Chapter 196Between Garp and Kuma, Sengoku chose to confront the former first."Are you kidding me, Bartholomew Kuma!"Sengoku slammed the desk abruptly and roared, "With your ability, you didn't even bring back a single person? Give me a decent reason! I'm the one who has to report to the higher-ups! This was a joint operation between two Shichibukai!"Kuma's voice was as steady and emotionless as ever: "Moriah did not agree to join forces. He was defeated first by Straw Hat Luffy."He omitted the information about his call with the Gorosei and his deal with Luffy.Even Sengoku didn't know Kuma could contact the Gorosei privately, and as for the deal with Luffy, not even the Gorosei knew.He was, after all, a member of the Revolutionary Army.Kuma's current identity was truly complex, involving several factions and key figures.Garp, who was nearby, wasn't worried upon hearing this; instead, he burst out laughing, slapping his thigh hard: "Puhahaha! As expected of my grandson, well done!""Shut up, Garp!"Sengoku glared at his old friend in a rage, feeling his blood pressure soaring.He gritted his teeth and said to Kuma: "The order from above was to eliminate the entire Straw Hatcrew! You didn't even bring back a single head; you've completely disgraced the Shichibukai and the Marine!"Chapter 280 Robin: Did I Come at a Bad Time?Sengoku also knew that scolding Kuma was useless.But this pent-up anger had to be vented somehow.What could he do, scold Garp?Just look at him!Garp picked his nose and waved his hand with a knowing look: "Relax, Sengoku, don't worry. Luffyisn't the kind of shallow man who would brag everywhere just because he defeated a Shichibukai."He knew what Sengoku was worried about.It was nothing more than worrying that the news of Moriah's defeat would spread.Just a mere Shichibukai.Hmph!Sengoku snorted heavily, cursing inwardly:It's only because he's your precious grandson!He turned his gaze back to Kuma and questioned: "Even if that idiot Moriah handed over his own head, with your strength, it should have been easy to deal with the Straw Hat's other companions while he was fighting the Straw Hat, right? Are there some hidden masters on their ship?"Two Shichibukai—one of you keeps the Straw Hatbusy, and the other deals with his companions. Even a pig could have brought back a few heads.And you're telling me you got nothing?Kuma was silent for a moment and replied:"While Straw Hat Luffy was fighting Moriah, his Observation Haki could still clearly lock onto my position and movements. He had enough strength to spare to protect his companions during the fierce battle."Simply put.He is very strong.I couldn't do it.Sengoku's face visibly darkened, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk.Has the Straw Hat already reached this level?Did Aokiji not hold back?He couldn't have had another breakthrough in less than a month since fighting Aokiji.He snorted and said, "As it stands, we won't revoke the bounty on the Straw Hat crew, and they are currently approaching the Marineford sphere of influence. If they dare cause any trouble at the Sabaody Archipelago..."Before Sengoku could finish, Garp held up a tea bag and interrupted him with an innocent look: "Don't worry about such things. By the way, Sengoku, I brought some new tea. Hurry up and bring out those hidden Senbei to share!"This extremely ill-timed move made Sengoku's anger explode. He stood up abruptly and pointed at Garp's nose, cursing:"Shut up! You bastard Garp! Is this the time to be drinking tea and eating Senbei?!"Sengoku suspected that one day he would die not in a battle for Marine justice, but from being angered to death by Garp....The night was deep, and the sea was calm.The thousand sunny and the going merry were connected by a bridge.A figure floated silently from the connection onto the deck of the going merry.Long black hair flowed down to her waist, shimmering like silk under the Moonlight. She wore a simple white dress and was barefoot, hovering a few centimeters above the deck like a moonlit sea siren or ghost.Her face was exquisite, cold and charming, and her skin was so pale it was almost transparent.It was Merry, who had used the Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Lapis Lazuli Form.It was extra easy to maintain this form under the moon.But maintaining this form seemed to have some impact on her personality; she lacked her usual innocence and had a bit more coldness."Merry, why are you out so late instead of sleeping?" Luffy's voice came from above. He was sitting on the edge of the deck, developing his Devil Fruit abilities.Hearing the noise, he turned around and was startled by Merry's floating appearance.He almost thought he'd seen a ghost.If he really saw a ghost, Luffy's first reaction would be excitement.Now that he saw it was Merry, he didn't feel that way.Merry was also startled; she seemed distracted: "I couldn't sleep, so I came out to look around!"Merry's voice carried a trace of undetectable tension. Her cold, charming face tried hard to squeeze out her usual cute smile, but it looked a bit awkward.Zoan-type Devil Fruits, especially Mythical Zoans, indeed have an influence on the user's personality.Luffy looked at her and grinned, as if seeing through her thoughts, resting his cheek on his hand: "Don't worry, I told you everything's fine."Everyone was quite worried about him.Even Sanji had made a banquet-level feast.Luffy was a man of action; rather than falling into useless anxiety, he preferred to think about how to get stronger and solve problems."Then train with me!"Merry seemed to have found an excuse and excitedly raised her small hand.If she were in her little Merry form, this gesture would naturally be incredibly cute, but coming from the cold and charming young woman she was now, it had a different charm, carrying a bit of clumsy sweetness."Ah, about that."Luffy scratched his cheek, "Right now is my solo Devil Fruit development time. I can figure it out on my own."What he wanted to figure out more was Haki.Golden Lion's move had made his heart itch with curiosity."Liar,"Merry twisted her slender fingers somewhat aggrievedly and muttered softly, "From morning until now, you've done physical training, practiced Wind Speed Perception with Vivi, studied meteorological knowledge with Nami, and even tested Lightning Storage with Nika."Her voice grew smaller as she spoke. She felt that this kind of attention-seeking mindset was strange, but she just couldn't control it.After transforming, the desire to be close to Luffyand feel his presence became even stronger.There was also a mysterious urge for more intimate contact growing in her heart.Smelling him, hugging him, kissing him... Oh, Merry, what kind of messy things are you thinking about!Realizing the images flashing through her mind, Merry's cold and charming face turned bright red instantly, like a ripe apple.She felt like she was about to smoke and wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into or just jump into the sea to cool off.Before she could break free from this shameful fantasy, she felt a pair of large, warm hands cover her forehead."Are you okay? Your face is so red. Is maintaining this form too exhausting?" Luffy leaned in closer and muttered with concern, "I was like this the first time I entered Gear 5."The temperature of his palm felt exceptionally hot to the currently flustered Merry.Yahoo!Merry cried out in surprise at the sudden contact and instinctively tried to back away. As a result, she forgot she was floating, her two smooth feet crossed comically in the air, she lost her balance, and with a thud, she fell onto her bottom on the deck.Seeing this, Luffy quickly squatted down to help her up.Merry sat on the ground, her white skirt spread out, revealing a pair of pale, delicate, jade-like bare feet with toes as round as pearls.Because of tension and shyness, those ten cute toes even curled up unconsciously.Luffy originally just wanted to reach out and grab her shoulders to help her stand up, but his gaze was drawn to the nearby, slightly curled jade feet.As if possessed.He reached out and, as if grabbing a curious toy, grasped Merry's warm and soft ankle, while his other hand instinctively squeezed her curled toes.Merry: "?!"Merry's eyes, already watery from embarrassment, widened instantly. Her brain was wiped blank in an instant by this sudden, unprecedented contact. All her thought processes crashed, completely unable to respond.She froze on the spot, the blush on her cheeks spreading rapidly to her ears and neck.Just then, a soft click came from the cabin door connecting the two ships."Luffy, Merry, I brought some snacks. Do you want some?"Robin, carrying a tray of exquisite snacks and two drinks, gracefully pushed the door open and walked onto the deck.She had noticed Merry sneaking onto the going merry earlier, so she came over to check.As soon as the door opened, this was the scene that met her eyes.Luffy was squatting on the ground, his hands playing with the bare feet of Merry, who was sitting on the deck.And Merry's appearance—cold and charming yet extremely bashful—was enough to make anyone feel pity.What was this?Robin was slightly stunned at first, then a flash of understanding and playfulness crossed her deep eyes.No wonder Merry had transformed into this form when she came.Robin tilted her head slightly, a faint, somewhat mischievous smile curling the corners of her lips as she spoke softly:"Did I come at a bad time?"The air on the deck seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint sound of waves gently lapping against the hull.Luffy and Merry were like they had been paused, then they suddenly snapped back to reality!Luffy quickly let go of the hand still squeezing Merry's toes as if he'd been burned and stood up abruptly, his movement so fast it even stirred up a gust of wind."No, no, no, you came at just the right time."Luffy had been trained after all, and what was his relationship with Robin?They had already tried it.He grabbed the tray from Robin's hand, dumped all the snacks into his mouth at once, and then snatched the drink, gulping it down in one smooth motion.With his mouth stuffed full, Luffy said somewhat indistinctly, "I happened to be hungry too.""Hehe."Robin looked at his attempt to cover things up, and the playful smile on her lips deepened.She watched Luffy wolf down the food with composure, and only after he finally managed to swallow it did she ask slowly:"Don't you need to wash your hands?""Pfft, cough cough cough!"Luffy almost choked on his own saliva, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.This woman was definitely doing it on purpose!On the other side, Merry, still sitting on the ground, felt as if her power had finally been reconnected the moment Luffy let go.Her cold and charming face was now so red it looked like it could bleed, and even her pale neck and ears were stained crimson.
