"What~?"
Robin, usually the calm, composed, and intellectual beauty, suddenly blushed, flustered by Luffy's words.
But Luffy, acting as if he hadn't noticed her rare shyness, continued speaking with eyes gleaming in excitement:
"So, does this mean… you'll be able to create unlimited clones from now on?"
"Um…"
Robin froze for a moment, then slowly nodded as she composed herself.
"I… I suppose so."
Luffy immediately followed up:
"Can you control the size of the clones?"
"I… should be able to."
Robin began to understand where Luffy was going with this and added:
"If I combine the ring's duplication ability, I should be able to easily create giant-sized clones.
The only limit would be my mental energy, so I might not be able to create as many as we imagine."
"I see…"
Luffy looked a little disappointed but pressed on:
"So, based on your current abilities, how many giant clones can you produce?"
Robin tilted her head in thought, then answered:
"If we're talking about 50-meter-tall giants, I could probably conjure up ten."
"Fifty meters?!"
Luffy's eyes widened in surprise.
"And how strong would they be?" he asked.
This time, Robin answered without hesitation:
"In terms of strength, they'd be no weaker than I am,
but with the added mass of a 50-meter body, their raw power would be even greater."
"So… basically, they'd have the strength of an average giant, boosted by your own enhancements?"
"Mmm… yes, roughly like that."
Robin didn't sound entirely sure, but it was close enough.
"That's still pretty amazing…"
Luffy suddenly smiled.
And it really was more than just "pretty amazing."
This meant Robin could effectively summon a squad of ten towering giant warriors, each capable of large-scale attacks and devastation.
A giant army, essentially.
Unfortunately, this was more of a horizontal expansion of her abilities, breadth without necessarily increasing her personal combat ceiling.
True strength still depended on how high a person could reach.
Luffy didn't linger on the thought. Instead, he took two items out of his system inventory and handed them to Robin.
"These two items," he said, "are just like those glasses you're wearing.
They can change style and size however you like and come with powerful effects."
He held out the items, a cloth tunic and a pair of simple shoes, and added with a sincere smile:
"They're for you. I hope you'll like them."
A radiant grin, a pure heart, and simple words, yet behind those humble-looking gifts was unimaginable power.
Robin stared at them, momentarily speechless.
Then Luffy spoke again, softly:
"Robin… Clouds are lonely. They float high in the sky, always alone…"
"But don't forget, they're also a part of the sky."
He lifted his hand, revealing the [X Gauntlet], which shared the same origin as Robin's Ring of Clouds.
As the two artifacts resonated faintly with each other, Luffy looked into her eyes and declared:
"And I… I am your sky!"
The blue gemstone on his gauntlet shimmered under the moonlight, scattering tiny sparks of light, like starlight, and pierced straight into Robin's heart.
He gently took her right hand.
The cold metal of the gauntlet brushed against her fair skin, but all she felt was a burning warmth.
Tears welled up in her eyes, catching the shimmering glow as they rolled down her cheeks onto Luffy's face.
Yet Luffy didn't reach out to wipe them away. Instead, gazing out the window at the crescent moon, he began to speak quietly:
"Robin… My dream is far away."
"So far that I don't even know how likely I am to achieve it."
"So far that, by the time I finally do… I don't know if I'll still be with all of you."
"That's why… I can't make promises or guarantees."
"But I think… you understand me."
And in that moment, Robin realized,
Luffy hadn't changed.
He was still the same Luffy.
Her tears threatened to fall again, but her iron will hold them back.
"I know, Luffy…"
"That's why I'll be your strength, I'll help you reach your dream."
The tears in her eyes receded.
The warmth of romance in her gaze faded gently into the background, replaced by a deep, unwavering resolve that shone from within her like unbreakable stone.
"And when that time comes, no matter what, I won't let you slip away!"
Boom!!!
As Robin's soft vow echoed, a radiant light exploded from their joined hands.
The light pierced through the cold windowpanes, illuminating the entire estate.
In that moment, the night sky over the Goa Kingdom seemed to awaken, as if a god of light had descended. A beam of brilliant light shot skyward from near the palace.
Power surged from the X Gauntlet on Luffy's hand and poured into Robin's Cloud Ring through their joined palms.
The amethyst gem on her ring eagerly absorbed the massive flow of energy, cracking under the strain.
Suddenly, a purple aura of fighting Mental Power erupted from the ring's surface, blazing between them like Robin's unshakable will, roaring like a wildfire.
The ring melted under the heat of her determination, and then,
It was reformed.
In the aftermath, it became a bracelet, inlaid with a shimmering amethyst crystal.
Robin smiled, picked it up, and gently slid it onto her right wrist.
She whispered:
"This… is just right."
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Stepping out of Robin's room, Luffy glanced up at the starry night sky.
It sparkled like his thoughts, bright, chaotic, infinite.
He was only human, after all.
No one is free from confusion.
And Luffy wasn't blind to emotions, he clearly understood how Robin felt about him.
But he didn't dare acknowledge it.
Because he wasn't sure…if he could ever return to Earth.
He didn't know if it was possible to take Robin and the others back with him.
Everything… was uncertain.
"System… Do I still have a way back?"
After all these years, Luffy finally voiced the question buried deep in his heart.
The system's response was only silence.
Luffy shook his head gently.
Some things never changed.
If the path ahead is unclear, then don't hesitate.
Just keep walking forward.
One day, someone might tell him that the road he's on leads nowhere… a dead end.
But when that day comes, he'll carve a new path,
With his fists.
Because paths… are made by those who walk them.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Meanwhile, Robin sat quietly on her bed.
The fabric of her thin nightgown did little to hide the grace and allure of her figure,
A beauty unseen by anyone but herself.
Her bare feet slid off the edge of the bed and touched the ground softly.
Long, elegant legs crossed as she walked slowly toward the small window, moonlight tracing her every step.
Leaning gently against the frame, half bathed in darkness, she gazed at the clouds outside casting their shadows into her room.
Then her lips parted, and in a cold, soft voice, she whispered:
"Clouds can't leave the sky.
But the sky… can exist without a single cloud."
"If that's the case…"
"Then I'll become the biggest cloud, the one that shields the sky from every storm."
Moonlight flickered across her bracelet… and then disappeared.
At some point, the skies above the Goa Kingdom had gathered a thick blanket of dark clouds, covering the heavens completely.
The light from the amethyst crystal flared briefly before settling into a calm glow.
But within it…
Surged with a terrifying power.
A vast, overwhelming energy flowed from the bracelet into Robin's body, flooding her Mental Power with strength.
The energy fused instantly with her being, turning into stamina, vitality, and raw power.
It filled every part of her.
And if Luffy had opened Robin's status screen at that moment, he would have seen…
Her four primary attributes skyrocketed, with no sign of stopping.
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