Hearing that familiar voice, Luffy felt a strange emotion.
He had hated it at first.
But now, it sounded especially comforting. Especially after the Impel Down War, his opinion of the plan had risen sharply.
Without the Pirate King Training Plan, Luffy could never have held his own in this war.
He probably could not have even gotten past Magellan, let alone the Admirals.
It had helped him immensely.
It had made his strength grow by leaps and bounds.
[Reminder: Host's physical condition is currently poor. Plan projects are suspended. Estimated to resume in three hours. The target for execution is Perona...]
[Detection: Target is more than five nautical miles away. Please take action immediately.]
"At least you have some sense. I will not complain about you today."
Luffy thought to himself. If he had to do anything now, it would probably have to be something that required thinking.
He could not move. The two powers inside him were colliding.
Even if he had some medical knowledge, he would not know how to handle his own condition.
It was up to the man Shanks had mentioned.
He was now in the submarine's medical bay.
The Heart Pirates' crew members were busy, but they were all extra careful. After all, two monsters straight from the Summit War were in the room.
They were completely out of their league.
Luffy sat on the edge of the operating table. He was not lying down.
"It hurts. Is this Ivankov's side effect?"
Luffy winced. Pain shot through his body. The Nika form's recovery was working, but the recovery process itself was its own kind of torture.
The effects of the two stimulant injections were slowly wearing off.
Law, wearing a white coat and gloves, began examining Luffy's injuries.
As he scanned Luffy's body with his ability, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
How was this man still alive?
From a doctor's perspective, Law could see that Luffy's body was already riddled with holes.
"Straw Hat-ya. You should be lying down." Law's tone was serious.
Lying down would help with the pain.
He was genuinely afraid Luffy would pass out.
"No, no. This is fine." Luffy waved his hand.
"On the pain scale, you are currently at over level ten."
Law's expression was strange. "A normal person would have passed out by now. That you can stay conscious is a miracle. But pushing yourself like this will not help you recover."
"Lying down is for cowards! Look at this old man. I am not lying down either. Pirates who whine about a few injuries are low-class."
Beside him, Golden Lion drank his sake. Where he had gotten it, Law did not know.
Law glanced at Golden Lion. "Shiki-ya, your injuries are severe, but they are mainly external and stamina depletion. Straw Hat-ya's condition is different. He has over thirty fractures, multiple internal bleeding sites, and muscle tears covering forty percent of his body. More critically, his cells are metabolizing at an abnormal rate, which alone puts enormous strain on his body."
He paused, then added, "In other words, the pain he is experiencing every moment is equivalent to breaking ten bones at once. And it is constant."
Golden Lion was a navigator, not a doctor. He only had a basic understanding of medicine.
But even hearing that made him wince.
"Really? Straw Hat, is it that painful? You cannot even tell."
Golden Lion stopped drinking.
That level of pain did not seem like something left over from battle.
And indeed, only a Devil Fruit ability could cause something like that.
Ivankov's Horu Horu no Mi was, in a sense, a weapon of war.
Luffy grinned. "I told you, old man. This is about my status as a pirate. I am not some low-class pirate who whines about a few injuries!"
As he spoke, fine beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead.
He had been about to complain, but hearing Golden Lion mention "low-class pirates," he held it back.
Only low-class pirates whined.
And besides, he was also a doctor of sorts.
Watching Law treat him was a basic precaution.
After everything he had been through, he had learned.
Luffy gave his unconditional trust only to his own crew. Law had not reached that level yet.
Law sighed.
As a doctor, he had seen many tough men. But Luffy was a first.
It was not about showing off. It was just his natural attitude.
As if enduring this level of pain was just another day.
And it was. This kind of pain was ordinary for Luffy. During his training, he had experienced worse.
Like the hellish training in the Pirate King Training Plan.
The battles in those dreams might not have killed him, but the pain had been real.
Being cut down by Hawkeye. Being frozen by Aokiji. Being cut by giants. Countless deaths had piled up, building not only combat experience but also pain tolerance.
"Just do your work. The important thing is to separate the two powers inside me."
A white orb appeared on Luffy's fist as he spoke to Law. "I still cannot fully control the Gura Gura no Mi's power."
"Then you should listen to the doctor even more, Luffy!"
A clearly anxious voice sounded, with a hint of tears.
"Huh, Vivi?"
Luffy had almost forgotten. The Den Den Mushi was still with him. And of course, that was Vivi on the other end.
"You are a patient! Can you stop showing off? I am worried about you!"
On the other end, Morgans was sorting his story about the great event. He had no time for Vivi.
The great event. The great event.
Having seen almost the entire war from start to finish, and with his instincts as a journalist, Morgans knew very well what kind of story this would be.
He had wanted to interview the main figure of the great event. He turned around and nearly had a heart attack.
Cyclones swirled around Vivi. Her light blue hair was floating. If her hair was blonde, one might think she was about to transform.
"P-Publisher, could you talk to her? We cannot run the paper like this." A nearby reporter said, tears in his eyes.
There were cyclones inside the building.
"Me? You talk to her!"
Morgans shouted in exasperation.
Fighting a Logia was hard enough.
And after this incident, behind Vivi stood an Emperor's crew.
No, not just one Emperor's crew.
The Straw Hat Pirates had already become a force to be reckoned with.
That said, for Morgans, who chased great events and hot topics, this was an opportunity.
The smile on Morgans's face grew more excited. "The pattern of the sea is about to be completely rewritten. The order maintained by the Marines and the Emperors will completely collapse. The wave of great pirates will sweep across the world!"
From the Den Den Mushi came the sheepish laugh of Luffy, the Fifth Emperor.
"I am fine, am I not?"
"This is fine?"
Vivi's voice rose an octave. "Multiple fractures is fine? Internal bleeding is fine?"
Watching This, Morgans shrank his head.
It seemed Princess Vivi had a high status in the Straw Hat crew. Even Luffy was being scolded.
Golden Lion saw this and could not help but laugh.
"Jihahaha! Straw Hat, you are afraid of women? If Sengoku knew that, he would die of anger. He tried so hard to get you to yield, and a woman's words work?"
"She is my crewmate."
"Alright, alright. As a man, you do not need to explain. It is right not to make your woman worry. Back in the day, our whole crew fought over women too."
At that, Golden Lion looked regretful.
In the end, someone else had taken her.
And the entire once-mighty Rocks Pirates had fallen apart.
Women, like treasure, were poison.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Vivi seemed to have short circuit for a few seconds at the phrase "your woman."
The Den Den Mushi visibly turned red.
"Then, I will begin treatment."
Law put on his mask. Blue light rings from the Ope Ope no Mi appeared around his hands.
"ROOM."
A hemispherical space covered the entire medical bay.
Within this space, Law could freely cut, rearrange, and move objects, including human organs.
This was just a junior application of the Ope Ope no Mi.
"Oh, so this is the Ope Ope no Mi?" Luffy watched with interest.
His body could indeed be cut.
But the ability could be easily countered.
"This old man's Haki would be too strong for you to cut, I think." Golden Lion commented from the side.
"True. But the potential for development is strong. If it is developed further, the bodies of those without strong Haki could be completely cut apart."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "It seems like an interesting ability, Tra-guy. Could this ability also be used to swap organs?"
Law: "..."
Law watched these two patients chatting and laughing in the operating room. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
As a doctor, he should tell them to be quiet and cooperate with the treatment.
But these two did not seem to take their injuries seriously at all.
He took a deep breath.
"Straw Hat-ya, I will start with the most serious internal bleeding."
Law moved his hands over Luffy's body. "Please do not resist with Haki."
"Oh, go ahead." Luffy grinned.
As Law treated him, Luffy suddenly remembered something.
"Do you have a destination?" Luffy asked.
"Not yet. If you have nowhere in particular to go, you can stay here. The seas will be quite lively for a while. Our submarine has enough supplies and fuel to stay underwater for three days."
Three days of supplies?
For this few people?
Luffy looked around. The Heart Pirates crew numbered at most twenty. Three days of supplies. He might eat it all in one meal.
"Can we go to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Luffy looked at Law. "Our ship and one of our crewmates are waiting for us there."
At least he could find Perona. Otherwise, the punishment would start in a few hours.
Law did not answer immediately. He looked at Bepo at the controls.
Feeling Luffy's gaze, Bepo snapped to attention and shouted, "R-Report! The next destination has been set for the Sabaody Archipelago. We are now proceeding at full speed!"
He looked like a soldier being inspected.
Law: "..."
I am the captain.
You have never been this respectful to me.
The Sabaody Archipelago was quite close to
Marine Headquarters. But the war had just ended. As long as Luffy did not kill another Celestial Dragon, the Marines probably would not have the time to bother them.
But the Den Den Mushi, which had just gone quiet, spoke again.
"Luffy,"
Vivi seemed calmer, but her tone was subtle. "Who is this crewmate you said is waiting on the Sabaody Archipelago?"
According to the information she had gathered, everyone had been sent flying by Kuma to different corners of the world.
The only ones she could contact now were Nami and Robin.
The Straw Hat crew had had a meeting before about what to do if they were separated.
Vivi and Robin had both mentioned contacting each other via Den Den Mushi.
Den Den Mushi used bioelectricity as a transmission medium.
Each Den Den Mushi had its own unique airwaves, but there was also a channel through which public information airwaves passed. That meant each individual unit was also a broadcasting station. Even if the Public radio waves could not be deciphered, it could still be transmitted through individual units.
Vivi had found a special Den Den Mushi and, with some parts, could tap into a channel for communication.
The others did not seem to have found a way to contact them this way.
But who was still on the Sabaody Archipelago?
Was it Merry?
Vivi instinctively felt it was not.
"Ah, that..."
Luffy scratched his cheek. "Her name is Perona. We met on Thriller Bark and then again on Amazon Lily. She is a new crewmate?"
"A new crewmate?"
Vivi's tone shifted slightly. It was hard to tell if she was happy or something else. "A girl?"
"Yeah. She is a Horo Horo no Mi user. She is very interesting."
Luffy's voice was nervous.
Alright, Luffy admitted. Compared to this, he would rather be back on the Impel Down battlefield.
The Den Den Mushi was silent for a few seconds.
Then Vivi spoke in a very calm voice, but one that inexplicably made Luffy's back feel cold. "A new crewmate, huh. I think you had better explain that to Nami and Robin in person. They should be very interested in this new crewmate."
Luffy suddenly had a bad feeling.
Nami and Robin... especially Nami. What would her reaction be when she heard there was a new female crewmate?
An image of Nami holding her Clima-Tact, with lightning flashing behind her, appeared in his mind.
"Uh, haha. We will talk about it later. Later."
Luffy let out a dry laugh, trying to change the subject. "So, Vivi, how are things on your end? Is everyone safe? I had Perona try to contact you earlier. She could not reach you?"
He had asked Perona to find Rayleigh and Shakky and notify the crew in different parts of the world. It seemed that had been difficult.
Vivi's attention was indeed diverted.
She had not had a chance to talk about her situation. After being sent flying by Kuma, she had gone to Morgans's airship and borrowed his information network. That was how she had been able to contact Luffy.
She had also been in touch with Nami and Robin.
They knew about the Impel Down War and had been following it.
After exchanging some information, Luffy asked Vivi to let Robin and Nami know he was safe.
Vivi was about to pick up another Den Den Mushi when the signal from the one she was using became intermittent.
She looked at Morgans, who was running around. "Hey, what is wrong with this Den Den Mushi?"
"My dear lady, please hang up!"
Morgans was sweating. "This Den Den Mushi is from the Marines. I just modified it. If you use it so openly, the Marines might trace the signal and find us."
Vivi frowned. She was not worried about them finding her. She just did not want them to find Luffy's location.
From his voice over the Den Den Mushi, they could tell he was badly hurt.
After a moment, she took out another Den Den Mushi to contact Nami and Robin.
Meanwhile, on Weatheria.
This was an artificial floating island made of clouds and small patches of land.
It was a country dedicated to meteorological research. All its residents were meteorological scientists.
Climatologist Haredas was now trembling before the orange-haired demon.
After being sent flying by Kuma, Nami had been on Weatheria. She had only been there a few days, nursing her injuries, when she saw the news.
Luffy's brother, Fire Fist Ace, was to be executed.
Luffy would go.
She knew Luffy's personality well. She had asked Haredas to find a Den Den Mushi. After assembling it, she had finally been able to contact Vivi and Robin.
She had also been following the news.
"Luffy is safe, at least... but who is that woman?!"
Nami punched the table, making the teacups jump.
The Den Den Mushi showed Vivi's helpless expression. "Her name is Perona. She used to work for Gecko Moria. You have seen her before, Nami."
"That woman..."
Nami gritted her teeth, punching the table with each word. "We still need to talk about Uta. Now there is Perona. Has Luffy's rubber brain finally started putting things other than meat and adventure in it?!"
"Nami, you look like a wife worried her husband is cheating." The Den Den Mushi morphed into Robin's form.
Robin was on a ship heading to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, Baltigo, holding a Den Den Mushi.
The three of them were chatting in a group using a special signal.
Hearing that Luffy was safe, Robin breathed a sigh of relief and joked, "You seemed fine when Luffy had Brook join."
"Robin!"
Nami blushed. "I am just concerned, as the navigator, about whether the crew is balanced. What is her ability? Can she fight? Will she hold us back?"
"Luffy said she is a Horo Horo no Mi user. She can make ghosts that drain people's will to fight and can also turn into a ghost herself. She sounds like a support type. You have seen her, have you not, Nami?" Vivi asked.
"Y-Yes, probably."
"And what does she look like?" Robin asked.
Nami's expression shifted. "She is kind of cute. Gothic dress, pink pigtails, like a doll."
Robin smiled. "Oh. she sounds like a distinctive girl. We should welcome her properly when we meet."
***
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