Chapter 244Luffy put down the branch, waved his hand and said, "You can just call me Luffy. 'Straw Hat Kid' sounds weird."Perona was stunned for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief.He was concerned about the address?She felt a little incredible."Turns out he's actually so easy to talk to?"Perona recalled that this was completely different from the terrifying image of him tormenting her with meat and dispelling her ghosts with a punch."Oh, Lu, Luffy."Perona called out, a little unaccustomed, then stated her request, "I want to find a river or lake nearby to take a bath. I haven't cleaned myself properly these past few days, and I feel terrible. Can you keep an eye out for me not too far away?"She was the Ghost Princess!How could she tolerate being covered in sweat and dust?Moreover, there were so many wild beasts in this forest, she really didn't dare to go alone.Luffy didn't refuse, nodding readily: "Alright."Wait, why does this feel so familiar?Seeing Luffy agree so readily, the last stone in Perona's heart fell, and she even felt a faint sense of being taken care of.She shook her head, casting aside this strange thought, and eagerly pointed in the direction where she had heard water before:"Over there, I think I heard the sound of water over there before!"Nika looked uninterested."Let's go, let's go." Luffy picked up Nika and followed.Before long, a clear river appeared before their eyes.On both banks of the river were smooth pebbles and some brightly colored flowers whose names she didn't know.Perona cheered, not caring that Luffy was still nearby. After confirming that there was no obvious danger within sight, she hurriedly ran behind a huge rock and began to take off her complicated Gothic Dress."No peeking.""And don't leave.""Hey, are you still there?"Luffy responded, and Perona happily went into the water.Perona had been on edge for several days, but now finally able to soak in the cool, clean river water, she completely relaxed, letting out a comfortable sigh.She carefully washed her long hair and body, feeling the fatigue and grime of the past few days being carried away by the water.However, this relaxation did not last long."Kyaaaaa!"A sharp scream suddenly echoed from the riverside, breaking the tranquility of the forest.Luffy reacted extremely quickly, turning and rushing over almost the instant the sound rang out."What happened?!"As soon as he reached the riverbank, a wet figure, carrying fresh water vapor and dazzlingly fair skin, suddenly leaped out from behind the rock, crashing directly into his arms. Her hands tightly clasped his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist, making her cling to him like a startled koala."Don't look! Don't you dare look!"Perona shrieked, burying her face in the shadow of his Straw Hat, her voice tearful, "There's something big in the water, very big!"Luffy was a little bewildered by her sudden embrace, but he instinctively supported her with his hands to prevent her from falling.This move was also quite practiced.But, how big was this 'big thing'?Luffy looked up and saw a long, large snake revealing its body."Not bad, we can have an extra meal."Just as he was about to make a move, he heard several sharp whooshing sounds in the air.Someone's here!Chapter 327: When it's safe, Luffy is the most dangerous.Whoosh!Whoosh! Whoosh!Several arrows, like black lightning, shot out from the forest opposite, hitting the giant snake's vital points with extreme precision.The arrows were incredibly powerful, piercing straight through the snake's vital spots."Such precise archery!"And the arrows seemed to be imbued with Armament Haki?Luffy's eyes narrowed as he looked in the direction the arrows came from.He also knew that being able to use Haki in the first half of the Grand Line was quite extraordinary.Could it be that he had arrived in the New World?"Are you two alright?"A clear female voice rang out. From the dense forest on the opposite bank, a tall young woman emerged. She had short golden hair, with the ends slightly curled upwards, and a slender figure.From the dense forest on the opposite bank, a tall young woman emerged. She had short golden hair, with the ends slightly curled upwards, and a slender figure.Perona peeked out and muttered, "She's quite pretty, why did she only show up now?"She had been hungry for many days."It's very dangerous here, there are many wild beasts around."A somewhat bold voice came from beside the blonde woman, and a burly woman walked out."Oh, very strong," Luffy said.Both were wearing clothes with strong ethnic characteristics.The upper body was a short top similar to a bandeau, revealing toned abs and a V-cut, while the lower body was a long skirt with extremely high slits on both sides, appearing both sexy and agile when they moved.They carried longbows on their backs and quivers at their waists. Even more eye-catching, large snakes with cold, shimmering scales were coiled around their shoulders!Seeing the two large snakes flicking their tongues, Perona was so scared that she buried her face again. Compared to Luffy, she was now more afraid of these two strange women with snakes."Thank you. But can you help find some clothes? Her clothes seem to be gone."Perona looked up and found her Gothic Lolita Dress floating over from the river.She nearly fainted.That was her favorite dress.Although she wanted to thank Luffy for being so considerate, she belatedly realized that she was clinging to him like an octopus.Ahhh, how embarrassing!But why did Luffy look so calm?Is this a normal reaction?Perona's brain was practically on fire.This was not a normal reaction, but Luffy had experienced it countless times, so it was not surprising for him to react this way.The two women then noticed that Perona, whom Luffy was holding, was almost completely naked, and their expressions became a little strange.Even in their Amazon Lily, with its simple customs, such a posture would only occur between people who were very close.For some reason, seeing this posture, a blush also crept onto Margaret's cheeks.She took out a spare set of clothes, identical to theirs, from a small pouch she carried and handed it over."Which village are you from? How did you end up in such a dangerous downstream river? Come back to the village with us quickly," Margaret said with concern.She clearly mistook Luffy and Perona for residents of the island.Perona quickly took the clothes.Then, flustered, she got off Luffy and hurried behind the rock to quickly put on the new clothes.Luffy, meanwhile, was a little curious about Margaret's invitation.Was there a village here?"Go back to the village? Alright!"Luffy readily agreed.He was just looking for someone to ask about the island's situation.If he were to find a place to train, he hoped it would be the Sabaody Archipelago.It wasn't necessarily that the most dangerous place was the safest place.The thousand sunny and the going merry were both in the Sabaody Archipelago. If his companions weren't there, he could guard them there, and it was also very close to Impel Down.It was a good choice both as a base for attacking Impel Down and as a place to set sail again.He wanted to ask them where this place was and how to get back to the Sabaody Archipelago.Luffy was also curious about their ability to use Haki.You know, Zoro and Sanji also went through a lot of training to learn Haki.Perona, now dressed, walked out from behind the rock, looking a little bashful.This outfit was a bit too revealing and cool for her; the bandeau-style top tightly hugged her well-developed chest, exposing her entire slender waist and navel, while the high-slit long skirt made her fair, long legs appear and disappear.She tugged at the hem of her skirt uncomfortably, her cheeks flushed.Her previous pink twin pigtails were temporarily down because she had just bathed, and her wet hair was draped over her shoulders. The heavy eye makeup was also washed off, revealing her original delicate and refined features.She looked less like a Gothic 'punk girl' and more like a gentle maiden with a touch of mature charm."Hmm, you look better like this," Luffy said, scrutinizing her from head to toe."One wouldn't even know it was the same person."Compared to her previous image as a Gothic girl with heavy eye makeup and twin pigtails who looked a bit rebellious, her current ladylike appearance was indeed much more pleasing to the eye."Hmph, who asked you!" Perona retorted, crossing her arms."The style is not bad." Nika nodded.Nika seemed interested and grabbed Perona's back strap.Perona's face grew even redder.What was that smelly raccoon doing!The two women opposite also introduced themselves.The blonde was Margaret, and the other burly woman was named Stderr.They looked at Perona with curiosity.Because they noticed that Perona seemed to have floated out from behind the rock earlier, her feet not touching the ground."How did you do that? Floating in the air?" Margaret asked, unable to contain her curiosity."That's the power of the Horo Horo no Mi," Peronareplied as a matter of course, while awkwardly adjusting to her new clothes. "I am a Hollow-Hollow Fruit User."Perona replied as a matter of course, while awkwardly adjusting to her new clothes. "I am a Hollow-Hollow Fruit User."She demonstrated slightly, making her body float a few more centimeters higher."Hollow-Hollow Fruit User.""Devil Fruit User?!"Margaret and Stderr exchanged glances.Because Amazon Lily was isolated from the outside world, it was very difficult to obtain newspapers and other external information. Most of the island's residents did not know about the existence of Devil Fruits in the outside seas."Could it be the same as Empress Boa Hancockand them?"
