"Luffy-sama! Zoro-sensei!"
After his transformation, Koby slowly walked back toward the Starry Sky Pirates' group, smiling brightly at Luffy and Zoro as if eager to show them the new him.
"Alright, go take a break."
Luffy, seeing the sharper lines on Koby's now more mature face, habitually ruffled his hair with a grin.
Even though Koby was visibly brimming with new energy, Luffy still told him the same thing,
to rest.
Koby felt he didn't need to, but he obeyed without question, retreating quietly back into the group.
"Not bad, Koby! You didn't cry this time, praise-worthy~"
No sooner had Koby approached than Nami reached out like Luffy had just done and placed her hand on his head.
Only, unlike Luffy's gentle gesture, the mischievous Nami pressed down with all five fingers.
Koby's head wobbled wildly under her hand, making him squeal for mercy,
and sending everyone else into fits of laughter.
========
Watching this warm, cheerful scene unfold, Luffy smiled faintly before turning toward Zoro.
Koby's matter was settled.
Next, it was Zoro's turn.
Zoro's expression was slightly serious, yet he met Luffy's gaze and gave a small smile in return.
As the vice-captain of the crew, Zoro was probably the one who smiled the least among them all.
After all, his position sat squarely between captain and crew,
he needed enough authority to command,
but enough restraint not to outshine Luffy's presence.
Zoro was, in many ways… the loneliest man on the ship.
It was time to find someone who could share that burden with him.
Luffy's gaze drifted toward the distant Sanji, his eyes thoughtful.
========
Meanwhile, Sanji had already hoisted Patty and another gravely injured chef onto his back, hurrying toward the restaurant.
With wounds like theirs, if they didn't receive treatment soon, they'd be setting foot on the Yellow Springs Road within the hour.
Just as Sanji was about to sprint into Baratie's infirmary, an arm suddenly stretched out to block his way.
"Wh–What's the meaning of this!?"
Though he'd already witnessed how extraordinary Luffy's crew was, and though the chefs were on the brink of death, Sanji forced himself to stay calm as he asked in as steady a tone as possible.
A crimson bottle appeared before him, halting him mid-step.
Luffy smiled as he held out the vial.
"Give them this."
"What… what is it?"
Sanji asked, bewildered.
Beside him, Zoro rested his hand casually on his sword hilt and replied coolly,
"It's a special medicine. It'll save their lives."
"Go on, give it to them quickly. My show's about to start, and I'll be needing a few more audience members."
"S-special medicine…"
Sanji hesitated, staring at the mysterious red liquid in Luffy's hand.
For some strange reason, the words of this green-haired swordsman carried a mysterious weight a kind of confidence that made him instinctively believe.
Still…
No matter how strange and powerful these people were he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of resistance toward them.
Even if there were two cute ladies among them!
But could he, Sanji, really be the kind of man who'd forget his duty at the sight of a pretty face!?
========
Moments later,
Before Sanji's astonished eyes, Patty and the other chefs who had drunk the life potion rapidly regained color and strength, recovering as if they had never been injured at all.
He knew it!
Beautiful women would never deceive him!
"What… what happened… Sanji…?"
Patty, freshly revived, blinked in confusion at the fallen pirates and the corpse of Don Krieg strewn across the deck.
But before Sanji could answer, Zeff's deep voice cut through the air.
"Quiet down… Just watch. You'll see soon enough."
At their boss's words, Patty immediately fell silent,
though his eyes still darted left and right, unable to contain his burning curiosity.
At the edge of Baratie's fin-shaped deck, Luffy gestured to Zoro, silently urging him to calm himself for what was to come.
Then, he turned toward Dracule Mihawk.
"Well then, Master Mihawk," Luffy said with a respectful nod, "although I've already thanked you before, I must say it again, thank you for agreeing to my request and guiding my crewmate in a spar."
Mihawk's small mustache curled slightly upward as a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Rare indeed… among the Seven Warlords, I never expected to find someone as well-mannered as you."
"Haha, you flatter me, sir."
Luffy smiled politely. "It's just that, having friends without reason is always better than making enemies without one."
As he spoke with Mihawk in his usual warm tone, his attitude showed a maturity that hadn't been there years ago.
Perhaps it was because his crew had grown.
With every new comrade came new weight on his shoulders, and Luffy had long since learned that leadership meant more than raw strength.
He was still the same spirited young man but now, his words carried the calm of someone who understood responsibility.
Of course,
Luffy's politeness didn't mean he was afraid.
Ever since gaining the "Partner System," his crew's strength had been growing rapidly.
Every day brought incremental gains, small, but relentless.
With time, those gains stacked into something terrifying.
And with the effects of their training chambers applying to him as well, Luffy's growth was explosive.
A few more years, and achieving an invincible status across the seas would be effortless.
It was like how a poor man struggles for every coin but once he becomes rich, he no longer sweats the small stuff.
Money doesn't make people noble.
It just makes them stop caring about trivialities.
And right now,
Luffy was a man destined to be "rich" beyond measure in this world.
"Hahahaha…"
Mihawk laughed, his dignified yet oddly humorous voice carrying across the deck.
"You truly don't seem like a pirate, Straw Hat."
"Less talk, then. Let's get started," Mihawk added, his sharp golden eyes turning toward Zoro. "That young man behind you looks eager for this duel."
To be fair, Mihawk was the embodiment of a swordsman's composure.
Though he bore the title of "World's Greatest," his pride never turned into arrogance.
Otherwise, he'd never have taken notice of a novice like Zoro in the first place.
"In that case," Luffy said, smiling, "allow me to create a proper stage for your duel."
He turned to Zoro, giving him one final nod.
Then Luffy placed both hands into the sea.
His pupils dimmed,
turning pitch-black, like twin voids devouring light.
"Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised!"
From his gauntlets burst an immense surge of suction and an eerie, freezing sound.
The seawater around his hands began to crystallize into ice,
And in the blink of an eye, shards of frost spread outward like a living thing.
From Baratie's hull and far beyond, a massive sheet of ice expanded rapidly across the sea.
Within moments an island-sized ice field appeared before everyone's eyes.
Even the veterans of the Starry Sky Pirates including Usopp and Koby, were struck speechless by Luffy's display.
Mihawk, too, was momentarily stunned.
He had thought Luffy was merely on the level of Moria or Crocodile.
But this this effortless, world-shaping power,
It was the power of a Admiral.
Luffy turned back, smiling faintly at Mihawk and Zoro.
"Master Mihawk, Zoro, this isn't just ordinary ice."
"This field can endure your full strength. You can fight freely, without holding back or worrying about destroying the stage."
He waved a hand, signaling his crew to retreat from the battlefield.
As they withdrew, the frozen sea glimmered beneath the sunlight, a perfect arena for the duel between the world's greatest swordsman and the man destined to surpass him.
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