Luffy Awakens, Taking Stock of Their Strength

The third day,

"How is it, Nami?"

In the palace training grounds, Nami was engrossed in reading "The Art of the Thief." Meanwhile, in the open space before her:

A small yellow sandstorm drifted by—

Twist and twist~~ Twist and twist~~

Whether it caused any harm is hard to say, but it certainly looks quite comical.

"Hmm, I'm starting to get the hang of it."

As Nami spoke, the 'mini sandstorm' in front of her dissipated. Nami pouted in disappointment.

"After two days, I could only figure out such a small sand vortex. It seems my understanding of 'weather' is still insufficient."

???

Crocodile: Please turn on your microphone to communicate.

Without a doubt, the fourth and fifth pages of "The Art of the Thief" that Nami held open were filled with endless yellow sand. The swirling sand and the undulating golden waves gave people a sense of desolation and the passing of time.

The 'Sasa Pages,' generously sponsored by Mr. Crocodile, are, in Roman's opinion, perfect for a navigator like Nami. —At least they're more reliable than the Climate Baton with its ridiculously long wind-up, and if all goes well, Nami's strength will experience a huge leap forward!

Of course, to knock out Zoan Dinosaur Devil Fruit user with a single blow... hehehe...

"Why not develop abilities like 'Arcuate Sand Dune'?"

Crocodile's strongest move for crushing weaker opponents is the 'Arcuate Sand Dune,' which can turn a group of people into mummies in one hit! Unless you're Haki of Haki or have a special physique, they'll basically die with a single touch.

"No,"

Nami shook her head. "Just like you said, the same Devil Fruit will develop different abilities in different people."

"The essence of this book is to 'steal' the Devil Fruit ability of others by preserving their blood. The upper limit cannot exceed the skills developed by the original owner. At the same time, there is a 'compatibility' with the user - that is, me."

"Hmm," Roman stroked his chin, "In other words, even with this book, you can only use Crocodile's various desert storm-like abilities, and you can't use things like Dryness and the Desert Treasure Saber... a bit weak..."

"Isn't that amazing?"

Nami was speechless. Given time, developing a large-scale sandstorm wasn't impossible. While it might be ineffective against skilled opponents, clearing out mobs... just like her past self, no matter how many came, they were just easy prey.

"Okay, good luck then."

After Roman regained consciousness, activating this book consumed Roman stamina. However, given Nami's current level of development, she could freely expend it. As for the future—

"By the way, you should also keep an eye on the development of the 'Munch-Munch Fruit'."

Nami others' escape from Crocodile's cage reminded Roman that the Munch-Munch Fruit itself has the ability to absorb living beings and convert them into energy. He decided that once he learned 'Life Return,' he would 'upgrade' "The Art of the Thief," making the book completely independent and giving it its own energy storage system.

That way, the book can replenish its energy by consuming Sea King. It also avoids the awkward situation where Roman gets knocked out Nami's side simultaneously loses its fighting ability.

"Roman,"

Just as Roman was seriously considering how to enhance Nami's combat power, the girl beside him flicked her orange hair and looked to the other side as if nothing had happened.

"I am very angry about the Crocodile incident."

?

"Have you ever thought about how heartbroken we would all be if we died at the hands of the Crocodile? We would spend the rest of our lives in memories and pain—such a future—"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault."

Faced with Roman's apology, Nami turned around and took his hand, her brown pupils reflected in Roman's eyes.

"Promise me, if anyone has to die, let me die first!"

??

"I don't want to live in a world without Roman... Even if it's my selfishness, you should bear this pain."

A gentle breeze is blowing, like flowers in bloom and the moon shining brightly.

"I refuse!"

???

As the saying goes, "We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we do ask to be born on the same month, month, and year!"

"Good brothers should join hands to brave the Sanzu River and break through the Gates of Hell together!"

········

Their vows were resounding, like the oath of brotherhood sworn in the Peach Garden!

"Ahhh~~"

Nami, her orange bangs fluttering in the wind, listlessly let go of Roman.

"I'm absolutely certain that you are Roman Benro! And you didn't eat the Paper-Paper Fruit, but the Steel-Steel Fruit."

Watt???

"Who else could I be but Roman? Mr. 2 von Clay—"

Roman frowned and fell into deep thought.

"Besides, the Steel-Steel Fruit... let me recall, its owner was some kind of ugly, burly man..."

It's hopeless.

Just as Nami was speechless and covering her face, an excited Vivi shouted from the corridor.

Luffy is awake!

"What?"

"I was unconscious for three days?!"

"Then I've missed out on 15 meals—"

When Roman and Nami arrived at the ward, they found Luffy sitting Pang Lei on the bed with a look of 'I've lost so much' on his Luffy.

Why is your mind working so fast right now?

Nami can't complain.

"And it's based on five meals a day?"

Usopp delivers another blow.

"Alright, alright, it's good that the captain is alright."

Although he didn't know why Nami seemed angry again, he felt it was probably his fault. So Roman decided to lighten the mood—

"How about we take stock of the combat strength upgrades since this battle?"

——

The air suddenly became still...

"Oh? That's interesting."

Except for Zoro, who instantly perked up at the mention of 'fighting power,' everyone else seemed rather uninterested. Fortunately, at this moment:

"I heard the captain has woken up,"

A middle-aged woman with blonde curly hair walked in.

"Please wait a moment, dinner will be served shortly."

As she spoke, she gestured to the servants behind her to push a cart of fruit to the bedside, saying, "Have some fruit before you eat your meal—"

Burp~~

???

Everyone turned around abruptly, only to be met with a completely naked cart! And Luffy patting his belly...

!!

"Are you here to perform magic?" X5

Is this the legendary 'rubber-swallowed-by-a-mouth'?

I love it!

"Um, I think we should talk about combat strength more..." After defeating Crocodile, it's Sky Island, then Enies Lobby Sky Island, then Gecko Moria, followed by Sabaody, Marineford...

If we don't work hard now, will we be able to rely on cheat codes during wartime?

"Hahaha,"

Everyone was puzzled when they saw Nami laughing with her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, sorry, I just felt—"

"Luffy is never full, and Roman who suffers from a fear of not having enough fighting power... I guess you guys are more familiar with each other."

?

"However, when it comes to combat strength,"

Luffy his arms a few times, eager to try.

"I feel several times stronger than before!"

... No, no, but he's probably twice as strong. Luffy's spirit and energy have improved dramatically since defeating Crocodile; in terms of bounty, he's at least around 80 million!

"So, can you still deliver that final punch you used against the crocodile?"

Faced with Roman's question, Luffy seriously stroked his chin, 'deep in thought'.

"It seems like it is, but it also seems like it isn't..."

OK, that means there's absolutely no chance of it happening normally.

It seems unrealistic to expect Luffy to learn 'Armament Haki', so—

"And you Zoro? Are you able to consistently Iron Cutting now?"

"No problem,"

Zoro, now dressed in a black samurai outfit, nodded.

"However—if we want to recreate that state of 'hearing' all the sounds during the battle with Mr. 1, perhaps..."

"Understood,"

You can get used to that in two years; don't even think about it now.

It seems the government's proposed bounty of 60 million for Zoro is quite reasonable; Zoro, having mastered the art of Iron Cutting and possessing his own unique aura, is roughly at that level. As for Luffy's 100 million bounty, it's clearly a case of 'praise to kill'!

This paltry bounty even attracted Blackbeard to hunt Luffy. —That's why Ace fought to the death, but now...

With Roman around, at worst we can just follow Wapol's example and dive into the sea! Does Blackbeard think he can pull off a black hole and suck up seawater?

Besides, even if he loses, Roman still has a 'trump card'.

Luffy's background -

Once he reveals his true intentions, Blackbeard will absolutely lose any desire to attack Luffy. After all, his goal in capturing a Great Pirates with a bounty of hundreds of millions was to obtain the status of a 'Shichibukai' (one of the Shichibukai), and to bring Garp's grandson to the Navy for negotiations...

He's probably going to get beaten up by Garp on the spot and beg for his grandpa!

Whitebeard: ·····

In fact, if Ace hadn't had the notoriously difficult father, the Pirate King Roger, who was known for his trouble with his wife and son, given Garp's relationship with Garp and Sengoku, a simple nod from Ace would have been enough for him to become a 'triumphant young Marine hero who infiltrated the pirate ranks,' instantly rising to the rank of officer...

And,

According to Roman's estimation, Blackbeard is probably at his 'weakest' right now.

Blackbeard used to be a master of hand-to-hand combat; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold back against Shanks. However, after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, he focused solely on developing its power, even prioritizing its Devil Fruit ability, which created obvious weaknesses in his attack sequences!

First, Ace escaped, then he got punched by Luffy in Impel Down...

While this might not be the Straw Hat crew's chance to defeat their opponent, escaping shouldn't be a problem. Therefore, strictly speaking, Blackbeard doesn't pose much of a threat to the Straw Hat crew.

But:

Luffy and Zoro's explosive growth has put immense pressure on Roman! Without using his Devil Fruit ability, Roman is no match for Luffy and Zoro. And even with his Devil Fruit ability—

Without resorting to shameless 'Elementalization' tactics, it's hard to say who would win if True Striker broke out...

This is the benefit of having a renowned teacher to lay a solid foundation; as long as one can break through in dire circumstances, their combat power will immediately soar.

Looks like I need to work harder!