Chapter 142: The Promise!!
At the same time, Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
Inside a simple office, Monkey D. Dragon, Sabo, Bartholomew Kuma, Nico Robin, and Koala had gathered together.
"Kuma… how is Bonney doing?"
Dragon's voice sounded somewhat heavy.
Because of Bonney's Sapphire Scale disease, Kuma had agreed to undergo modification by the World Government in exchange for Dr. Vegapunk treating her.
Dragon had always carried guilt over this.
Because Kuma had not been exposed during the Sabaody incident, the World Government had not erased his personality immediately.
But it was only a matter of time.
And as their leader… he had been powerless to stop it.
"Dragon, don't blame yourself too much…"
On a delicate sofa nearby,
Robin sat elegantly, her long, slender legs crossed gracefully. The tip of her foot swayed slightly as she lightly held a newspaper between her thumb and index finger.
Her fingers gently brushed over the familiar figure printed on it.
"Luffy… as expected of you."
A radiant smile appeared on Robin's beautiful face.
With that smile, it felt as if a hundred flowers bloomed at once—so dazzling that the world itself seemed to pale in comparison.
Beside her, Koala stared blankly.
'Robin-sister… is really beautiful…!'
But soon, Robin's long eyelashes fluttered. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she looked toward Sabo.
"Sabo… do you know where Luffy is now?"
"Well…"
Sabo froze for a moment before replying slowly.
"It was too chaotic back then. Luffy was rescued by a submarine… but as for where he went after that, I honestly don't know."
"I see…"
Robin's eyes dimmed slightly.
Meanwhile, across the world, the Straw Hat crew had all received the report about the War of the Best at Marineford.
They all let out a sigh of relief.
Then pride filled their hearts.
From today onward—
They were the crew of an Emperor of the Sea.
Buru Buru Buru!
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in everyone's hands began ringing at the same time.
"Hey everyone!!"
Luffy's image appeared through the Den Den Mushi transmission.
Black hair, black eyes, sharp features, and eyes as deep as the stars.
He sat in the middle of a mountain of food, his stomach slowly swelling as he ate.
"Luffy!!"
Robin's eyes lit up.
Seeing that he was safe, she finally felt relief wash over her.
Nami felt the same—
But when her gaze drifted toward the beautiful woman beside him…
A trace of suspicion appeared in her jewel-like eyes.
She lifted her fair chin and asked:
"Luffy… who is the big sister next to you?"
The moment she said that—
Everyone's eyes instantly shifted to Boa Hancock.
Beautiful.
That was the unanimous conclusion.
Especially for Sanji, who had just been traumatized by living among okama. Seeing the World's Most Beautiful Woman at that moment produced only one result—
Crack.
He turned to stone instantly.
"Oh, Hancock?"
Luffy grinned.
"We're… good friends! She even saved me!!"
Luffy clearly had no idea how serious the situation was.
The others were speechless.
With the way Hancock looked at him—like her eyes were practically melting—who would believe they were just "friends"?
Realizing this, everyone turned to look at Nami with complicated expressions.
This idiot captain… cheating in front of everyone?!
But what happened next shocked them.
Nami's chest rose and fell violently, as if she were suppressing her anger.
Then she took a deep breath—
And suddenly calmed down.
Crack.
Sanji's stone body shattered as he clenched his teeth in fury.
"The world's most beautiful woman?! Damn it!! Where exactly are you right now?!"
"This is Amazon Lily."
Luffy looked around and answered confidently.
"A-Amazon Lily?!"
Luffy's words struck Sanji like a club.
His brain completely shut down.
Why?
Why had he been sent flying to an island full of okama?
And why did this idiot captain get sent to the paradise of men?!
He couldn't understand.
Tears of envy streamed down his face.
"Oh right!"
Luffy suddenly remembered something.
He pulled Jinbe and Law beside him.
"These are our new crewmates—Jinbe and Tra-guy!!"
Everyone froze.
No matter how many times it happened, they could never keep up with Luffy's bizarre logic.
But the captain's decision was absolute.
Soon everyone introduced themselves, and things went fairly smoothly.
One notable thing—
Law kept emphasizing his actual name.
But the crew, influenced by Luffy, still labeled him "Tra-guy."
Law's cool persona cracked once again.
A drop of sweat slid down his forehead.
He suddenly felt like he had boarded a pirate ship with no turning back.
"Alright, alright!"
Luffy clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Let's meet up at Sabaody Archipelago next!"
He sounded excited.
Clearly, he couldn't wait to begin the next adventure.
However—
The door of the Revolutionary Army headquarters opened.
A tall, muscular old man with white hair walked in. Behind his glasses, his eyes shone with wisdom.
"Luffy… perhaps you should listen to my suggestion."
It was Silvers Rayleigh.
"Two years?!"
Everyone cried out in shock.
"You mean we can only set sail again after two years?!"
Their expressions showed obvious reluctance.
What kind of joke was this?
Two months of sailing…
Two years of training?!
"There's no other choice."
Rayleigh looked directly at Luffy.
He knew the key lay with him.
"You are strong now. But the World Government is stronger."
"You've already become a thorn in their side. If you set sail now, you will face devastating attacks."
"Even if you can withstand them… your crewmates…"
Rayleigh didn't finish the sentence.
But everyone understood.
They were called a Yonko crew only because Luffy himself was a Yonko-level force.
In truth, Luffy alone had raised the entire crew to a level they hadn't yet reached.
Luffy lowered his head in thought.
Without using Nika, his strength was at best comparable to Kaido.
Thanks to the Goro Goro no Mi's lightning speed, almost no one could capture him.
But…
He wasn't alone.
"Alright!!"
Luffy finally relented.
"But two years is too long."
"Let's make it… three months instead."
After some thought, he believed that within three months he would most likely achieve true Devil Fruit Awakening.
By then, protecting his crew wouldn't be a problem.
Since the captain had spoken, no one objected.
Instead, they silently resolved:
In three months—
They would present a perfect result.
Kamabakka Kingdom
Sanji sat on the beach, taking a long drag from his cigarette.
He hesitated before speaking to Luffy through the Den Den Mushi.
"Can I change my training location?"
"If this keeps up… I feel like I'm going to die."
Just then—
A Marine battleship docked at the shore.
"My sweet darlings! Your queen has returned!!"
A woman with explosive pink-purple hair jumped off the ship.
She looked around before noticing the dazed Sanji.
"Huh? Who are you?"
Meanwhile—
Hearing the familiar voice—
"Little Iva?! Is that you?!"
Luffy's bright voice rang out.
"Straw Hat boy!!"
Emporio Ivankov dashed forward and elbowed Sanji aside before catching the Den Den Mushi.
"I'm so happy you're safe…!"
Nearby, Bentham (Mr. 2 Bon Clay) helped Sanji up.
"How did you end up here?!"
Sanji rubbed his head and stared at him suspiciously.
"Well… that's a long story."
"I see."
The hostility in Sanji's eyes faded.
Ivankov then returned the Den Den Mushi to him.
"Sanji, I've decided."
Luffy said with a smile.
"Let Little Iva train you! She's really strong!"
Sanji felt like the sky had collapsed.
"But—if you defeat Little Iva…"
"You can come to Amazon Lily, and I'll train you personally."
Luffy added.
In truth, training wasn't the real concern.
He mainly wanted to make sure Sanji didn't die from excessive blood loss.
"That's a constant danger I can't protect him from," Luffy thought.
"Really?!"
Sanji's eyes sparkled.
Then he looked at Ivankov with burning determination.
"No one can stop me from reaching the Amazon Lily!!"
"Oh right, Rayleigh!"
Luffy suddenly said.
"If you have time, come visit me."
His gaze fell on Rayleigh's empty left sleeve, and he couldn't help sighing slightly.
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