One punch was all it took to leave Nika speechless.
Luffy almost missed the days when Nika would bare its teeth and snarl.
This so-called 'freedom' he was offering wasn't some empty promise. Luffy craved freedom himself; being locked up in a place like this would be unbearable for him.
Honestly, he didn't know how Nika could endure staying in this sunless place for so long.
But coming here was just to catch his breath.
After catching his breath, he had to go back out. Deep down, he thrived on a good fight.
But this damned Plan was inhuman. It made even someone like Luffy, who loved to fight, feel a bit desensitized and overwhelmed.
That kind of non-stop battle was torture.
Even an epic, multi-day fight against a peer-level opponent would at least have moments to breathe.
And this damn place had no food, no way to support his rubbery 'comeback' ability.
Once his stamina was gone, Luffy knew it was over for him.
Even his so-called passive talent for quick recovery couldn't manage a comeback in those conditions.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd died. Definitely more times than Dorry and Brogy combined.
They truly were giants!
Luffy was flattened on the ground, completely out of strength. He looked up to see Dorry's sword descending towards him.
"Tch. Just you wait until I'm the Pirate King..."
Before he could finish, his consciousness faded.
"Hmm... mmm~"
Early the next morning, when the horizon showed only the faintest sliver of dawn, Vivi awoke from her sleep.
Inside the tent, it was quiet, save for the even breathing of Nami beside her and, further away, the sound of Robin, also apparently just waking up, moving quietly.
Vivi sat up gently and peeked outside through a gap in the tent flap.
The campfire hadn't fully died out; embers flickered stubbornly against the chill of the approaching dawn.
After last night's feast, they'd all slept where they were. The boys on one side, the girls in tents they'd pitched.
And by the campfire, a figure was already active.
It was Luffy.
He was drenched in sweat, performing high-intensity physical training, repeating monotonous yet powerful punches and squats. Steam faintly rose from his reddened skin—a pre-heating state reminiscent of Gear Second.
If you wanted to slack off, you had no business being strong.
Even Luffy admitted that without The Plan, the capital he'd spent since setting sail was what he'd accumulated from Grandpa Garp's 'loving' punches in his childhood.
If he ever encountered an enemy too powerful to overcome, he'd have to stop and train again anyway.
Trying to challenge old-timers who had been honing themselves for decades with just over a decade of childhood accumulation? Even with immense talent, time was still a necessary ingredient.
Watching Luffy's focused, diligent figure, Vivi couldn't help but feel a moment of dawning realization and admiration.
Immense power didn't come from nothing; it was forged through this kind of grueling, day-in, day-out training.
Just...
She blinked, somewhat puzzled. Luffy's hair was wet, as if he'd just taken a bath?
Do people get up at dawn to exercise and take a bath first?
Seeming to sense Vivi's gaze, Luffy stopped, wiped his sweat, and turned with his trademark bright smile. "Yo, morning."
Though the smile held a hint of an indescribable awkwardness.
If he could, Luffy would have loved to hug his pillow and sleep until the sun was high... But on second thought, that might not be great either. Because most of the times he could sleep in were spent making up for lost sleep within his dreams.
Wasn't that just being stuck between a rock and a hard place?
Might as well just sleep for one hour then.
This morning, after finishing his dream-battle with the giants and before even opening his eyes, that life-or-death voice in his head sounded.
[WARNING: It is now training time. Please commence immediately...]
He couldn't even wake up fully.
So, he tried a little act of rebellion.
Like only starting to move with a sudden kip-up when the countdown hit 'one,' trying to claw back a few precious seconds of sleep.
Never mind if it worked. For Luffy, this scraped-together time was a precious victory.
It was his small rebellion against the system, a tiny act of resistance!
However, today his timing seemed slightly off. At the last moment, he couldn't completely avoid that damned penalty mechanism.
Plus, he woke up full of energy with no time to stop it, leading to... a minor incident, forcing him to sneak off to a nearby stream to rinse off quickly while everyone was still asleep.
Strangely enough, though, the ordeal and the shock of the cold water completely washed away his lingering drowsiness, leaving him exceptionally alert.
This probably proved the old saying:
Blocking is worse than channeling; channeling is worse than releasing?
Some medical knowledge he'd been forced to cram into his head a few days ago surfaced inexplicably. It seemed to make sense, though the 'cost' was a bit hard to talk about.
But the simple medical knowledge did allow Luffy to make a judgment.
Releasing pent-up energy was equivalent to revitalizing it, leading to a prolonged state of abnormal excitement. If he ever felt lacking in energy, perhaps this special therapy could be applied.
Of course, moderation was key.
[WARNING: Independent training time completed. Searching for new learning focus. REMINDER: It is now time for the Vivi Plan. Please commence immediately...]
Luffy habitually looked at Vivi.
In his eyes, Vivi was a knowledgeable person. After all, as a princess, her bearing made her stand out in a crowd.
But sometimes, she blended perfectly with rough-around-the-edges folks like them.
"What is Vivi good at?"
Luffy pondered. Never mind what Vivi was good at. He'd already learned all sorts of abstract things. Could there be anything more abstract?
For someone who hated studying like him, it was all a form of torture.
This mental torture wasn't going away anytime soon, which was why his Kenbunshoku Haki proficiency kept soaring.
Maybe that was the Plan's ultimate goal!
Lost in thought, Vivi had already stepped out of the tent, intending to return to the Merry Go on the nearby river to freshen up and have breakfast. As she walked, she asked:
"Luffy, do you always get up this early to train?"
"The early bird gets the worm, Vivi. Do you want to eat a worm?"
"Huh?"
Vivi was taken aback. The phrase felt a bit... ambiguous.
Who was the bird? Who was the worm?
And who asks someone if they want to eat worms for breakfast?
Luffy scratched his head with an awkward laugh, quickly explaining. "I mean, Vivi, do you want to join me? Don't you want to get stronger?"
"Can I?!"
Vivi's eyes instantly lit up.
Facing Baroque Works, facing Crocodile, she had felt for the first time how helpless even a kingdom could be in the face of absolute power.
Deep down, she had a burning desire to become stronger!
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!