Chapter 191In her memory, perhaps only that Mama from Totto Land possessed such terrifying power.And was she personally witnessing the rise of an Emperor of the Sea?This feeling was too surreal.Luffy only smiled and continued to bury his head in his food; he didn't say a word about his deal with Kuma.Everyone was currently surrounded by the ecstasy of victory and freedom, and no one delved into these details."Everyone, please listen to me!"Spoil, the former chairman of the Victims Association of the Rolling Pirates, stood on a high rock and shouted loudly.Waiting until the excited clamor of the crowd subsided slightly, he continued, his voice somewhat choked: "The purpose of our Victims Association was to take back our own shadows!During this time, thank you all for your hard work and mutual support!Now, since all the shadows have returned, I announce that the Victims Association is hereby disbanded!""Chairman!""Thank you, Chairman!""You are our best chairman!"These people, who had relied on each other for so long on Thriller Bark, burst into tears and hugged one another at the thought of going their separate ways, sharing their reluctance and blessings.Lola and her pirate crew also tearfully bid farewell to their fellow victims.Luffy didn't participate much in such a sentimental and warm farewell ceremony; he just silently ate meat.Instead, the emotionally sensitive Usopp, Franky, and Chopper were moved to tears, hugging each other and sobbing."So moving.""How could a real man squeeze out tears for a parting!""Here's a tissue for you to wipe your eyes first."Just then, Robin arrived quietly with a cup of hot tea and sat down beside Luffy."What did you and Kuma talk about earlier?" Robin's voice was soft, her beautiful eyes fixed on Luffy."And what happened to you?""Nothing happened."Luffy's chewing paused for a moment; he moved aside, and Robin sat down accordingly, shifting her body closer."But you look like you have something on your mind." Robin looked up, set down the hot tea, and said seriously, "You said it yourself, we are crewmates.""It's nothing,"Luffy swallowed the meat in his mouth, thought for a moment, and decided that the invitation to become a Shichibukai could be mentioned. "That Kuma, representing the World Government, invited me to replace Moriah and become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.""Seven Warlords of the Sea?"Robin's brow furrowed slightly as she scrutinized Luffy's expression. "Is that all?"She always felt that things weren't that simple.Luffy's reaction didn't seem like he had just rejected an invitation.Chapter 274: Strong, But Not Strong Enough"Yeah, what else could there be? Anyway, I refused."Luffy now empathized with how Robin had felt back then.Faced with the terrifying deterrence of the World Government, Robin hadn't wanted to involve them.And Luffy didn't want to involve them in the matter regarding Ace.Previously, relying on a surge of hot-bloodedness, they had turned Enies Lobby upside down, but in the end, if it hadn't been for Garp and Aokiji, their group might not have made it back.Now that Ace was imprisoned in Impel Down, which was as famous as Enies Lobby and even more terrifying, good luck wouldn't favor them again.Luffy agreed with Kuma's assessment.His strength might not be inferior to that of the Admirals.But what about his crewmates?They needed strength.What they needed even more was time.One must know that it had only been a little over two months since they sailed from the East Blue. Luffy had lived those two months as if they were two years, but Zoro and the others were different.He felt that this was something a mature Captainneeded to consider."Alright."Robin didn't press further, but the doubt in her eyes didn't dissipate.She reached out and gently pulled Luffy's head over, resting it on her soft and warm lap. "If you don't want to say it, then don't. However, what you need right now isn't to eat meat, but to rest.""Eh? I still want to eat."Luffy struggled a bit, trying to sit up. "And I'm really fine.""You don't want to eat,"Robin's tone carried an indisputable tenderness. Her hand gently touched Luffy's cheek, bringing a hint of coolness that strangely soothed his restless nerves. "You need to rest. No matter what happens, I will be here."Robin pressed him down.Robin's observation skills were extremely sharp.Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she could sense that Luffy's spirit was under immense pressure.Luffy was somewhat silent, but Robin's hand was gently comforting him.His constantly tense nerves seemed to have finally found a harbor where they could temporarily dock.The faint scent of books and flowers on Robin's body lingered in his nose, and his eyelids gradually became heavy.The consecutive days of fierce fighting, the side effects of the shadows, and the shock of the news of Ace's capture surged up like a tide at this moment.His struggling force weakened, and finally, in that reassuring touch and scent, he closed his eyes.His breathing became even and long as he fell into a deep sleep.Robin looked down at the sleeping profile of the boy on her lap, a few strands of black hair falling.Her hand still gently stroked Luffy's cheek, smoothing the frown lines between his brows, and she spoke softly:"Sleep well, Captain."No matter what happens, we will walk with you.Her life had been tightly entwined with Luffy's since the time in Alabasta.While Luffy was sleeping, Sanji and Zoro quietly left the banquet grounds and came to the vicinity of the wreckage where Luffy and Kuma had spoken earlier."If no battle occurred, then something definitely happened.""And there's definitely something wrong with those injuries on Luffy disappearing so quickly."Sanji and Zoro had arrived here together by coincidence.Sanji and Zoro walked side by side; actually, it wasn't like this at first. He had been leading the way, but in just a moment, he turned around and found that Zoro was gone.That guy is simply an idiot with no sense of direction; he could even get lost like this!"Cook, look at that," Zoro said in a deep voice, looking ahead.Sanji lit a cigarette and took a deep breath: "Yeah, I see it.""What is it?""I don't know, but it's definitely not anything good."They saw the huge translucent paw bubblefloating in mid-air and felt the heart-palpitatingly heavy energy contained within it; their expressions became incredibly solemn.Just then, a low voice sounded from behind them:"That is a portion of the physical and mental pain and fatigue that your Captain has been enduring."The two turned around abruptly and saw Kuma had returned at some point, standing quietly by a large rock; Gekko Moriah was still lying unconscious at his feet.He seemed to have just finished a transponder snail communication.He had originally intended to come back and clear the paw bubble energy, but he hadn't expected to see these two.Bo-tap.Kuma raised his hand and gave a gentle wave toward the huge paw bubble of pain in the air. The paw bubble separated into two small, fist-sized paw bubbles that slowly drifted in front of Sanjiand Zoro."Do you want to experience for yourselves what your Captain has been enduring lately?" Kuma's voice betrayed no emotion.Sanji and Zoro didn't speak.They remained wary of Kuma.This guy is a Shichibukai, an enemy!Feeling the powerful aura emanating from Kuma, Zoro immediately drew his sword."You are strong, but not strong enough."Kuma left these words, slapped Moriah away with one hand, and then slapped the paw bubble away as well.Immediately following that.On the sea level visible from here, a huge paw bubble suddenly appeared, and then a massive energy shockwave was generated, like a tsunami."Looks like that guy wasn't lying."Sanji walked up to the paw bubble; even just looking at it made his heart jump. "The pain Luffyendured? Marimo, what do you think?""I really want to know how much our Captain has endured for us."Sanji and Zoro looked at each other, both seeing determination in the other's eyes."Let's try it."Zoro reached out without hesitation and touched one of the paw bubbles."Then let's try it."Sanji touched the other one almost at the same time.The moment their fingertips touched those strange paw bubbles."Ugh!!""Cough!"Both of them let out a muffled groan almost simultaneously, their bodies trembling violently as if an invisible giant hammer had smashed into them, or as if they were being sliced by countless sharp blades.Fine bloodstains instantly burst across the surface of their skin, their muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and the intense pain struck their nerves and will like a tsunami!It wasn't just physical agony; it was also mixed with extreme mental fatigue and the backlash from forcefully developing abilities...With just a moment of contact, the two seemed as if all their strength had been drained; they knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, and cold sweat instantly soaked their clothes.The paw bubbles also dissipated as they touched them.When the two returned to the banquet, they gave everyone a real scare, thinking the enemy had attacked again.Chopper cried out and ran over to treat them.But even with Chopper's superb medical skills, he couldn't fully understand such a bizarre injury.When Luffy woke up.What he saw was Chopper treating the wounds of Sanji and Zoro, who were covered in bandages and pale-faced."Hmm? What happened to you two?"Luffy rubbed his eyes, sat up from Robin's lap, and asked in confusion, "Is there another enemy? Who beat you up like this?"Sanji and Zoro looked at each other and began to talk nonsense with great tacit understanding."Ah, it's nothing. I just went into the forest to look for ingredients and accidentally took a tumble." Sanji blew a smoke ring, his eyes darting around."Yeah, we ran into a group of very powerful wild beasts." Zoro crossed his arms and added solemnly.
