Yohohoho... I am back, my pookies!!!
Now show me that ass--SPANK.
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I am not going to yap and give any excuse for why I was not uploading for a month. Because the truth is, my brain was not braining and due to that, I couldn't come up with anything to write.
So yeah, that's it.
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As for my lab.
We are still working on it. We have to find a good location like near any medical departments or hospitals to open the lab, so that we could get those samples for testing.
As for the machines. My pops told me to first buy two main ones, like CBC tester and Biochemistry analyzer. Not the super expensive one, but the standard one. Once the lab is opened and samples are keep coming, we could just upgrade to higher ones later on.
There is still so much to do.
I will keep you guys updated on this.
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Realistic Nico Robin (AI Generated):
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Attendance Please:
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The group had returned to Broggy's makeshift home. Dorry was with them as well.
After Zoro and Sanji shared what they had learned from the unconscious Baroque Works agents, Dorry and Broggy sat in silence. It felt as if the very ground beneath them was trembling. Their massive hands clenched into fists capable of crushing boulders. When they finally spoke, their voices rumbled like distant thunder.
"To think we almost drank that mead..." Dorry said, his voice rough. "...and then blamed you little ones for the explosives in it." He let out a breath. "Not knowing it was these treacherous bastards who did it. On our honor as warriors of Elbaph, we nearly committed an unforgivable sin."
"Dorry speaks the truth." Broggy's eyes shone with something that might have been shame in a smaller creature. He gestured to Zoro and Sanji. "If not for you little ones... we would have been tricked, used. Our foolishness would have been the death of us."
The Straw Hats gazed at the sorrowful giants.
To think that such big, strong warriors had the hearts of children.
Then Vivi spoke up. "What should we do with them?"
At that, both Dorry and Broggy sat up straight. They turned to the tied-up Baroque Works agents, who were now fully awake, their eyes wide and pupils darting like trapped animals. Both giants gave them the same deadly glare.
"What else?" Broggy's voice lost all its earlier softness. "Let's throw them into the volcano."
"Yeah." Dorry's nod was slow, ceremonial, and final. "They tried to sabotage our sacred duel—a hundred years of combat between brothers, and they tried to poison it with their schemes." His hand moved to his sword. "Only their deaths can make up for it."
The agents, Mr. 3, Ms. Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine squirmed on the ground like worms on a hot stone. They tried to scream through their gags, but only muffled whimpers escaped.
Luffy and Usopp nodded simultaneously.
"Yeah," Usopp said, crossing his arms with the seriousness of a village elder passing judgment. "Sabotaging a warrior's duel is the greatest sin. I've heard tales of such deeds. The gods themselves turn their backs on those who interfere with sacred combat."
Luffy nodded solemnly, unusually serious. "That's right. Throw them into the volcano."
WHAM.
WHAM.
Both of them were punched on the head by Nami. She stood over them, gritting her teeth, anger radiating from her small frame. "Don't talk about killing someone like it's nothing!"
She then looked up at the giants.
"Mister Dorry, Mister Broggy, do we really need to kill them?" Her voice didn't waver. "Can't there be another option?"
Vivi nodded and stepped forward, positioning herself between the giants and the trembling agents. The princess's legs were shaking, but her voice remained steady. "Yes, I know they tried to do something that might be considered a crime in your eyes. But..." She paused, searching for the right words. "Is killing them the only option?"
Silence fell over the shelter.
The giants stared at Nami and Vivi, then exchanged a silent conversation through their glances.
Then Dorry spoke.
"Letting your enemy go is like handing them the knife they'll use to stab you in the back, princess." He leaned forward slightly, and his shadow completely covered Vivi. "Didn't you tell me how your guardian may have died protecting you on the previous island?"
Vivi's breath caught as Igaram's face flashed before her eyes.
"You must understand this." Dorry's gaze pinned her in place. "A ruler is someone who puts the lives of their subjects above their own. You want to save your kingdom, don't you?"
Vivi nodded slightly, barely moving.
"Then you will have to make difficult choices, choices that keep your people safe, choices that allow you to sleep at night even though they haunt your dreams." He paused. "For that, you need strong willpower."
Vivi looked down at her trembling hands. They seemed so small, so useless. 'Can I really do this? Can I be what my people need?'
"Oi!" Broggy suddenly slapped the back of Dorry's head with enough force to create a small shockwave. "She's still just a little girl; you didn't have to dump such a heavy burden on her like that!"
"I just want her to be a strong ruler for her people," Dorry retorted, rubbing the back of his head with a huff. The sight was ridiculous, a warrior who could split the sky, pouting like a scolded child.
Then—
PURUPURUPURU. PURUPURUPURU.
A sound interrupted the moment. Everyone turned to Sanji, who pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket. The snail's shell was a deep burgundy, and its eyes were half-lidded, reflecting the permanent exhaustion typical of its kind. It rang insistently.
"Where did you get that from?" Usopp asked, curiosity causing him to forget his earlier display of wisdom.
"Oh, I took it from their hideout," Sanji said, gesturing with his cigarette toward the tied-up agents.
The reaction was immediate.
Mr. 3's face went pale. Ms. Goldenweek's eyes widened in genuine terror. Mr. 5 stopped squirming completely, as if frozen solid. Ms. Valentine looked as if she wanted to sink through the floor and into the magma below.
Zoro hummed, "Is it just me, or do they look scared of the snail's ringing?"
Everyone looked at the captured agents, then at the snail, then back at the agents, and finally back at the snail.
PURUPURUPURU.
Then Yuji spoke up. "Oi, Sanji, hand me the snail."
Sanji raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and passed the Den Den Mushi over. "Knock yourself out."
Yuji took the snail. It was warm in his palm. The technology still creeped him out if he thought about it too long, living creatures used as communication devices, but right now, he had bigger things to worry about.
'If I'm not mistaken, this should be Crocodile calling right now.'
He looked at everyone and put a finger to his lips. "I want all of you to remain silent."
The Baroque Works agents shook their heads, their muffled protests growing more desperate. Mr. 3 appeared to be trying to chew through his gag.
Yuji ignored all of them.
KACHK.
"You took your sweet time picking up the call, Mr. 3."
The voice that came through the snail was heavy and distorted, as if someone were using a voice changer.
Immediately, Vivi's eyes widened in horror, as if she recognized the voice. Her hand reached out toward Yuji, trembling and desperate. 'Please. Please end the call. You don't understand what you're doing. You don't understand what he is.'
Yuji ignored her. He took a deep breath, then began.
"We have a problem here."
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RAIN DINNERS, ALABASTA—
Crocodile sat in his hidden office.
The room was dark except for a single lamp that cast just enough light to reveal the smoke curling up from his cigar. Shadows pooled in the corners like thick oil. The only sound was a clock ticking softly, as if counting down to something inevitable.
"We have a problem here."
Crocodile leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking beneath him. "And what problem is it?" he asked. He took a long drag from his cigar, the ember flaring orange in the dark.
The voice on the other end, Mr. 3, supposedly stammered slightly before continuing. "According to Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine here, the princess and the Straw Hats left Whisky Peak yesterday. They should have arrived at Little Garden by now." A pause. "But they haven't shown up yet."
Crocodile hummed thoughtfully. "Is that so?"
"Yeah," the voice gained confidence. "I think they got lost at sea. After all, they're still newbies, just entered the Grand Line. They probably took one wrong current and ended up who knows where."
"Could be." Crocodile released smoke from his nose in two streams. The gray tendrils curled upward and faded into the darkness. "Now tell me, have you completed your second assignment?"
There was a pause, a beat that lasted a little too long. "Uh... second assignment?"
Crocodile's hand stopped mid-motion, the cigar hovering an inch from his lips. He stared at the Den Den Mushi for several seconds. The snail, unaware of the danger, returned his gaze with its perpetually tired eyes.
"The one I faxed to Ms. Goldenweek," he said slowly, each word sharp, "about capturing the two giants on that island."
"Yeah! That!" The voice brightened with feigned recognition. "That thing."
"Something wrong?" Crocodile's tone was flat.
"I don't know how to tell you this without sounding crazy—"
"Just speak."
"—Of course." A nervous swallow. "So, Ms. Goldenweek and I decided to put explosives in their alcohol. Simple plan: wait for them to finish their duel, they drink to celebrate, boom, incapacitated. Clean. Easy." The voice grew more animated, the terror leaking through in too many details. "But then... something weird happened."
"Go on."
"Today, they were fighting differently, more aggressively than ever. Their clashes shook the entire island. And I don't mean a minor earthquake, I mean the ground was splitting, trees were uprooting, and the river changed direction three times." A shaky breath. "One of the giants swung his sword and split half the island in two. Just like that, as if it were made of paper."
Crocodile said nothing. His fingers tapped the table once, then twice.
"We had to abort the mission. Get as far away from the island as possible. Even that wasn't enough, the shockwaves from their clashes reached us out at sea. Our ship nearly capsized twice." The voice dropped, trembling now. "But the most terrifying part was their final clash."
"What happened?"
"Boss... it split open the sky." The words came out as a whisper, barely audible through the snail. "For miles. It just... parted the clouds like a curtain. We could see the blue above. It was as if the world itself was breaking apart." A shuddering breath. "W-we didn't know what to do. I'm really sorry, boss. I failed you."
Crocodile was silent.
The tapping stopped.
"They can still use it," he muttered. It wasn't meant for the snail; it was barely meant for himself, a rare admission, something he hadn't planned for.
Then, louder, he said, "You made the right decision. This is way beyond your pay grade."
"Th-thank you, boss."
"Return to Alabasta at once. I have another assignment for you. Mr. 2 will pick you all up along the way."
"Of course, boss."
KACHK.
The line went dead.
Crocodile sat alone in the dark office, accompanied only by smoke and shadows. His hook—the one that replaced his left hand, caught the dim lamplight and gleamed. Outside, the faint noise of the casino filtered through the walls.
He tapped his fingers on the table again, slowly and deliberately. Each tap was like a period in a sentence only he could read.
The Den Den Mushi's face slowly returned to its usual blank expression. It had no idea that it had just been part of a deception.
A smile crossed Crocodile's face, but it was not a pleasant one.
"Interesting."
He leaned back.
"Very interesting."
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BACK ON LITTLE GARDEN—
KACHK.
Yuji ended the call and exhaled deeply, realizing he had been holding his breath. His heart pounded like a drum.
He looked up.
Everyone was staring at him as if he had grown a second head.
"What?" he asked.
Usopp pointed at him with a trembling finger. "Did you... just trick the boss of a criminal organization? Who is also a Warlord of the Sea?"
"What do you think?" Yuji asked.
Then Nami squealed with delight.
It was a sound of pure, complete delight. She launched herself at Yuji with enough force to stagger him. "That's my nii-chan! With this, we can make a move on Crocodile, and he won't even know what hit him! We have time! We have the element of surprise! This is perfect!"
Yuji looked at her beaming face, then turned to Zoro and Sanji.
Zoro's expression said, 'Don't you dare ruin this for her.'
Sanji's expression seemed to say, 'Let her have this small moment of peace, you monster.'
Yuji's expression said, 'But she's wrong, and you both know it.'
Zoro's expression seemed to say, 'We know. Shut up.'
Yuji looked at Nami. She was practically glowing. The weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders for a moment, replaced by hope, fragile, bright, and precious.
He didn't have the heart to do it.
Then Vivi walked toward him. Her steps were measured and careful. When she stopped, she bowed so deeply and formally that it belonged in a throne room, not a giant's volcanic shelter. "Thank you, Yuji-san, for buying us at least some time. With this, we can plan something out. We can—" Her voice caught. "—we might actually have a chance."
'She's even more wrong than Nami,' Yuji thought.
He looked to Zoro and Sanji for support.
Zoro was deliberately looking up at the sky.
Sanji had suddenly become fascinated by the way the smoke from his cigarette curled.
'Traitors,' Yuji thought. 'Both of you. Traitors and cowards.'
"Yeah," he said aloud. "Sure, you're welcome."
Then Usopp spoke up again, bless his inability to read the room. "So, what should we do with them now?" He gestured toward the tied-up agents. The four had stopped squirming during the phone call, frozen as if remaining still might save them. "Should we really drop them into the volcano?"
At the reminder, the agents began struggling again. Mr. 3's face shifted from pale to green. Ms. Valentine appeared to be calculating the exact moment her life had taken a wrong turn.
"I don't think these two are going to like that," Yuji said, pointing at Nami and Vivi.
Both women nodded firmly, their movements perfectly synchronized.
"...so, let's just throw them off the island."
Everyone nodded, even Luffy, who had apparently forgotten his earlier enthusiasm for throwing people into the volcano.
Dorry bent down, scooping up the four agents like a child gathering dolls. They screamed behind their gags, their eyes bulging in fear.
Dorry pulled his arm back.
The agents' muffled screams rose to a new octave.
And then—
"ORAAAAAA!"
—he threw them.
They arced across the sky, four tiny specks against the endless blue, spinning, flailing, and screaming into their gags. The sun caught them for a moment before they shrank and disappeared over the horizon with a faint ping that might have been imaginary.
Yuji watched them disappear.
'Damn, this reminds me of Team Rocket,' he said, pausing. 'Hmm, I hope Mr. 3 survives this.'
"So," Zoro said, breaking the thoughtful silence, "what now?"
Luffy's face split into a grin that rivaled the brightness of the sun. "NOW WE PARTY!"
Sanji sighed. "Of course, that's what's on his mind."
Broggy started laughing. It was a deep, rolling sound that seemed to come from the core of the earth. "GABABABABABABA! I like this one." He pointed a massive finger at Luffy. "He reminds me of a guy we met five decades ago. He also wore a straw hat like yours."
Dorry joined in the laughter, his booming voice harmonizing with Broggy's in a way that spoke of a century of companionship. "GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA! Him and that blonde with him, those two were really something else. The way they fought, the way they laughed, the way they lived."
"No way!" Luffy's eyes went impossibly wide. "There's someone else who wore a straw hat? That's SO COOL! I really want to meet him one day!"
'Roger and Rayleigh?' Yuji wondered.
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The celebration was loud, lengthy, and entirely impractical.
Luffy ate more than any human should be able to consume. Sanji, despite his complaints, prepared everything with an artist's precision. Zoro drank and made increasingly absurd toasts to honor, glory, and whatever else came to mind. Usopp told stories that grew more elaborate with each retelling, until his encounter with a jungle lizard had somehow transformed into a battle against a massive ancient sky serpent with teeth made of lightning.
Nami and Vivi sat together, speaking softly. The princess's hands had ceased trembling.
Eventually, the fire burned low. The laughter faded into a comfortable silence, and the Straw Hats knew it was time to go.
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The crew had boarded, supplies were loaded, and the course was set. The two dinosaurs, Zoro and Sanji, whom they had hunted as part of their hunting bet, hung from the ship's rigging, salted and preserved. There was enough meat to last for weeks.
"Can't we carry any more meat?" Luffy whined, staring at the carcasses with undisguised greed.
"That's all the ship will hold!" Yuji replied.
Then Nami sighed. "Sigh... it looks like we really have to detour to Nanimonai Island before we reach Alabasta!" she said, looking at the Eternal Pose.
"It's okay, Nami. I don't mind," Vivi said. Then she stared at the Eternal Pose with suspicion. "But we need to be on guard. Who knows if Ms. All Sunday gave us this Eternal Pose as a trap?"
But then Zoro spoke up. "Oh yeah, I forgot to give you this." He pulled something from his pocket and threw it to Nami. She was surprised but caught it.
She looked down and was shocked to see an Eternal Pose pointing to Alabasta.
"Wha—!? How did you—!? Where did you get this!?"
"Oh, I picked it up at the Baroque Works agents' hideout. Thought we might need it," Zoro replied casually.
Nami's eye twitched. "And you kept it with you this whole time and didn't even mention it?!"
Zoro looked away and scratched his head. "I forgot about it."
"You—" Nami gritted her teeth, then took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. "Next time you find something important, tell us immediately. Understood?!"
"Whatever," Zoro muttered but nodded.
The Going Merry slowly sailed along the island's inner river.
"If we keep going straight down this river, it'll take us to the east exit of the island," Nami said.
Then Usopp pointed toward the river's mouth, where fresh water met the salty sea. "Look! It's Mister Dorry and Mister Broggy! They came to see us off."
Both giants stood on opposite banks of the river; their feet submerged in water that barely reached their ankles. Dorry's beard fluttered in the wind like a banner, while Broggy's dented helmet caught the afternoon sun.
"Listen carefully, little warriors," Dorry's voice boomed across the water, making the Merry's sails ripple. He adjusted his grip on his sword. "Whatever happens... just keep sailing straight."
"What?" Nami looked up at the giant in confusion. "Why? What's out there?"
Broggy gripped his axe and grinned. "Do not worry. Just have faith in us."
"Okay," Luffy said without hesitation or question, a captain's trust, absolute and complete. "We'll sail straight ahead!"
"GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA! I hope we meet again, little Straw Hat."
"GABABABABABABABA! Yes, I hope so too, in this life or the next."
Then Usopp's eyes widened. His untrained Observation Haki alerted him, and the words escaped his mouth before he could think.
"GUYS! SOMETHING IS UNDERWATER! SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY BIG!"
The sea erupted.
It rose from a mountain of foam, and from it emerged a goldfish. But calling it a goldfish was like calling the ocean a puddle. It was a god among goldfish. It was so enormous that even an island-sized whale like Laboon would have been a mere snack to it. Its scales were the size of houses. Its eyes were black and empty. Its mouth opened impossibly wide and the Going Merry sailed straight into the darkness.
"WAAAAHHHHH!" Nami and Vivi screamed in terror, clutching each other as the ship tilted toward the creature's mouth.
Then—
"HAKOKU—"
Broggy shouted.
"—SOVEREIGNTY!"
Dorry's deep voice completed the name of the attack.
They clashed their weapons together.
Then, they released it.
An invisible shockwave tore through the air. It was concentrated Haki, advanced beyond what few living beings had ever seen, let alone used. The shockwave struck the giant goldfish's head and continued onward. A clean tunnel appeared through its skull, perfectly round, with smooth edges. Through the tunnel, the Straw Hats could see the open sea and blue sky.
The goldfish's body, its brain destroyed, began to sink, slowly at first, then faster, until the waves swallowed it whole.
The Going Merry sailed through the tunnel inside the beast's head without a single scratch.
Behind them, Dorry and Broggy's weapons, the legendary tools that had endured for a hundred years, finally shattered. The sword broke into pieces that fell like silver rain, while the axe split down the middle and scattered across the water like fallen stars.
The giants did not mourn the loss of their weapons.
They simply stood there, watching the little ship disappear toward the horizon.
"SO LONG, LITTLE WARRIORS!" Their voices carried across the water. "MAY THE BLESSING OF NIKA BE WITH YOU!"
They threw their broken weapons into the sea, a warrior's farewell. Then, they smiled.
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OMAKE:
Dorry and Broggy stayed by the riverbanks, just sitting in silence, watching the sun slowly set.
Then, Dorry broke the silence with a question that was lingering into his mind for a quite some time, "You sensed it too, right!?"
Broggy was silent was few seconds and then replied, "Yes. I did."
Neither of them looked at eachother. Just kept their gaze at the distance horizon, where the Strawhat's had sailed off to hours ago.
Yet what they had encountered had left them quite confused and shocked.
Why does Idatori Yuji, has the same presence as their King, Harald?
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Like the chapter, then please share your powerstones with me.
See you in next chapter...