Chapter 66 Zoro's Sudden Enlightenment: Cutting the Railway and Spying on Women BathingTina rolled her eyes and took back her Den Den Mushi. "Tina's confused. Are you really stupid or just pretending? The Seven Warlords of the Sea are legally appointed pirates by the World Government, a third-party force to balance the pirates and the Navy."
"Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku has to report to use the Seven Warlords. How could you, a mere branch of the Navy, interfere in personnel appointments?"
Luffy was stunned. In his previous life, no one had explained these political structures to him when he watched anime. Seeing Sengoku discussing the Seven Warlords, he'd assumed they were under the Navy's control.
So, the Seven Warlords and the Navy aren't even in the same system. No wonder Sengoku looked constipated whenever they mentioned them.
Luffy stroked his chin: "Well, forget it. It's unrealistic to try and trick Ace into becoming a Shichibukai anyway. As for Buggy, that red-haired buddy, with his 'face fruit' (a type of Japanese magic), he could probably make a fortune running a courier service in the New World."
"The Shichibukai system is just garbage; it'll be abolished sooner or later anyway. Let whoever wants to be one be. Saves me the trouble of bailing people out of jail later."
Tina, listening to Luffy's rambling, felt her head buzzing: "Tina doesn't understand. Tina's going back to report. I'll come back for the investiture ceremony to pick you guys up."
With that, Tina stomped out in her high heels.
The room instantly erupted in chaos.
"Promoted two ranks and even awarded a medal?!"
Sanji, his face contorted with jealousy, grabbed Zoro by the neck and shook him. "Why is it only you, the seaweed-haired guy, who gets to go out and show your face with Luffy?!"
Zoro grinned smugly. "Of course! Who told me to be the vice-captain? Much more noble than you, you lecherous cook!"
Sanji: "You fucking want to die?!"
Zoro: "Come on, are you scared of me?"
Chopper and Usopp, their eyes wide like saucers, cheered and jumped around Luffy and Zoro: "Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral! Luffy's going to be a Marine Vice Admiral!! Ohhh!"
Vivi: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!
"Can't you guys focus on something normal, you idiots! Hey, Nami, you need to control these lunatics!"
Nami, covering her mouth and chuckling, her eyes already practically glowing with Beli's name: "Does a promotion mean a multiplied salary?"
"You only care about money, huh!?"
Seeing this chaotic scene, even the usually aloof Robin couldn't help but chuckle, drawing strange looks from everyone.
Nami put her arm around Robin's shoulder and laughed heartily, "Welcome to the Straw Hat Marines!"
Usopp waved his hand, correcting her seriously, "Hey, Nami, your way of addressing us makes us sound like pirates. I think 'Invincible Marine Fleet' sounds much cooler."
Chopper's eyes lit up: "Oh! What an awesome name! We have a fleet now?"
Usopp: "...That's a rhetorical device, you know what a rhetorical device is."
After surviving a life-or-death battle, the group finally enjoyed a long-awaited moment of relaxation.
Tina took Luffy and Zoro on another trip to Marine Headquarters.
After a nightmare of being bombarded by flashing lights and surrounded by reporters, Zoro and Luffy fled back to Alabasta like fugitives. It was three days later.
Luffy ripped off his tie, cursing, "Damn it, if anyone ever asks me to attend any award ceremony again, I'm a complete idiot!"
Zoro raised both hands and feet in agreement; that whole set of formalities was more tiring than cutting someone up.
Then Luffy suddenly remembered something and turned to Zoro, asking, "Zoro, can you cut through steel now?"
Zoro looked at Luffy like he was an idiot: "Huh? Cut through steel? Do you think I'm slicing tofu?"
If he could cut through steel, wouldn't he just cut people off along with their swords?
Luffy nodded, then patted Zoro's shoulder with a knowing grin: "Your master, Koushirou, must have taught you, right? A true swordsman, when he doesn't want to cut, can't even cut a piece of paper; when he does want to cut, he can slice through steel in one stroke."
"To reach the level of cutting through iron, you must learn to listen to the breath of all things. Only when you find that rhythm, that texture, can you do as you please. Conversely, you can also achieve a state where nothing can be cut!"
"You... understand?"
Luffy stood with his hands behind his back, looking like a peerless master.
Zoro stared blankly at Luffy, his mind filled with question marks. What the hell is this mystical knowledge? How am I supposed to understand it?
"Go, find a secluded corner, and properly digest the true meaning of swordsmanship I've imparted to you. When you truly understand it, you'll reach the level of cutting through iron."
Zoro, somewhat dazed, was tricked by Luffy into going outside the city to train in seclusion.
Watching Zoro's retreating figure, Luffy muttered to himself, "He should be able to grasp it, right? I've memorized those lines so many times."
In the original story, Zoro only mastered the Iron Cutting Technique after being cornered by Mr. 1. Since the fight didn't happen, that life-or-death epiphany was missing.
But Luffy couldn't exactly drag Mr. 1 back to work for him and let Zoro beat him up again.
So, he had no choice but to try his luck, using the insights from the original story as a spoiler.
"This shouldn't be considered forcing him, right?" Luffy stroked his chin, a little guilty. "Oh well, if it really doesn't work, I'll just send him to Mihawk for further training. Right now, the most important thing is to get back to the palace and enjoy a good meal!"
With that, Luffy, like a carefree monkey, dashed back to the palace.
"That bastard Luffy, what's with all this talk about feeling the breath of all things, and what kind of swordsmanship is this that can cut through steel but not water? It's like he's speaking in riddles!"
Zoro wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead, remembering Luffy's knowing look when he was teaching him swordsmanship, and a surge of anger rose within him.
At this moment, the two massive rocks hanging from his arms felt as heavy as two small houses, pressing down on his muscles until they trembled slightly.
Suddenly, a strange sensation traveled through his tense muscles, as if the two cold stones had a heartbeat, breathing in sync with his pulse.
Zoro snapped his eyes open, a sharp glint in them, and with a burst of strength, hurled the rocks high into the air.
At the same time, his hand rested on the cold hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
"One-Sword Style: Iaijutsu - Lion's Lament!!"
A chilling white streak seemed to flash through the air.
Without even hearing the sound of a blade piercing flesh, the two boulders in mid-air were silently split in two.
"Boom—!"
Zoro only snapped out of his daze when the smooth, mirror-like stone crashed to the ground, kicking up dust.
He stared incredulously at the longsword still trembling slightly in his hand.
"This...did I really do this?"
Before, he shattered rocks with brute force and the hardness of the blade—a head-on collision.
But that last strike was as smooth as cutting butter with a hot knife; the silky smoothness, the effortless flow, was a completely new experience he had never encountered in his decades of swordsmanship.
Zoro eagerly wanted to try again, but that profound, serene feeling vanished like sand slipping through his fingers.
But this didn't diminish his ecstatic joy, for the gate to the highest path of swordsmanship had finally cracked open for him.
His gaze burned intensely towards the royal palace, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Hawkeye... no wonder he's the man standing at the top of the world! Is this what they mean by 'no sword is better than a sword'?!"
"Just you wait, I'll climb to the top and kick you off that spot one day!"
Meanwhile, under the shade of a tree on the palace terrace.
Luffy was sprawled unceremoniously on a soft recliner, his face etched with decadence.
He wore a uniquely styled shirt printed with a 'leisurely green' pattern drawn by Mayika, and a half-empty cup of black tea dangled in his hand.
The color seemed to possess a magical quality; just wearing it made one not want to move a single finger.
Around the recliner, a dozen slender arms made of flower petals were kneading and massaging his shoulders and thighs with professional strength.
This was Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit ability—essentially a fully automatic massage chair.
"Ah...this is life! My bones are melting..."
"You're hopeless! You dragged Robin onto the ship, did you just want her to be your masseuse?!"
Vivi rolled her eyes at Luffy's blissful expression.
Luffy sipped his tea, glancing lazily at Vivi, who was also lounging on the chair next to him.
"How could I? It's the captain's privilege."
"Hmph! Dream on! From now on, Vivi-nee is under Nami and my control!"
Vivi gave a soft snort and affectionately hugged Robin, who was quietly reading a book.
"Robin-nee, you agree, right?"
"Huh?"
Robin was a little stunned, then nodded slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips.
This feeling of being unconditionally trusted and relied upon was like a warm current, slowly flowing into her long-closed heart.
Just then, Sanji and Usopp, who had gone on a big shopping spree in town, returned to the palace noisily.
Nami followed behind, carrying a large stack of ancient books given to her by King Cobra, her eyes gleaming with the light of knowledge (and money).
Almost simultaneously, Diracda, Icarus's wife who looked exactly like a carbon copy, approached carrying a huge fruit platter.
"My lords, you've all had a good time. I hear you all have good appetites. Before the banquet begins, please have some fruit to tide you over."
Before she finished speaking,
Luffy's mouth gaped open to an exaggerated angle, his head blurring into a blur.
"Whoosh—!"
"Thank you for the treat! Crunch crunch!"
A cart piled high with fruit vanished instantly, peel and pit included, into Luffy's stomach.
The air fell silent for two seconds.
Zoro and Sanji's forehead veins bulged, their urge to kill him palpable.
(╯‵□)╯︵┻━┻!
"Are you performing magic, you bastard?! Are you a vacuum cleaner that's come to life?!"
Usopp, even more frantic, yanked his hair and screamed, "Hey!! Luffy! I clearly saw a giant crab on my plate! Did you even swallow the shell?!"
Nami yelled in despair, "Your eating manners are awful! Juice spilled all over my clothes!!"
Zoro slammed his empty glass on the table in anger, "Give me another drink to calm my nerves!!"
Meanwhile, Chopper, his mouth stuffed full of spaghetti, cheeks bulging like a hamster hoarding food, couldn't even utter a word.
Sanji, barely containing his anger, elegantly picked up his knife and fork, preparing to cut the steak in front of him: "Are you a bunch of starving ghosts reincarnated? Can't you learn from me? Eating should be refined..."
"Swish!"
The plate was empty.
"Damn it!! Give me back my premium steak!!"
The next second, the elegant gentleman transformed into a vicious wolf, joining the fray.
Robin watched this chaotic yet heartwarming scene, feeling an unprecedented peace.
This warmth was a luxury she had longed for during her twenty years on the run.
"Heh."
She chuckled softly, and countless arms instantly sprouted from her back, nimbly reaching for the food on the table.
"Wow! Robin, you cheated! That's not fair!!"
Luffy, his mouth stuffed full of meat, cheeks bulging, was still mumbling something to Cobra: "Ugh! Waaaaaah!"
Cobra, covered in cold sweat, frantically wiped his forehead, completely unable to understand what language this was.
"Um... Lord Luffy, could you please swallow your food before you speak? I'm not in a hurry..."
This banquet, filled with snatching and laughter, continued late into the night.
Finally, it ended with Chopper and Usopp performing their amazing feats of "balancing a plate on their nostrils" and "inserting chopsticks through their nostrils," bringing the house down in laughter.
After the meal,
Cobra, like a tour guide, led everyone to a magnificent building emitting steam.
"This is the most prized super-sized public bath in my palace! It used to only open during the rainy season, but thanks to Vice Admiral Luffy solving the drought, everyone can bathe however they want from now on!"
Cobra proudly introduced.
"Hot spring! Here I come!!"
Chopper and Usopp, as excited as two monkeys, yelled and rushed towards the bath.
"I'm the first...whoa!"
Their feet slipped, and the two rolled around on the wet floor like bowling balls, tumbling and falling.
Zoro, arms crossed, watched the two clowns speechlessly: "Is it really necessary to go to such lengths just to take a bath? By the way, where did that idiot Luffy go?"
Sanji looked around warily, his gaze sweeping over the high partition wall, suddenly fixing on a figure hanging on the top.
"Hey! Luffy! What are you doing up there?!"
Cobra followed his gaze, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets: "That's over there..."
Icarus instantly bristled, his curly hair standing on end: "Get down here! That's the women's bathroom!! No peeping!!"
"What?!"
Sanji, upon hearing this, was consumed by flames of jealousy, snorting as he charged over.
"Damn Luffy!! He didn't even invite me to this... No! Peeping is a serious crime! Let me give you a piece of my mind!!"
Nami and the others in the next women's bath heard the commotion.
Turning around, they were met with Luffy's drooling face, like a lecherous dog eyeing a bone.
"Ah—!"
Vivi cried out, her face flushed with embarrassment, and quickly crouched down to submerge herself in the water.
Robin, on the other hand, remained calm, wrapped in a towel as if watching a show.
Only Nami, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, not only didn't try to hide, but boldly ripped off her towel.
"Want to see it, huh? One glimpse of 100,000 Berries! The Fist of Happiness!!"
Luffy, who had been leering, suddenly narrowed his eyes, feeling a rush of heat to his head.
"Holy... shit..."
Blood gushed from his nose, Luffy's eyes rolled back, and like a kite with a broken string, he tumbled off the wall.
Vivi quickly covered her eyes, helplessly muttering, "Nami...you're too bold."
Nami tied her towel, a sly smile on her face, "Hehe, this is a great opportunity to make some money."
Sanji, hearing the commotion on the other side of the wall, was consumed by jealousy, his face contorted with rage as he scrambled up the wall.
"Damn it!! I want to see it too!! That's my dream!!"
However, instead of a beautiful view, he was met with a heavy wooden barrel crashing down on him.
"Clang!"
"Why am I always the one who gets hurt..."
Sanji screamed as he fell to the ground, only able to curl up in a corner and curse Luffy.
Luffy rubbed his head as he got up from the ground, secretly pondering to himself.
It seems his lack of attraction to Boa Hancock in the original story had nothing to do with being "naive."
It was purely because his Conqueror's Haki was so strong that he was immune to mental attacks, or perhaps it was the various resistances of the sun god from the Nika Fruit at work.
After all, Nami's attack just now had genuinely made his heart race. If he didn't react to the world's most beautiful woman, that would be truly insane.
Over at the women's bathhouse.
Nami reached out and gently tapped Vivi's smooth forehead.
"Hey, Princess, are you mentally prepared? We'll be parting tomorrow."
"Nami..."
The light in Vivi's eyes dimmed instantly, her face filled with struggle and reluctance.
"You should be well aware of the current situation."
Nami's playful smile vanished, her tone becoming serious.
"Luffy and Zoro have made a huge fuss this time; news of their award ceremony has spread throughout the seas. I've heard that in the New World, many powerful pirates and so-called Supernovas are eyeing Luffy's head, hoping to climb over him to get ahead."
"After all, Luffy's rise through the ranks is too bizarre. From nobody to colonel, then to commodore, and now he's been promoted two ranks in a row."
"Those outsiders definitely think Luffy is a pushover who got promoted through connections, and everyone wants to take advantage of him."
"So, if we stay in Alabasta any longer, we'll only bring new war to this country that has just regained peace. Tomorrow morning, we must leave in a grand fashion, drawing all the firepower away."
Nami looked at Vivi, her eyes gentle yet firm: "So, are you ready?"
Vivi froze: "Ready for what?"
"Ready to flee with us, of course! You're our comrade!"
Nami said matter-of-factly.
Vivi's heart clenched, biting her lip: "But… the country is in ruins right now, how can I…"
"Huh?"
Nami looked at Vivi like she was an idiot.
"You don't actually think that domineering Luffy would agree to let you stay, do you? He risked his life to reduce casualties to zero, and dug wells everywhere to find water, all to settle this country down, and then pack you up and take you away tomorrow!"
"Eh?!!" Vivi was completely dumbfounded.
The next morning.
The port was packed with people, colorful flags fluttering in the wind.
King Cobra personally presided over this unprecedented farewell ceremony.
Rebel troops, royal troops, and civilians from all over the country—more than two million people in total—crowded the coastline.
They were there to bid farewell to the hero who had saved the country and brought rain.
"Wow...this spectacle, so impressive!"
Zoro looked down at the countless female fans waving flowers and chanting his name, his lips curling into a wild smile.
"Colonel Zoro! So handsome!"
"Lord Zoro, look over here!"
This feeling of being the center of attention was simply ecstatic.
If he were a pirate, he'd probably be chasing the Navy all over the place by now, never enjoying this hero's treatment.
Zoro was only nineteen, after all; this feeling of his vanity being greatly satisfied was simply too good to pass up.
Sanji, standing beside him, watched Zoro's smug face, his teeth grinding with jealousy.
"Damn green-haired guy! I put in a lot of effort too! I kicked several Baroque Works members away! Why is it that only this directionally challenged guy made the award list?!"
Usopp mercilessly added, "Just accept it. Maybe it's because he looks more like a general, while you look too much like a thug."
"What did you say?! You want to fight, long nose?!" Sanji instantly transformed into a demon.
"Waaah...are we finally leaving...?"
Usopp looked at the enthusiastic crowd, tears streaming down his face, "Everyone here is such a good person..."
Only Nami remained silent, head bowed, her face as heavy as if she had lost hundreds of millions of Berries.