Celebration Banquet, Time to Part Ways

Click, click, click!

Tons tons tons—

Chew, chew~~

Cutting with a knife and fork, elegant and composed.

Don't get me wrong, there's only one person in the Straw Hat crew who eats with such 'elegance', and that person is:

"Hey, eat so fast, you might choke."

While cutting his steak with a knife and fork, Sanji reminded Chopper, who was using his hands... his hooves to hold Chopper. As for Roman, he casually stuffed food into his mouth while frowning, still pondering how to improve his fighting ability.

Continue Devil Fruit development? Or improve Observation Haki? As for Armament Haki, I still have no clue. —What the hell is this whole "all-out attack" thing...?

Devil Fruit development requires a strong physique. However, physical strength can only be achieved through relentless, monotonous training... I really envy Luffy's 'Life Return - Food Version,' where he can recover his stamina, heal his injuries, and increase his physique simply by eating and drinking excessively.

Smack

?

Tilting her head to glance at Nami beside her, the orange-haired girl speechlessly grabbed the fork Roman was offering to her mouth, the bread on which she was holding a bright red smear.

"This is····?"

"Usopp ~~!"

Nami turned her head towards him expressionlessly, leaving Usopp speechless.

"It wasn't me, I didn't... Luffy made me do it..."

·····

Are you some kind of innocent, pure female lead in a romance drama? You've even come up with this kind of mindless denial three-part combo.

Tsk, but it doesn't matter.

"Is this just hot sauce?"

Without batting an eye, Roman stuffed the bread into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed the bread mixed with a huge amount of hot sauce.

!

"Roman, you..."

"Hmph, if I can't handle this little bit of chili sauce, it means my stomach isn't that great."

??

What triggered this? It seems your fear of inadequate combat ability has evolved into a phobia of humanity...

Nami was speechless. They had already defeated Crocodile Shichibukai "Crocodile," and it was time to relax and celebrate. But Roman still looked tense, as if countless even stronger enemies awaited the Straw Hat crew in the future...

How could that be?

Nami shook her head, dismissing the strange thought.

If you can't figure it out, then it can only be attributed to Roman simply 'not wanting to be a human being'!

Wow, is this the demeanor of a strong person?

Hahaha~~~

After a hearty meal, it was time for a soak in the hot springs, of course. However, while everyone was laughing and joking, Roman frowned in thought, holding something in his hand—

"Roman, what's this fun thing?"

Luffy, who snatched the 'bracelet' from Roman's hand, suddenly Luffy limp and slid into the water like a noodle.

"Ugh, I feel so weak all over!"

"Help! I'm drowning!!"

······

You can drown in a hot spring pool that's half your height? What's going on?!

?

Seeing Luffy sprawled in the pool, unable to Luffy and blowing bubbles, Zoro and the others sensed something was wrong and quickly Luffy limp Luffy out.

"What is this...?"

"This is a wristband inlaid with Seastone."

Roman took the 'iron ring' from Zoro, and an extreme feeling of weakness immediately ran through his body! It was as if he was holding a thousand-pound weight! The bracer was inlaid with Seastone, and as for the source: of course, it was sponsored by the 'generous' Crocodile.

Seastone is a rare resource! The cage used to imprison Devil Fruit users at Crocodile's Rain Dinners was merely an alloy iron cage inlaid with Seastone particles. Where would they be so extravagant as to make it entirely of Seastone?

So Roman Royal Army to remove the Seastone particles from the top and quickly forge several 'wristbands'.

It's this thing in his hand.

"These wristbands are inlaid with Seastone particles, which can greatly suppress the stamina of Devil Fruit user."

"But on the other hand, it is an excellent training tool for Devil Fruit user."

As he spoke, Roman glanced to the side, leaving Luffy, who was naked and performing the "Old Dragon Spitting Water" Luffy, completely bewildered.

In the future, Luffy worked alongside Magneto Kid at Kaido's labor camp, carrying bricks in Seastone handcuffs. Not only did he develop a great physique, but he also learned Advanced Armament Haki... earning him the nickname "King of Brick Carrying".

Kaido, and all the ability users who have tried them say they're excellent!

"And as Devil Fruit user,"

Roman's 'Paper-Paper Fruit' leans more towards creation than superhuman ability, and given that his strength was already close to 30 million when he ate the fruit, the Seastone's suppression of him didn't reach the point of 'immobilization'. But Luffy...

"The ocean and Seastone are absolute weaknesses! There's nothing we can do about seawater, but we can develop resistance to Seastone through training."

Furthermore, Blackbeard's 'Dark-Dark Fruit' can nullify other Devil Fruit ability, much like the effect of Seastone. Therefore, targeted training beforehand is essential...

Crash!

A bucket of hot water was poured over Roman's head, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hahaha, Roman, you bastard!"

Luffy on hips, laughed wildly, revealing twelve gleaming teeth.

"All they think about all day long is combat power, combat power~~~"

"Now that everyone's been 'open and honest,' can't we just relax and have some fun?!"

·······

"There's no way around it, I'm going to be there to see the day your dreams come true."

If I don't have enough strength... never mind, since I'm going to relax anyway.

"Hmph," Roman smirked wickedly, "You actually underestimated my specially designed training equipment? I'll show you what 'terrifying' really means!"

"Take this! 'Paper Dance - Seastone handcuffs'! Hahahaha, drown in your own bathwater~~~"

"Ugh, I feel completely drained..."

Glug, glug, glug~~~

"Luffy, Luffy up!"

"Doctor, doctor, come quick!"

"Aren't you a doctor?!"

"Honestly, can't these boys just be a little quieter?"

On the other side, Nami, who was enjoying Vivi's back massage, looked around enviously while complaining.

"It would be great if there were boats with hot springs as well."

"Of course there were," Vivi recalled, remembering the short but delightful journey. "Giants, dinosaurs, cherry blossoms on the snow-capped mountains..."

"Compared to these, a boat with a hot spring seems rather ordinary."

"That's true."

"Come on, it's my turn to scrub your back."

While rubbing Vivi's back, Nami spoke casually.

"We plan to leave tonight."

?!

Her fair back stiffened abruptly. Although she knew this day would come sooner or later, Vivi still didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Can't we just stop..."

"Well, there are more than thirty naval warships gathered outside," Nami shrugged, her hands still busy. "And the captain has woken up, so we need to continue our journey."

"······Yeah,"

"Hey, hey, hey, is this fake?"

Captain Igaram and Vice-Captains Chaka and Bell of the Kingdom Guard looked at the bounty poster on the table, filled with shock and anger!

"How could this be...? The navy moved so quickly?!"

"With such a high bounty, even the naval commanders will be mobilized..."

On the table are two Bounty Poster: one for 'Roronoa Zoro' with a bounty of 60 million, and the other for 'Monkey D. Luffy' with a bounty of 100 million!

What does 100 million mean?

A Devil Fruit capable of granting all sorts of bizarre abilities, enough to make the captain of the Silver Light Pirates willing to annihilate his entire crew, and the entire fortune of a nobleman from a kingdom...

It is also a symbol of the 'Great Pirates'!

On the in the Grand Line, only those with bounties exceeding 100 million can be considered number one.

"Damn it, we have to notify them immediately—"

Igaram, grabbing the bounty poster, rushed towards the Straw Hat crew's room, forcefully pushing open the door. Under the moonlight, however, there was only a row of neatly arranged beds, and:

"Princess Vivi, Luffy and the others?"

"Of course, it's going out to sea,"

The blue-haired princess, sitting on the chair with her knees drawn up, lowered her eyes.

"Because they are pirates."

Buzz buzz buzz~~~

Amidst the whirring of the propellers, the 'Paper Dance- Boeing 747' glided peacefully over Alabasta.

"Nami, are you feeling unwell?"

Inside the cabin, everyone was either sitting, standing, leaning, or sleeping, except for Nami, who kept her head down and remained silent.

"How about I share a piece of my meat with you?"

This is Luffy looking very reluctant to Luffy.

"You're thinking about Vivi, that's understandable." Sanji, unusually, didn't smoke. "But... Vivi still carries the fate of a nation on her shoulders..."

The others wore the same serious expressions. Although they all considered Vivi a partner, her identity predetermined...

"No, I'm heartbroken."

"What happened to the promised billion Beli to help Vivi defeat the crocodile...?"

??!!

This········

"So that's what you were thinking about!"

"Give us back our sorrow!"

"Hahaha~~ What else do you think I'm thinking? Do you think I don't know that Vivi can't go out to sea with us~~"

Soon, everyone who had been partying all day fell asleep. A figure in a suit silently walked towards the 'driver's seat' ahead.

"Roman".

"Um, is there something you need, Sanji?"

Faced with Roman 'flying the plane', Sanji hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to start the conversation, before finally gritting his teeth.

"It's about Nami..."

"I know."

?!

You know?

Sanji's eyes hardened, slowly turning angry.

You shouldn't doubt my intelligence—

Bang!

Roman's back slammed hard against the plane wall, and Sanji grabbed him by the collar!

"Since you know everything, why are you still—"

"Ooh~"

The sound of someone turning over and Nami's unconscious noises came from inside the cabin, causing Sanji to pause in his movements.

·······

"Roman, what do you mean?!"

"Don't tell me you have a fiancée or anything like that, or are you saying—you don't like Nami?"

"Of course not,"

"Nami is a wonderful girl, and I understand her feelings. But..."

Roman sighed, "The reasons are a bit complicated, just pretend I don't have time to think about these issues right now..."

"For--"

Faced with Roman's reluctance to speak, Sanji finally loosened his collar and turned away.

"I don't know what you're afraid of, Roman."

"You're not even afraid of Crocodile, so why are you afraid to face your own feelings?"

"Anyway, this is something that happened between you and Nami before, and I shouldn't be asking about it. But—a gentleman shouldn't hurt a girl's feelings."

Roman stroked his chin and smiled wryly as Sanji went back to sleep.

In my past life, I often saw slogans like "If XX is not destroyed, how can we have a home?" Now, shouldn't I also shout "If I don't become Admiral, how can I have a home?"

"Strength, oh strength!"

If they possessed the strength of Admiral ... no, even the strength of Shichibukai, Roman wouldn't have deliberately turned a blind eye. However, only Roman knew how many powerful enemies awaited the Straw Hat crew ahead; perhaps he shouldn't have...

"What are you thinking about?"

Roman shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

Without the Straw Hat crew, I'd probably be a 'Blackbeard 2.0' by now. Since I chose to stand in the sunlight, I have to bear the corresponding price.

"Sorry, Nami... let's at least wait until after the summit."

P. S.: I have a feeling you guys are going to yell at me~~~ But, feelings are something that should be taken slowly. Making vows of eternal love the moment you meet is just a way of lusting after someone's body~~~ Of course, if everyone objects to this writing style and my grades are too bad tomorrow, I'll rewrite this chapter.