Carl didn't let Luffy get a single bite until Brook was full. Luffy finally got to eat, and of course, he stuffed the rest of the food into his mouth. His stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit.
"This feels absolutely amazing!" Brook said. He felt a surge of strength in his body, a look of surprise on his face, even though he was a skeleton and couldn't show emotions in a traditional sense. His seventy or eighty-year-old bones had become radiant and shiny, and the cracks from before were being repaired. He felt healthier and more vigorous.
Carl nodded with satisfaction. "The first application of the ointment worked perfectly. There are six more to go. After you apply it six more times, you'll get a massive increase in power. But there's no rush; you have to get used to your current strength first. I'm going to increase your training in the coming days, so you better be ready!"
Brook shivered at the thought of the pain from applying the medicine. But he knew he had joined a powerful pirate crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. If he didn't get stronger, he would only hold them back, so he had to endure the pain.
"Alright! Teacher Carl, please guide me!"
A devilish grin spread across Carl's face. Everyone shivered; they hadn't seen that smile in a long time. It was the same one Carl made whenever he was about to put them through brutal training. He was a monster!
The next day, everyone woke up early for their morning exercises. Carl specifically called Franky and Brook over. He gave them a detailed lesson on the Marine Six Styles and Haki with a two-on-one combat session. Afterward, he sent Franky to work on upgrading the Pacifista they had.
Franky didn't need to learn the Six Styles, since upgrading the Pacifista's gear would be a different way for him to grow stronger. Still, Carl wanted him to understand the power of the Six Styles so he wouldn't be caught off guard by powerful Marines in the future.
Carl also insisted that even a robot had to learn Haki because it made it easier to fight against Devil Fruit users. Until Franky awakened his Haki, Carl recommended that he make weapons out of Seastone.
Of course, those were just minor details to be discussed later. For now, the focus was on Brook's training. Carl pulled out Third Generation Onitsu and started a high-intensity, one-on-one sword fighting session with Brook. He basically just beat him into the deck.
He wasn't afraid of breaking Brook's bones because with Chopper and Trafalgar Law around, the higher the intensity, the better. Once Brook was completely exhausted, Carl would apply the medicine for the second time.
This would make his bones stronger much faster—it was a method they had perfected on the Boeing Islands, and there was no doubt about its effectiveness. The only downside was that Momoo would have to hunt more.
A few days later, Brook had applied the medicine three times, and he had become noticeably stronger. On this day, everyone spotted a strange group of islands in the distance. They were made up of massive trees and everyone got excited.
These giant trees had vertical stripes on their trunks that looked like numbers. Each one was hundreds of meters tall, and their trunks were so thick that ten people couldn't wrap their arms around one. Bubbles floated from the islands and exploded in the sky, creating a spectacular scene.
From inside the submarine, Trafalgar Law said, "That's the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Sabaody Archipelago?" Luffy and the others who didn't know asked.
"This place is actually formed by the largest mangrove tree in the world, the Yarukiman Mangrove. The entire island is covered by its roots. But be careful, it's very close to the Red Line and the former Marine Headquarters.
We might run into the Marines or the World Government there!" Law said, emphasizing the danger. He soon realized Luffy wasn't listening at all.
For Luffy, this was a place made from a giant tree, and it sounded fun to explore. He didn't care about anything else. He also didn't care about the Marines or the World Government. Not even a Marine Admiral could stop him from exploring the island!
The arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Sabaody Archipelago caused a major stir. All the local forces went into high alert.
The Straw Hats had recently been named one of the Five Emperors, and no one dared to underestimate them. They had fought the Big Mom Pirates to a standstill and showed off their powers at the Summit War. Almost everyone was terrified of them.
The Marines, however, ignored the news. They were too busy building their new headquarters in the New World. In addition, Akainu and Aokiji were about to have their duel to decide the next Fleet Admiral. The outcome of the duel would determine the future of the Marines, so no one was taking it lightly. No one had time for the Straw Hat Pirates!
As for the pirates who had just arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, they were suddenly on their best behavior, too scared to cause trouble for fear of offending one of the Five Emperors.
Of course, there was one exception: the Celestial Dragons. This group of people were not only dim-witted but also ridiculously arrogant. They believed that the World Government and the Marines were their servants and that they, the Celestial Dragons, were the creators of the world and everyone else was their slave. They feared no one and didn't need to hide.
The Celestial Dragons currently on the Sabaody Archipelago had no intention of leaving. This was a nightmare for their bodyguards and a source of great embarrassment for the Marines. Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't help but curse when he heard about it.
Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but the Straw Hats were a different story. These young people were powerful, vicious pirates who were not afraid of anything. They didn't care about the Celestial Dragons being "creators."
If they got angry, they wouldn't hesitate to kill. When that happened, the Celestial Dragons would get what they deserved, but the World Government wouldn't let it slide.
In the end, it would be the Marines who would have to clean up the mess and take the blame. It was a lose-lose situation.
Out of desperation, Sengoku had no choice but to send Kizaru. "Polusalino, I'm not asking you to fight the Straw Hats. I'm asking you to protect the Celestial Dragons. It's best if you don't clash with them. But if you do, make sure the Celestial Dragons are safe!"
"Seriously, the Straw Hat Pirates are such a handful. I have to face them again. This is too much work," Kizaru said, feigning helplessness. He couldn't even ask Sengoku for a raise because Sengoku was about to retire and couldn't make that decision.
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