News of Monkey D. Luffy

As Luo Ya severed the Gods of Water, the people of Water 7 stood in a daze for a long time, only returning to their jobs and homes after Iceburg reminded them to do so.

Luo Ya waited for a long time at the entrance of a tavern until the owner returned to reopen for business. Under the owner's fearful gaze, Luo Ya bought a large quantity of beer and returned to his hotel.

In his hotel bedroom, he drank beer while reading the training methods for the Rokushiki that Kalifa had written for him.

Luo Ya had long been interested in the Rokushiki; one had to realize that this world was filled with countless monsters possessing immense physical prowess.

Since only the Navy had developed these six techniques, there must be unique skills hidden within them.

The Rokushiki were physical techniques used by the Navy that transcended human limits, consisting of six moves: Iron Body, Soru, Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, and Shigan.

Those capable of using them were generally Navy officers or members of CP0 through CP9.

Iron Body involved tensing the muscles of the entire body and controlling blood flow to make the skin as hard as iron, typically used for defense.

Of course, those who relied on Iron Body to take hits head-on usually met a miserable end.

In Luo Ya's view, this move was meant to assist in sensing Armament Haki, rather than for actual combat.

Kami-e involved relaxing the muscles to sense changes in the surrounding air, allowing one to dodge attacks like a piece of paper flowing with the enemy's momentum; it was similar to the Formless Divine Skill.

However, in Luo Ya's impression, Kami-e was rarely seen in action, and after studying it, he found that, like Iron Body, using it in real combat was a shortcut to death.

Its intended purpose was likely to assist in sensing Observation Haki.

Rankyaku used high-speed, powerful kicks to create vacuum blades (kamaitachi) for attacks. This move had some merit; at the very least, the way it generated force was useful to Luo Ya, and it was quite practical. However, it was useless to him, as any casual slash of his was stronger than it.

Shigan, like Rankyaku, was a move that could be used in combat, but it also lacked significant utility.

The remaining two moves, Soru and Geppo, were the ones Luo Ya looked forward to most, and they did not disappoint him.

Soru involved kicking the ground dozens of times or more in an instant to generate a powerful repulsive force for high-speed movement, which greatly enhanced Luo Ya's speed.

This move was a classic example of brute force overcoming obstacles; the more times one kicked the ground in that split second, the greater the repulsive force and the faster the speed.

Geppo used explosive leg strength that made the user appear to vanish, allowing them to move through the air by kicking against it.

However, this move couldn't be accomplished just by kicking hard; it involved a complex method of force application.

Otherwise, why would everyone who could fly—other than the Navy—be a Devil Fruit user?

Luo Ya was extremely satisfied with these two moves, and the force-application methods of Rankyaku and Shigan could also be incorporated into his own Dragon Claw Fist and Hasshoken.

In the days that followed, besides tasting the local delicacies and fine wines of Water 7, Luo Ya spent his time studying the Rokushiki. Of course, he still required Kalifa's assistance every night—ahem—though he was always "drained" of energy after each session.

He had to admit that Teacher Kalifa was quite strict.

About a month passed this way, and Kalifa came to find Luo Ya while wearing her secretary outfit.

"Don't say you've seen enough of the agent uniform; this outfit of yours is quite nice, too." Luo Ya smiled and reached for Kalifa's waist.

"Iceburg asked me to inform you that your ship has been remodeled and is ready at Dock 1." Kalifa slapped away Luo Ya's hand with a sharp snap.

"I can't wait any longer, let's go!" Luo Ya excitedly grabbed Kalifa's hand and hurried toward Dock 1.

As the two arrived at Dock 1, Iceburg was waiting by a ship with Rob Lucci and the other four master shipwrights.

One could vaguely see the shadow of the Black Pearl, but the overall appearance had changed drastically.

"Mr. Luo Ya, this Black Pearl has been completely remodeled. Let me introduce you to your brand-new ship," Iceburg said excitedly.

Under Iceburg's guidance, Luo Ya learned the details of the Black Pearl.

First was the exterior: it had grown from its original seventeen or eighteen meters in length and five meters in width to twenty meters long and five meters wide.

According to Iceburg, at this size, the ship wouldn't capsize even in the roughest seas, provided it remained intact.

The hull was lined with Seastone, which significantly increased the ship's weight and lowered its waterline considerably.

The structure had changed from three decks to five.

The top deck had been converted from a kitchen and cockpit into a single cockpit. Iceburg had installed a massive amount of wiring in the remaining space and expanded the capacity of the energy converter.

As a result, the original eight pairs of propellers had become sixteen, and the two jet propellers had been replaced by six arranged in a row.

There was no need to wonder about the speed; it had certainly increased significantly.

Furthermore, the bow and the cockpit were encased in Seastone. As one of the hardest minerals known, its defensive capabilities were top-notch.

With this, Luo Ya would never have to worry about the ship being damaged by hitting reefs again.

The second deck had become a bedroom and dining room. The several chests of Beli that were originally in the bedroom had been placed here, untouched.

The third deck had become a recreation room, featuring a pool table, karaoke equipment, and other amenities; fishing rods and beach chairs were also stored here.

The fourth deck consisted of a giant fish tank and a plot of land; the tank was already filled with seawater, and fresh saplings had been transplanted into the soil.

Upon asking, he learned they were orange trees. This deck was primarily for ensuring a supply of fresh fruit and fish.

The fifth deck was for food storage, packed with large quantities of alcohol, various meats, flour, and more. It was a massive cold storage unit.

Iceburg had also added windows to the second and third decks, allowing for a view of the outside scenery.

After the tour, Luo Ya was extremely satisfied. It was clear that Iceburg had put a great deal of effort into the ship's renovation.

At the very least, the Seastone and the expanded Treasure Tree Adam must have cost several hundred million Beli.

Not to mention the other designs.

Snap! Luo Ya snapped his fingers to light the cigarette dangling from his lips, then said to Iceburg with satisfaction, "Heh, you've put in the work. I'm very pleased with the modifications to this ship. However, if you aren't taking the Beli, are you looking for some other form of payment?"

Hearing Luo Ya's words, Iceburg grew quite excited. "As long as you're satisfied, that's all that matters; this ship is my heart and soul. As for payment, I would like your Den Den Mushi number. If Water 7 ever encounters a crisis in the future, I would like to ask for your help just once."

Luo Ya raised an eyebrow at Iceburg's request. Helping out once wasn't much of a problem, but he knew that Kalifa and the others would be stirring up trouble here before long.

Because in yesterday's newspaper, Luo Ya had seen Monkey D. Luffy's bounty of thirty million Beli for defeating Don Krieg.

One had to realize that Monkey D. Luffy's time at sea had been very short. In the original story, excluding the two years the entire crew spent training separately, he had only been sailing for a total of six months before becoming an Emperor of the New World and defeating Kaido.

This meant that it wouldn't be long before Water 7 was visited by the protagonist's halo, and Lucci and his team would be abandoned after failing their mission and getting beaten to a pulp.

Seeing Luo Ya remain silent, Iceburg wiped the cold sweat dripping from his forehead, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"I won't hide it from you—this favor is a bit difficult, and it's hard to explain to you. If it's power you're after, I can go get you a Devil Fruit."

"How about this, Lord Luo Ya? I'll call you when the time comes, and you can decide whether to intervene based on the situation? If it's not convenient, we can just wait until it is," Iceburg suggested, looking puzzled.

I'm just asking for help in case of a pirate invasion, why is he acting like it's impossible and refusing to explain?

At this moment, Iceburg had no idea that Luo Ya was thinking about the protection of the Pluton Blueprints.

After all, he had spent a month getting along with Kalifa; if they failed their mission, so be it, but it would be rather awkward if it were because Luo Ya intervened.

It would feel like pulling up his pants and refusing to acknowledge the relationship.

Hearing Iceburg put it that way, Luo Ya casually wrote down his Den Den Mushi number and handed it to him.

After taking out his Log Pose and confirming the coordinates were locked, he boarded the brand-new Black Pearl.

With flames churning around Luo Ya's left hand, the Black Pearl's energy reserves were rapidly filled, and the sixteen pairs of propellers began to spin.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the ship sailed out of Dock 1 and set off toward the next island.

As Luo Ya increased the speed, the propellers spun faster and faster. Luo Ya opened the window in the wheelhouse, and the salty sea breeze blowing against his face put him in a great mood.

After setting the course, Luo Ya grabbed some ice-cold beer and a beach chair, heading to the deck to enjoy some rare, leisurely time.

Unfortunately, before Luo Ya could finish his first beer, a massive splash caught his attention.

The warm sunlight was suddenly blotted out by a shadow.

Bang! The Black Pearl shuddered to a halt as if it had slammed into something.

Luo Ya looked up to see a colossal Sea King emerging halfway from the water in front of the Black Pearl. It looked like a sea serpent but possessed fins and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, which it opened wide to snap at the hull.

"Dammit, wasn't the Seastone plating supposed to make Sea Kings think we're one of their own and leave us alone?" Luo Ya cursed, drawing Ryujin Jakka and swinging it in a single stroke.

Splash! A rain of blood sprayed from the Sea King's body as it was sliced in two.

Normally, having Seastone installed on the hull would indeed prevent attacks from Sea Kings, but it wasn't absolute. This particular Sea King had clearly mistaken the Black Pearl for a smaller member of its own kind.

Since Sea Kings preyed upon one another, it had attacked Luo Ya.

As the serpent's severed torso crashed onto the ship, it stained the deck a deep, bloody red.

Luo Ya could only curse his bad luck, dragging the carcass to the kitchen and deciding to turn his frustration into an appetite by eating it for dinner.

After Luo Ya finished processing the Sea King and set a portion of the meat to stew, he realized it would take at least two hours to be ready.

He had no choice but to grab a mop and head to the deck to scrub away the dried blood.

Perhaps it was just psychological, but after cleaning the deck, Luo Ya felt the stewed Sea King meat tasted exceptionally good, leading him to believe his cooking skills had improved significantly by accident.

In reality, Luo Ya's cooking was barely edible; it was purely his vengeful mood that made it taste so satisfying.

After eating his fill, Luo Ya checked that the course was still on track and headed to the training room for a physical workout.

Even though training no longer yielded much benefit for him, Luo Ya persisted day after day, never slacking on his daily routine of one thousand full-power sword swings.

And so, time drifted slowly by amidst the monotony of the voyage.