Sengoku also knew it was useless to yell at Kuma.
But he had to vent this evil fire somewhere.
What else could he do? Yell at Garp?
Look at him!
Garp picked his nose and waved his hand with an "I know him well" expression. "Relax, Sengoku. Don't worry. That boy Luffy isn't the kind of shallow man who would go around showing off just because he beat a Warlord of the Sea."
He knew what Sengoku was worried about.
It was just the news of Moria's defeat getting out.
It was only a Warlord of the Sea.
Hmph!
Sengoku let out a heavy snort, cursing inwardly:
That's because it's your precious grandson!
He turned his gaze back to Kuma and demanded, "Even if that fool Moria got himself taken out, during the intense battle between him and Straw Hat, with your strength, it should have been child's play to take care of Straw Hat's other crewmates, shouldn't it? Is there some hidden expert on their ship?"
Two Warlords of the Sea one of you keeps Straw Hat occupied, the other deals with his crew. Even a pig could bring back a few heads, right?
And you're telling me you came back empty-handed?
Kuma was silent for a moment, then answered:
"While Straw Hat Luffy was fighting Moria, his Kenbunshoku Haki was still clearly locked in my position and movements. He has the spare capacity to protect his comrades while fighting."
Simply put—
He is strong.
I couldn't do it.
Sengoku's face visibly turned ugly. His fingers unconsciously tapped the desk.
Had Straw Hat already grown this strong?
Aokiji hadn't gone easy on him?
It couldn't be that in less than a month since fighting Aokiji, he had breakthrough again.
He let out a cold snort and said, "At this point, we won't rescind the bounties on the Straw Hat crew. And they are currently actively approaching the Navy Headquarters' sphere of influence. If they dare to cause any trouble on the Sabaody Archipelago..."
Before Sengoku could finish, Garp held up his tea bag and interrupted him with an innocent look. "Don't worry about that. Hey, hey, Sengoku, I brought some new tea. Hurry up and bring out the senbei you've been hiding!"
This extremely inappropriate move caused Sengoku's anger to explode. He stood up abruptly, pointed at Garp's nose, and exploded:
"Shut up, Garp, you bastard! Is this the time for tea and senbei?!"
Sengoku suspected that one day, he wouldn't die fighting for Marine justice he would die of anger caused by this idiot Garp.
The night was deep. The sea was calm.
The Thousand Sunny and the Going Merry were connected by a gangway.
A figure silently drifted from the junction onto the Going Merry's deck.
Long black hair cascading down to her waist gleamed like satin in the moonlight. She wore a simple white dress. Barefoot, she floated a few centimeters above the deck, like a moonlit sea spirit.
Her face was delicate and cold, her skin pale almost to the point of translucence.
It was Merry, using her Zoan, Hito Hito no Mi, Mythical Zoan: Ruri Form.
Under the moonlight, maintaining this form was extra easy.
But maintaining this form seemed to have also affected her temperament. She had less of her usual innocence and more cool aloofness.
"Merry? Why are you out here so late?" 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 his head and was startled by Merry floating toward him like that.
He almost thought he had seen a female ghost.
If it had actually been a female ghost, Luffy's first reaction would have been excitement.
Seeing it was Merry instead, 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 hint of barely noticeable nervousness. Her cold, pretty face tried to force out her usual cute smile, but it came out a bit awkward.
The influence of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, especially Mythical Zoans, on their users' temperaments was indeed real.
Luffy looked at her and grinned, as if seeing right through her. He propped his chin on his hand and said, "Don't worry. I already told you, it'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 how to solve problems.
"Then train with me!"
Merry seemed to have found an excuse. She excitedly raised her little hand.
If her little Merry form had made this gesture, it would have been adorable. But coming from this cool, pretty young woman, it had a different kind of charm—a bit of clumsy Jiaohan.
"Ah, about that."
Luffy scratched his face. "Right now is my solo Devil Fruit ability development time. I'll just figure it out on my own."
What he really wanted to figure out was Haki.
That technique of Golden Lion's had him itching to try it.
"Liar."
Merry twisted her slender fingers, a little aggrieved, and murmured, "From morning until now, you've done physical training, practiced wind speed sensing with Vivi-neesan, studied weather knowledge and practical application with Nami-neesan, and even experimented with storing lightning with Nika. You trained all of that together."
The more she spoke, the quieter her voice became. She felt that this kind of vying for favor was strange, but she couldn't control it.
After transforming, the desire to be near Luffy and feel his presence had only grown stronger.
There was also a strange urge for more intimacy budding in her heart.
Smell him, hug him, kiss him... Ahhh, Merry, what are you thinking about, you idiot!
Realizing the images flashing through her mind, Merry's cool, pretty face suddenly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.
She felt like she was about to start steaming. She desperately wanted to find a crack in the floor to hide in, or just jump into the sea to cool off.
Before she could break free from this shameful fantasy, she felt a pair of warm, large hands cover her forehead.
"Are you okay? Your face is so red. Is maintaining this form too draining?" Luffy leaned in closer, murmuring with concern. "I was like that the first time I went into Gear Fifth."
The temperature of his palms felt to Merry, whose heart was already in turmoil.
Eep!
Merry let out a startled cry at the sudden contact. She instinctively tried to step back, forgetting that she was floating. Her two bare feet made a funny fork in the air. She lost her balance and with a thump landed on her butt on the deck.
Seeing this, Luffy quickly crouched down to help her up.
Merry sat on the deck, her white skirt spread around her, revealing a pair of fair, delicate bare feet.
From nervousness and shyness, those ten cute toes unconsciously curled slightly.
Luffy had originally just wanted to hold her shoulders to help her stand up, but his gaze was drawn to those slightly curled jade feet so close to him.
Somehow, without thinking—
He reached out, as if grabbing some curious toy, and took hold of Merry's warm, soft ankle. His other hand instinctively pinched her curled toes.
Merry: "?!"
Merry's eyes, already moist from shyness, instantly widened to saucers. Her brain, in that very short moment, was completely cleared by this sudden contact. All her thought processes were down. She couldn't respond at all.
Her entire body froze in place. Only the blush on her cheeks visibly spread to her ears and neck.
Just then, there was a soft click from the cabin door connecting the two ships.
"Luffy, Merry, I brought some late-night snacks. Do you want some?"
Robin, carrying a plate of fine snacks and two drinks, gracefully pushed open the door and stepped onto the deck.
She had noticed earlier that Merry had slipped onto the Going Merry, so she had come to check.
But when the door opened, this was the scene that met her eyes.
Luffy was crouched on the ground, his hands playing with the bare feet of Merry, who was sitting on the deck.
And Merry's expression cold and pretty yet tinged with extreme shyness was enough to make anyone feel pity.
What was this?
Robin was briefly startled, then a glint of understanding and a hint of playfulness flashed in her deep eyes.
So that's why Merry had transformed into this form when she came.
Robin tilted her head slightly, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, slightly dark smile. She spoke softly:
"Am I coming at a bad time?"
The air on the deck seemed to freeze, leaving only the soft sound of waves gently lapping against the hull.
Luffy and Merry were frozen like someone had hit the pause button. Then they suddenly snapped out of it!
Luffy let go of Merry's toes as if burned, springing to his feet so fast he created a breeze.
"No, no, no. You're coming at exactly the right time."
Luffy had finally trained himself well enough. And besides, what was his relationship with Robin?
They had already done it.
He snatched the plate Robin was holding, dumped all the snack into his mouth, then grabbed the drink and chugged it down. The whole movement was as smooth as flowing water.
His mouth stuffed full, Luffy said in a slightly muffled voice, "I was getting hungry anyway."
"Heh heh."
Robin watched his attempt to cover up, and that playful smile at the corner of her lips deepened.
She watched Luffy wolf down the food with leisurely amusement. Only after he had finally swallowed everything did she ask slowly:
"Don't you need to wash your hands?"
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
Luffy nearly choked on his own saliva. The corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
This woman was definitely doing it on purpose!
On the other side, Merry, still sitting on the deck, seemed to reconnect to her power source the moment Luffy let go.
Her cool, pretty face was now so red it could practically bleed. Even her fair neck and ears were stained crimson.
She suddenly covered her face with both hands, letting out a whimper like a small animal crying. She curled herself into a ball.
"I'll go get more food!"
Merry's voice leaked out from between her fingers, as thin as a mosquito's, trembling with obvious panic.
She didn't even dare to look up at Robin. With a flash of Liuli
Sheen around her, her figure suddenly blurred. She shot up and floated away, head down, back into the passage connecting to the Thousand Sunny.
On the deck, only Luffy and Robin remained.
***
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