Who Is Blocking My Path? / Why Is Hancock in the New World?

Challenging Kaido was a sudden inspiration for Arthur; his goal was simply to find out how big the gap was between him and the Four Emperors, and he never expected to be able to defeat Kaido.

Kaido's arrogance provided an opportunity for Arthur to give it his all.

Just like when he finally unleashed Raigo, whether it was a victory or a draw, he wouldn't feel regret about the result.

Kaido's defeat resulted in him receiving an unprecedented boost, a pleasant surprise.

Arthur wasn't bothered by his current bottleneck; with his current strength, he was already incredibly formidable.

"Arthur, you..."

One second he was extremely weak, the next he was full of energy, leaving Nami and Robin beside him stunned.

"This is my ability, 'Electrotherapy,' which enhances my regenerative abilities." Seeing their astonished expressions, Arthur smiled and told a little lie.

"It's good that you're alright." Hearing this, Nami and Robin didn't ask any further questions, but instead seemed relieved.

Nami, in particular, patted her chest and let out a heavy sigh.

"You haven't closed your eyes for a day and a night, you should get some rest." Arthur walked over, put one arm around Nami's waist, and placed the other hand on Robin's head, gently pressing her head against her abdomen, and said softly.

"Um..."

"You too, you must be exhausted after fighting for so long!"

The two women nodded slightly. Robin sat on the sofa, her arms wrapped around Arthur's waist, and looked up at him gently as she spoke.

"I'm going to take a shower first." Arthur frowned slightly; his clothes weren't damaged, but they were already in a sorry state.

"Hehe... Let's do it together then, I'll help you scrub your back." Hearing this, Nami, who was clinging to Arthur's arm and looking a little sleepy, immediately smiled and said.

"Ah... count me in too. I've been watching the battle all day and haven't even showered or eaten yet." Robin loosened her arms from Arthur's waist, put her slender fingers to her lips, and chuckled in response.

Arthur smiled slightly at this, "Remember to take responsibility for the trouble you cause."

"Hehe... Let's see if you still have the energy after fighting all day." Nami hooked one arm around Arthur's neck, and with the other hand, she drew circles on Arthur's chest through his clothes, breathing hot air at close range, and said with a devilish smugness, "This time, it's the King of Knights's turn to beg for mercy."

"Hehe! We'll wait and see."

Time flies, like a fleeting moment.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the New World known as the 'strongest sea', a three-masted sailing ship, entirely silver-white, slowly sails on the azure waters.

The atmosphere on the lawn-style deck of the "East Starlion" was as warm and inviting as ever.

Nami lay on the sofa, intently drawing a nautical chart with a feather duster.

Arthur, meanwhile, turned on the deck's swimming pool, lay down on the edge wearing only swimming trunks, his muscular physique glistening with a few water droplets in the sunlight.

With orange Sun perched on his forehead and his hair swept back, Arthur rested his hands behind his head, gazing up at the azure sky dotted with a few white clouds. A thoughtful expression graced his handsome face, as if he were pondering something.

"It's rare to see you like this. What's wrong?"

Just then, a shadow fell, blocking the sunlight.

Robin, dressed in a 3-piece suit, walked over carrying a fruit platter and sat down next to Arthur's head. She held a slice of apple between her two slender fingers and offered it to Arthur's mouth, her gentle voice reaching his ears.

"I've been thinking about something." Arthur opened his mouth slightly, ate the fruit Robin offered, and chewed it slowly. "Do you remember what I told you about the original Roger Seafaring F crew's diary before we went to Sky Island?"

"Of course! Before this, Nami and I were secretly discussing in our room on that small boat whether our captain is omniscient." Robin smiled gently, her fair, jade-like hands lightly combing Arthur's hair as she spoke softly.

"In that diary, I saw five locations where the Poneglyphs were recorded." Arthur reached out and grabbed Robin's hand, seemingly reminiscing, "There's one each in Alabasta, Sky Island, and Fish-Man Island. There are also two in New World 3.3: one on the moving Zou, and another in a city inhabited by a Sea King Beast, though I don't know the name of that city; it's a bit hard to find."

"It's alright..." A slender finger suddenly touched her lips. Robin leaned down and nestled her head against Arthur's. Their blue-black and emerald-green eyes met. Arthur could see the tenderness in Robin's beautiful eyes, and he heard her say happily, "It's alright if I can't find it, because I've already obtained something more important."

"Oh? Does our scholar lady intend to give up her career as an archaeologist and change careers?" Arthur teased with a laugh.

"Yes, that's right." Robin smiled sweetly and replied, "Captain, what do you think of the profession of being a wife?"

"Fine--".

Chapter 158 Who is blocking my way?

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The latter half of the Grand Line has been exceptionally exciting this past month.

The world's attention is focused on the New World, primarily in three areas.

Firstly, after Whitebeard Pirates victory, he was constantly busy fighting against the Hyrule-Y Alliance, who were all trying to challenge his status as one of the Four Emperors.

Secondly, with the advent of the new era, the Supernovas, who were listed as the 'Worst Generation,' have all entered the strongest sea of New World and begun to shine.

Some shine brightly, while others encounter setbacks from the start and fade into obscurity.

Thirdly, there is the strongest newcomer of this generation, who became an enemy of the world after arriving in the New World — King of Knights.

With each victory, stepping over countless corpses, he established his position with lightning speed.

Not counting the peerless Great Grade Sword and the 17 Heavenly Horses from mythology, with a black market bounty of 5 billion, plus the 35 billion that makes it a walking gold mine of 40 billion, he is a man who has both fame and fortune.

Everyone wants to kill him so they can become rich overnight.

Despite the mere illusion of the other party being a single individual, countless people acted upon it, flocking to the scene even knowing there were countless precedents of failure.

Their deaths served as a foil, continuously enhancing the prestige of the King of Knights.

'Boom--!'

With a deafening roar, a mushroom cloud that blotted out the sky rose into the air.

A powerful storm roared in, the sea churned, and wave after wave formed a mighty tsunami.

A towering tsunami swept through the silver-white three-masted sailboat.

On the deck, Nami and Robin sat on the sofa, holding hands, looking at the figure by the railing. They seemed completely unfazed by the terrifying scene several nautical miles ahead.

"Ha... Haven't these people learned their lesson? How stupid!" Nami even yawned, a few misty tears welling up in her eyes, and said with utter boredom.

"Under the lure of money, greed swells, and fear becomes insignificant." Robin said with a complex tone, "Four hundred billion! And there's only one person! The opponent is a savior of the sea monsters, the spoils of war from the Great Grade Sword, Treasure Tree Adam's ship, the Pegasus from mythology, and more than you could ever Beli in a lifetime."

This feeling is probably understood better than by Robin.

As a child, she was given the title of "Devil Child" and had a bounty of 79 million Beli on her head. This led countless people to be driven by greed, and repeated betrayals caused her heart to close completely.

If it weren't for Arthur, she would probably still be living that numb life of siding with and betraying others, all for the sake of the Poneglyphs.

Now, the experience of that time has been repeated hundreds of times over.

However, Robin felt no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, she felt completely at ease.

Because the figure in front of me is the best safe haven in the world.

He pulled her out of the darkness, forcibly sheltered her, and his silent sacrifices gradually broke down her defenses, giving her an unparalleled sense of security.

"Robin, let bygones be bygones, cherish the present." Sensing Robin's emotional turmoil, Nami tightened her grip on her hand, offering words of comfort.

"Oh dear... I was a bit out of line, I'm sorry." Robin smiled slightly and said apologetically.

'Swish--'

At that moment, the sea returned to calm, and a beam of blue and white light flew in from the horizon.

Nami quickly dispelled her illusory form.

The beam of light fell, transforming into Arthur's figure.

"You've worked hard, Arthur." Robin picked up a cup of black tea, stood up and walked towards Arthur, smiling gently.

"Ah... there were too many people, and I was in a hurry to get back, so I didn't take any of their spoils." Arthur took the tea, took a sip, and looked at Nami as he spoke.

"Oh well, they're all a bunch of poor bastards anyway." Nami sat on the sofa, swinging her legs, and said with a smile.

There's another Beli in that alternate dimension, as big as a mountain, so Nami no longer cares about those small sums of money.

After learning that Arthur possessed the ability to win every bet, Nami scrapped all her previous money-making ideas.

Killing Mega Man and Q- Beli, looting and selling the spoils—that's all so low-class. What's a faster way to make money than gambling?

It's a thankless task that requires a lot of work; it's better to just take a gamble and get it over with.

The more Nami thought about it, the more grateful she became for the decision she made back in Orange Town.

If he hadn't boarded Arthur's ship, he wouldn't have witnessed Arthur's power, and might have met a tragic end.

Now, she has money, a boat, close girlfriends to confide in, and a loving partner to shelter her from the storms of life.

Nami felt more fulfilled than ever before in her life.

It's so great to have met Arthur!

"The ship's supplies are running low; it's time to find an island to land and resupply." Arthur put down his cup, picked up Robin in a princess carry, walked to the swing 267 nearby, and said with a smile.

"You're so obviously fickle! I'm so heartbroken to be abandoned." Nami looked at the two of them, making a tearful expression, and said in a sorrowful tone.

"Ara ara... it seems Arthur is tired of you." Robin, sitting on Arthur's lap with her arms around his waist and her cheek pressed against his chest, echoed with a smile.

"You vixen, so smug! You two, take this—" Upon hearing this, Nami immediately grabbed Gum-Gum Balloon from beside the sofa and threw it at Arthur and Robin.

Seeing this, Robin quickly got up and moved away.

Arthur, who had only wanted to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman, was stunned as he caught the Gum-Gum Balloon that was thrown at him.

"I see! You want to try what it's like on a swing, right?" Arthur smiled slightly and looked at Nami.

"No, no, no... I was wrong, I was wrong!" Nami's face turned pale instantly, and she hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands, saying, "I won't bother you anymore, I won't bother you anymore!"

Robin, standing nearby, watched with schadenfreude.

Who is it that blocks my path?

Just as the playful banter reached its peak, a sharp shout suddenly reached the ears of Arthur and his companions.

Chapter 159 Why is Hancock in the New World?

"Who is it that blocks my way?!"

A spoiled shout rang in their ears, and Arthur and his two companions, who were fooling around on the deck, were all slightly taken aback.

Arthur, in particular, looked somewhat surprised.

Arthur was familiar with that voice; after all, it had been sitting right next to him before.

She is none other than Boa Hancock, the only female among the Shichibukai and the Kuja Empress of Amazon Lily, the "Amazon Lily Women".

Having not used Observation Haki until now, Arthur had not noticed the approach of Kuja Sea God F.

Instinct (A) also provides no warning of danger.

However, Arthur couldn't help but feel doubtful.

Why did Boa Hancock appear in the New World?

Shouldn't expeditions all take place in the first half of the Grand Line?!

Thinking this, Arthur said to Nami, "Nami, go and move the boat to the side."

Although Arthur was very curious as to why Hancock was in the New World, he knew her personality and decided to give in, thinking it was better to avoid trouble.

"Oh." Nami nodded, her eyes filled with confusion.

'Whoosh whoosh...!!'

Before Nami could make a move, the three of them suddenly heard a lot of whooshing sounds.

Immediately afterwards, the reflections of the arrows formed a black curtain, obscuring the approaching enemy.

A rain of arrows shot into the sky and plummeted toward the "East Starion".

"What a spoiled daughter."