39: Chapter 39 Little Garden, Luffy and Uta's Private WorldVivi leaned against the ship's side, lost in sorrow.Her mind replayed every moment she shared with Icarus.From childhood, Icarus had cared for her; later, when she infiltrated Baroque Works for her country, Icarus, worried about her, joined her; and now, Icarus had "sacrificed himself" to cover her retreat.All of this fueled Vivi's hatred for the mastermind behind it all.The Straw Hat crew stood beside Vivi, unsure how to comfort her.Karoo gently nudged Vivi with its head, cawing to comfort its master.But after a moment of grief, Vivi wiped away her tears, stood up, smiled at the worried crowd to show she was alright, and then went back to her room alone to rest.Although the others were concerned… But Vivi could only be left alone to enjoy the quiet.Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, silently returned to the kitchen to prepare some food to cheer Vivi up.Luffy, meanwhile, dragged Usopp into the Time Battle Room, intending to give him a good beating.Usopp helplessly reached out to Zoro, hoping he could save him from the impending doom, but Zoro claimed he couldn't see him."Usopp," Zoro said, "you need to understand, I'm doing this for your own good.Think about it, how long did it take Zoro and Sanji to learn Armament Haki and Observation Haki?And look at how long it took those three girls?You've only learned Observation Haki so far.This won't do!Didn't you want to become a brave warrior of the sea?What, are you even less capable than a girl?"
While Luffy was brainwashing Usopp, he was also covering his fists with Armament Haki.Usopp, who had been filled with fighting spirit after Luffy's brainwashing, turned around and saw Luffy's kind face and fists covered in jet-black Armament Haki.His fighting spirit vanished instantly.Usopp slowly backed away, trying to awaken Luffy's remaining compassion with words: "Luffy, Captain, Captain, calm down, please!"
Soon, Usopp's screams echoed through the training space.He desperately wanted to ask Luffy why he didn't train him the way the three girls did, but unbeknownst to him, Luffy had already asked, only to find that the method was impossible to learn.So Luffy continued to train Usopp using the simplest and most brutal method.After several days of torment, Usopp finally collapsed, exhausted from Luffy's brutal training methods.Looking at the unconscious Usopp, Luffy nodded with satisfaction.A faint black layer appeared on Usopp's hand.After taking Usopp out of the training space, Luffy tried his new elemental fusion alone.Since his first use of elemental fusion in Loguetown, although he almost lost control, the powerful effect had captivated him.First, Luffy used his newly acquired fire element.Looking at the blazing flames on his left hand, he once again marveled at the power of fire.Even dogs wouldn't eat the Flame-Flame Fruit.After testing its power, Luffy condensed lightning element in his right hand.Both elements possess terrifying power.Just in case, Luffy casually tossed his straw hat into his system space.During the fusion process, Luffy dared not be careless.Seeing that the fusion was about to succeed, Luffy got excited, and with a bang, the sphere formed by the fusion of the two elements in his hand exploded.After the black smoke dissipated, Luffy, with his messy hair, looked at his blackened hands and fell into deep thought."Damn it, let's try again." Unconvinced, Luffy tried again.This time he was more careful, but at the crucial moment, it exploded again.Luffy's eyes turned completely red.He continued to fuse and explode.His clothes were already tattered, only his slippers were intact.Finally, after countless attempts, Luffy looked at the fireball in his hand surrounded by lightning and tears of excitement streamed down his face."Lightning Flame Bomb!"
After calming himself down, Luffy threw his elemental fusion technique forward.The Thunderfire Bomb exploded the moment it hit the ground, leaving a huge crater in the afterglow.After countless attempts, Luffy successfully mastered the fusion of fire and lightning.The training space was now riddled with craters of all sizes.After a short rest, Luffy left the training space to allow it to repair itself.Upon returning to the outside world, Luffy was immediately mocked by his companions.He looked like a black man from Africa, sporting a smoldering afro, his entire body covered in soot.His shirt was gone, and his pants had been reduced to shorts, barely covering his face.Realizing his condition, Luffy immediately went to the bathroom to shower.Refreshed, he emerged to find an island ahead."This island is called Little Garden.Because it's home to many dinosaurs and species extinct elsewhere, we also call it the Ancient Island."
Vivi, a native of the Grand Line, gave everyone a brief introduction to the island before them.After discussion, they unanimously decided to head to the island to replenish their supplies.With the gluttonous Luffy on board, the ship's food was never enough, and with the crew constantly having feasts, the food quickly ran out.If they didn't replenish it soon.Several people glanced at Karu, who trembled, feeling as if he were being watched by something terrifying.Soon, the Going Merry arrived at Little Garden.After docking, the group stepped onto long-unseen land, looking at the lush green forest ahead.Luffy assigned tasks to everyone: Nami and Vivi would explore the island, Zoro and Kuina would find food, Sanji and Usopp would find fresh water, and Karu would watch the ship.However, for safety, Luffy used lightning to create a makeshift passport around the Going Merry, while he and Uta walked hand-in-hand into the jungle to enjoy some rare time alone, and also to find some edible fruits and vegetables.Watching the two behaving intimately, Nami sighed helplessly.Her captain was such a fool; Uta had even talked to her about it.If Luffy was willing, she wouldn't object, but she had clearly hinted at it before, yet he seemed oblivious.She wondered how Uta had ended up with this blockhead.Uta remarked that if she hadn't spoken up, Luffy would probably still be single.After all, back home, all he did was train, eat, and sleep, completely unaware of the changes in Uta's feelings for him.In the forest, Uta, arm in arm with Luffy, hummed a tune and skipped along.Soon, they arrived at a place filled with flowers.Looking at the beautiful blooming flowers, Uta couldn't help but burst into song, butterflies fluttering around her.Seeing this, Luffy froze, his heart pounding."Luffy?"
Seeing Luffy's dazed expression, Uta approached him with some concern, waving her hand in front of his eyes.Luffy snapped out of his reverie, looked at the beautiful woman before him, and felt a surge of emotion.He couldn't resist pulling Uta close and kissing her.Uta was initially startled, but feeling the boy's fiery love, she reciprocated.After a long while, their lips parted.Seeing Uta's flushed face, Luffy, resisting the urge to kiss her again, led her to the flower field.Uta nestled in Luffy's arms, feeling the familiar warmth of her lover beside her.Uta wished time could stop at this moment.Just as they were about to make their lips meet, Usopp's voice shattered this beautiful moment: "Luffy, Luffy, Luffy."