Chapter 206 - 45

Unresolved Issues, and the Frog's Freestyle Swimming!On the shimmering sea, Aokiji rode his bicycle with one hand, while the other held the wanted posters of Luffy and his two companions!His eyes, as calm as an ancient well, gazed at Luffy's wanted poster, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my, 400 million Berries. The World Government sure knows how to bluff, doesn't it? Monkey D. Luffy, what a miraculous person!"If it weren't for Garp and the Alabasta incident, Aokiji would have definitely gone for the kill! A teenager not yet 18 years old actually unleashed Admiral-level power!With Aokiji's keen eye, he naturally saw that it was only temporary power, but so what? Even an Admiral for a few minutes is not comparable to a Yonko Commander!"Oh my, the era is about to run wild!"Aokiji's cycling speed suddenly increased, sending ice shards splashing everywhere!...Unnamed Deserted IslandThe Straw Hat crew was having a banquet.Sanji was at the barbecue grill, skewering food while preparing exclusive drinks, of course, for the ladies only!"What a perverted cook!" Zoro looked at Sanji, who was fawning over the women, with disdain, then took a big gulp of sake.Nami took a small sip of "Sanji's Special Drink," frowning as she looked at Luffy, who was still devouring the giant Sea King frozen by Aokiji."Is he alright? That was an Admiral!" Heaven knows what expressions everyone had when they saw Luffy "unscathed"! Every time they thought they understood Luffy, they were shocked again; this guy seems to have no bottleneck, changing day by day!"Hmm, looking at how lively Luffy is! He should be fine! But... it really is astonishing!" Robin showed a faint smile, sitting quietly on the ground, but her complex eyes revealed the turmoil within her."Ah... delicious, so delicious!" Luffy instantly transformed into a big eater, his head becoming enormous!As soon as the meat entered his stomach, it transformed into streams of pure green energy, stored within Luffy's body!The battle with Aokiji had completely depleted his stored power, but the effect was also very significant! Without it, Luffy would have at least become crippled!Just by seeing Aokiji's expression, one would know how amazing this was; it could even evade the corrosive power of ice and the destructive power of lightning!And the harvest this time was also huge; his Hakiand physique had grown slightly, and he had also unlocked a trump card: "Thunder God Mode!"Thunder God Mode: Forcibly uses the nika Fruit's lightning power to stimulate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, causing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to be temporarily developed to its awakened state! Side effects: Great damage to the body, use with caution!In his current state, with his vitality fully charged, he could sustain it for 7 minutes; after his vitality was depleted, he could probably last another 3 minutes!That is, ten minutes of Admiral-level power!...Night, the bright Moonlight shone on the beach!Everyone was sleeping in the ship's cabin.Only Robin stood alone on the beach, looking sadly into the distance!"Robin, what are you looking at?" Luffy appeared beside Robin without a sound."I'm... thinking of the past!" Robin whispered, looking into Luffy's deep pupils. Her shoulders suddenly relaxed, as if she had let go of something."Luffy, it seems like since I joined the crew until now, I haven't told you about my past!" Robinsighed, slowly recounting her story... (Everyone should know this trivial matter, so I won't write it)."So?" Luffy chuckled."Don't you understand? Every place or organization I've been with before has been destroyed, and it's all because of me! That's right, Aokiji must have come for me too!" Robin's tone was no longer calm, and her expression was unusually agitated!"Do you remember what I said when you joined the crew?" Luffy's tone was calm and gentle, "I said, you are not a bad person!"Luffy placed one hand on Robin's shoulder, and the other pressed down on the straw hat on his head, "Once you're on my ship, don't ever think about leaving! No matter what we encounter, we will never abandon anyone!"Luffy's words were light, so light they floated in the air; yet they were also domineering, as if even the sky couldn't suppress this seemingly small figure!"Luffy!" Robin's tears streamed down uncontrollably at this moment, and she suddenly threw herself into Luffy's arms!"This...?" A soft fragrance filled his embrace, but Luffy looked utterly bewildered. How many times had this happened?"Let me lean on you for a while!" Robin sobbed softly!Feeling his chest dampened by tears, Luffy dared not move! He could only gently stroke Robin's beautiful hair, showing his comfort.And in Luffy's embrace, Robin felt a profound warmth, as if a wanderer who had been away from home for many years had returned to the gentle harbor of their hometown!Robin and the Straw Hat crew had been together for less than half a month, but she had already fallen deeply in love with this feeling!Playful during peacetime, absolutely reliable during war! He usually had no Captain's authority whatsoever, yet he commanded the absolute trust of his crew! He let them pursue their goals, yet never asked about anything!Before talking to Luffy, she was anxious and uneasy; after their conversation, she understood Luffy's determination to protect everyone, and at the same time, felt at ease!In Robin's eyes, as she looked at Luffy, there was admiration, obedience, and also deep affection!Robin leaned on Luffy's shoulder and fell into a deep sleep!Luffy, helpless, slowly closed his eyes as well!...Soon, the morning sun shone on the beach!Everyone slowly opened their eyes, left the ship, and noticed missing crew members!"Where did Miss Robin go?" — Sanji"Where's Luffy?" — UsoppSoon, everyone found the two on the beach!Luffy was sprawled out in the sand like a big 'X', snoring softly,While Robin was elegantly lying on her side on top of Luffy, sleeping very soundly!"Luffy!!" The sound echoed through the sky!Robin suddenly opened her eyes, and seeing this scene, even the usually calm big sister couldn't stay composed; her ears flushed, and she quickly pried Luffy's arm from around her waist and stood up!"This...!" Robin couldn't explain this scene, so she simply kept quiet!"Diable Jambe!" Sanji's leg, wreathed in angry flames, charged towards Luffy. For some reason, Nami didn't stop him."Idiot!" Zoro looked at the charging Sanji with disdain.Sure enough, just as Sanji was about to kick Luffy, Luffy suddenly flashed away, using Armament Haki in one fluid motion, and punched Sanji in the chest, then... Sanji flew off!It was then that Luffy lazily opened his eyes, looking bewildered at the scene before him, "What happened? Sanji! Who hit you like that, I'll beat them up!"Everyone: "..."...Luffy still didn't escape punishment.Luffy, with a big bump on his head, rested his chin on his hand at the bow of the ship, deep in thought. However, after thinking all morning, he still couldn't figure out why Nami hit him!Indeed, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea!...The ship continued to sail on the sea.However, the usual cheerful atmosphere on the ship was gone.Everyone was training; having realized their own insignificance, their desire to train was exceptionally strong!Luffy sat at the bow, fishing, out of place with the others. He calmly looked back,'So intense!'Of course, it wasn't without progress; everyone had awakened Observation Haki, but Armament Hakihad not yet awakened.Luffy guessed that Usopp should be close to the threshold of awakening; if nothing unexpected happened, he should awaken in the next few days!Soon, a frog doing the freestyle appeared in front of the going merry!"A frog! It can do the freestyle!" Usopp exclaimed in surprise."Perhaps that guy would make a good ingredient!" Sanji looked at the frog indifferently, as if he had already envisioned it on a serving platter!"Brothers! Catch up!"Then, the going merry closely followed the frog.Luffy "looked" at the magnificent maritime city - Water Seven, his eyes filled with anticipation, 'CP9! pluton blueprint! Shipwright!'