Chapter 33: A New Beginning!Inside the cabin, Nami, who witnessed this scene through the crack, tightly covered her mouth to stifle a scream, tears instantly welling in her eyes.
Nojiko's face was deathly pale, and Kaya swayed precariously.
On Baratie, Zeff gasped.
Sanji stared in disbelief.
Zoro gripped the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji tightly, his knuckles white, his eyes filled with shock and resentment.
He clearly saw that the power and speed of that thrust were completely beyond his comprehension!
Is this a casual strike from the world's greatest swordsman?!
Luffy slowly lowered his trembling arms, glanced at the small wound on his forearm, then looked up at Mihawk, who stood calmly a hundred meters away, sword in hand.
Hawkeye sheathed his sword and looked at Luffy: "Not bad. To withstand that stab with only minor injuries, your Armament Haki is quite solid in the East Blue."
Hawkeye's gaze swept over the straw hat again: "Looks like Shanks' judgment isn't hopelessly bad."
With that, he looked away from Luffy, from Baratie, and the wreckage of Krieg's flagship, turning and returning to his small boat.
The black boat silently turned and sailed into the distance, quickly becoming a small black dot and disappearing between the sea and sky.
The suffocating sense of oppression receded like the tide.
The sea returned to calm, as if that astonishing stab had never happened.
Only the two deep furrows on the deck of the Going Merry and the bleeding wound on Luffy's arm proved that the world's greatest swordsman had descended upon this place and weighed down a straw-hatted rookie from the East Blue.
Luffy stood there, gazing in the direction Hawkeye had disappeared, before slowly exhaling a breath of bloody stale air.
He looked down at the small wound on his arm, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Luffy!" The cabin door was flung open, and three girls rushed out, their eyes red, surrounding him.
Nami, seeing the blood on his arm, immediately burst into tears.
Nojiko hurriedly went to find the first-aid kit.
Kaya, suppressing her fear, tried to check the wound.
"It's just a superficial wound," Luffy said, pressing Kaya's hand, his voice slightly hoarse.
Luffy looked down at the small wound on his arm; the blood had mostly clotted.
He shook his hand, confirming that the bones and tendons were intact, only a slight muscle strain and a broken skin.
"Nami, go prepare for departure; Nojiko, check the fresh water and food supplies; Kaya..."
Luffy looked at the blonde girl with reddened eyes, his tone softening: "Just give me a simple bandage."
His voice was calm, as if what had just happened was a trivial incident.
This excessive calm only made Nami and the other two girls more uneasy.
They were used to Luffy's usual domineering calculations or occasional displays of intimacy, but rarely had they seen him so...silent.
"Luffy, you..." Nami started to say something, but Luffy's gaze stopped her.
"Go do your work," Luffy repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The three girls exchanged glances, suppressing their worries and questions, and silently carried out the order.
Nami went to the helm, while Nojiko went to check the cargo hold.
Kaya quickly retrieved the medical kit, and with slightly trembling but steady hands, cleaned Luffy's wounds, applied the hemostatic and anti-inflammatory ointment Nojiko had prepared, and carefully bandaged them with clean bandages.
Luffy remained silent throughout, watching Kaya's movements, then gazing intently at the eastern horizon where Hawkeye had disappeared, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
The slight stinging in his arm was a clear reminder of every detail of their brief exchange.
Shanks' opponent… the match of the world's greatest swordsman…
"All done," Kaya said softly, finishing bandaging her arm.
Luffy looked away, glanced at his neatly bandaged arm, and nodded.
"Good job," Luffy said, reaching out to ruffle Kaya's hair, his movements slightly stiffer than usual, but still reassuring.
He walked to the bow and told Nami, who was adjusting the sails, "Heading! Loguetown!"
The Going Merry's sails billowed, its elegant ram's head figurehead turned, cutting through the azure sea, slowly sailing away from the waters recently devastated by Krieg's defeat.
Luffy didn't look back at Baratie, nor at the still-shocked and stunned crowd on deck.
A farewell? No need.
Guidance? Even less necessary.
The path has been shown to them; how far they go is their own business.
The Going Merry sailed further and further away, the Baratie becoming a tiny dot on the sea.
Only when it was completely out of sight did Luffy turn his gaze to the three women on deck.
Nami was focused on steering, occasionally checking the chart and logging.
Nojiko was tidying up the deck, putting training equipment away.
Kaya, clutching a medical kit, stared blankly at the sea, clearly still recovering from the shock.
"Come here, all of you," Luffy said, sitting down in the center of the deck.
The three women obediently gathered around him, sitting beside him, looking at him, waiting for him to speak.
Luffy's gaze slowly swept over their faces as he spoke:
"That guy was Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the world's greatest swordsman. He's probably strong enough to take on a hundred Kriegs."
This simple comparison gave the three girls a general understanding.
"Are you scared?" Luffy asked.
The three girls were silent for a moment, then shook their heads one after another.
Nami spoke first, her eyes defiant: "No! One day we'll defeat him!"
Nojiko's voice was steady: "There's nothing to be afraid of. Once you've seen a higher mountain, you'll know where to climb."
"I'll work hard to learn medicine. If you get injured in the future, I'll definitely be able to heal you quickly!" Kaya clenched her small fist, her voice unusually firm.
Luffy looked at them, a satisfied expression on his face.
He didn't need hothouse flowers; he needed companions who could help him.
Fear is acceptable, but it shouldn't crush you.
"Remember how you felt today, remember that feeling of powerlessness when facing an absolute powerhouse, and turn that feeling into your motivation."
Luffy's tone became more serious: "The Grand Line has many monsters like him.
The Four Emperors, Admirals, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, countless powerful figures… there, only naked survival of the fittest.
If you don't want to become crushed ants, you have to fight tooth and nail to become stronger."
"I will!" Nami nodded vigorously, her eyes burning with the same thirst for treasure and power.
"Understood," Nojiko replied succinctly.
"Yes!" Kaya also nodded emphatically.
Luffy stood up: "For the rest of the voyage, Nami, besides navigation, you need to focus on practicing your Observation Haki. I want you to be able to sense storms in advance and also roughly assess the strength of enemies.
Nojiko, don't neglect your swordsmanship and herbalism; solidify your physical foundation as well.
Kaya, continue with your medical theory, and you must address your physical weaknesses. Starting tomorrow, train with Nojiko at a slightly more intensive pace."
He didn't ask "Can you do it?" and directly gave the orders.
"Yes!" the three girls responded in unison, their eyes no longer filled with confusion, only clear determination.
The sea breeze brushed their faces, carrying the salty, fishy smell, and also the unknown waves ahead.
The Going Merry, carrying ambition, resolutely sailed towards the town known as "the beginning and the end."
PreviousChapter 1 I am Luffy!Chapter 2: Target Nami!Chapter 3 The MinionsChapter 4 Crushing the Evil DragonChapter 5 Inviting NamiChapter 6 Just TrialChapter 7 The Heinous A-Jian!Chapter 8 Harvest NightChapter 9 Between SistersChapter 10 Nojiko's ChoiceChapter 11 The Entrance to Xirob VillageChapter 12 Approaching KayaChapter 13 UndercurrentsChapter 14 Crushing Strike! The Cat-Man BrothersChapter 15 The End of the Road for Hundred-Plan KroChapter 16 Weed ControlChapter 17 Koya's ChoiceChapter 18 Harvesting KayaChapter 19 Settling in Kaya's HouseChapter 20 Usopp's Clown PerformanceChapter 21 A New VoyageChapter 22 The Night Before ArrivalChapter 23 The Baratie, the Sea RestaurantChapter 24 Zoro awakens Conqueror's Haki?Chapter 25 Showdown in the Reef AreaChapter 26 The Loser's Sobering ThoughtsChapter 27 Sanji's Daily LifeChapter 28 You are not worthyChapter 29 The BystanderChapter 30 The Red Feet's AwakeningChapter 31 The so-called strongest in the East China Sea?Chapter 32 The Weighing of HawkeyeChapter 33: A New Beginning!Chapter 34 Ghost Man AkinChapter 35 Sanji's ResolveChapter 36 Zoro's DeterminationChapter 37 The Town of Beginnings and EndsChapter 38 Bucky the ClownChapter 39 Crushing the Weaklings in the East China SeaChapter 40 Target TashigiChapter 41 Weighing SmokerChapter 42 Tashigi boards the shipChapter 43 Saying Goodbye to the PastChapter 44 Night Raid and Pledge of AllegianceChapter 45 Practical GuidanceChapter 46 TendernessChapter 47 Liquidation and RetributionChapter 48 I heard you were looking for me?Chapter 49 Sweet Talk?Chapter 50 Nami Sisters' NightmareChapter 51: Adding Tashigi to the HaremChapter 52 Division of Strength LevelsChapter 53 Domineering Personal TrainingChapter 54 Daily Life on the Going MerryChapter 55 Ripples in the WorldChapter 56 Luffy with a Different AuraChapter 57 The Bounty for EveryoneChapter 58 Farewell CeremonyChapter 59: Another Lesson for SmokerChapter 60 Heavy Burden TrainingChapter 61 Arrival at Upside Down MountainChapter 62 Examiners and TrialsChapter 63 Passersby at Twin CapesChapter 64 Welcome to Whisky PeakChapter 65 The Killing Intent in the Dead of NightChapter 66 Agrees to Let Vivi Board the ShipChapter 67 To Take Its Place?Chapter 68: The Cadres AppearChapter 69 One-Finger Instant KillChapter 70 The Value of a Kilogram of FruitChapter 71 Michita's Struggle to SurviveChapter 72 The Pledge of AllegianceNext