Two months later.
The vast and beautiful ocean was as enchanting as ever, always inspiring awe and wonder.
Its tolerance was unmatched, an ocean that had slept for tens of thousands of years, weathering millennia of storms and calm alike. Waves rolled in, brilliant white crests racing forward before dispersing once again.
"SPLASH!"
Suddenly, a massive figure burst from the serene sea, shooting into the air. As it crashed back down, the water scattered like diamonds in the sunlight, forming a rainbow-colored arc that shattered the ocean's long-standing peace.
Towering waves surged with thunderous roars, crashing like a stampede of ten thousand wild horses. In an instant, the ocean transformed into a primordial battlefield. The sharp blare of a horn seemed to echo across the shore as waves became brave warriors, launching a fearless assault on the coast, an attack destined for sacrifice.
""Dos Fleurs: Grab!"
On the coastline stood Robin, wearing a white sun hat and a pale lavender denim outfit. Her arms crossed over her chest, shielding the exposed skin of her neckline.
Suddenly, a massive, pale hand appeared out of thin air above the shore, its arm stretching endlessly toward the enormous shadow in the sky.
"Tch."
The giant hand grabbed hold of the massive Sea King, the combined shadows of the two completely blotting out the sunlight over the coast.
Robin gritted her teeth, struggling to hold on. The Sea King thrashed wildly, and the water coating its body slowly eroded her Flower-Flower Fruit powers.
She had to focus hard and rapidly regenerate her arms to keep control of the beast.
This training had been going on intermittently for over a month now. At first, Robin needed to rely on the Varia Ring's power just to restrain a Sea King. But now, even though it was still difficult, she could do it using her Devil Fruit alone.
It was a huge leap in strength, a qualitative breakthrough.
In just one month, both her physical and mental abilities had improved significantly.
The Sea King was hurled onto the shore, and the giant hand dispersed into a flurry of petals, vanishing into the air.
A group of odd-looking zombie soldiers rushed over to bind the Sea King.
In a final act of defiance, the creature rolled over violently, flattening two unlucky zombies beneath it.
The others were unfazed by the mishap. Dragging the fallen and the Sea King's corpse, they continued on toward a half-built castle.
"Splash!"
Once again, a lean figure burst from the water, shooting high into the air. Flames of orange erupted from his hands as he accelerated with a sonic boom and landed on the coast.
"Luffy~!"
Robin, who had been waiting nearby, rushed over and naturally picked up a towel, helping dry Luffy off.
"Uh, I can do it myself, Robin."
Since he had been fighting in the deep sea, Luffy was wearing nothing but a pair of simple swim trunks.
Robin's hands inevitably brushed against him as she dried him off, and Luffy's face turned bright red.
It wasn't the first time, but still…
"Alright, alright~ just like always, I'll help you dry the spots you can't reach, and the rest is up to you, okay~?" Robin said with a mock-scolding tone, as if Luffy were being ungrateful for her kindness. But the sly curve of her lips gave her away, she looked exactly like a mischievous little devil congratulating herself.
"Whew~"
Luffy shook the water from his hair, then casually threw on a loose shirt, revealing his toned torso. He turned to Robin and said, "Let's go back."
"Okay!" Robin answered with a bright smile, walking lightly and closely behind him.
Inside the castle, it was just about dinnertime.
The Starry Sky Pirates were gathered around a large round table. Three seats in the middle were left vacant.
More zombie maids steadily brought in platters of food, filling the table with dishes of every color and flavor.
Brook played a graceful serenade on his violin, a pre-dinner musical treat.
Everyone waited quietly for Luffy and Robin to return.
Just as the final dishes were served, Luffy and Robin walked in.
Luffy gave Brook a nod, then walked to the center seat and sat down. Robin took the seat to his right.
With a final flourish, Brook ended the melody and gracefully took the left seat beside Luffy.
Only now did the dinner officially begin.
As they ate, the group chatted about recent oddities, reviewed their work, and reported any troubles.
Dinner ended in a mess of empty plates and scattered bones.
When it came to clean-plate discipline, Luffy had always taken it seriously.
After the meal, Moria patted his stomach, which hadn't changed at all, and thought to himself,
"Looks like I'll need to make even more food tomorrow."
The sun slowly dipped below the horizon.
Luffy gave his belly a final pat, then asked,
"We're getting close to the Calm Belt, right? We've seen more Sea Kings lately, four just this week."
Absalom, who was in charge of steering the Thriller Bark, quickly replied,
"At our current speed, we should reach the Calm Belt in about half a month."
"Got it." Luffy nodded.
Then he turned to Moria and asked,
"Any news today?"
"Gehihihihi~" Moria let out his signature eerie laugh before pulling a newspaper from his pocket.
"There's actually a big piece of world-shaking news today."
Luffy took the paper, spread it out on the table.
Robin and Brook leaned in from either side to read with him.
"Boa Hancock, the supreme leader of Amazon Lily's warrior nation, and captain of the Kuja Pirates, formerly holding an 80 million berry bounty, has accepted the government's invitation and officially joined the Shichibukai."
"She's so beautiful!"
"She's so beautiful!"
Two voices rang out in unison from Luffy's left and right, startling him.
In the center of the newspaper was a full-face photo of Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
There was no denying her beauty. But in Luffy's opinion, Robin was just as beautiful, if not more.
So why were they acting like this?
Glancing at Brook's heart-shaped eyes, Luffy couldn't help but wonder,
"Has my fourth wall not broken down yet…?"
With a resigned sigh, Luffy folded up the newspaper and turned to Moria.
"Come on, let's go check out today's Sea King."
Moria nodded and followed him out of the dining hall. Hogback quickly stood and followed too.
Once the three left, the remaining four also rose to their feet.
"Well then… shall we begin today's training?" Robin said softly, her tone gentle, though the slight furrow in her brow showed she wasn't as relaxed as she pretended to be.
The others nodded silently, and the four of them headed out to the newly built training grounds outside the castle.
Zombie maids scurried in to clean up the mess, and the castle once again fell into a brief, peaceful silence.
==========
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