Chapter 60Nami's gaze was instantly drawn to the money bag; her eyes struggled for a fraction of a second before she snatched it up.She coughed and put on a charitable expression as if she had no choice but to indulge him."Hmph, since you're so sincere about wanting to hear it, I'll show some mercy and tell you."So, Nami began telling the story starting from meeting Luffy and Buggy the Clown, including the Krieg Pirates, Arlong's Crew, and the little-known Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans... they had even defeated two Marine Captains.Luffy, staring at the Psyduck-like bird, suddenly felt hungry; he turned toward the kitchen and shouted, "Sanji, I want to eat fish!""Idiot Captain, the fish in the fridge is long gone! Didn't the last of the stock go into your stomach at lunch?""Is that so?"Luffy frowned, licked his lips, and turned his gaze darkly toward the wary Quick."I've got it."Chapter 77: He Really Nailed That FlexWhen faced with difficulties, one must find their own way; Luffy was never the type to think that crying would get him what he wanted.Quick looked plump and meaty, making him perfect bait; acting on his impulse, Luffy immediately started trying to catch the duck.Before long, Quick let out a shrill, pitiful scream.Even animals can tap into hidden potential when they feel their lives are in danger; Luffy lost his grip for a moment, and Quick hid behind Vivi, trembling uncontrollably.Luffy was still trying to entice him; a top-tier bait like Quick might attract some massive Sea Kings, providing enough food for several meals.Hearing this, Usopp also came over to size up Quick, intentionally scaring him by saying he was the favorite food of Giant Goldfish.In Usopp's fabrication, the Giant Goldfish was as large as an island and fed on islands, with droppings the size of islands themselves.Quick's small duck eyes instantly went wide, his feathers standing on end; he shook his head frantically, letting out terrified quacks while flapping his short wings wildly, wishing he could jump into the sea to escape.Although he was actually a Spot-Billed Duck and not just any duck, asking him to lure giant Sea Kings in the ocean?What was the difference between that and turning him directly into fish food?Karoo was scared out of his wits, clutching Vivi's clothes tightly and leaving only a trembling backside facing Luffy."Luffy, don't you dare target Quick!" Vivi said.Luffy felt it was a bit of a pity."Luffy, I have a way," Merry said.Luffy's eyes lit up as he asked, "What's the way?"Sitting on Luffy's shoulder, Merry gently swung her legs and raised her small hand high, pointing toward the sea beside the ship. In a soft, sweet voice tinged with a bit of pride, she said, "We don't need bait.""I see many big fish over there in schools. I can have the waves help push them up, and then you can just reach out and grab them, Luffy!""...So there's a method like that? Let's go try it!"Luffy excitedly carried Merry to the edge of the ship.Could words like "manipulating the waves" be said so casually? Robin had been quietly watching the scene; at first, she thought Merry was just an ordinary crew member, but now it seemed she was the most extraordinary one."I see. Could this young lady be the legendary Klabautermann?" Robin tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into an elegant arc.Her knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary people, so she had naturally heard of the Klabautermann legends, but seeing one with her own eyes was still surprising."A Klabautermann?!" Vivi exclaimed, her deep blue eyes filled with disbelief."Aren't those just legends? They say they are the incarnation of a ship, carrying a small wooden mallet and wearing a raincoat to repair the vessel in the dead of night.""Merry, take out your hammer and show them," Luffy said with a hint of showing off.Merry's abilities weren't that simple. Being able to control the ship's navigation was one thing, but Luffy didn't care much about that; he had once seen Merry throw a hammer, and another one quickly appeared in her hand.It was just like having infinite fire, throwing hammers incessantly; Merry said it didn't cost her much energy.So Luffy helped Merry develop a new technique.Throwing hammers continuously.It looked so cute, throwing the little hammerheads without any particular pattern.Merry seemed to know she was cute; she closed her eyes and babbled while tossing hammers into the sea.Looking at Merry with her lively ponytail and her little dress made of patchwork fabric, looking like a little angel, Vivi really couldn't reconcile her with the mysterious and blurry image from ancient legends.The first time they met Merry, she indeed had that appearance.But with a woman like Nami who had such good taste in clothes, how could she let Merry keep wearing a raincoat? She was quite proud of this."Well? Our Merry is cute, isn't she? I made this outfit myself," Nami said, hands on her hips, smiling with pride.Vivi looked at Merry again, and just then, Merrygave her a bright, innocent smile, her pure large eyes curving into crescents.With just that one look, Vivi felt as if her heart had been struck by something."Oh my goodness, she's too cute!"Vivi whispered subconsciously, her cheeks flushing slightly.Thinking she was a little devil before was definitely a delusion!She was clearly a little angel descended to earth; who could refuse such a cute and magical creature?If she were a devil, it would definitely be because of Luffy!Vivi rubbed her own backside.Luffy was already impatient to eat fish, so he had Merry start her "spell" while he leaned eagerly over the gunwale, his Rubber arms stretched out and ready to strike at any moment.Merry nodded and closed her eyes, a focused expression appearing on her small face. She reached out her tiny hand and gave a gentle wave toward the distant sea.Something wonderful happened.The waves around the going merry seemed to be guided by an invisible force, beginning to surge gently and orderly—not violently like a storm, but more like a gentle herding. Beneath the distant surface, a large shadow could be seen rapidly approaching.Splash!In the next moment, countless sea fish were carried above the surface by a perfectly timed surge. Fish of all shapes and sizes shimmered with silver scales in the sunlight, splashing as they leaped out of the water in a truly spectacular scene.Luffy's eyes lit up instantly; who needed bait for fishing when with Merry around, he could just pick them up?Luffy certainly wasn't slow; this was also a trial. What did Observation Haki require? Precision and speed. His mind had just been filled with thoughts on Devil Fruit development, and now he had a real combat situation before him."Gum-Gum... Gatling Grab!"Luffy's Rubber arms struck out like a storm; with every shout, one or several large sea fish were accurately struck in the head, knocked unconscious, and then hauled back to the deck by Luffy's extended arms.Nami and the others hurried over, busily sorting and stacking the spoils; with a glutton like Luffyaround, no amount of stored food was ever too much.Sanji was already stroking his chin, examining the ingredients and pondering cooking methods.Soon, the fish on the deck piled up into a small mountain, and the going merry even sank a little under the weight of the harvest. The schools of fish in this area seemed endless, and the variety was staggering.Everyone noticed this group of oddly shaped fish.Some had heads like hammers, some had mouths full of sharp teeth, and their scales were as hard as armor.They seemed to be new species; no one knew where these fish came from.Knowledge is never useless; it simply waits for the right moment to fulfill its purpose. Looking at these strange fish, Luffy suddenly blurted out their names.And then he drew the attention of the whole group.Chapter 78: Small Garden"Cymbospondylus.""Plesiosaur fish.""Megalodon."...With just a glance at these strange fish, numerous matching textual descriptions automatically surfaced in Luffy's mind.One could only say they were all perfect matches.But this suddenly left Nami and the others completely bewildered.Luffy could be strong, even exceptionally strong.But aside from combat power, when it came to other knowledge points, Luffy could know some things, but he shouldn't know too much!Doesn't that make them look incompetent?In other words, even an idiot like Luffy knew things that they didn't."Aren't you just making things up?" Zoro, who had the strongest fixed impression of Luffy, asked suspiciously.Robin stood up for Luffy. She knelt down, carefully observing a strange fish with heavy scales and a protruding mouth, and said softly, "That's correct. Mr. Luffy has observed very closely. The characteristics of these fish match certain ancient species recorded in historical texts. This suggests that this sea area, or nearby islands, may have an ecosystem that has persisted from ancient times without significant evolution."After a pause, she said, "We should be arriving at Small Garden.""Small Garden?" Luffy tilted his head.Nami had learned the general information about Small Garden from Robin but had forgotten to tell them, so she explained, "The next island the log pose points to is Small Garden."Robin stood up and added with a smile, "According to the intelligence sent back by Mr. 3 and the others, due to the unique magnetic forces and climate of the Grand Line, it might not have evolved at all. It's said to be an island that preserves its ancient appearance, a massive primeval forest.""And the prehistoric creatures living within it, such as Dinosaurs."Due to the difficulties of navigation, there is little communication between islands in this world, and each island has developed its own civilization.There are islands with advanced civilizations, and there are islands that haven't progressed for tens of millions of years, like Small Garden, where the island's appearance hasn't changed.The chaotic climate of the Grand Line makes such things entirely possible."Dinosaurs?!"Except for Robin and Merry, who seemed to have sensed something long ago, everyone else exclaimed in surprise."You didn't say there were Dinosaurs before!" Nami's face instantly turned pale.Giants were one thing, but now Dinosaurs too? Earlier, when Robin mentioned there were two giants on the island, Nami was still wondering what they could possibly eat after all those years. Now she knew—there was a constant supply of Dinosaurs to eat.Robin gave Nami a smile. "Is that so? Perhaps I forgot."This woman was definitely doing it on purpose.Her heart must be as terrifyingly black as her thick, jet-black hair!With terrifying images of being chased by giant beasts already surfacing in her mind, Namisubconsciously grabbed Luffy's arm.Sanji's chef soul was burning, his eyes turning into hearts; the meat of prehistoric creatures was the ultimate dream ingredient."Dinosaurs? Sounds interesting."A battle-hungry glint flashed in Zoro's eyes, and his hand moved to the hilt of wado ichimonji; he was already imagining testing his blades on a Dinosaur.Although Usopp's legs were shaking with fear, he feigned composure, coughed, and walked over to Zoro with a serious face, patting his waist. "Ahem! As a brave warrior of the sea, how could an adventure like this happen without the great Captain Usopp? Besides, Zoro, you're a lost cause with directions; without me to lead the way, you'd surely get lost in that primeval forest and walk until you die! Fine, I'll reluctantly team up with you!"In reality, he was thinking that following the strongest combatant would definitely be the safest.If you were talking about the strongest, it was definitely Luffy.But putting aside whether there was a spot for him there, Luffy really wasn't as safe to be around as Zoro.After the commotion of Merry guiding the schools of fish, the climate of the surrounding sea seemed to have stabilized quite a bit, no longer as unpredictable as when they first entered the Grand Line; the harsh weather was gradually subsiding.Holding a grilled fish, Luffy said, "It's much calmer than before."When they first entered the Grand Line, it was all wind and rain, followed by thunder, lightning, and hail all at once."The voyage from here on should tend to be smoother."Nami, feeling the stabilizing sea breeze and current, said:"When we first entered the Grand Line, because the seven magnetic routes are very close to each other, the magnetic fields and currents interfere with one another, which is why the weather and sea conditions were so extremely chaotic. After leaving that area, while navigation is still much harder than in the four seas, that kind of extreme weather won't be as frequent."The Grand Line is the ultimate test for a Navigator.If a Navigator's skill isn't high enough, the probability of dying in some unknown corner is far too great.Luffy grinned and rubbed Merry's little head on his shoulder. "It's okay, we have Merry, and the best Navigator, Nami!"Despite her fear of Dinosaurs, Nami couldn't help but let out a soft huff at Luffy's praise, her chin lifting slightly as her lips curled into an uncontrollable smile of happiness.He's quite the smooth talker.After the initial chaos, the voyage through the Grand Line seemed to be becoming a bit boring.
