The shy Merry wears an ordinary dull cloak that makes it impossible to see her face at all.

She looks like an ordinary little girl.

Only on the ordinary canvas cloak, a faint flash of brilliance proves that she is not extraordinary at all.

Merry pressed her slightly illusory body against the planks of the ship's mast, and completely covered her face over the mast, as if she wanted to hide inside.

The trembling appearance only aroused Luffy's desire to protect.

Luffy suddenly discovered Mei Li, like a child who did something bad and was found.

instantly turned into a two-dimensional little cute girl, and was so frightened that she shook out of the picture.

The two little hands waved wildly at a loss.

Quickly got up from the ground, rolled around the cylindrical mast, and disappeared from Luffy's sight again.

"Uh......"

Luffy looked at the cute little head peeking out from behind the mast with some curiosity.

In his impression, Merry shouldn't be so shy.

Is it because of the reasons that have just been formed?

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Luffy waved his hand lightly again to say hello

Looking at the little head that poked its head out, he showed a sunny smile to Xiao Meili, piercing the dark night brought by the soft moon and stars.

Said with kindness:

"Hello, Merry, I'm Luffy!"

“……”

After a moment of silence, a small voice suddenly sounded in Luffy's mind:

"Huh~?"

As if sensing Luffy's kindness, Little Merry poked her head out a little more, but despite this, Luffy still couldn't see her face under her cloak.

Perhaps, this is the inherent form of the ship elves......

Luffy quietly crouched down, keeping his line of sight as level as possible with Little Merry.

Put the milk cup in his hand, which is about to catch up with the height of little Merry, on the deck.

Then, spread your hands out and make a child-like gesture.

He stretched out his arms to Merry, revealing a kind face, but said nothing.

Luffy plans to take practical actions to influence Mei Li's little Lori.

"Boom......"

Merry slowly lay behind the ship's mast, little by little, exposing one of her toes.

After a long time, I don't know if she thinks Luffy won't hurt herself, or if it's something else.

Little Merry finally walked out from behind the ship's mast.

It seems that he wants to have a normal communication with Luffy.

"Huh~"

Another soft chirp.

Luffy looked at Merry curiously and asked softly again:

"Hello, Merry.

Can you talk like me? ”

Luffy remembers that in the original book, Merry was free to speak, although her voice sounded like a seven or eight-year-old child.

In fact, with Luffy's super sight and hearing, he can perceive the general intention in Merry's voice.

However, the feeling of hearing this method will become very vague and very draining, and it needs to be driven all the time with a targeted sight and hear.

It would be great if Merry could communicate with Luffy normally like in the original book.

Sure enough, under Luffy's questioning, the voice that came into his head again was no longer the simple and short tone word.

Instead, it turned into a whisper mixed with a cowardly milk voice:

"Hey, uh~ can ...... Yes~"

The glutinous child's voice fell on Luffy's heart, and Yaya learned to speak in general, which almost melted Luffy's heart!

It's so cute, there is wood and there is !!

Luffy also lowered his voice and talked to Xiao Meili tenderly:

"Mei Li, you should know me~"

"Recognize~Recognize!"

Little Merry also seemed to be a little excited to be able to talk to people, and her tone gradually rose, and her voice became more and more fluent.

Luffy squatted down, and suddenly moved forward a little with duck steps.

Frightened, Xiao Meili hurriedly took a step back!

Luffy didn't care about Merry's scared look, but continued to move forward while continuing to say:

"Don't be afraid, Merry."

"Don't you know me?"

"You know, I like you a lot."

Taking a step forward, Luffy continued:

"We all like you very much!"

In this way, Luffy walked up to Merry while comforting Merry with words.

Gently stretching out an arm, palm up, and holding it flat in front of Merry, Luffy continued to smile and said:

"We're partners, aren't we?"

"Thank you for taking care of me for so long, Merry."

"Partner, partner......"

Although Mei Li's way of speaking sounds young, she has a mature mind and consciousness, and can easily understand people's hearts.

After all, if Luffy and them, even if there is one person who doesn't like her, she won't be born.

Looking at Luffy, who was only one step away from him, and the palm that had reached out in front of him with warmth.

Merry still bowed her head a little shyly.

But after a while, as if to cheer himself up, the two little hands clenched into cute little fists and fought both sides of the body.

The little feet also began to step away, and the palm of her hand touched the palm that Luffy stretched out.

"I ...... I'm the ship elf of the Merry.

Thank...... Thank you...... Thank you for your love of me. ”

The phantom little hand slowly leaned towards Luffy.

However, just as that arm was about to touch Luffy's palm.

An illusion flashed!

Under Luffy's surprised expression, that small palm, like an afterimage that does not exist in this world, passed through Luffy's palm and fell again.

Merry, who didn't hold Luffy's palm, instantly lowered her mood.

It was as if she was crying, but not a single tear fell.

In an aggrieved tone, he muttered again:

"Ship, ship elf...... You can't come into contact with humans. ”

"Because, one day, humanity will leave the ship and return to land.

But the ship elves can never leave the ship they are guarding......"

"So...... So ......"

Merry's ghostly body began to twitch incessantly, sad for the way she looked.

She was just born, and she didn't care about the innate knowledge in her memory.

Under Luffy's smile attack, his original form appeared.

But.

She regrets it now.

Where there is no hope, there is no disappointment.

The moment she thought she was going to take Luffy's palm, she suddenly understood why she was admonishing all the ship elves like that in her memory.

That may be the mark handed down by countless ship elves with endless sorrow.

The ship spirit, which is transformed by people's love for ships and spiritual sustenance, cannot have too many negative emotions.

Because, that would interfere with the special power needed to gather into a ship elf.

Looking at Mei Li, whose body was suddenly a little blurred and was disappearing little by little, Luffy also instantly sensed that things might not be good.

The face changes dramatically!!

As fast as you can, remove the Poké Ball from the system backpack.

Regardless of whether Mei Li agrees or not, he directly declared loudly to Mei Li:

"It's okay, Merry!"

"You're my partner! No one can hurt you! ”

"Even if it's the !! of this world"

"Neither can !!"

Bite~

The white button of the Poké Ball touched the vanishing Merry's forehead.

Mei Li, who couldn't touch any real thing, actually pressed the button on the Poké Ball!

A red laser swept towards Merry's body, and before Merry could react from her surprise, her body had already begun to enter the Poké Ball with the laser.

Luffy stood up, looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, and whispered:

"Don't worry, Merry!"

"We'll be together forever!"

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for taking in the second pet, "Ship Elf" Merry.

The host can open the pet interface and enable exclusive skills for the pet. 】