"I do know a little about the whereabouts of the last piece of Road Poneglyph."
After Roy said that, the whole table fell silent.
Luffy lunged directly at Roy, placing both hands on the table:
"Really! Roy! You know where it is? Tell me!"
Roy looked at him and smiled, "You want to know?"
"Of course I want to! Tell me, tell me!"
Roy glanced at the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates again.
Zoro and Sanji both looked serious, Nami and Usopp also perked up their ears, and even Chopper raised his head from the pile of meat, with soup dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Only Robin's breath hitched slightly. It was so brief that almost no one noticed, but Roy did.
Let's drink first today.
Roy raised his glass and Luffy.
"We'll talk about serious matters tomorrow."
"How could you do this?! Just say it now!"
Nami punched him. "They're already being kind enough to tell us! Can't you have a little patience?!"
Luffy was hit so hard he saw stars, but he still stared longingly at Roy.
Roy smiled and clinked glasses with him.
I'll tell you privately tomorrow.
Luffy had no choice but to sit back down, but his excitement didn't subside, and he kept repeating "the last Road Poneglyph, the last Road Poneglyph " throughout the entire meal.
The banquet continued.
The atmosphere remained lively, but there seemed to be something more subtle and inexplicable beneath the surface.
Robin sat there with his teacup for a long time without taking another sip.
Halfway through the banquet, Luffy finally pulled himself away from the food.
He took a plate of grilled fish, walked up to Roy, and the playful expression on his face disappeared.
Roy.
"Um?"
"That Kaido guy, are you planning to protect him forever?"
Roy looked up at Luffy.
Those eyes were bright, just like they were many years ago in the Foosha Village, like an inextinguishable flame.
"I haven't settled my score with him yet," Luffy said.
Roy chuckled softly:
"Beat me, or beat Bullet."
If you can do any one of these, you're qualified to settle scores with Kaido.
Luffy gritted his teeth and said nothing more.
Some things don't need to be said too explicitly. He understood Roy's meaning.
He is still very weak.
Zoro had somehow ended up standing in front of Hawk Eyes.
"Let's fight again next time." Zoro's tone wasn't a request, but a warning.
Hawk Eyes raised his eyes from the cup, his golden pupils calm as still water.
"We'll talk about it when you've mastered the art of making Black Blade."
Zoro paused for a second, then nodded emphatically.
The banquet ended late at night.
The Straw Hat Pirates crew was put up in the VIP area, which quickly became quiet.
Nothing more was said that night.
Before dawn, Roy sent someone to summon Luffy to the top of the cliff.
The sea breeze was cold, carrying the strongest pre-dawn dampness.
Luffy was still yawning when he got out of bed and swayed all the way to the top of the cliff.
Roy!
Roy stood with his back to him on the edge of the cliff, his black trench coat fluttering in the wind.
Upon hearing Luffy's voice, he turned his head and gestured towards a flat rock beside him.
"Sit."
Luffy leaped onto the rock in a few strides, sat cross-legged, and looked up at him.
"The last piece of the Road Poneglyph is in the Giant Kingdom — Elbaf," Roy stated bluntly.
Luffy's eyes lit up instantly:
" Giant Kingdom! Do they have enormous warriors and an endless supply of meat?!"
Roy chuckled. "When are you going to have a normal focus?"
"So there really are giants?! That's amazing! I'm going to find a giant and fight him!"
"Can you defeat a giant?"
"Of course I can beat him! I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy clenched his fist, his expression serious.
Roy shook his head and sat down on a nearby rock.
" Elbaf is in the deepest part of the New World."
The weather in that sea area is even worse than in Wano Country. The Giant Tribe are naturally brave and skilled in battle, and they never show mercy to outsiders.
Even the Four Emperors -level pirate crews wouldn't dare say they could come and go freely in Elbaf.
"So what? I'm not afraid."
"I know you're not afraid. But it's not just about courage."
Roy's tone became serious.
"In your current state, you're more than capable of handling ordinary opponents."
But the Five Elders have their eyes on you. If they ambush you in Elbaf, are you confident you can come out alive again?
Luffy opened his mouth, wanting to say "I'm confident," but swallowed the words back.
He thought of the imposing presence of the Five Elders descending from the sky in Whitebeard's territory that day, and of Ace almost taking Saint Nusjuro's sword for him.
He was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"Not sure."
"At least you have some self-awareness."
Roy smiled.
"So I suggest you stay with me for half a month."
"Half a month?"
" Hachinosu has a bloodline enhancement technology that can improve your physical strength and resilience."
You nearly died twice in Wano Country, so your body is already damaged.
First, strengthen your bloodline to get your body into optimal condition, then go to Elbaf.
Luffy lowered his head and thought for a moment.
"Can I fight with Bullet and his gang during these two weeks?"
"Whatever. As long as they're willing to play with you."
Roy stood up, patted his clothes,
"The training grounds are completely open to you. If you want to learn or practice anything, just go find someone yourself."
I will inform the officers in advance so they can set aside time to practice with you.
"Alright! Half a month it is!"
Luffy jumped up from the rock, grinned at Roy, and
"But in just half a month, I'll not only go after the giants, I'll also come back to fight you again!"
Roy looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, "I'll be waiting."
For the next two weeks, the entire Straw Hat Pirates entered the training system on Hachinosu.
Luffy spends all his time in the training grounds, taking turns fighting Bullet, Crocodile, and Red Count.
His Gear Fifth initially only lasted for about ten minutes, but gradually increased to twenty minutes.
Bullet was getting annoyed by Luffy's constant pestering, but he still fought back every time, beating Luffy to a pulp, only to have Luffy get up and beat him again with a grin.
"What is your body made of? How can you be so resilient?!"
Bullet punched Luffy into the ground, but less than three seconds later Luffy bounced out of the crater and charged towards him with a smile on his face.
"Because I'm rubber!" Luffy shouted.
"Rubber my ass! I'll beat you to a pulp today, or I'm not Bullet!"
Zoro, who was practicing his sword nearby, chuckled upon hearing this.
For the past two weeks, Zoro has spent almost every day with Hawk Eyes and Kuina.
He would spar with Hawk Eyes every afternoon without fail, and even though he was always beaten so badly he couldn't fight back, he was never late.
Hawk Eyes's swordsmanship was like an insurmountable barrier; he charged forward time and time again, only to be cleaved away, get up, and charge forward again.
That undisguised desire moved even Hawk Eyes, a rare occurrence.
He displayed his full swordsmanship skills during the sparring session, showing no fear that Zoro would learn them.