After the banquet, we took a little more time to finalize the various agreements we had reached with the Vinsmoke family. Sora had agreed to grant us access to Germa's laboratories in two months, while Reiju had promised to personally oversee the preparations necessary to clone Dextremih, Xurok, and my one and only copy.
For our part, we had promised to maintain good relations with the floating kingdom and not to forget its new ruler if she ever encountered difficulties. Sora seemed particularly pleased with this arrangement, although I suspected that the prospect of seeing Sanji regularly mattered far more to her than all our commercial and scientific agreements combined.
While we were still discussing the final details, Usopp, Koby, and Charles had approached the three Vinsmoke brothers. Their conversation had quickly shifted toward their respective abilities, until Usopp suggested a series of friendly duels to compare their strength.
"Since you're supposed to represent Germa's military elite, how about showing us what you're really capable of?" Usopp asked with a provocative smile.
Yonji immediately raised his head, visibly interested.
"You want to fight us?"
"Exactly! Just a little training between fighters. Nothing deadly, obviously."
Niji crossed his arms as he examined the three volunteers.
"Are you sure you want to face us? We were designed to be perfect soldiers."
Charles let out an amused laugh.
"Perfect. That's exactly what we want to find out."
Koby nodded enthusiastically.
"Besides, it's always interesting to face opponents who use techniques different from our own. It helps us discover our weaknesses."
I watched Usopp with a certain sense of satisfaction. He had changed enormously since we first met, and I had to admit that I much preferred this brave and fearless version of him to the one I knew from the original story.
Of course, he still occasionally joked around or exaggerated his exploits, but he no longer hesitated to face dangerous opponents in order to improve. Seeing him willingly challenge three genetically modified warriors was further proof of how much he had grown.
And, to tell the truth, these fights could also benefit the Vinsmoke brothers.
They had spent their entire lives considering themselves superior beings, convinced that their genetic modifications and technological equipment were enough to place them above ordinary fighters. Yet they were still far from reaching the level of the true monsters roaming the seas.
They have an excellent physical foundation, but they rely far too heavily on the advantages Judge gave them.
If they discovered that Usopp, Koby, and Charles could hold their own against them, or even surpass them, perhaps it would encourage them to train seriously rather than rely on their natural abilities.
And now that they possessed genuine emotions, defeat might finally teach them something.
"You can organize your duels," I finally declared. "But I'm warning you, I don't want anyone seriously injured. This is training, not an assassination attempt."
"Understood!" Koby and Usopp replied almost simultaneously.
Ichiji, who had remained silent until then, stood up as well.
"In that case, I'm curious to see what you're capable of."
Yonji immediately broke into a broad grin.
"Awesome! I'll get to try out my new techniques!"
"You could start by trying not to destroy the palace," Reiju pointed out.
"Hey! I'm not stupid!"
"Then why have you already started activating your combat equipment in the dining room?"
Yonji looked down at his gauntlets before hastily deactivating them, prompting a few laughs around the table.
We were heading toward a training courtyard when Luffy approached me. Unlike usual, he didn't seem particularly interested in the fights that were about to take place. His expression was more thoughtful, as though something had been bothering him for a while.
"Hey, Jordan. Can you come with me? I'd like to talk to you."
I raised my eyebrows slightly.
"Of course."
I turned toward Nami, who was talking with Kazuki and Reiju.
"Nami, could you keep an eye on the duels while I'm gone? Make sure they don't take things too far."
She looked at the six fighters who were already making their way toward the courtyard.
"You mean you want me to stop six idiots from turning this kingdom into a pile of rubble?"
"Exactly, you've got it."
She sighed before crossing her arms.
"Fine. But if any of them destroys something, I'll make them face the Legion of Spades!"
I gave her an amused smile.
"I knew I could count on you."
After giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, I followed Luffy through the mansion's corridors. We passed through several rooms before reaching an outdoor terrace overlooking part of the floating kingdom.
From there, we could see Germa's gigantic ships, some of which still bore the scars of our battle. Clone soldiers were busy repairing the damage on their decks, while the sunlight reflected off the vast expanse of water surrounding us.
Luffy approached the railing and gazed out at the horizon for a few seconds.
I remained silent, waiting for him to speak. It was quite rare for him to seek out a quiet place to talk, and I preferred to give him time to put his thoughts into words.
Finally, he placed a hand on his chest.
"Jordan, remember when we decided to explore all four Blues before going to the Grand Line?"
"Of course. I was the one who suggested we take our time."
He nodded.
"Yeah. And I let you decide because I trusted you. But..."
He paused, looking toward the horizon again.
"I've changed my mind."
I turned my head slightly toward him.
"Oh, really?"
"I want to go to the Grand Line now."
His voice had become surprisingly serious.
"I know we were planning to keep exploring the other seas, but lately, I've had this weird feeling. Like something important is going to happen over there, and if we wait too long, we might miss it."
He lightly gripped the fabric of his shirt over his chest.
"I don't really know how to explain it. It's just... a feeling."
I watched him for a few moments without answering.
Luffy wasn't the kind of person who worried unnecessarily about the future. He generally lived one day at a time, following his desires and instincts without trying to plan everything out. If he felt such a strong need to reach the Grand Line, I had no reason to dismiss his intuition.
Especially since our situation had changed considerably since the beginning of our journey.
"You know, Luffy, the main reason I suggested exploring all four Blues before heading to the Grand Line was because I thought our crew was still too weak."
He turned toward me.
"Too weak?"
"Back then, yes. We had potential, but we lacked experience. Some of us hadn't even mastered the basics of Haki, and we had no idea what we might encounter when facing the world's most dangerous pirates."
I leaned against the railing beside him.
"But things have changed. Look at everything we've accomplished since we set sail. We've faced powerful opponents, developed our abilities, and learned to fight together. Even the least experienced among us have made tremendous progress."
I let out a small chuckle.
"And after seeing what our crew just did to Germa 66, I think it's reasonable to say we've surpassed most pirates in the Blues."
Luffy broke into a satisfied grin.
"Shishishi! We really have gotten crazy strong!"
"Exactly. As long as we keep training and don't make the mistake of thinking we're invincible, I believe the first half of the Grand Line should be well within our capabilities."
I paused briefly before adding:
"Mind you, I'm not saying we'll be able to defeat absolutely everyone. There are still monsters out there who could give us an incredibly hard time. But we no longer need to delay our journey simply because we're afraid we aren't strong enough."
Luffy nodded vigorously.
"So, you agree?"
I smiled before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a friendly hug.
"Of course, you idiot! You're our captain, Luffy. The final decision will always be yours."
He looked at me with his usual broad grin, but I continued before he could reply.
"My role as vice-captain isn't to decide where we should go in your place. I'm here to advise you, warn you when I think a situation is becoming dangerous, and make sure our crew can keep moving forward."
My tone became slightly more serious.
"However, there's one thing I'd rather clarify right now."
"Hmm?"
"You know I have my own goals and certain responsibilities that go beyond our journey together. So there may be times when I take the initiative without waiting for your permission, especially if I discover an immediate threat or an important opportunity for us."
Luffy listened attentively.
"I'll always do my best to keep you informed, but I won't necessarily be able to ask for your opinion before every intervention. So I hope you can be understanding about that."
For a few seconds, he remained silent.
Then his face lit up with an enormous grin.
"Shishishishi! But I already know all that!"
He burst out laughing before giving me a friendly pat on the back.
"I know you have your own goal, Jordan! And I also know you want what's best for all of us."
His grin grew even wider.
"So do what you have to do! And if you need to act before telling me, well... you can just tell me about it afterward!"
I looked at him with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
"It's really that simple for you?"
"Well, yeah!"
He shrugged, as though my question were completely ridiculous.
"I asked you to be my partner because I trust you! If I had to tell you what to do all the time, that would be a real pain!"
I couldn't help laughing.
"You know, most captains probably wouldn't accept a member of their crew taking so many liberties."
"Then they must be really boring!"
That answer made me burst out laughing.
Luffy certainly had his own unique way of looking at leadership. He didn't try to control our every move, and he didn't seem remotely worried about his companions pursuing their own ambitions.
To him, being captain didn't mean imposing his will on everyone. It simply meant moving toward his dream alongside the people he had chosen.
And as long as we continued sailing together, that was enough for him.
"Very well, Captain," I finally declared. "In that case, our next destination will be the Grand Line."
Luffy immediately threw his arms into the air.
"YEEEEAH! GRAND LINE, HERE WE COME!"
I winced slightly as his shout echoed all the way through the mansion's corridors.
"You know, we could have announced that to the rest of the crew a little more calmly..."
"SHISHISHI! BUT I'M SO HAPPY!"
I shook my head with a smile.
Deep down, I was perfectly happy with this decision. We had already explored a good portion of the Blues, and even though there were still plenty of islands left to discover, nothing would stop us from returning to them later.
The Grand Line awaited us, with its mysteries, dangers, and countless possibilities.
And if Luffy's instincts were telling him that something important was waiting for us there, I was particularly curious to find out what it could be.
I gave him one last pat on the shoulder.
"Come on. Let's get back to the others before Nami ends up having to rebuild half of Germa after their duels."
Luffy burst out laughing.
"Shishishi! I hope they haven't finished already! I wanna see who won!"
He immediately took off running back into the mansion, leaving me a few steps behind.
(Author's Note: Just a short chapter to rearrange a few things. ^^)