Luffy, You've Been Buffed-Get Up There!

Without wasting words, Xi Yan immediately used Chakra to condense two special water spheres.

Luffy blinked, not understanding why Xi Yan had created two water spheres, which looked only about the size of a fist.

"Hold out your hand."

"Oh."

Although he didn't know what Xi Yan wanted to do, Luffy obediently stretched out his hand.

Then, Luffy was shocked to discover that the two blobs of water had actually stuck to his hands!

As Luffy watched the water gradually envelop his hands, his eyes suddenly blazed with intense light.

"Wow... that's amazing!"

I shook my hands up and down, but found that I couldn't shake the water off at all. Instead, it stuck firmly to my hands without affecting my movements.

"What is this, Xi Yan?"

"That fat guy is Devil Fruit User, capable of instantly turning iron into molten iron. That would require a temperature of at least 1500 degrees Celsius!" Xi Yan said. "And I suspect that's not even his highest temperature. Hitting him rashly would definitely result in burns."

"But with these two pools of water, it's different; they can help insulate you from most of the heat."

"Luffy, go and fight without fear! Remember to use your fists!"

After Xi Yan finished speaking, he patted Luffy on the shoulder, as if to say, "You've been enhanced, hurry up and attack."

"Hahaha, you think you can defeat me with just these two puddles of water?" Aqi Nuo scoffed. "I'm Devil Fruit User, and my maximum temperature can reach ten thousand degrees."

"To defeat me, you'd need at least the ocean!"

Upon hearing the word "ocean, "Arubell's body involuntarily shuddered as she recalled the image of the man manipulating the seawater.

If the opponent really uses seawater, they could probably disable Dad's Devil Fruit ability in a single encounter.

"You'd better not talk nonsense~" Nami said, squinting at Arubell.

Arubell didn't speak, but simply lowered his head.

"Fatty, if you think it's that simple, feel free to try," Xi Yan said calmly.

"Then let's go..."

"Rubber Pistol!"

Without giving Aqi Nuo a chance to continue his nonsense, Luffy threw a punch at him without holding back!

"Bump!"

This time, Luffy's fist wasn't burned; instead, it landed squarely on Aqi Nuo's stomach.

"Forehead!"

Aqi Nuo, who was thrown backward by the punch, had a face full of pain, and at the same time, he was very puzzled as to why his high temperature had not evaporated the water in his opponent's hand.

Just a moment ago, he raised the temperature to a level that could melt steel.

"Damn it, it's been so many years since I've been hit..."

Clutching his stomach, Aqi Nuo looked at Xi Yan with a pained expression and said, "Kid, what did you do?"

"I don't have the habit of explaining my abilities to the enemy."

"Hateful..."

Aqi Nuo was furious; if his abilities were disabled, his combat power would plummet.

It can be said that his strength is entirely due to his Devil Fruit ability.

"Wow, this is amazing! I really can't feel any temperature anymore!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, looking at his hands. "Is this what it feels like to have Ninjutsu?!"

"That's awesome!!"

I never imagined that he would one day be able to experience Ninjutsu. Xi Yan is really good to him.

"It's just two blobs of water, I refuse to believe I can't break through your defenses!" After saying that, Aqi Nuo activated his ability and quickly charged towards Luffy.

"Rubber Rocket Cannon!"

I'm hiding!

"Boom!!"

Luffy slammed his fists into the ice, the immense force creating a large crater.

Aqi Nuo himself used the power of the steam to quickly move to the side.

"Feasible!"

Excitement gleamed in Aqi Nuo's eyes. If he could get close to his opponent, he could use the power of his fruit to evaporate him!

"Xi Yan, you're being unfair."

"That's right, we want Ninjutsu too!"

Upon seeing Xi Yan return, Usopp and the others immediately said, "We also want to experience what it's like to manipulate Ninjutsu!"

"This isn't Luffy controlling the Ninjutsu; it's me maintaining it," Xi Yan said, spreading his hands. "You guys don't have Chakra, so there's no way you can learn this."

If he could one day reach the Six Paths level, he might actually be able to share his Chakra with them, but that's not possible now.

"What... so you were just teasing Luffy..."

"Not really, at least he can use the power of water, can't he?"

"Xi Yan, what exactly is the purpose of those two clumps of water?" Nami asked curiously.

"We can guarantee Luffy won't get burned," Xi Yan said. "This guy clearly isn't good at hand -Body Technique. If we disable his Devil Fruit ability, he'll basically have no fighting power."

The two clumps of water wrapped around Luffy's fists were not ordinary water, but water filled with his Chakra.

Even if some of it evaporates, it will quickly absorb water molecules from the air due to the Chakra, replenishing the lost portion.

With this power, Luffy could easily defeat that guy without taking any damage.

Usopp glanced at Aqi Nuo, then nodded seriously and said, "Indeed."

Looking so fat, it certainly doesn't seem like a type that excels in Body Technique.

After glancing at Luffy, who was having a great Luffy fighting, Xi Yan said, "Let Luffy handle the battle here. It's time to go find Zoro."

Nami felt a headache coming on at the mere mention of Zoro.

"How did this idiot manage to get here so quickly?"

"Hey, what can you do when this guy has no sense of direction?" Sanji chuckled.

"You guys go ahead, we can't leave everyone here."

Franky remembered that the other party had a son-in-law who had married into the family; who knew if that person might launch a sneak attack?

Hearing Franky's words, the others also felt that it was indeed not feasible for them all to leave. So, Xi Yan, Nico Robin, Chopper, Usopp, Merry took the little girl Lilu to find Zoro and, at the same time, get what they were supposed to get.

Let's go.

Chopper transformed into his deer form, hoisted the two little girls onto his back, and quickly followed Xi Yan and the other two towards Aqi Nuo's family.

"Um?"

Aqi Nuo, who was being pulled along by Luffy, glanced at the group of people running past from the side and was momentarily stunned.

"Lilu..."

He couldn't understand why his daughter would run home with that other person.

They didn't seem to be coerced; on the contrary, it looked like they went with them voluntarily.

Oh, I see. It must be Lilu planned to use her special ability to manipulate plants and capture them!

Thinking of this, Aqi Nuo grinned and said, "As expected of my daughter."

"Bump!"

In that moment of distraction, Luffy's fist struck him in the face, sending him spinning wildly like a top as he hurtled towards a distant block of ice.

"Boom!"

The moment they made contact, Aqi Nuo smashed the ice to pieces, and it began to melt, rapidly producing a large amount of water vapor.

"You bastard, Straw Hat, I'm angry!" Aqi Nuo said, getting up. "Rubber, huh? I'm going to melt you completely!"

"Hmph, if you can do it, then come and try!"

The two, who were staring at each other, suddenly rushed towards one another.

"It's... it's so cold..."

Zoro, trembling and hugging his arms in the underground prison, was thankful he'd had a bit too much to drink earlier, or he really wouldn't know what to do.

"I wonder if they'll even be able to find this place."

During the time he fell, he kept looking for a way out, but the place was barren and there was nothing to climb on. The only way to get back up was to have someone above use ropes or ladders to lift him up.

Just then, Zoro faintly heard a familiar voice.

"It's right here. People who are caught are usually locked up here."

"Yes, I can definitely smell Zoro's scent."

"Zoro, are you there?!"

"Chopper!"

Zoro immediately showed a look of surprise and delight. He hadn't expected the little guy to find this place. That was wonderful!

"Hey, Chopper, I'm down there!"

"It's Zoro's voice!" Chopper exclaimed excitedly. "Quick, how do we turn this on?"

Lilu didn't say anything, but walked to the side and pressed a button.

Soon, the dungeon lid was opened, revealing the scene below.

Seeing that Zoro was not injured, the others breathed a sigh of relief.

"You rascal..."

Usopp was at a loss for words. Why did this guy manage to come all the way here by himself?

Zoro, who had climbed up the ladder that Lilu had lowered, said with a smile, "Finally, we're saved."

"Zoro, why are you here?" Merry asked curiously.

"Of course, it's to find you," Zoro said. "I've been searching for you along the Iceberg, and I haven't been able to find you anywhere."

"Honestly, there's a limit to getting lost."

Usopp:???

"Hello!"

Usopp shoved his nose right into Zoro's face, opened his shark-like mouth, and roared, "It was you who got lost, you bastard!"

"How is that possible?"

"How is that impossible? We've been traveling through the Ice Sea for ages, and we haven't found a trace of you at all!"

"That's because you're lost, of course you can't find me!"

Usopp:...

Why is this guy so confident?

"Honestly, I'd believe Zoro would find Great Secret Treasure someday," Xi Yan remarked.

"Well, it's not impossible."

Nico Robin smiled, completely agreeing with Xi Yan's point of view.

"Zoro is really... surprisingly strong," Merry said.

"I think he's just terrible with directions," Lilu said, speechless.

Without a guide, navigating the complex Ice Sea is no easy feat, let alone reaching their base camp.

But what about this swordsman?

It's a bit outrageous that he walked all the way from the Iceberg to her house by himself.

"Who are you?" Zoro asked, glancing at Lilu.

"Me..." Lilu sighed, "I'm just a miserable prisoner."

"Captive?"

"I'll explain later," Xi Yan said. "Let's go, it's time to head to our next destination."

Although Zoro had some doubts, he chose to trust Xi Yan and left with Xi Yan.

The group quickly left the dungeon and, guided by Lilu, arrived at a room filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

"A garden built in this kind of environment?" Usopp exclaimed in surprise. "That's quite an extravagant undertaking."

Keep in mind that this area is all Iceberg; in such an extremely harsh environment, plants don't have an easy time surviving.

"Huh?"

"Did that plant move just now?" Merry asked, pointing to a huge flower nearby.

Upon hearing this, Nico Robin and Xi Yan immediately looked down at Lilu. It was obvious that this little girl had done something to cause such a change.

Lilu pursed her lips, glanced at Merry, and finally sighed silently without making a move.

"Let's go, to the next room."

Upon arriving at the actual Treasure Room, Zoro understood what Xi Yan group were planning to do. However, Zoro didn't see anything wrong with it; since they were going to kill them, what was wrong with them taking some interest?

Seeing Xi Yan take the Beli away without any hesitation, Lilu said, "We've already given you the money, can you let us go?"

"Little girl, I've already told you, we have no interest in bullying children," Xi Yan said. "As long as you behave, we won't make things difficult for you."

Ultimately, the little girl wasn't in any danger, and she had even become good friends with Merry, so naturally she wouldn't kill her.

Lilu a sigh of relief. Now that she had received a positive answer, the other party most likely wouldn't kill her.

"Let's go."

"Oh right, Ji Nuo's Pirate Flag!"

Chopper suddenly remembered this: the other party's Pirate Flag Pirate Flag was inside this house, and he could easily take it with him now.

"Chopper, the spirit of pirates is something they need to reclaim themselves," Nico Robin said. "Otherwise, it will be seen as charity, a disgrace to pirates."

Put yourself in their shoes; if their Pirate Flag were stolen, they would have to take it back themselves.

"Is that so...?"

Chopper thought about it for a moment, then finally nodded and gave up on the idea.

Thinking about it carefully, Ji Nuo didn't actually ask them for help in retrieving the Pirate Flag, so he decided not to meddle.

Suddenly, Chopper's nose twitched, then he smiled and said, "Ji Nuo, that guy..."

He actually came by himself? He really is a qualified pirate!

"Boom!!"

Just then, a huge roar suddenly came from outside, as if something terrible had crashed into the ground, causing a huge tremor!

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked. "Why is there an earthquake all of a sudden?"

"Maybe it's because of Luffy's fight with that guy."

"Quick, go out and see!"

Watching the Straw Hat Pirates disappear into the distance, Lilu suddenly called out, "Merry!!"

"What's wrong?"

Will we ever meet again?

Lilu's eyes welled up with tears; at that moment, she felt a strong sense of reluctance to part.

After all these years, this is the first time she has met a friend who is about her age, and she owes her survival to this person.

But now she has to part ways... She really doesn't want to leave Merry.

Merry stopped and turned to look at Lilu, giving her a big smile as she said, "Lilu, please don't be sad!"

"Perhaps we'll meet again on the high seas someday in the future."

"On the open sea...?"

"That's right!"

Although they are enemies, she gets along very well with Lilu, so she genuinely hopes to see her again someday.

Lilu suddenly laughed, a completely relaxed laugh.

Yes, now that we've become friends, there's no need to dwell on this. We'll meet again someday.

Even though they might fight again after meeting, that doesn't affect her friendship with Merry, does it?

"I look forward to that day!"

"Profound!"

After watching Merry leave, Lilu murmured, "Goodbye, my friend."

She glanced back at the window, where the view was already blurry due to the steam.

But Lilu knew that her father was fighting out there.

"Dad, please make sure you're safe and sound."