Chapter 78If people from the dark underground organizations knew about this, the news would likely spread across the Grand Line in no time."Nefertari Vivi, from Alabasta..."Vivi hesitated for a moment, but Luffy had already stepped forward to help, saying:"Robin is a great historian, and Vivi is a princess... They both count as my teachers?"To some extent, that was indeed the case.Anyway, as long as everyone on the ship was a comrade, it was fine; that was what Luffy believed, and he even pointed to Quick in the corner, who was currently denying to Sanji that he was emergency rations.Half of the sun had already emerged, and the morning sun added warm tones to the white expanse of winter.In the direction of Drum Island, snowflakes began to fall quietly again, and soon, the dancing white once more covered that winter island.It was at this moment that a loud boom drew everyone's attention, sounding as if it came from the very heart of the island.BOOM!!!Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked toward Drum Island in astonishment.At the top of the towering cylindrical peak in the center, a massive cloud of pink smoke suddenly exploded like the most brilliant fireworks, spreading rapidly; in an instant, it actually dyed all the white snowflakes falling across the sky into a dreamlike pink!With the majestic mountain as the trunk, countless pink petals bloomed and danced in the air, forming a cherry blossom tree that stood between heaven and earth!The morning sun shone down at an angle, penetrating this fluttering, quiet pink and the pristine white that had not yet fully faded, light and shadow intertwining as romantically as a fairy tale."Dr. Kureha!"Chopper stood up on his hind legs, his front hooves gripping the ship's railing as he gazed blankly at the exquisite rain of cherry blossoms blooming on the frigid winter island. His blue nose twitched, and his large eyes quickly filled with tears.He recognized it; this was Dr. Hiriluk's lifelong research, the miracle cherry blossoms that symbolized his undying pirate spirit!This was Dr. Kureha's way of giving him a farewell gift....The second day after leaving Drum Island.The weather quickly turned clear.The ship became even more lively, and the most conspicuous ones were clearly the emergency rations duo.Quick, Chopper, and Nika.Before they knew it, there were already three pets.Merry was also constantly worried that there wouldn't be enough room to sleep. Before, it was fine when the girls' dormitory only had Nami, but now Vivi and Robin were there too.Even if Nami didn't mind, Luffy couldn't exactly go into the ladies' dormitory to sleep. Even if Vivi and Robin didn't mind either, it still wouldn't do... it would be a bad influence!As it turned out, Luffy solved this problem perfectly.Because he didn't sleep at all!Or rather, he didn't sleep for very long.[Warning, wake-up time has arrived...]When Luffy opened his eyes, the familiar characters had already appeared before him.[Through hard practice, your Stamina level has increased to LV2][Your passive talent (Rapid Recovery) has evolved into Life Return]"That wasn't easy..."The Stamina skill had appeared along with Nika.The amount of stamina Luffy consumed in a day was practically an astronomical figure, not to mention that most of the time he didn't even stop in his dreams.His Stamina had jumped to LV2 all at once."My digestion speed seems to have gotten faster, and my attack methods can also change freely..."The warning sounds kept coming, and Luffy kipped up from the ground.Suddenly, white Flame Clouds flashed across his hands. He froze for a moment; just now, he had a feeling that his hands could turn into anything.Is this Devil Fruit awakening?Luffy thought to himself, really wanting to go into the girls' dormitory to pull Nika, that tanuki, out to ask.But there were three girls in there after all.And so, he began a new day of training.After his Stamina leveled up, Luffy felt he had more endurance, and his control over his body had reached a deeper level, making him very sensitive to every minor change.This continued until the sun rose.Luffy closed his eyes and lay down for a short rest, dripping with sweat, when he felt someone stop in front of him.He opened his eyes to see a head of azure hair.Vivi, her hair tied in a long ponytail, leaned over Luffy. Seeing him open his eyes, she reached out and poked his face.Chapter 105: Emperor of the Sea? That sounds interesting"Good morning.""Oh, it's Vivi.""You're working too hard.""He just has too much energy." Walking behind Viviwas Nami, who was holding Nika in her arms."Is having too much energy a bad thing?" Luffyretorted.Nami's expression stiffened. How was she supposed to answer that?Maybe, perhaps... it's fine?Over there, Chopper and Quick were entering the kitchen with a very sneaky look."Speaking of which, there's another idiot on the ship now who can't swim, right?" Nami said, changing the subject."Then I'll count on you, Nami."Devil Fruit Users were just hammers; there was no way around it. Luffy could be stubborn about many things, but this was something he truly couldn't do.If he could swim too, that would be fun.He could just drag all the ability users down into the sea."Hmph, as long as you pay me," Nami snorted."You'd jump into the sea to save Luffy even if you had to pay for the privilege," Vivi giggled, covering her mouth.But she was also a bit envious.Everyone on the ship had their own role; what about her?Without realizing it, she already considered herself a member of the crew.What she was thinking about was how she could help Luffy. If she could find a Devil Fruit too..."I would not," Nami hurriedly denied.The Nika in her arms became a weapon instead.Nika was still holding a wine bottle with one hand; he had been picked up by Nami in the wine cellar when she came out.He was even more of a drunkard than Zoro.Nika seemed to hear them and lifted his head dizzily, took another gulp of wine, and said slurringly, "Hic... I can't swim either, remember to save me first."After saying that, his head tilted, and he fell asleep against Nami's chest.Not long after, the thieving Chopper and Quickwere chased out of the kitchen by Sanji wielding a knife, looking as if he were about to turn them into emergency rations.Vivi watched the lively scene on the deck; though she had a smile on her face, a trace of worry deep in her eyes refused to go away.With her country in turmoil and powerful enemies ahead, the uncertainty of the future weighed on her heart like a giant boulder."Don't worry, Vivi. Look, we've gained two more partners now," Luffy comforted her."Don't be fooled by how Chopper and Nika look; they're actually very good fighters."Luffy stretched his arm out, snatching Nika from Nami's arms in an instant to have him put on a performance."Get big, get big, get even bigger!"Contrary to his wishes, Nika looked like he hadn't woken up at all.Infected by Luffy's optimism, Vivi gave a forced smile, but her expression immediately turned serious:"Luffy, you can't underestimate Baroque Works, especially Crocodile. He is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a powerhouse truly standing at the apex of the ocean."Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Robin, who was sitting quietly not far away, reading a book.After the trip to Drum Island, her perception of Robin had become much more complex; at the very least, she was no longer as entirely guarded as she had been at the start.Robin's current status was that of a prisoner, but after Vivi calmed down, she realized the goodwill Robin had been radiating; the information about Crocodile had originally been revealed to her by Robin, albeit seemingly unintentionally.Robin keenly noticed Vivi's gaze; she closed her book, the smile on her face fading slightly."Mr. Luffy should indeed be careful. Princess Vivi's concerns are not without reason.""Crocodile is very strong. When he was young, he even clashed with that Emperor of the Sea, Whitebeard. Besides him, there are several characters among the high-ranking agents of Baroque Works who require special attention."Her words drew everyone's attention."Emperor of the Sea?"The few who had come from the East Bluebasically had no impression of this title.Robin explained a bit, and everyone understood.They were pirates even more powerful than the Seven Warlords of the Sea."Emperors of the Sea?" Luffy became interested."Now is not the time for us to be thinking about the Emperors of the Sea," Nami said, stopping Luffyfrom thinking further.Otherwise, who knew if he would declare war on an Emperor of the Sea in a moment of heat.Robin then introduced the situation regarding Baroque Works in more detail than Vivi had previously.First, the boss at the very top was Crocodile, Mr. 0.The agents who took orders directly from him consisted of twelve people and one animal. They were each paired with a female agent to act together.Robin elegantly crossed her legs:"First is Mr. 1, Daz Bones, a Dice-Dice Fruit user; his entire body can turn into blades, and he is a pure assassin. His partner is Miss Double Finger, a Spike-Spike Fruit user, who can grow sharp thorns from any part of her body.""Then there is Mr. 2, Bon Clay, a Clone-Clone Fruituser. As long as he touches someone's face with his hand, he can perfectly mimic their appearance and even copy their voice; he is a very troublesome character. He has no fixed partner but possesses considerable strength himself, especially excelling in Okama Kenpo.""The one we defeated at Little Garden was Mr. 3, the wax man, right?" Luffy asked."Yes, his partner is Miss Goldenweek." Robinpaused for a moment and continued:"Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas are both Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.""Then there are Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine; these are known as Officer Agents. All of them are Devil Fruit Users, and they are only dispatched for truly important missions.""Mr. 6 through Mr. 13 lead the regular employees and are responsible for raising funds for the company at the entrance to the Grand Line.""Mr. 13 and Miss Friday are the Punishment Squad, whose mission is to punish those who fail their tasks.""Besides them, there are a large number of Billionsand Millions within the organization; they might not be strong individually, but together they are a force that cannot be underestimated."Robin's information was detailed and clear, giving everyone a more concrete understanding of the enemies they were about to face.However, if Crocodile knew about this, he might cough up three liters of blood.This information was practically more detailed than what he himself knew.In fact, most of Baroque Works' affairs were handled by Robin; her intelligence-gathering abilities were undeniably strong."A body made of blades? That guy sounds like a decent opponent."Zoro had already become excited upon hearing this.Sanji, on the other hand, frowned at the mention of Mr. 2, who could change faces, seemingly quite repulsed by such an ability.While they were still discussing, Merry's small figure came floating over in a hurry, a trace of nervousness on his face:
