Under the moonlight…
Koby slowly opened his eyes.
"How'd it go, Koby?!"
Luffy and the others immediately crowded around, their faces full of curiosity and excitement, eager to see what kind of ability Koby had awakened.
"Uh… everything went fine…"
Koby replied awkwardly, his voice a bit forced. Beads of sweat had started forming on his forehead, and he looked unusually tense.
Luffy raised an eyebrow and checked Koby's status screen.
His stats had definitely improved by several times.
So why did he still look so nervous?
Unable to suppress his confusion, Luffy asked again:
"Koby, did something go wrong during the conjuring?"
"N-no! Not at all!"
But the moment Luffy asked, Koby panicked even more, flailing and shouting louder than necessary.
His odd reaction only made everyone more suspicious.
Nami stepped forward, grabbed Koby's ear with a mischievous grin, and teased:
"Let me guess…"
"You say everything went smoothly, yet you're sweating bullets!"
"Little Koby, did you conjure something weird? Huh!?"
Twisting his head so he couldn't avoid her gaze, Nami peered straight into his eyes.
Koby quickly averted his eyes and, ignoring the pain in his ear, stammered guiltily:
"N-not at all! I-I mean, how could I?!"
"Come on, Nami-san, stop teasing…"
But Nami's grin widened as she leaned in with mock seriousness:
"Hmm… sounds like you conjured something too embarrassing to say out loud, huh?"
Then her eyes lit up with mock revelation, and she released his ear with a dramatic gasp.
"Wait a second, don't tell me…"
"It's women's clothing, isn't it?!"
"Ewwww!"
"Little Koby, that's gross!"
She staggered back several steps as if to distance herself, throwing up her hands in exaggerated horror like she no longer knew him.
"O-of course not!!!"
Koby's face turned bright red, and he practically leapt in place, yelling in protest as his cheeks trembled from the shame.
"BAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Everyone burst out laughing at Koby's flustered reaction, Luffy, Zoro, even Brook doubled over.
After a long bout of laughter, Luffy finally waved his hand to calm everyone down and said:
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Come on, Koby, don't keep us in suspense!"
"We're all dying to know, what exactly did you conjure?"
Still clearly embarrassed, Koby fidgeted and mumbled under his breath:
"Okay… I'll show you."
"But just so you know, you guys better not laugh!"
Nami smirked playfully. "No promises!"
Koby hesitated for a moment. But then he thought, he'd have to use it sooner or later, right?
Better to get it over with now than drag it out.
He pressed his palms together. A warm light of Nen gathered in his hands.
Moments later, a long wooden pole materialized.
It extended upward about a meter, and then suddenly flared out at the top, forming a flat, rectangular wooden board.
It was thin, just a single layer.
From behind the board, long cotton strands drooped down.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the object in Koby's hands.
Zoro's mouth fell open. Raising a hand, he pointed with uncertainty:
"Wait… is that… a mop?"
"PFFFFFT, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Once again, laughter erupted under the night sky.
"Ahahahaha! Koby, your ability is… hahaha, I can't!!"
Nami clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over.
Even the usually composed Robin covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, her eyes crinkling as tears formed at the corners.
Aside from Koby, only Luffy managed to keep a straight face.
After all, in the world of Hunters, someone once conjured a vacuum cleaner as a Nen weapon.
So a mop… wasn't that unusual. Right?
Still, the group laughed long and hard before finally catching their breath.
Koby had given everyone a surprise they'd never forget.
"So, Koby," Luffy asked as the laughter subsided, "what exactly does this mop do?"
Koby looked like he wanted to sink into the earth. He had been so mortified by the laughter that he barely heard the question, or maybe he was just tuning out the world on purpose.
Luffy walked over and gently patted his shoulder.
"Come on, Koby. No one's laughing at you."
"Yeah, sorry, Koby," Nami added, suddenly sweet and apologetic. "Your weapon's just… really funny-looking. That's all!"
Zoro stepped up too. "Seriously. Doesn't matter what it looks like. As long as it's useful."
He gestured to the three impressive swords at his waist.
Robin flashed her gem-studded bracelet. Brook ran a skeletal hand along the cold steel of his bone-handled sword.
One by one, the crew offered their reassurance.
Koby finally raised his head, his voice soft and hesitant.
"I wasn't upset about the laughter…"
"I just… felt embarrassed because this is what my conjured item ended up being."
Luffy smiled warmly and said:
"Well, now you have to show us what it does!"
"Like Zoro said, what matters is whether it suits you."
Koby slowly raised the mop, letting them all see it clearly.
"I call it… The Hero's Mop."
"The Hero's… Mop?" everyone repeated curiously.
Without pause, Koby explained:
"The Hero's Mop will never harm innocent people or good-hearted individuals. It only damages those with evil intent."
"And…"
"If I defeat someone evil on my own, I can use this mop to absorb all the darkness in their hearts, purify their Mental Power, and permanently convert that energy into my own strength."
Clink!
The bottle in Zoro's hand slipped and hit the ground. Fortunately, it landed on soft grass and only spilled a little.
"That's… insane," Nami gasped, staring at the plain-looking mop in awe.
She didn't quite understand the part about not harming good people, but the idea of cleansing evil and gaining strength from it, now that was impressive.
"Wow… that's a really powerful ability, Koby," Luffy said, genuinely proud.
"Really, Luffy-san?!"
Koby beamed at the praise.
"Of course!" Luffy nodded. "But don't waste a good ability like that."
"Starting tomorrow, you'll train with Zoro."
"Z-Zoro-sensei?!"
Koby turned toward Zoro, eyes wide, clearly seeking his approval.
Zoro examined the mop closely, then gave a faint smirk and nodded in appreciation.
"My training's not easy…"
"I'm not afraid of hard work, Mr. Zoro!"
Koby planted the mop's handle firmly into the ground, standing tall and resolute.
"Alright then," Zoro said. "Training begins tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Zoro looked at Koby and felt a rare flicker of admiration.
Only someone who had also turned his deepest convictions into strength could understand…
Just how noble Koby's heart truly was.
─────────🏴☠️────────
Meanwhile, far across the seas in the New World…
A great war, one that would shake the world, was about to begin.
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