Chapter 175Vivi wanted to develop her Wind-Wind Fruit. Currently, the most authoritative person on the ship regarding Devil Fruit development was undoubtedly Luffy.Although Robin and Nami didn't aspire to be as strong as combatants like Sanji and Zoro, they still needed to develop their abilities or refine their professional skills.Even little Merry stared at Luffy with her big, expectant eyes."Since everyone wants to get stronger, let's train together!"Coincidentally, it was also time for the pirate king training plan."Then Zoro and Sanji first!"Luffy clapped his hands, thinking that perhaps during their sparring, he could find the feeling of Golden Lion's Haoshoku Infusion.Chapter 253: Heading to Sabaody ArchipelagoIf the teacher isn't strong enough, then the students can only work hard themselves!It's like a certain matter; if the other party doesn't move, you can only take the initiative.However, ideals are grand, but reality is harsh.When Nami emerged from the chart room in the afternoon, ready to ask what was for dinner, she found several people lying sprawled on the deck."What happened to them?"Nami looked at Zoro, Sanji, and others slumped on the ground, their chests still rising and falling, and even Usopp and Chopper lying beside them.Luffy was doing bicep curls with a giant dumbbell, looking innocent:"They just collapsed from training.""I just barely made them do the same physical training as me, and then they couldn't take it anymore."He teased them with a tone that implied his current companions weren't quite up to par."Who do you think is a monster like you?!"Usopp protested with his last ounce of strength, his arm still trembling uncontrollably, "Hundreds of push-ups in half an hour? And those weighted squats? Is that something a human can do?"Chopper nodded tearfully; he was a reindeer, and he felt like his legs weren't his own anymore.Zoro and Sanji didn't even have the strength to speak, only expressing their shared indignation with their eyes.They even suspected Luffy had given them extra special training!After physical training, there was also impact resistance training, euphemistically called practicing Observation Haki perception and Armament Haki defense. Could Luffy's fists be taken lightly?Let alone Usopp and Chopper, even Zoro, who prided himself on his tough skin, and Sanji, who specialized in kicking techniques and had a stable lower body, felt half-dead.Luffy put down the dumbbell, whistled, and spread his hands, saying, "You're the ones who said you wanted extra training."He actually felt his companions' ideas were a bit superfluous.Encountering enemies of Golden Lion's caliber was inherently his responsibility as Captain.For him, everyone having fun adventuring together was the most important thing.However, he also understood Zoro's feelings.They wanted to become stronger, to fight alongside him, instead of just worrying from the sidelines or clearing out small fry.He had received that sentiment.Nami looked at the few people lying motionless on the ground, especially Sanji, sighed helplessly, walked over, and pinched Luffy's cheek: "Sanji is so tired, who's going to make dinner?"Luffy's mouth was distorted from the pulling, and he mumbled indistinctly:"Hmm, then I'll have to do it. Let me show you my skills.""Miss Nami, just leave it to him."Sanji was so tired he could only pant, barely raising one hand, "Luffy already has two-tenths of my skill.""Only two-tenths?" Luffy retorted unhappily, "At least five-tenths!"Nami was skeptical.Then she thought, Luffy had become a good Navigator after studying navigation knowledge with her for a while.Other aspects should be similar.At dinner time, the table was filled with food personally cooked by Luffy.Indeed.Although the presentation wasn't as exquisite as Sanji's, the taste was surprisingly good, the portions were generous and filling, full of Luffy's bold style.Everyone ate, unable to help but sigh with emotion.This Captain Luffy, they almost broke down after half a day of his training intensity, but he had been doing this almost every day since East Blue, and even at higher intensity. This perseverance and talent made them unable to even feel jealous."Luffy, you're truly a monster," Usopp said sincerely, gnawing on a piece of meat."Hahaha, of course, because I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" Luffy said without modesty, gulping down his food.Just then, little Merry excitedly ran in, holding a News Coo.In the past, everyone's first reaction upon seeing a News Coo might have been to add it to the menu, but Robin later reminded them that Morgans, the president of the World Economic Journal, was a well-informed and vengeful individual. If they offended his News Coo, they might truly become blind in the vast ocean in the future.So, the important task of greeting the News Coowas now entrusted to the most harmless, cute, and friendly little Merry on the ship.The News Coo also liked her very much, always flapping its wings and burrowing into her arms whenever it came.Nami bought two newspapers."This incident won't make the headlines, will it?" Luffy said, losing interest.Although he defeated a legendary pirate like Golden Lion, the only regret was that no one saw it. Surely, there couldn't be World Governmentspies in the sky, that would be too terrifying.If Golden Lion were still alive, he wouldn't go around saying he was defeated by Luffy. Old generation pirates valued their reputation too much.Nami unfolded the newspaper and said with a strange expression, "It seems it really did make the headlines."The front page headline reported a world-shaking major event!"Legendary Pirate Golden Lion Shiki, Imprisoned in Impel Down Again!""Marines Achieve Brilliant Victory, Upholding Justice in the Seas!"The report went to great lengths to sensationalize, attributing all credit for Golden Lion's capture to the Marines' heroic actions, detailing how the Marines strategized, how they fiercely battled, and finally recaptured the legendary pirate who had escaped for twenty years. As for the specific process and who defeated Golden Lion, the report was vague.It was another moment for the charm of journalism.People who read this newspaper naturally assumed that Golden Lion was captured by the Marines.One could only say that the Marines took the blame, and the benefits had nothing to do with Luffy and his crew.But it also brought the only good news.The so-called disappearing towns reported in previous newspapers were all caused by Golden Lion. With Golden Lion imprisoned in Impel Downagain, the incident was now over.Nami and the others breathed a sigh of relief.Luffy, however, was concerned about another matter and said, "So it was the World Governmentwho took Golden Lion away? I felt a strange aura at the time.""I didn't expect them to send him directly to Impel Down," Nami carefully read the report and breathed a sigh of relief: "It doesn't seem to mention anything about us. The World Government must have concealed this matter again."Robin elegantly sipped the soup Luffy had stewed and calmly said, "That's a good thing. We caused too much of a stir at Enies Lobby, and it hasn't been long since then; the commotion hasn't completely died down."Nami patted her chest: "It's great that the World Government doesn't know Luffy defeated Golden Lion."Robin gently put down her spoon and rationally analyzed: "Not necessarily. The high-ranking officials of the World Government and within the Marine forces must already know. Just like with Crocodile and the Enies Lobby incident, they simply chose the most advantageous way to report it. By controlling public opinion, they decide what the public knows and what they conceal."Luffy pouted, "This World Government is really annoying."He picked up a piece of meat, ate it, and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked, where's our next destination?"Nami took out the sea chart and log pose, confirmed it, and said, "The end of the first half of the Grand Line, a place called Sabaody Archipelago.""Oh oh oh!"Everyone immediately became excited.Chapter 254: Shichibukai KillerRegarding Sabaody Archipelago, Granny Coco in Water Seven had told them a lot."Are we finally going to finish the first half of the voyage?""The Red Line! Fish-Man Island!""I wonder what the second half will be like? It's called the New World, right?""The enemies will definitely be even stronger!"Zoro tightly gripped his chopsticks, feeling a sense of urgency, "I'm full, I'm going to train some more."He stood up to leave.Nika, who was secretly holding a small pot of sake she had cajoled from Nami, called out, "Hey, Marimo, don't you want to drink together?"A trace of struggle flashed across Zoro's face; for a drunkard, the temptation of fine wine was immense.But he ultimately shook his head firmly: "Next time for sure."With that, he walked towards the training room without looking back.Sanji also stood up, stretching his still-sore ankles: "Count me in. My Sky Walk technique still needs some work; I must master it as soon as possible."He followed Zoro and left.Luffy looked at their determined backs, both amused and exasperated:"How come I seem to be the idlest one now?"Over the next few days, everyone seemed to enter a state of preparation.Zoro and Sanji competed with each other in extra training, Usopp researched his new ammunition and diligently tried to perceive Observation Haki.Chopper delved into medical books and tried to develop more forms of the rumble ball, Vivipracticed fine control of her Wind-Wind Fruit on the deck, Robin read ancient texts and organized historical data, and even Nami buried herself in thick books on nautical meteorology.Luffy, meanwhile, followed the arrangements of the pirate king training plan, sometimes studying navigation with Nami, sometimes discussing ship maintenance and modifications with Franky, which also kept him busy.The idlest one was probably Nika.This Sun God, who was initially full of bitterness and intent on revenge and freedom, now seemed to have completely fallen in love with a life of drunken revelry, constantly clutching a sake pot.His only wish now was for Nami to give him the key to the wine cellar.After two days of sailing, they expected to reach Sabaody Archipelago smoothly, but an unexpected event occurred.Early that morning, little Merry in the crow's nest was bored, watching Luffy exercising below.Some of the crew were still sleeping, while others, like Luffy, had already started their morning exercises.She suddenly noticed a vast, boundless area of dense fog appearing on the horizon ahead."Everyone, something's happening!"Merry immediately shouted through the ship's loudspeaker, "A huge area of dense fog has appeared ahead! We can't see anything inside the fog."Encountering dense fog during sea travel is very troublesome.A shipwreck can occur with the slightest mistake.Because it's impossible to tell if there are hidden reefs, icebergs, or other obstacles ahead, sailboats have no brakes. Once they get too close, it's easy to run out of time to dodge or stop the ship.Even Merry, the Klabautermann, would have her perception greatly reduced in dense fog.Nami, as the Navigator, rushed out of the ladies' quarters immediately, her expression serious: "How big is the area? Can our ship go around it?"Merry tried to sense it, then shook her head dejectedly: "No, Sister Nami, the area is too vast."This made things difficult.Nami glanced at the log pose in her hand; the direction pointed directly into the dense fog.She decisively gave orders, "Everyone, adjust the sails, reduce speed! Merry, bring the going merryinto the thousand sunny's dock; we'll approach slowly."After the two ships merged into one, the thousand sunny slowly sailed towards that dark, misty area that seemed to swallow all light.As the sunny slowly entered the dense fog region, the surrounding light rapidly dimmed, as if instantly transitioning from day to dusk.Visibility plummeted to less than fifty meters, and the surroundings were eerily silent, with only the gentle sound of seawater lapping against the hull.Deck lights came on, but in the dense fog, the light couldn't travel far either, barely illuminating a small area around the ship.Luffy stood at the bow, reaching out to grab a handful of the mist in front of him; it was cold and damp to the touch:
