The Marines rounded up every last member of Alvida's pirate crew, dead, alive, or missing limbs, and tied them all up before hauling them back to the warship.
As an added bonus, they even gave Luffy's courtyard a full cleaning.
And honestly, the job they did was better than what most workers in the Goa Kingdom could manage.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Once things had finally settled down, Koby, looking a bit shy and out of place, followed Luffy and the others into the mansion.
All the original maids had been left back in the Goa Kingdom, now within Laboon's personal world. That meant the only ones staying in this house now were the core members of the Stardust Pirates.
Naturally, everyone had to take care of their own daily needs.
Well, except Luffy, of course. He had Robin looking after him.
As they stepped inside, Luffy turned to the still-nervous Koby and said with a welcoming smile:
"Koby, there are still plenty of rooms left. Pick whichever one you like."
"O-Okay! Yes, sir!!"
Koby stood up straight like a soldier receiving orders, answering as if Luffy were his commanding officer.
Robin chuckled softly at the display, flashing a charming smile.
"There's no need to be so tense, Koby. We're all crewmates here, just relax a little~"
But her reassurance had little effect. Koby remained rigid, voice still trembling with nerves:
"Yes, ma'am! Thank you, Robin-san!"
"Pfft, HAHAHAHA!"
The whole room burst into laughter at Koby's overly formal response.
Seeing everyone so relaxed and cheerful, Koby finally loosened up a bit. His cheeks turned rosy like he'd dabbed on blush, and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, smiling along with them.
"All right!" Luffy suddenly raised both arms high, grinning broadly. "To celebrate Koby joining us… I've decided!"
"Tonight, we're throwing a party!!!"
"Squeak…"
In stark contrast to everyone else's excitement, Zoro's stomach twisted with a sudden, inexplicable pain at the word party.
Last time, when they celebrated Zoro's recovery, Luffy had said the same thing, with the same excitement.
Zoro had been genuinely happy then. After all, waking up healthy again was something worth celebrating.
But during that party, the drink selection had been… disastrous.
Other than fruit juice, there was only milk on the table.
Juice? That was the girls' choice. No way he was going to sit around sipping the same thing as Nami and Robin.
In the end, he, Luffy, and Brook downed almost half a warehouse's worth of milk.
But Zoro's body was still 100% human, unlike the other two freaks. His cells might be infused with spiritual energy, sure, but his digestive system was all too human.
The others seemed perfectly fine after all that milk, practically glowing with energy.
Zoro, though?
He couldn't even remember how many times he ran to the bathroom that night.
So this time,
He was drinking alcohol.
He didn't care if he hadn't tasted it before.
No more dairy at parties. Never again.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Later, in the Living Room…
Brook sat at the piano, playing a slow, calming melody. The music soothed Koby's nerves as it floated gently through the room.
Zoro, showing rare cooperation, had slumped right into the sofa, snoring softly as the notes lulled him to sleep.
In the kitchen, Robin was leading the charge, prepping ingredients with practiced ease. Nami stood beside her, occasionally lending a hand when needed.
Koby, unsure of what to do, wandered in just in time to see Nami about to peel a potato.
"Let me handle that!" he shouted, almost too loudly.
In a blur, Koby appeared beside her, snatching the potato and peeler from her hands.
"Leave this kind of thing to me, Nami-san!"
"Uh… okay?"
Nami blinked in surprise and stepped aside, a little stunned by the sudden burst of energy.
Under Koby's hands, potatoes were stripped bare in seconds, revealing their tender yellow flesh beneath.
Months of grunt work hadn't gone to waste.
What would've taken Nami an hour to peel, Koby finished in mere minutes, and the results were cleaner, smoother, and far more efficient.
Just after wiping sweat from his brow, Koby spotted Robin about to start washing the dishes.
"Let me do that too!"
Before either woman could respond, Koby zipped over and took her place at the sink.
His hands danced like water dragons through the dishes, swift, precise, and spotless. Every plate sparkled by the time he was done, looking like they'd just come out of a showroom.
Robin stood there like Nami had earlier, watching Koby work in silent amazement.
"Robin-san, Nami-san," Koby said eagerly, spinning around with shining eyes, "Is there anything else I can help with?"
It was as if he'd found his purpose in these small, helpful tasks.
The two women exchanged glances, then broke into warm smiles.
"Of course," they said in unison. "There's still plenty to do."
─────────🏴☠️────────
Meanwhile, in Luffy's Bedroom…
After leaving the others, Luffy returned to his room and couldn't wait another second.
"System, open Koby's status panel!"
Ding!
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes, displaying Koby's current stats:
Name: Koby
Potential: SS (+)
Stamina: 35
Strength: 12
Agility: 42
Mental Power: 150
"Huh?" Luffy raised an eyebrow at the numbers.
SS-rank potential wasn't surprising, but that little "+" symbol? Now that was interesting.
Agility and Mental Power were higher than average, which made sense. Koby had spent a year training hard and had already awakened a powerful form of Observation Haki. Even without focused training, those attributes wouldn't be weak.
But that "+" symbol? That indicated something extremely rare, a top-tier, exceptional talent.
Just like Nami's weather-sensing gift.
Even seasoned New World pirates like Golden Lion Shiki would be shocked by a power like that.
But Luffy couldn't figure out what made Koby so special.
That type of enhanced Haki could be trained by strong fighters over time. It wasn't necessarily a unique gift.
"System, what's Koby's special talent?"
[Hero.]
The system's response was brief. Cold.
"…Hero? What does that even do?"
Luffy frowned, asking again.
[This individual is more suited to becoming a hero than anyone else.]
"…That's it?"
Luffy blinked, completely dumbfounded.
[That's it.]
"Tch… What the heck kind of talent is that?" he muttered, scratching his head in frustration.
It didn't boost Koby's combat ability.
It had no practical use in daily life.
Luffy wasn't planning to turn him into some world-saving champion either.
So as far as he could tell… it was completely useless.
"Oh well," he sighed. "Time for the next step."
"System, draw Koby's exclusive item!"
[Confirmed.]
A spinning wheel appeared before him, flickering with a variety of bizarre items from countless worlds.
Some were impressive… others downright strange.
What really caught Luffy's eye was a single entry: a strand of hair.
"…What the hell does that do?" he wondered aloud.
Still baffled, he gave the order:
"System, start the draw!"
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