Night falls.
The fully rigged Sunny and Merry, one after the other, raised their sails and slowly sailed down the river toward the sea.
On the deck of the Merry.
"It's unbelievable, coming back empty-handed. Green Seaweed Head, looks like I'm the winner of the hunting competition!"
"Uh...!? My prey was already eaten! Anyway, it was definitely bigger than yours!"
"Ah, it's really unbelievable—still making excuses. And you still think you're worthy of being the captain of the first division? Hand that position over!"
"Perfect! I'll use the move I just learned to kill you right now!"
They argued as usual.
Inside the warehouse.
The newly arrived prisoner, Mr. 3, and his partner Miss Goldenweek, along with former prisoners Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 9, looked at each other in silence.
If it weren't for the five of them being securely tied up, there would still be guards posted at the warehouse entrance.
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a Baroque Works executive meeting.
"Hey... hey, Mr. 5." Mr. 3 greeted awkwardly.
"Isn't that Mr. 3? You're here." Mr. 5 responded with a fake smile.
"Hahaha, who's next?" joked Miss Valentine.
When you see others in the same situation as you, your mood suddenly improves.
It's not that we're weak—it's that the enemy is just too cunning!
Who will be next?
Mr. 3's mouth twitched violently. Will even Mr. 0, the Shichibukai who always hid his identity, be captured?
"Next... is Mr. 1."
He remembered what happened earlier in the wax house and suddenly blended into his surroundings, starting to yearn for it.
"Mr. 1? That's really something to look forward to."
"Hahaha, when that time comes, what kind of expression should we use to welcome him?"
All three had managed to free themselves, but when the man at the door looked at them, they were too scared to make a move.
When you can't resist, it's better to find amusement in others.
Mr. 9 and Miss Goldenweek looked at each other, speechless.
The mouth of the river, on the bank.
Dorry and Brogy say their goodbyes here, watching the two ships gradually disappear into the moonlight, both with smiles on their faces.
"Will it show up? That monster from Food Island. I forgot to warn them."
"It'll definitely show up, but we don't need to worry. With Luffy, there's no problem. He always finds a way."
The two laughed heartily, each holding a bucket of wine and drinking freely.
"Gabababa... Nika!"
"Gegyagyagya... The Liberation Warrior has appeared! Indeed, the legends passed down in Elbaf are true!"
"Dorry."
"Yes, now's not the time to keep fighting. The era is about to undergo a change, Brogy!"
"Let the outcome be decided later—gabababa."
"It's time to return to our homeland."
The two raised their buckets of wine and wished together:
"May the fortunes of war be with us, Nika!"
Sunny.
"Luffy, what are you doing standing at the bow of the ship? Dinner's ready—it's your favorite dish."
Nami shouted toward Luffy's back.
Luffy stood on the figurehead of the Sunny Go, hands in his pockets, waiting silently.
"It's coming."
The sea ahead suddenly became turbulent, and a huge black shadow gradually emerged.
It was a giant goldfish, opening its massive mouth and swallowing seawater.
As the Sunny moved with the sea current, it gradually approached the creature, seemingly about to be swallowed in one gulp.
Boom!
Luffy's gaze sharpened, and in an instant, his Conqueror's Haki was unleashed, the force of his will striking the creature's mind.
The overwhelming pressure shattered the monster's will instantly.
Fear filled its eyes, and its open mouth instinctively shut. Then, as if avoiding a natural predator, it vanished from the sea's surface in the blink of an eye.
"What was that?" Nami exclaimed, mouth open in shock.
Luffy jumped down from the figurehead and walked over to her, kissing her on the lips before laughing.
"Just a naughty goldfish. It's gone now. Let's eat."
Nami blushed and touched her lips, shyly following him into the cabin.
After dinner, Kaya returned to her room. Her health wasn't great, and she needed plenty of rest.
Luffy asked Nami to call the Merry crew.
Right now, in the Sunny's meeting room.
The Straw Hat Pirates were reunited.
Female members: Nami, Nojiko.
Male members: Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku, Bartolomeo.
In addition to them, there was also Vivi, who was not a crew member.
Since he rarely had the chance to come aboard this ship, Sanji was very excited. He even wanted to light a cigarette to calm his nerves.
"Smoking's not allowed here, Sanji," Nami said with a smile.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nami."
Sanji quickly stubbed out his cigarette and asked,
"Luffy, why did you gather us here?"
Upon hearing this, Luffy took out a box with six types of fruit and placed it on the table.
"This is..." Vivi exclaimed.
She remembered these well. It was because she stole and ate two of them that she got to know Luffy and the others—and now, they were all companions.
"They're Rokushiki fruits," said Luffy.
Luffy opened the box. The six fruits were arranged in two neat rows.
Everyone was shocked.
Usopp's eyes widened. "Luffy, how many of these do you have?!"
"I've said this before—you might not believe it—but creating a fruit like this requires me to sacrifice ten years of my life," said Luffy.
Nami gave him a disdainful look.
He was still teasing her like he used to.
"So, are you going to distribute them to everyone?" she returned to the topic.
Luffy nodded and said seriously,
"After eating this type of fruit, you'll randomly gain mastery in one of the six styles, and it'll also strengthen your body."
Usopp, now interested, looked around.
"Nami already mastered all six styles, so she doesn't count... but there are eight of us... Luffy."
Upon hearing this, Vivi quickly waved her hands.
"I... I already ate two of them before without permission! Mr. Luffy, please exclude me!"
(I wasn't planning to give you one anyway.)
(Of course, I can't say that—it would make things awkward.)
Luffy sat down casually, resting his cheek on one hand, and said,
"Nami, explain the Rokushiki to them first. Whether they want to eat it or not is up to them. Of course, it's not a Devil Fruit, so there won't be any side effects like losing the ability to swim."
Nami nodded in response and began to explain in detail the six techniques she had mastered.
After listening, everyone was very excited.
Even in the Grand Line, where many monsters roam, mastering the six styles would turn them into formidable fighters.
Furthermore, after mastering the six base techniques, they could develop their own unique variations based on personal training, making them highly adaptable.
"Rankyaku?"
Zoro was very interested in the move and smiled,
"If you can slash with it, then you can also use a sword to create flying slashes... just like Mihawk slashing the sea."
Saying this, he got up from the table.
"I'm not going to use it, Luffy. Since I'm the Vice-Captain, I'm not going to compete with a certain pervert. I'm going to train—I just had a great idea!"
(End of chapter)
Give me some power stones there you go~😉