After spending three days enjoying themselves on the island of Cocoyasi Village, Luo Chen's group bid farewell to Genzo and the other villagers. Moving forward, he would continue to lead the girls on their journey around the world.
Meanwhile, Genzo and the others had their own lives to lead. Some villagers wanted to go overseas to see what the world had truly become, while others wanted to use their regained lives to properly accompany their families.
As for Nojiko, she had originally intended to lead the villagers to explore the surrounding islands. However, mindful of her long-awaited reunion with Nami, the villagers were reluctant to see the two sisters separated again. Thus, they politely declined Nojiko's offer and insisted she leave with Nami and Luo Chen.
Although Nami felt somewhat "ashamed to face" Nojiko at the moment, she also hoped to spend more time with her. Consequently, Nojiko boarded the ship as well.
The Jinghai Army ship sailed across the vast sea. In the distance, the coastline of Cocoyasi Village gradually vanished from sight.
Luo Chen, Nami, and Nojiko stood on the deck, eventually withdrawing their gazes. He turned to Nami and said, "The Devil Fruit we were looking for earlier has been obtained by the Jinghai Army."
"Hmm?" Nami's eyebrows arched slightly, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Luo Chen smiled and threw a punch at the void in front of him. Space shattered instantly, revealing a pitch-black tunnel. Soon, a strange, deep-purple fruit drifted out from the depths of the spatial tunnel.
"Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox form. Eating it allows you to transform into anyone."
Luo Chen handed over the Devil Fruit. Upon receiving it, Nami did not hesitate for a second and took a direct bite. The taste was extremely bitter; her features contorted as she barely managed to swallow it.
As the power of the Devil Fruit fused within her body, Nami couldn't help but close her eyes to sense the changes. A moment later, she opened them, her aura slightly altered. Luo Chen could clearly feel that Nami's physical strength had increased significantly.
"Nojiko, look at me," Nami said as a white light radiated from her body.
Once the white light dissipated, she had completely transformed into Nojiko. Her height, build, hair color... every detail was identical to the real Nojiko.
"Nami, you..." Nojiko's eyes widened, finding the sight utterly incredible.
"Interesting, right?" Nami chuckled, her voice now sounding exactly like Nojiko's.
Nojiko was amazed. "Devil Fruits really are miraculous." An ordinary person would never be able to tell who was Nami and who was her.
Nami hopped over to Luo Chen's side, affectionately hugging his arm with a giggle. "Can we find a Devil Fruit for Nojiko later too?"
Good things, of course, had to be shared with Nojiko. Nami even thought about giving Nojiko a Pure Gold ring. However, aside from granting eternal youth, that ring held a special significance. Perhaps she could discuss it with Luo Chen and use the excess Pure Gold to create different accessories for Nojiko to use.
Luo Chen naturally agreed to Nami's request. To him, external items like Devil Fruits held no real value. Giving Nami a Devil Fruit wasn't even intended to make her fight; it was simply to give her the power to protect herself while adding a bit of flavor to their daily lives.
Beside them, Nojiko watched the two being intimate and hesitated to speak. Nami was currently using her appearance while being affectionate with Luo Chen. It was clear that Nami was caught up in the novelty of her new powers and hadn't noticed anything wrong, but Nojiko felt quite embarrassed. She found it difficult to point it out and could only pretend nothing was happening.
It wasn't until the three returned to the cabin and Yamato saw two identical "Nojikos" that she asked out loud in surprise. Only then did Nami remember to deactivate her transformation. She laughed sheepishly and immediately reverted to her true self.
Seeing this, Yamato was extremely curious. "Can you turn into me?"
Nami placed her hand on Yamato's arm, and after a short while, white light erupted from her body. When the light faded, another Yamato—nearly three meters tall—appeared in the cabin.
"So amazing!" Yamato's amber eyes were filled with delight as she examined Nami.
"So amazing!" Nami mimicked her, imitating the voice and mannerisms perfectly.
Nojiko exclaimed, "If I didn't know beforehand, I wouldn't be able to tell who is who at all."
Luo Chen stroked his chin and nodded slowly. If he closed off his senses and relied solely on his naked eye, he wouldn't be able to tell either.
Yamato circled around Nami a few times, occasionally reaching out to pinch here and there. Nami, feeling uncomfortable being poked and prodded, eventually stopped her.
Yamato laughed. "What's the big deal? We're all girls."
Nami and Nojiko didn't react much, but Luo Chen was surprised. He looked at Yamato and asked, "What did you just say?"
Yamato looked back, a bright smile on her beautiful face. "I already know I'm a woman. Becoming Oden has nothing to do with gender."
Luo Chen nodded with satisfaction. It seemed the cultural education was having a very significant effect.
Yamato looked at Nami and laughed boisterously. "You can't just transform randomly when you're in bed, though. If you get into the habit of transforming, it'll be trouble if Luo Chen mixes us up."
The moment those words left her mouth, the smiles on Nami and Nojiko's faces froze. The two women stared at Yamato in a mix of shock and embarrassment, unsure of what to say.
Luo Chen slapped his forehead, speechless. "What are you talking about?"
Yamato looked confused. "Why do you have those expressions? Is something wrong?"
"It seems your studies aren't finished yet," Luo Chen sighed.
It might have been due to Yamato's bold personality, or perhaps she simply hadn't learned that part of social etiquette yet. But talking about such matters so openly was definitely not normal. It was necessary for her to go back and study some more.
"Nami, take Nojiko and show her around the ship."
Luo Chen sent the two embarrassed women away first. Since Nojiko had just joined them, she needed to get to know everyone and find a room to settle in. He, meanwhile, stayed to communicate with Yamato and check on her learning progress.
Half an hour later, Luo Chen returned to his own room. He rested in his chair for a few minutes before standing up to open a spatial portal, appearing on Ruluka Island in the first half of the Grand Line.
Following his usual routine, Luo Chen entered the Rainbow Mist space to begin a period of secluded cultivation. Over the past six months of traveling the world, he had spent most of his time in seclusion. With 1.8 billion Cultivation Points sitting on the System, Luo Chen felt a constant sense of anxiety if he didn't use them up. Furthermore, he wanted to head to the Naruto world as soon as possible.
"Currently, the time dilation is threefold."
"I estimate that in another six months, my Taijutsu will reach lv16."
"Lv16 Taijutsu corresponds to the Late-God Tier."
"Lv17 should be the level above God Tier."
"I wonder if my Cultivation Points are enough to reach lv17 Taijutsu."
Having finished his thoughts, Luo Chen entered his cultivation state. Once he reached lv16 Taijutsu, he would naturally find out.
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