The swordsman was up and alert. She raced out of the room and she froze when she saw that Zoro was still sitting in his spot with his eyes still closed but now the blanket was flung to the side and his swords were clutched to his chest.
"It's okay, Emmy," he mumbled under his breath. It was so faint that it almost sounded like he was talking in his sleep, "I'll handle this…"
Emmy gulped and she lowered her head, refusing to look at or acknowledge the shadowy figures that were trying to stay hidden along the sides of the ship. "Please don't damage the ship any more," she whispered.
"I...pulled..a...rope," he hissed through gritted teeth.
The storage room was all the way down the steps and across the deck so she went into the anchor room instead, which was just below Zoro. No sooner had she closed the door behind her did she hear the smattering of feet outside the door and on the deck above. Then, there was a distinct sound of clashing swords that rang out at the exact moment a fierce intensity flared up between her and Zoro's bond. Then barely a minute passed by and then the usual mix of annoyance, alertness, and drowsiness returned.
Thunk! Thunk!
"Oy! Emmy. I'm done," Zoro called through the floorboards, "And I flung them into the water. Not even a new scratch on Merry-san."
"Thank you, Zoro!" Emmy yelled back and then returned to the deck just as Zoro re-wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, "Who were they?"
"Some bounty hunters…" Zoro grumbled.
"So old friends?" Emmy asked.
"Of course not!" Zoro snapped.
"Old enemies?"
"Never met them before in my life," Zoro said, "Came here thinking our whole crew would be an easy bounty for them to collect. Those idiots. How are your bonds, by the way? Any signs of trouble?"
Emmy shook her head. "There are moments of anger from Nami and fear from Usopp but...that's common. Although..." Her voice drifted off and she focused herself intently on her bond with Chopper, "Chopper...is worrying about something…"
"Isn't he with Robin?" Zoro asked, "She probably said something morbid or overly serious that made him feel that way. Don't read too much into it. I wouldn't."
"I guess," Emmy said but she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Either worry about Chopper or worry about Merry," Zoro said sharply as he nestled further into the blanket, "You can only address one thing at a time. If you do any more, you're going to stress yourself out and then you're going to worry about that."
"You're right," Emmy sighed, "One thing at a time. I'll just wait for Chopper and Robin to come back and ask what happened."
Satisfied with her answer, Zoro went right back to sleep and Emmy returned to her list. She was more than halfway through her notepad but she wasn't even close to covering the entire ship just yet. She returned to the storage room to finish up there. She had to retrace her list for a bit before she was able to continue on with marking down new findings. She left the room with the notepad only a few pages short of being completely full and a new one at the ready only to find a strange man with a long nose standing on the deck muttering to himself.
"Hello, sir," she said quietly, "Who are you?"
The man tipped his cap to Emmy. "I'm-"
"Damn it! You're not Usopp!" Zoro yelled as he got to his feet and drew out his swords.
The man laughed and put a hand behind his white cap. "Sorry. Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up there. I'm Kaku from the Galley-La Company. I'm here to assess your ship. This is the ship that Granny Kokoro gave a reference letter for, correct?"
"Yes!" Emmy said with excitement. She rushed over Kaku and thrusted her notebook into his hands, "Thank you so much for coming. I'm Monkey D. Emmy. I'm the first mate for this ship. I've been making notes of all the damages on Merry-san and I-"
She stopped for a beat as the man swiftly took a few steps back from her and she tilted her head. "I'm sorry, Kaku-san but...do I know you from somewhere?"
Kaku blinked and he smiled politely at her. "I don't think I've ever met you before. Do I seem familiar to you?"
"Your nose resembles one of our nakama's," Zoro drawled.
Emmy shook her head. "No. It's not that...It's just for a second...I thought I felt some recognition and..." she started to say but then she shook her head even harder, "No. That's not important right now. Please help Merry-san. I'm very worried about her. I'll show you through the rooms and I can answer any questions you might have."
"It's okay," Kaku laughed, "I know my way around a ship. I can make a quick assessment but I will take this as a guide." He raised the notebook in his hand, "You can take it easy and I'll be up in about five minutes for my report."
"Five minutes?" Emmy asked, "That...fast? It's taken me almost all day and I haven't even gone through the whole ship."
Kaku smiled. "I'm very good at what I do."
Emmy blushed and she bowed her head. "Of course. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to question your expertise. Please...look around as much as you like."
Merry-san! Help has arrived. We'll fix you up in no time. Just you wait. Hang in there, Merry-san!
It was the longest five minutes of Emmy's life. She paced back and forth across the deck, ignoring Zoro's demands for her to calm down. She almost had a heart attack when Zoro dared to go down to the men's room and reported back to her that Kaku had torn up some of the floorboards to check the ship underneath it. Kaku had promised he'd put back the boards and Emmy felt slight comfort that he was looking in a place she wouldn't dare to try to look. He was clearly an expert in the matter. Still, her apron was starting to fray at the hem when Kaku resurfaced from below deck.
"Emmy," Zoro barked when he saw the shipwright, "Come here."
Emmy nodded numbly, unable to look at Kaku's face. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. Everything in him just felt normal but any news good or bad would not be normal to her. She hoped it was good though. She prayed with all her might that it was good but she feared one look at his face would give away the answer and she did not think she was ready for that yet.
She was glad to stand by the swordsman's side. He clamped a hand on her shoulder as if holding her in place, bracing her for the news they were both dreading.
"Well?" Zoro asked.
Emmy's breath caught in her chest.
"This ship has gone through a lot, hasn't she?" Kaku asked.
"Yes," Emmy said quietly, "We-"
"Just give us the answer. How long is it going to take to repair her and how much will it cost?" Zoro shouted. The fingers on Emmy's shoulder tightened but she didn't protest.
"Actually...," Kaku started to say and Emmy wept but not because of his words or how much force Zoro was now exerting on her shoulder, as if he was needing her support now. No. It was because of the faint and weakened voice that was in her head.
The voice she had been waiting to hear every since they got out of Sky Island.
Little Miss...I'm...I'm so sorry.