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"Aren't you also planning to hand it over to him?"
"Yes! But we won't harm children!"
"Humph, that's too much!"
"Scum!"
Finally, Nami made her decision.
Jason: "Damn... Little girl, do you want to be beaten?"
"( ́༎ຶل͜ຶ`) Robin baby!"
Jason looked at Robin with a pitiful expression. Robin almost couldn't hold back her laughter, resisting the urge to turn away from him.
Oops, Jason instantly sank into a moody state, trudging back to the Going Merry with his head hung low. He threw himself onto a beach chair as if he'd been mortally wounded, laying down in a dramatic pose.
"Hey! Don't ignore me, you bastard!"
Ian, who was holding a child hostage nearby, was furious at being disregarded. It was a blatant show of disrespect! They should be careful not to make him angrier!
A roar from Ian caught everyone's attention again.
"Oh, so what?"
Zoro crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Ian calmly. Ian's hands began to tremble as Zoro's gaze bore into him. For a moment, Ian raised his gun as if to kill.
"If making a choice is that difficult, let me help you!"
Zoro drew Wado Ichimonji and unleashed the Thirty-Six Pound Phoenix in one swift move!
"Hey! Are you kidding me? Do you really not care about this child's life?"
Panicked, Ian leaped into the sea and fled, abandoning the child. In truth, Zoro's slash had been angled in such a way that it wouldn't have hit Ian, but the pirate was still terrified.
"We... are pirates! No matter how young they are, they are still pirates. There's no reason to spare them just because of their age. Besides, they just threatened my crew with a knife, right! Once you choose to become a pirate, you must be ready to face death at any moment!"
Zoro's expression was cold and resolute, prompting Nami to slap him on the head, though she looked quite pleased.
"Well done, Zoro!"
Jason, now covered in frustration, started muttering to himself.
If Zoro beats someone, it's commendable, but if I do it, I'm a scumbag! As long as Nami's happy, I guess...
Let's get this over with quickly!
After taking care of Ian, Nami tied the lifeline to the head of the Going Merry and steered it away from the colorful mist.
Not long after, they successfully exited the mist's range. Usopp kindly brought a few children onboard. Zoro and the others didn't pay much attention to him, but soon after leaving the mist's range, the children mysteriously vanished.
As the Going Merry approached the coast, they saw Chopper lying on the ground, convulsing from the heat, with patches of fur missing on both sides of his body.
Sanji was still fighting tenaciously, but his body bore the marks of severe electric shocks.
"Sanji! Chopper! That bastard!"
Nami gritted her teeth, and Zoro immediately drew his sword and rushed out.
"Hold on, you pervy cook! It would be embarrassing to lose to someone like this!"
"Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!"
Zoro unleashed his ultimate move, sending all the surrounding soldiers flying into the air.
Mayor Witton, seeing the Merry emerge from the mist, didn't pay any mind to the soldiers being brutalized by Zoro or Sanji getting electrocuted by his grandson, Lake. Instead, he directly asked Nami about the situation inside the mist.
"There's nothing inside! It's a silent place with no one around!"
In reality, there was a lot of sunken treasure within. Nami couldn't carry it all, and she didn't want anyone else to have it, so she kept quiet about it.
Usopp, meanwhile, was suspicious. Did she want to go in and take the treasure? But without a rescue rope, there would be no way back!
Perfect! I'll tell him the truth and then cut the rope when he goes in to hunt for treasure! That'll teach him for hurting Chopper! The great Captain Usopp's plan was flawless!
"Uh-huh-huh, hahahaha!"
Caught up in his scheming thoughts, Usopp couldn't help but laugh, his smile growing more and more twisted.
He laughed for half a minute before realizing everyone was looking at him like he was an idiot. Embarrassed, he tried to play it off.
"Ahem! The situation inside is very complex. There are countless sunken ships and treasures of all kinds! And each one could be considered a rare find!"
"Usopp!!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Nami?"
Bang! Nami punched him on the head, leaving a large, smoking bump.
"What did you tell him that for? He'll take all the treasure! All of it!"
"Don't worry, Nami! He won't be able to take anything! The great Captain Usopp guarantees it!"
Seeing how confident Usopp was, Nami was stunned. This was the first time Usopp had made such a firm promise!
Mayor Witton, listening to their conversation, nodded in satisfaction.
"It's been 50 years, exactly 50 years, and my dream can finally come true! Lower the Rainbow Tower!"
At Witton's command, the base of the Rainbow Tower exploded with a tremendous roar. The tower, made of steel, extended section by section, piercing into the colorful mist! Nami and the others were stunned by the sight.
"Hoo..."
Usopp felt like he had a lump in his throat seeing this. Things were spiraling out of control. The great Captain Usopp's plan had failed!
"Usopp, look at what you've done! Now he'll take all the treasure! I wanted to come back and get it later!"
Nami was so angry she punched Usopp twice more, then sat down on the ground, sulking with black lines hanging all over her face!
Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji were still fighting Witton's grandson and the soldiers. Witton signaled for the remaining troops to retreat. Even Lake, who had been electrocuting Zoro, abandoned the fight to flee.
"Don't run away, you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
Zoro, covered in burn marks, couldn't let Lake get away. This guy had shocked him for too long to just escape now!
Zoro's swords didn't agree either! He slashed at Lake again. By now, everyone except the soldiers on the ground had been taken away by Witton. Seeing he couldn't shake Zoro off, Lake decided to make a stand.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll play with you again! I am... ah!"
Zoro slashed Lake with one swift strike. Zoro was surprised when he wasn't shocked this time. Then, Robin's voice called out to him.
"Since it's electricity, just unplug it, right? Why keep getting shocked without cutting the wire?"
Goddess Robin was genuinely puzzled.
Hearing this, Zoro glanced behind Lake. Sure enough, the armor was plugged into a socket with wires. Robin had used her powers to pull it out.
Zoro: (̿▀̿ ̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿#)
With a dark expression, Zoro silently approached Lake. Without his electric armor, Lake was defenseless and could only retreat in fear.
"Don't! Don't come any closer! I was forced by my grandfather! Please, let me go!"
"One-Sword Style: Lion's Song!"
Slash!
Zoro appeared behind Lake, slowly sheathing his sword. Lake's armor split open, blood spurting out from a wound running from his left shoulder to his right lower abdomen. He collapsed in despair.
As Witton and his men fled, the coast fell silent. Sanji and Chopper finally got up and boarded the ship.
"Huh? Did you leave Luffy in there?"
"Well, Nami said Luffy would be fine, so we came out first!"
Sanji wanted to argue, but then decided to let it go.
"What a shame, you lecherous kappa! Getting knocked down by something like that!"
"Nani!? What are you talking about, you moss-headed swordsman? Want to fight? If it weren't for Miss Robin, you'd be a crispy, electrocuted mess!"
"I won! You lost!"
"Damn it! Shut up!"
Clang!
"You two! Stop it!"
The two started fighting on the spot, but Nami quickly knocked both out with a punch each.
Sanji's lovestruck eyes: "Hi! Angry Nami-san is so cute!"
Nami sighed deeply. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if the ship were gone! Everything was so difficult for her.
"Okay, everyone, Luffy hasn't come back yet. So if you've got nothing to do, wait on the boat!"
"Okay!"
Everyone sat down casually, and Robin jumped back onto the Going Merry. She remembered Jason might still be sulking! She needed to comfort him, so she walked over gently and squatted down beside him.
Jason hadn't moved; he was still lying face down on the beach chair.
"Jason?"
She reached out and poked him gently, but there was no response. Upon closer inspection, she realized he was asleep.
Robin: ꐦ
Robin grabbed his ear and shook him until he woke up.
"Huh? Who's messing with me? Believe it or not, I'll catch you and spank you!"
Jason's eyes widened as he was greeted by Robin's flawless face and a seemingly kind smile.
"Uh… why does baby Robin's smile look so scary?… Just let me sleep a little longer," Jason muttered, trying to turn back over to sleep.
Robin wiped a bit of drool off his face and turned over, but seeing Jason's attempt to escape from reality only made her smile wider. Her small hand reached for his ear, and she gradually applied pressure, even channeling some Haki into her grip.
"Ow! Ow! It hurts! I'm getting up, I'm getting up! Baby Robin, let go, my ears are going to fall off!"
"What did you just say? Am I scary?" Robin asked sweetly, though her grip said otherwise.
Jason, now with a serious expression, quickly backpedaled. "I was just talking about a lovely beauty calling me. You must have misheard."
"Hehe! That's more like it," Robin replied, finally letting go. She smiled genuinely and lay down next to Jason, the thought of comforting him having evaporated like it had never existed.
Eighteen minutes passed when a series of explosions rang out, causing them both to sit up from their beach chairs. They turned to see that the Rainbow Tower, which had fallen and extended into the colorful mist, had exploded. Neither of them knew what had happened.
Jason took one glance at the chaos before lying back down. Robin reached out and nudged him.
"Are you seriously not going to do anything?"
"Why should I? It's probably Luffy. He can handle it. If he can't, well… then he'll just have to deal with the consequences."
Robin thought about it for a moment and then nodded, deciding he was right. She lay back down next to him. The two of them, now lying in blissful ignorance, found that laziness was highly contagious.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the Merry was far from calm. The explosions caught everyone's attention, and they all turned their heads in unison.
"That explosion came from inside the mist!"
"Uh-huh!"
"It must be Luffy!"
"Let's go! Full rudder to the left!" Nami ordered, her voice filled with urgency.
The Merry slowly turned toward the Rainbow Tower on the left. Although no one knew exactly what was happening, they all shared the same thought—Luffy might need help.
Soon, they reached the spot where the Rainbow Tower had once stood, only to find nothing but debris.
"Look! The colorful mist is fading!" Chopper pointed out, his keen eyes noticing that the mist was growing thinner.
At this, everyone's faces showed clear anxiety—except for Jason, who remained nonchalant.
"That idiot better not have gotten himself into a mess he can't get out of," Zoro grumbled.
"I'm definitely going to beat him up this time! All he ever does is cause trouble!" Nami fumed, clenching her fists. If Luffy hadn't been fooling around, they would have already left Lulujia Island by now. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, until she punched the side of the ship in frustration.
As the colorful mist finally dissipated, everyone sat dejectedly on the deck. Usopp, ever the opportunist, immediately began packing his things as if he were ready to flee.
Jason walked over, noticing Usopp's hasty preparations. "Are you planning on fleeing the scene like Zhu Bajie? Running back to Gao Laozhuang at the first sign of trouble?"
Nami, with tears welling up in her eyes, approached Jason. "Jason… Luffy…"
"Don't panic. Trust your captain."
"But…"
"But what? Crying won't do any good, whether he comes back or not!" Jason suddenly pulled out a camera and pointed it at Nami.
"Oh, Nami is crying! This is rare, better take a photo and show Bellemere later!" he teased.
Nami's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! I'm heartbroken, and you're making jokes? Go to hell!" She punched Jason in a rage.
"Hey, I'm just kidding! No need to get violent! Hehehehe!" Jason dodged her punches, but the light-hearted banter lifted everyone's spirits a bit.
Sanji, having watched the scene unfold, later approached Jason in secret. "Brother-in-law! Can I get a copy of that photo? Nami-san is even cute when she cries!"
Jason responded with a sly grin. "How could I? I watched Nami grow up; she's practically my little sister! But... if you're willing to pay, maybe I could arrange something."
And so, the two men struck a secret deal.
Not long after their clandestine transaction, a swirling mass of colorful mist appeared atop the highest mountain on Lulujia Island, accompanied by lightning. The mist seemed to have a strange suction, pulling up sand and rocks from below, while objects tumbled out.
"Ah↘wu↗oh~~~" A voice echoed from within the mist, sounding like a strange mix between Tarzan and a foghorn. The crew turned to see a small black dot emerging from the mist.
"What is that?"
"It's too far away to see clearly!"
As the black dot came closer, they realized it was Luffy! He was flying out of the mist.
"Ah! It's Luffy!"
"Thank goodness! Luffy is back!"
"That idiot!!! He's going to miss the ship and fall into the sea! Hurry up and pick him up!" Zoro cursed, urging Nami to turn the ship around to catch him.
Luffy, spotting the Merry below, called out, "Yo! Guys! You're here!"
Nami's relief quickly turned into irritation. "Do you know how worried we were about you?"
"Ah! Sorry, sorry, I'll be right there! Gum-Gum Rocket!" Luffy, still airborne, stretched out his arm and grabbed the side of the ship. Zoro's eyes widened—he knew what was coming next.
"Hey! Wait—!"
"Boom!" Luffy's momentum carried him straight into Zoro and Sanji, slamming them into the main mast of the Merry. The impact was so strong that the mast broke, and the falling debris hit a stunned Chopper.
Zoro and Sanji were so dazed they started foaming at the mouth, taking a long time to recover. When they finally came to, they saw Usopp shaking Luffy by the collar.
"I'm telling you, you moron, you destroyed the Merry again! One more time and I'll beat you to a pulp!"
"Sorry!" Luffy apologized, though his tone wasn't exactly remorseful. Zoro, gritting his teeth, could barely contain his rage.
"One day, I'm going to kill this bastard!" Zoro muttered, his voice shaking.
"I'm with you," Sanji agreed. "But let's start by giving him a good beating first!"
The two men advanced on Luffy, and Usopp, seeing the impending storm, wisely stepped aside.
After a brief yet chaotic scuffle, Luffy, sporting a newly acquired pig's head bump, was put to work repairing the mast he had broken under Usopp's watchful eye.
Jason grinned. "Gotta photograph this. All of it. This is going straight into the blackmail folder."
(„ಡωಡ„)