58"Oh? Is that so?"Robin shook her head noncommittally. "With all due respect, Princess. Before Sir Crocodileintervened in Alabasta's affairs as a hero, this country didn't seem like a paradise either, did it?""Heavy taxes, the Heavenly Tribute paid to the Celestial Dragons... these are heavy burdens that member nations of the World Government cannot escape.""Even if King Cobra is a benevolent ruler, how can these long-standing roots of misfortune be easily eradicated?"Vivi was momentarily speechless.Lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharpest blade."Hey! Now is not the time for this."Seeing this, Nami immediately slapped the table to take control of the conversation: "Let's talk about the enemy in front of us first! You said Small Garden is dangerous earlier; what exactly is going on?""Have you heard of the Giant Race?""Giant Race?"Both Nami and Vivi were startled.With a playful look on her face, Robin said, "That's right. Small Garden is an island that preserves a prehistoric ecosystem. And on that island live two giant warriors from Elbaf—Dorry the Blue Ogreand Brogy the Red Ogre. They have been engaged in a duel that has lasted for over a hundred years.""A hundred-year duel?!"Nami gasped.She knew the Giant Race was a long-lived species.But a hundred years at the drop of a hat—wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?"And unfortunately, Mr. 3 of our Baroque Worksand his partner seem to be using the duel between these two giants to do something.""In other words, you will soon face not only the cunning high-ranking agents of Baroque Works but also potentially the warriors of the Giant Race, recognized as the strongest race in the world."Nami felt her vision go dark, and her legs felt a bit weak.Giant Race?!Just imagining those massive bodies that could blot out the sun and strength enough to split mountains made her feel a sense of despair.Luffy's move that could enlarge his fist was already terrifying in the East Blue, with no rivals at all.But those are real giants.Against them, would this small ship be enough for someone to step on?! The going merry would probably turn into a pile of splinters in an instant.Robin clearly expected Nami and Vivi's reaction, but an unexpected situation soon occurred.Bang!The room door was pushed open abruptly.Luffy stood at the door with a serious face. His gaze quickly swept across the room, finally fixing on Robin, and then he strode toward her.Chapter 74: The Void Century"What can you do?"Luffy asked this question as soon as he entered.Yes, that's right; the pirate king training plan was acting up again. Luffy wasn't worried at all about having a so-called enemy like Robin on the ship.Whether it was because his Observation Haki was strong or his intuition was close to having an 'all-seeing eye,' both indicated that Robin bore them no ill will.In fact, her actions were more like those of a helper. So Luffy kept her on the ship.Vivi and Nami looked like they were interrogating Robin, and Luffy felt he wouldn't get a clear answer anyway. His Companion Day time had ended, so he had been practicing swordsmanship with Zoro on the deck.But it was very short; he had reached the time for his daily cultivation. Luffy wasn't surprised by this; for a day's cultivation, he basically had to learn a round from Zoro, Sanji, Usopp...When choosing between being a craftsman or using brainpower, Luffy mostly chose to be with Nami whenever he could.According to the pattern, next should be Vivi, right? If it were Laboon, it would be a bit of a headache; he had just promised Laboon to return after circling the world once, and besides, the route couldn't be traveled backward.Plus, this plan can adjust according to actual conditions...[Automatically adjusting based on physical condition and status. Daily cultivation achieved. It is time to learn from Nico Robin. Please proceed immediately... Countdown: thirty seconds.][Warning, punishment countdown...]Where are you adjusting me to?Who is Nico Robin?Thinking about it, it could only be that person codenamed Miss All-Sunday.There was no time for Luffy to question it; he rushed to the girls' quarters and asked that question.This nonsensical question left all three women in the room stunned.Robin was also slightly taken aback. Then, as if thinking of something interesting, her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly toward the nervous Nami and Vivi nearby, her lips curving into a charming arc:"Oh my, is the Captain asking about my hobbies? How thoughtful."Then she gently set down her teacup and began to list them in a lazy tone."I like eating sandwiches, and I don't really like cakes that are too sweet...""I like autumn weather; it's crisp and pleasant...""At this time every day, I'm used to taking a hot bath to relax. Then, around bedtime, I drink a cup of warm red..."Nico Robin was still asking if Luffy could meet these requirements. The result was Luffy suddenly reaching out and grabbing Robin's wrist."Stop talking about all that nonsense. I want you to be my teacher..."As he spoke, he didn't give Robin time to react and pulled her outside.Nami finally snapped out of it, seeing Luffy pulling Nico Robin away. "Hey, Luffy, where are you taking her?!""Studying is important!" Luffy said without looking back.Being pulled by Luffy, Robin glanced at her captured wrist and raised an eyebrow; she was quite unaccustomed to such intimate physical contact.Having had such experiences, she wouldn't allow situations where her body was placed in danger. However, the current situation was that this man didn't seem to have designs on her abilities like Crocodile did.There was no so-called demand for profit.After a moment's thought,"It seems the Captain is in a hurry." Robin did not resist; she even had time to look back and cast a glance at Nami and Vivi.Then she was pulled away, disappearing down the end of the corridor in a whirlwind.Leaving Nami and Vivi looking at each other in the room, speechless for a moment.Luffy's behavior didn't look very reasonable, and in fact, it wasn't; at least Vivi couldn't understand it at all.Perhaps only those who have experienced it would understand.Nami covered her forehead with a helpless expression and explained to the still-clueless Vivi:"I don't know what's gotten into Luffy lately...""How should I put it? Just think of him as someone who loves learning very much; he even taught himself to be the Acting Ship Doctor. Anyway, he basically learns something from every companion on the ship."Nami recounted how Luffy pestered Zoro to practice swordsmanship, followed Sanji to learn cooking, and even suddenly rushed into her room wanting to learn navigation."Maybe before long, he'll come looking for you too," Nami said with a sigh.Vivi: "???"Stu... studying?As a princess, she did know quite a few things, but that was all aristocratic etiquette, which didn't seem to relate to Luffy at all....In Luffy's eyes, Nico Robin was a woman with a scholarly air; temperament is something hard to describe clearly.So when Nico Robin said she was a Scholar and an Archaeologist, he wasn't surprised."You want me to teach you history?"Nico Robin looked at Luffy in surprise. "That's not something one should investigate."Ohara, which studied history, suffered the Buster Call because of it.Because it was dangerous and incredibly boring, few people were willing to touch this field. Luffy's proactive request made Nico Robin's first reaction one of suspicion that he had an ulterior motive."I super love history."Luffy was almost unable to hold it in and subconsciously sat up straight. If he were to burst out in front of Robin, it would be over.Although he wasn't very familiar with Robin, if that kind of thing happened, Luffy could already imagine what her expression would be.Most likely, she'd have a smiling face and then use that faint tone to declare his social death."That really is a bit unexpected."Robin gracefully propped her cheek with one hand and looked at Luffy. "However, Captain, you're making me more and more curious.""Stop talking and teach me quickly!" Luffy had cold sweat on his forehead."Alright then, I'll remember that you said you super love history. If you're lying to me..." Robin raised an eyebrow.She would really be angry.Not because Luffy lied to her, but because Luffywould be doing such a thing to the history she loved most...."The most important part of this world's history is the period about 900 to 800 years ago... research into it is forbidden by the World Government. We historians call it the Void Century."Nico Robin had Luffy bring a notebook and pen. The most important thing in studying history is memory. As long as one can cram that massive amount of knowledge into their brain, anyone can become an excellent historian.Of course, after having a rich theory, one must carry out practice; combining theory and practice is also quite important for an Archaeologist.With Robin's ability, being Luffy's teacher was far too easy.After all, she had obtained her Ph.D. in archaeology with a perfect score at the age of 8.But as time passed and Luffy entered that state, she gradually noticed something was wrong.Whether it was spoken or written in the notebook, Luffy actually remembered every single point without missing a word!Chapter 75: This is More Than One Can Bear[Through hard study, your history knowledge level has increased. Gained EXP +10]Luffy rubbed his throbbing temples. The feeling of having a bunch of knowledge forced in was not pleasant; it was even more exhausting than using Gear Second several times in a row.The last time he experienced this kind of torture was when Gordon was teaching him music.The efficiency of gaining experience far exceeded studying hard on his own, but the process was also much more painful.[Mental power severely overextended. Your willpower has increased. Observation Hakiproficiency +1]This line of prompts was the only thing that could comfort him.The improvement in Observation Haki was the harvest he could clearly feel at the moment.Haki is very important.Luffy now had this correct understanding!For this, enduring the torture of knowledge seemed barely acceptable?Luffy shook his head, trying to clear the chaotic historical years and events from his brief dizziness.But for Robin opposite him, the elegant smile she usually wore was almost impossible to maintain.Her inner shock was far more turbulent than it appeared on the surface.Recalling the hardships of her own childhood in Ohara when she first encountered the poneglyphs and learned the ancient script, it required immense patience, focus, and talent.Yet this guy in front of her, who clearly seemed like a total history idiot just a moment ago, asking basic questions that were laughably simple, had—after her brief explanation—become like an extremely parched sponge, absorbing and understanding all the information in her words at a terrifying speed, even being able to draw inferences!Could it be that his previous ignorant look was all an act?Was he actually a deep-cover historical Scholarwho deliberately approached her?This thought flashed through Robin's mind but was quickly dismissed by her.The "clear stupidity" in Luffy's eyes earlier couldn't be faked, especially to someone as observant as she was."The following knowledge is a bit obscure and difficult to understand." Robin decided to increase the difficulty. "This part of history is not recorded in the Official History..."
