Chapter 58 Who gave you the courageChapter 58: Who Gave You the Courage?"Ah ha ha ha ha, look, everything is just as it was before. This is my castle, and the Drum Kingdomwill be revived here, wah ha ha ha!"Wapol laughed like a madman.Luke didn't understand why he was laughing so happily. The Munch-Munch Fruit was gone, which was truly strange.Luke pushed open the castle gates and asked, "What are you laughing at?"Wapol's laughter stopped abruptly."You... why are you here?"Wapol saw Luke, his face filled with dread, and he unconsciously took a few steps back."I was about to ask you that. How dare you return? Did Liang Jingru give you the courage?" Luke asked."This is my castle! I'm going to revive the Drum Kingdom!" Wapol declared confidently.Just then, Kureha and Chopper also came out.Kureha said, "This castle no longer belongs to you. This isn't a place for you brats. Get out of this country! The Drum Kingdom has already fallen!""What did you say?" Wapol looked incredulous."Wait, I'll be the one to punch that guy away!"Luffy ran out from inside the castle."Gum-Gum Pistol!"A fierce Gum-Gum Pistol sent Wapol flying."Demon Binding Rope!"Luke shouted, pulling Wapol back from mid-air with the Demon Binding Rope."Did Liang Jingru give you the courage?"Luke straddled Wapol and rained down punches, leaving his face bruised and swollen."Still dare to come back?" Luke asked."Mercy, please, mercy!" Wapol begged, covering his face with his hands.This scene left Kureha and Chopper stunned."Wait, me too."Sanji also rushed out, delivering a barrage of kicks to Wapol on the ground.Wapol's two subordinates couldn't hold back.Kuromarimo said, "You guys, to treat His Majesty King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom with such disrespect!"Chess said, "That's right, he's the King! To His Majesty the King, who rules the people of this island, you actually..."Luffy stretched his face into a grimace: "Who cares about you guys? You're making me really annoyed!"Kureha asked, "Do you know them?"Luffy said, "Yeah, they're just a couple of troublemakers, troublemaker pirates.""Troublemakers?""They always come looking for trouble with us, eating our ship, attacking our friends. I won't let them off!" Luffy said indignantly.Suddenly, Luffy realized a problem: "Did that guy just say he was a king? He wasn't a pirate after all!"Such was Luffy's reaction time; you never knew when the signal would reach his brain.Kuromarimo said, "You idiots, you finally realize you've made a huge mistake! Lord Wapol is His Majesty the King of the Drum Kingdom. He only temporarily became a pirate for some reason when he met you."Chess said, "Now Lord Wapol is no longer a pirate; he has returned to this castle to be the King of this country again."No one paid any attention to what the two of them were saying.Chopper asked Luke, "That guy, his arm stretched out just now."Luke nodded, "Yes, because he's a rubber man, and like you, he ate a Devil Fruit."Luke and Chopper's conversation made Kuromarimoand Chess feel slighted.Kuromarimo launched the first attack, throwing his static hairball directly at Kureha.Sanji extended his right leg, easily blocking the static hairball."Hey, Mr. Afro, it's pretty rude to throw your afro at a lady!"Kureha smiled slightly, "Aren't you quite polite?"Immediately after, Sanji discovered that the hairball was stuck to his leg and he couldn't shake it off.The reason was static adhesion.Then, Kuromarimo threw several more static hairballs, which stuck to Sanji's body.Sanji kept trying to pick off the hairballs: "What are these? Damn it, so disgusting! Luke, stop watching and help me!""No problem, I'm coming!"As soon as Luke got near Sanji, the static hairballs attached themselves to Luke."Holy crap, now they're on me! Here, take them back!"Luke pushed the static hairballs back onto Sanji."No need to give them back to me, you can have them." Sanji pushed the hairballs from his body back onto Luke.In a short while, Luke was covered in static hairballs, and Sanji let out a sigh of relief.It wasn't that Luke didn't want to push the static hairballs back to Sanji, but he didn't want to waste any more time.Luke clenched his right fist, and flames surged out, engulfing his entire body and burning off all the static hairballs."You two, come at me together!" Luke beckoned to Kuromarimo and Chess.Chess raised his bow: "Triple Arrow Shot!"Three arrows shot from Chess's longbow, but Luke's flame impact incinerated them.The fierce flame impact struck Chess, sending him flying.As for Kuromarimo, Luke wasted no more words, delivering a kick that sent him flying onto the recently landed Chess.In one encounter, Luke dealt with these two so-called executives, who were actually just cannon fodder.Luke clapped his hands: "Alright, that's settled. Should we lock them up or...?"Defeating the two executives so easily greatly surprised Kureha and Chopper, but the Straw Hat Crew were already accustomed to it.After discussion, Kureha decided to tie them up first and then hand them over to Dalton.After tying the three of them with the Demon Binding Rope, everyone returned to the dining room to continue eating."I really didn't expect you little brats to be quite strong," Kureha said.Luffy chuckled, then ate his meat heartily.A few hours later, Dalton arrived after hearing the news.Dalton was panting heavily; he had been very worried ever since he heard Wapol had come to the castle."Dr. Kureha, are you alright!"Kureha shook her head: "I'm fine. How to deal with Wapol and them is up to you."At this time, Wapol and his two subordinates were tied up in the snow, shivering from the cold."Wapol was actually defeated," Dalton murmured.Dalton snapped out of his surprise: "I think we should lock them up first, keep them in the cells indefinitely."Kureha nodded: "Yes, lock them up for now. We shouldn't let people like them out again.""Alright, Dr. Kureha. Guards, take them away!"At Dalton's command, the members of the guard 隊carried the three away.Finally, the matters of the Drum Kingdom came to an end. Now they just had to wait for Nami's recovery.However, the recruitment of Chopper had not yet been smoothly completed.With Luffy around, Luke wasn't worried.During Nami's recovery, Luffy chased Chopperaround every day, relentlessly insisting that he join the crew.Kureha saw all of this. She actually realized that despite Chopper's tough exterior, he was secretly happy and also needed companions.
Chapter 59 Miraculous SakuraChapter 59: The Miraculous Cherry BlossomsDusk was falling, and heavy snow drifted on the mountaintop. This kind of weather was typical here.Luffy had chased Chopper all afternoon and finally lost him. Chopper had hidden, and no one knew where he went.Nami had woken up. To reach Alabasta as soon as possible, she decided to leave tonight.Luke and Usopp, bored, had started playing with snowballs."Luke, what fun things do you think a snowball can appraise?" Usopp asked.Hearing this, Luke began to appraise the snowball."Ding! Appraisal successful. Snowball appraised as a snow-flavored mochi dumpling, replenishes body nutrition."Usopp chewed the snow-flavored mochi dumpling: "It doesn't taste like much, but it's quite chewy."Snow-flavored was pretty much the taste of water; there was no actual flavor.He continued to appraise."Ding! Appraisal successful. Snowball appraised as a snowball bomb, explodes five seconds after being thrown!""Get out of the way!"Luke threw the snowball bomb.Five seconds later, the snowball exploded.The strong shockwave scattered all the accumulated snow on the ground; its power was no less than a cannonball."That's terrifying!" Usopp exclaimed in shock.He hadn't expected a snowball could appraise so many interesting things, so Luke continued to appraise."Ding! Appraisal critical hit. Snowball appraised as a Paramecia-type Snow Monster Devil Fruit. After consumption, one can transform into a Snow Monster to attack!"Hiss~~Looking at the Devil Fruit with snowflake patterns in his hand, Luke was a little incredulous."Is this...is this a Devil Fruit?" Usopp asked.Luke nodded: "It's a Snow Monster Devil Fruit. After eating it, you can transform into a Snow Monster to attack.""Zoro should eat this. A three-sword style warrior who transforms into a Snow Monster would be absolutely amazing!" Usopp said.Zoro, hearing this, came closer: "What a joke, I don't want to turn into a Snow Monster. You should eat it. Your long nose is just like a Snow Monster's long nose, ah ha ha ha ha!""That's a snowman, hey, not a Snow Monster! Snow Monsters don't have long noses!" Usopp shouted.Luke gave the Snow Monster Devil Fruit a low overall rating due to its low practicality. He threw it into his spatial ring as a collectible.Under the repeated persuasion of Luffy, Nami, and others, Chopper finally agreed to join the Straw Hat Pirates.In fact, Chopper's heart was already willing, but he felt somewhat inferior about himself."I'm a reindeer, with feet and hooves, and a blue nose to boot!" Chopper shouted.This reminded Luke of what Dr. Kureha had said: Can you heal his spiritual wounds?That was a definite yes. With lively characters like Luffy around, Chopper would experience unparalleled joy."Although I really want to be a pirate, I'm not human, and I'm a monster. Someone like me can't be your companion. So, so I'm very grateful to you. Thank you for inviting me. I'll stay here. Let's meet again if we get a chance. If you miss me, just come here." Chopper smiled.Luffy cheered: "You're so noisy! Let's go!"At this moment, Chopper shed tears of excitement.Who wouldn't love such a Luffy? Luke silently took a puff from his ever-burning, throat-soothing, calming cigarette.Zoro grumbled: "Who invites someone and then calls them noisy?"Chopper let out an excited roar, accepting Luffy's invitation.Finally, Chopper was going to join the crew! This was going to be interesting. The lively trio of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper was now formed.Chopper returned to the castle to bid farewell to Dr. Kureha. The others waited quietly at the entrance."Nami, are you feeling alright?" Luke asked.Nami smiled and gave a thumbs up: "I'm fine! I'm in great shape!"Nami was a kind little cat burglar. Leaving early was to allow Princess Vivi to return to Alabasta as soon as possible.With Chopper's care, Nami's health issues would no longer be a concern.Usopp said: "So are we really just leaving like this?"Nami said: "Of course! Once Chopper comes, we'll go down the mountain and set sail immediately for Alabasta."After they waited for a while, a commotion suddenly erupted from inside the castle.Chopper, transformed into a reindeer, came rushing out of the castle, pulling a sleigh. Kureha was chasing Chopper from behind.Kureha was holding various weapons: a meteor hammer, an axe, a spear."Everyone, quickly get on the sleigh! We're going down the mountain!" Chopper shouted.Kureha threw her meteor hammer, narrowly missing the sleigh.This was Kureha's way of saying goodbye; she didn't like tearful farewells.Everyone immediately got onto Chopper's sleigh and quickly slid down the mountain along the ropes on the summit.A giant full moon shone in the sky. The scene looked like a reindeer pulling Santa Claus down the mountain."Are you ready, kids!" Kureha's voice echoed from the mountaintop."Hah!""Fire!"At Kureha's command, dozens of cannons fired shells into the sky. These were the cherry blossom powders developed by Dr. Hiluluk.The loud cannon fire made Chopper stop. Villagers down below also came out to see what was happening."Dr. Kureha, all shells have been fired!""Lights on!"Dazzling light shone from the mountaintop into the sky, illuminating the entire island.Under the illumination of the light, the cherry blossom powder adhered to the snowflakes, turning the entire sky pink, as if cherry blossoms were falling, a breathtaking sight.To make cherry blossoms bloom—if this invention was completed, the country could be saved.The dream of the quack Dr. Hiluluk was realized at this moment. The country was saved, and cherry blossoms bloomed in the sky.Chopper stood there, tears streaming down his face: "Doctor Kureha."Memories flooded his mind, making Chopper unable to control his emotions. His tears were mixed with excitement and reluctance.Looking up from below, the peak of the mountain was enveloped in pink snowflakes, resembling a giant cherry blossom tree.This was Hiluluk's dying wish, and it was also the miracle of Drum Kingdom.Even back on the Going Merry, they could see the beautiful cherry blossom mountain.Chopper stood on the deck, gazing at the mountain without a word.Usopp whispered: "Is Chopper alright?"Nami said: "Let him be alone for now."Sanji said: "He's experiencing the feeling of a man embarking on a journey."Princess Vivi said: "After all, he's about to leave the island he's never left since he was born.""I'm leaving, Doctor, Doctor Kureha. It's finally starting, my adventure," Chopper murmured.Under the glow of the cherry blossoms and the bright moon, the Going Merry set sail.Just as Chopper was immersed in the sadness of departure, a joyful party began on the Going Merry.Luffy stuck chopsticks into his mouth and nostrils, making all sorts of funny poses, making everyone burst into laughter."Chopper, hey Chopper! How long are you going to keep staring blankly?" Usopp shouted with a laugh.
Chapter 60 A real man, first meetingChapter 60: A True Man, First Meeting"Drink!" Usopp took out a barrel of beer and placed it in front of Chopper."Let's sing together," Sanji said, putting an arm around Chopper."Come on, you try sticking chopsticks up your nose too," Luffy said, placing a pair of chopsticks in front of Chopper.Chopper looked shocked, receiving so much attention for the first time.Nami patted Chopper's shoulder and said, "Did we scare you? You've become a companion to this group of crazy, silly guys.""Companion..." Chopper murmured."That's right, even though they're a bunch of guys with no common sense, we're all companions now, so you'll have to get used to it," Nami said.Chopper nodded obediently, his blue nose twitching.Everyone suddenly noticed Karoo was frozen solid. Luke pulled him out of the water."Why did you freeze in the river?" Vivi asked sadly, hugging Karoo.Zoro said, "Most likely he slipped and fell in. What a stupid duck!"Karoo quacked in a language no one understood.Chopper translated, "He said a person named Zorowas swimming in the river, and then disappeared. He thought something bad happened, so he jumped in after him, and that's how he ended up like this.""So it was your fault!" Nami punched Zoro on the head.Only then did everyone realize that Chopper could understand animal languages."You're amazing, Chopper! I didn't expect you to be not only skilled in medicine but also have such an ability," Nami praised him.Hearing the praise, Chopper was overjoyed."Idiot, even if you praise me like that, I won't be happy, idiot!"Chopper was already dancing with joy."To our new companion!" Usopp raised his glass high.Everyone cheered loudly, welcoming Chopper's arrival.After the feast, everyone slept soundly, and in a blink of an eye, it was the next day.Early in the morning, with warm sunshine and a pleasant breeze, Luke began to fish.Chopper sat beside Luke, looking at the vast sea and exclaiming, "The sea is so wide!"Suddenly, a huge shadow covered the ship, and a giant eagle flew above the Going Merry."What is that?" Chopper asked, pointing at the giant eagle in the sky.Luffy yawned and walked out of the room: "Wow, what a big seagull! Hey~~ Seagull!"Luffy's greeting attracted the attention of the giant eagle.The eagle glided down, swooped over the ship, and snatched Luffy.Chopper looked shocked: "Oh no, Luffy got eaten!"Chopper came to Luke, who was fishing, and paced anxiously."Now is not the time for fishing! I told you Luffy is in trouble!"Luke calmly said, "Has he called for help?"Chopper shook his head obediently: "No.""Then there's no problem. Leave him be." Lukecontinued to fish leisurely."But..."Chopper looked up and heard Luffy shout: "Rubber, Propeller!"Luffy extended his rubber arm, grabbed the eagle in a spiral motion, and then spiraled down onto the Going Merry with the eagle."Finally, some decent food," Zoro said.Chopper stood there in a daze. Luke asked, "What's wrong, Chopper?"Chopper's blue nose twitched repeatedly: "That... pirates are really amazing."Feeling bored, Luke began to teach Chopper and Karoo how to fish.Fishing was not only for catching treasure but also for food. If they caught fish, they would give them to Sanji, and everyone could enjoy delicious meals.Chopper and Karoo had already been conquered by Sanji's delicious cooking, so they focused intently on fishing.Those fishing rods had all been appraised by Lukeand had a chance of catching treasure. Luke was very happy to have two more workers.In front of the Going Merry, steam suddenly drifted.Nami explained that the steam was caused by an underwater volcano.Soon, the Going Merry sailed into the steam, which was filled with a strong smell of sulfur, making it difficult to open one's eyes.It wasn't until the Going Merry sailed out of the steam that Luke took deep breaths.Suddenly, Luke noticed his fishing rod had become heavy. Looking down, he found he had caught a person, Mr. 2 Bon Clay."Holy crap, Bon-chan!" Luke exclaimed.Bon Clay was wearing a pink jacket, with two white swan wings on his back, hairy bare legs, and lipstick on his mouth, hanging on the fishhook with a confused expression.He was the second Okama after Emporio Ivankov, the true man Bon Clay.The reason he was caught was probably because Bon Clay's Swan Ship happened to pass by the Going Merry in the steam, and Luke's fishhook accidentally snagged Bon Clay.Luke immediately reeled in the rod, pulling Bon Clayup.Bon Clay glanced over, and due to his surprise, he himself fell into the sea."Help! Please, I can't swim!"Gurgle gurgle, as he spoke, Bon Clay slowly sank. He was also a Devil Fruit user and couldn't swim in the sea.Luke jumped into the sea and dragged the sinking Bon Clay back to the Going Merry.Bon Clay knelt on the deck, gasping for breath: "I thought I was dead! Oh, I'm really sorry, sorry, to be saved by pirates I've never met. I'll never forget your great kindness."Luffy asked curiously, "You can't swim, can you?""Exactly, because I ate a Devil Fruit.""What kind of fruit?""Since my ship hasn't arrived yet, I'll put on a little show for you."Then Bon Clay began to demonstrate his Clone-Clone Fruit ability.Bon Clay slapped Luffy, and something magical happened: Bon Clay transformed into Luffy, including all body parts, voice, and demeanor, all identical."Hahahaha, just touch it with my left hand, and I'll return to normal!"Bon Clay touched his cheek with his left hand and returned to his original form.To everyone's surprise, Bon Clay touched the cheeks of everyone on the ship.Then Bon Clay turned into Usopp, then Luke, then Zoro, then Chopper, and finally Nami."I can imitate anyone, and bodies too!"After transforming into Nami, Bon Clay, to prove he could imitate all body parts, pulled up his shirt, revealing her fair breasts—no, they were breasts identical to Nami's.Luke, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper were all shocked.Luke praised, "Splendid!"Nami rushed over and punched Bon Clay violently: "Stop it!"Bon Clay struggled to get up from the ground: "Alright, unfortunately, my ability can only be demonstrated up to here.""You're amazing!" Luffy cheered."Continue!" Luke clapped.Usopp kept whistling on the side.
Chapter 61 Desert TownChapter 61: Desert TownUnder everyone's enthusiastic urging, Bon Clayperformed his signature Swan Dance, drawing cheers from Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper.Happy times are always short-lived, and Bon Clay's Swan quickly arrived."It's time to say goodbye, what a pity, don't be sad! Meetings and partings are always part of a journey, but please don't forget this one thing: our friendship. Even if our time together was brief, don't cry!"With tears in his eyes, Bon Clay jumped onto his Swan."We must meet again!" Luffy shouted.Usopp and Chopper were already in tears.Bon Clay stood on the deck of the Swan and yelled, "Alright, let's go, my boys!""Yes, Mr.2 Bon Clay, sir!"Accompanied by the spinning turbos, the Swan departed at an extremely fast speed.Everyone was surprised: "Mr.2!""Vivi, haven't you seen his face?" Luke asked.Vivi replied, "Yes, I haven't seen Mr.2, Mr.1, or their partners, nor do I know their abilities. I have heard legends about him. Mr.2 is a tall ballet dancer who speaks in a feminine tone and likes to wear a swan coat.""Then you should have realized it sooner," Luffysaid.Since they now knew that Mr.2 was a member of Baroque Works and possessed powerful imitation abilities, everyone decided to tie a white ribbon on each person's arm to prevent future identification errors."As long as we confirm this, we won't suspect our comrades," Nami said.Sanji, who was tying a ribbon to his own arm, asked with a hint of doubt, "Is he really that good at imitating?"Sanji wasn't present earlier and hadn't witnessed Bon Clay's exaggerated imitation skills."It's not a question of 'likeness' anymore. He just transformed into Nami and even lifted her clothes. It's a real shame, Sanji, you should have seen it too." Luke calmly took a puff from his cigarette."Nani!? What did I miss!" Sanji was extremely annoyed."You missed a hundred million Berries," Luke said.After half a day of sailing, the ship finally spotted an island.Alabasta was located on this island.Looking from afar, it was a sandy color, which was also a characteristic of Alabasta, the Desert Kingdom."Let's dock the ship in the town called Laroja; we must hide the ship," Princess Vivi said."Alright, from now on, no matter what happens, the white ribbon on our left arm will be the symbol of a comrade!" Luffy declared.Everyone extended their right arms, revealing the mark on them."Then, let's disembark, go eat, and then head to Alabasta!" Luffy shouted.As soon as the ship docked, Luffy darted off, disappearing in a flash, yelling about where to find a restaurant.Finding Luffy was simple; they just needed to go to a lively place, so no one worried about him getting lost.Luke also slung his small bag over his shoulder and headed to the desert town to browse and buy some interesting items.Walking through the bustling town, the people's attire here was very similar to Arabs, almost identical in style.Luke hadn't expected the town to be so lively. Vendors on both sides loudly hawked their wares, some selling fruit, others selling grilled meat.The skewers were particularly large, and the owner said it was venison. Luke bought two to try, and the taste was quite good.A special fragrance wafted from a nearby perfume shop.Several exotic beauties emerged from it, with graceful figures and sweet faces. Luke found himself staring unconsciously.Before he knew it, Sanji suddenly appeared in front of the beauties and began to flirt with them.If this were on Earth, Luke would respectfully call Sanji 'Mr. 91 San'.After walking for a short while, Luke felt the town's most prominent feature: the scorching heat.The intense sunlight beat down on the ground, making everyone sweat profusely, and some even showed early signs of heatstroke.Luke took out the 'Never-Dry Goblet' he had previously appraised. Sweet spring water continuously flowed down his throat, providing immense relief.Arriving at a clothing store, Luke changed into an Arab-style outfit, feeling like a Persian prince.No, he was still missing a scimitar.Luke then went to a weapon shop and bought a Persian scimitar, tucking it into his waistband. After appraisal, this scimitar came with a'Spiral Throw' function, similar to Thor's Hammer's spinning hammer, but one was a blunt attack and the other was a slash.Just as Luke was about to leave the weapon shop, he saw a familiar figure.Tashigi stood at the entrance of the weapon shop, arguing with the owner."This won't do! A sword like this selling for 200,000 Berries is simply fraud! I'm telling you, do you have a sales patent? Please stop doing things like this, understand?!" Tashigi said to the weapon shop owner.With that, Tashigi turned and left. Luke immediately covered his face with his hand.It was a good thing he had changed into Arab clothes, otherwise, that big-breasted woman would have recognized him.Since Tashigi had appeared, it meant that the 'Smoker' Smoker had also arrived in this town. What a small world.Speak of the devil, Smoker appeared before Tashigi, carrying several pirates.Smoker threw the pirates to the ground: "They're just small-time pirates, daring to act arrogant and domineering in front of me, so I dealt with them easily."Smoker had two cigars in his mouth, looking very imposing.Indeed, cigars were the standard for men. Luke felt his own cigarettes weren't as appealing. He should try to get some cigars appraised if he had the chance."Even coming to such a distant country, your hatred for pirates, Colonel, remains unwavering!" Tashigisaid."So far, there's no news of Straw Hat Luffy landing here, but don't let your guard down; they will definitely appear in this country," Smoker said.With that, Smoker left with Tashigi.Coming all the way from Loguetown, their spirit was commendable.However, as long as they didn't discover him, Lukewas too lazy to get into a conflict with them.Walking on the main street, he saw a vendor selling golden apples."Young man, I haven't seen you before. Is this your first time in Alabasta? How about these golden apples? I'll just tell you, these are actually secret treasures I found by infiltrating ancient ruins. They're a dream-like golden apple that can make you live for a thousand years if you take a bite."Luke curiously pulled back the curtain of the fruit stall and found a person behind it, applying golden paint to apples."Forget the golden apples; just give me a bag of regular apples.""Alright, please wait a moment!" The owner bowed and said.While the owner was bagging the apples, Lukeglanced back at the pedestrians on the street.With that glance, he discovered a remarkable individual.Black shorts, a scimitar at his waist, an orange hat with a smiling face and a crying face on the front, and a red beaded necklace around his neck. He was shirtless, with the Whitebeard Pirates' emblem tattooed on his back.
Chapter 62 AceChapter 62: AceAce placed Luffy's wanted poster on an old fortune-teller's table and asked, "I'd like to ask, have you seen this man?""Monkey D. Luffy.""He might have come to this city; I've been looking for him for a while now.""Hmm, no, I haven't. Oh, by the way, if you're looking for someone, you can try asking at the restaurant up ahead. The owner there is very well-connected." The fortune-teller shook her head."Thank you! A restaurant, huh? I'm hungry anyway." Ace walked towards the restaurant.Evidently, Luffy's brother was about to dine and dash again.Ace, oh Ace. The first time Luke saw Ace, he felt like Crocodile had entered his eyes.This handsome man, after failing to capture Blackbeard, was handed over to Marineford by Blackbeard, who then became a Shichibukai.During the Marineford War, he fell while blocking a powerful punch from Akainu to save Luffy.He could have escaped, but Ace fell for Akainu's taunts, couldn't endure the verbal humiliation, and angrily fought Akainu.In the martial world, one always wishes for a loyal and righteous friend. Luke also wanted such a friend. With his bare torso, he somewhat resembled Gan Xingba, the Brocade Sail Thief.Seeing Ace head to the restaurant, Luke followed him.Upon arriving at the restaurant, Ace ordered a huge plate of food.After finishing it in a few bites, he ordered another plate, then another, plate after plate.The plates stacked up half a meter high on the tables on either side of Ace.As expected of brothers, their gluttonous nature was off the charts.Luke ordered a drink and calmly sipped it at a nearby table.Suddenly, something surprising happened. Ace, who was eating heartily, suddenly buried his head in his plate and fell asleep.Neither the restaurant owner nor the customers knew what was wrong with him. Most thought Acehad eaten poisonous strawberries or mushrooms and died from the poison.Many people gathered at the restaurant to watch the commotion.While everyone was discussing, Ace suddenly sat up again and continued eating."How troublesome, I accidentally fell asleep," Acemuttered to himself.His sleep quality was comparable to a pug's; he could fall asleep instantly.The onlookers were greatly surprised; it turned out he had just fallen asleep."What's going on? He's not dead!" The spectators, finding it uninteresting, dispersed.Luke looked out the window and saw a familiar figure walking towards the restaurant.It was Smoker again. Why was this guy everywhere? Maybe he should get a few cigars from him to appraise.Smoker walked into the restaurant and immediately spotted Ace; the Whitebeard Pirates' symbol on his back was too conspicuous.Luke pulled down his hat brim, deciding to observe the situation first."You're really bold, daring to eat openly in public, Portgas D. Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!" Smoker said expressionlessly, a cigar in his mouth.The customers in the shop were startled by Ace's name.Smoker continued, "What brings a famous great pirate like you to this country?"Ace put down his water glass: "I'm looking for someone, my brother."Ace sat there, calmly looking at Smoker."So, what should I do?" Ace asked."Be captured obediently.""I refuse. I cannot do that.""Well, yes, I suppose. I'm currently looking for other pirates. To be honest, I'm not very interested in your bounty.""Then just let me go.""I can't do that. I'm a Marine, and as long as you're a pirate..."As Smoker spoke, white smoke billowed from his fist, preparing to attack Ace.Ace said faintly, "What a boring reason. Then let's have some fun."The two were at daggers drawn, a great battle on the verge of breaking out.Luke sat nearby, ready to watch the show.Before he could even get started, he heard Luffy's loud shouts.The gluttonous Luffy flew in from who knew where. He was starving and had only just found the restaurant.Luffy, flying into the restaurant, crashed right into Smoker, sending both him and Ace on the opposite side flying out, creating a large hole in the wall.Luke immediately got up and went to Smoker, who was knocked to the ground, and casually took all the cigars hanging on him.He counted the two strings hanging from his chest and arm; there were thirty cigars.Luke immediately put away the cigars, then sat back in the restaurant to continue being a spectator. These cigars came effortlessly, all thanks to the reckless Luffy."It's a restaurant! I finally found it! I'm starving, old man, food, food, food!"Luffy sat down at a table and spoke to the owner.Although the owner was shocked that his building had a huge hole, he still served Luffy several plates of food.At this moment, Ace and Smoker, who were in the ruins, both stood up.Smoker's cigar fell to the ground. He instinctively felt for the cigars on his chest—none. He felt for the cigars on his arm—also none."Where are my cigars?" Smoker looked at his clothes in shock; not a single cigar was left.As an experienced Smoker, not having cigars was practically a death sentence."What a joke!"Suppressing his nicotine craving, Smoker walked into the restaurant, wanting to see which guy had sent him flying.He looked closely and saw it was Straw Hat Luffy."Straw Hat!"Smoker roared and stood in front of Luffy.Luffy continued to eat calmly, looking at Smoker, pondering in his mind who this familiar man was."You made me search for you, Straw Hat. You really came to Alabasta!" Smoker said.Luffy stared at Smoker for more than ten seconds before remembering."You're that smoke guy from back then! Why are you here? Wait a minute!"Luffy stuffed all the food on the table into his mouth, said "Thanks for the meal," and then fled in a flash."Stop!" Smoker followed closely."Wait, Luffy, it's me! Wait for me!" Ace also chased after him.The three left, and the place was no longer noisy, leaving behind only the dilapidated restaurant and the shocked crowd.Not only was the building damaged, but Ace and Luffy had also dined and dashed twice, causing no small financial loss to the owner.Luke placed a bag of gold coins in front of the owner: "I've paid the bill.""Thank you, sir!" the owner said gratefully.Luke walked out of the restaurant and calmly strolled down the street, taking out a cigar for appraisal."Ding! Appraisal successful. The cigar has been appraised as a high-grade Trinidad cigar."Not very useful. Continue appraising."Ding! Appraisal successful. The cigar has been appraised as an 'Unending Mellow Fragrance, Lung-Cleansing and Mind-Refreshing Cigar'."That's the one, the lung-cleansing and mind-refreshing cigar.After putting the 'Calming and Soothing Cigarettes' into a metal box and placing it in his storage ring, Luke lit the 'Lung-Cleansing and Mind-Refreshing Cigar' and walked towards the clamor not far away
Chapter 63: Flame-Flame Fruit vs. Flame King FistChapter 63: Mera Mera no Mi VS Flame King GauntletUnder Smoker's notification, the Marines in the town took collective action and began to encircle the Straw Hat Pirates.At the crossroads ahead, Luke saw the Straw Hat Crew fleeing."Luke, run! The Smoke Man is chasing us!"Luffy shouted and ran towards Luke."Oh my god, don't run towards me, you idiot!"No one had noticed him before, but with Luffy's shout, the Marines all rushed towards Luke."Run, run, run!"Luffy dashed past Luke, attracting a large number of Marines, including Smoker and Tashigi."Xiao, it's you!" Smoker noticed Luke."It's me." Luke calmly exhaled a smoke ring."Why is your cigar the same as mine?""Is it? What a coincidence.""You bastard, you stole my cigar, didn't you, White Fist!"Smoker's fist, wreathed in white smoke, shot towards Luke."Fire Fist!""Fire Fist!"Ace, who appeared out of nowhere, used Fire Fistalong with Luke.The fierce twin flames dispersed Smoker's smoke and pushed them back several tens of meters."Huh~"Luke and Ace looked at each other, Ace was shocked and greatly confused."Aren't Devil Fruits unique? Why can you also control flames?" Ace didn't understand."We'll discuss this in detail later; let's get rid of them first."Under Ace's astonished gaze, Luke unleashed a fierce Fire Fist, pushing Smoker and the others back again, and leaving a blazing wall of fire in their place to block their advance."Let's go, we can talk as we walk."Luke ran towards Luffy.The battle here naturally caught the attention of the Straw Hat Crew, and when Luffy saw Ace, his surprise was no less than Ace's expression when he saw Luke use Fire Fist just now."Ace!" Luffy exclaimed."You haven't changed at all, Luffy."Ace said, pushing the brim of his hat with a flaming finger.He didn't know what material his hat was made of, it wouldn't catch fire."Ace, you ate a Devil Fruit!" Luffy said."Yes, I ate the Mera Mera no Mi. Let's get on the ship first, the Marines are catching up." Ace said."Alright, let's get on board!"The Straw Hat Crew and Ace arrived at the shore and boarded the Going Merry.By the time Smoker and his team arrived, the Going Merry had already set sail.On the Going Merry, everyone except Luke and Luffy didn't know Ace."I say, Luffy, who is that?" Nami asked."That's Ace, my brother. He's really strong, you know. Even before he ate the Mera Mera no Mi, I never beat him. Anyway, Ace is very strong." Luffysaid.Nami said, "You never won? Against a normal person?"Usopp grumbled, "Sure enough, a monster's brother is a big monster.""Yeah, I always lost, haha, but now I'm sure I'd win." Luffy's confidence was overflowing.The current Luffy hasn't learned Haki and can't even touch Ace's body, let alone defeat Ace.Ace tied up his small boat and then jumped onto the ship."I say, who can you beat?" Ace asked, standing on the railing."Oh, Ace, these are my companions!" Luffy said.Ace politely nodded to everyone: "This is truly... my brother has been a bother to you all. This kid is a bit ill-mannered, you must find him quite troublesome, please take good care of him."Luke puffed on his cigar, the taste was very mellow, thanks to Smoker.Luke said, "Anyway, you still have a lot to talk about, you two brothers can catch up."Ace suddenly stared intently at Luke, a hint of provocation in his eyes."By the way, why can you use the same moves as me?""You don't necessarily have to eat a Devil Fruit to use flames, Luffy's brother."Luke snapped his fingers, and a wisp of flame appeared on his gauntlet.Sanji explained, "Xiao's profession is an Appraiser. His flame ability comes from the gauntlet on his hand, no need to be surprised.""Yeah, yeah, no need to be surprised." Luffy laughed loudly.Being able to use flame abilities, it's like walking down the street and finding someone wearing the same outfit as you. This ignited a desire in Ace to compete.Wearing the same outfit isn't scary, whoever is uglier is embarrassed. So, let's compare whose flame ability is stronger."I want to have a match with you." Ace suddenly said.Luke also didn't expect Ace to be so competitive. A match? Bring it on, who's afraid of whom? The Flame King Gauntlet has the ability to absorb flames, so flame attacks have no effect on him."Alright!"Luke put on his gauntlet, clenching his fists. He was satisfied to have a fight with Ace."Hey, Luffy, is this okay? They're going to duel." Usopp swallowed.Luffy calmly said, "It's fine, just one fight."The duel took place on the sea. The two each took a small wooden boat, separated by ten meters.Ace was engulfed in flames, full of fighting spirit. Luke was also protected by flames, his fighting spirit erupting.The Straw Hat Crew stood on the Going Merry, watching the duel.Zoro said, "Hey, Luffy, who do you think will win?"Luffy said, "I don't know either. Although I always lose to Ace, I've never seen Luke use his full power."Sanji said, "I think Luke might have the upper hand in this duel. His Flame King Gauntlet can absorb flames, which means Ace's attacks can't harm him.""The Flame King Gauntlet is very effective against flames." Usopp said.While everyone was talking, the battle began.Luke attacked first, unleashing a fierce Fire Fist.The flames surged across the sea, as if to engulf Aceand the wooden boat beneath him."Heat Haze!"Ace's hands and feet turned into flames, then he shot out a thick column of fire, blocking Luke's attack."Fire Gun!"After blocking Luke's attack, Ace extended his index fingers, like pistols, firing continuous small flames from his fingertips.The small flames hit Luke and were completely absorbed by his protective flames."What!" Ace realized his attack had no effect."My turn!"This time, Luke unleashed an enhanced version of Fire Fist, the Spiral Fire Fist.The rotating flames struck Ace at an extremely fast speed, and Ace, unable to dodge, was engulfed by the fierce flames."Ace!" Luffy exclaimed.Sanji said helplessly, "Hey, hey, he ate the Mera Mera no Mi, how could he be hurt by flames?"Zoro said, "That means neither of them can hurt the other. The Flame King Gauntlet can absorb flames, and the Mera Mera no Mi itself isn't afraid of flames."Usopp breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems this is a battle that can't be decided."Nami covered her head, not knowing what to say: "Let them come back up. There's no point in fighting like this, we need to go to the next location."
Chapter 64: Continue playing music and fightingChapter 64: Keep the Music Playing, Keep FightingEven though Usopp yelled for Luke and Ace to come up, the two of them didn't listen at all.After repeated fire attacks, they both realized it had no effect.Then, the two began to compete in endurance.Flames clashed and erupted continuously; whoever let go first would lose.Luke was drenched in sweat but still didn't let go, flames gushing from his gauntlet, locked in a stalemate with Ace's flames.Ace was not to be outdone, panting heavily, yet unwilling to release his grip.Ten minutes later, Usopp propped his chin and said, "Their flames have been spewing for ten minutes now. How much longer are they going to fight?""That depends on who runs out of strength first," Zoro said.Although the Flame King Gauntlet could shoot flames, the energy was still extracted from the user's body.Ace had been running around in the forest and fighting with Luffy and Sabo since he was a child, and he also had three years of combat experience at sea, so his stamina was slightly superior.Seeing Luke's flames growing weaker, Ace showed a victorious smile: "It seems I've won."Luke gave a charming smile, took a stamina recovery pill from his pocket, and popped it into his mouth.He crunched it, and a warm current flowed down his throat.Immediately after, a powerful burst of flames erupted from his gauntlet, fiercely pushing back Ace's flames and even blowing Ace dozens of meters away.Ace propped his hands on his knees, panting heavily. He had clearly felt Luke's aura weaken just now, so why had it suddenly become so ferocious? Ace was utterly perplexed."Luke, cunning," Zoro exhaled a long breath.Nami smiled slyly: "You can't call it cunning. Xiao is an Appraiser to begin with, so that's his fighting style—using appraised items to his advantage."Luke extinguished the flames in his hand: "It seems I've won this endurance competition."Ace was still panting heavily, clearly unconvinced.Luke tossed a stamina pill to Ace: "Eat this, and your stamina will recover."Ace looked at the pill in his hand, then threw it into his mouth.Ace felt a warm current within him, and his fatigued body instantly felt refreshed, with lost nutrients quickly replenished.Ace slowly opened his eyes: "I won't deny this pill is amazing, but our match isn't over yet."As Ace spoke, he charged towards Luke. Since flames weren't working, he opted for close-quarters combat.Luke smiled slightly and met him head-on: "That's why I gave you the pill."The two stood on their wooden boats and began close-quarters combat.Luke's fists were imbued with Armament Haki, and Ace's were as well. They fought back and forth.Luke had taken many Doriki pills, agility pills, and pills that improved brain reaction speed.Although his practical combat experience wasn't as rich as Ace's, his reaction ability and absorption ability—that is, his ability to learn and apply quickly—were very strong.From being suppressed by Ace in close combat at first, he gradually fought Ace to a draw."Luke's nose is bleeding!" Chopper exclaimed."Ace's nose is bleeding a lot too!" Usopp watched, his heart pounding."Go! Go! Go!"Luffy cheered from the side, like a top-tier spectator.Just like that, ten minutes passed, and both of them were bruised and swollen."How long are they going to fight?" Nami sighed, holding her head and looking up at the sky.Just then, a group of clueless guys appeared.Five Baroque Works ships sailed from the sea not far away."It's the ships of the Baroque Works Millionaires!" Princess Vivi exclaimed."Fire Fist Ace, Lightning Hammer Xiao, Straw HatLuffy, I'm going to capture you all!""Let me show you the strength of the Baroque Works Millionaires!"Shouts came from the Baroque Works ships.Luke and Ace, who were fighting, were interrupted by this sudden noise.Both of them looked towards the five ships simultaneously."Whoever takes down more ships is the winner!" Ace proposed."No objections."With that, Luke stepped onto his wooden boat, spewing flames as he sped towards the five ships."Wait, that's cunning!" Ace revved up his engine and gave chase.Upon reaching a suitable distance, Luke raised his right hand, and a thick stream of flames surged towards the five ships.At the same time, Ace's Fire Fist also erupted.Two thick pillars of fire, like fire dragons, instantly swept over the five large ships, pulverizing the Baroque Works vessels into smithereens.Still no clear winner, both were extremely frustrated.But everyone on the Straw Hat ship was stunned.Usopp's mouth formed an O shape: "Amazing!"Luffy's eyes also lit up."You're pretty strong, are you interested in joining the Whitebeard Pirates?" Ace extended an olive branch to Luke."Thanks for the compliment, but no," Luke flatly refused."I was just asking, ah, ouch!"Ace said, covering his swollen mouth.Luke had just taken another pill, so his swelling had mostly gone down.Luke took a small pouch from his pocket, containing five stamina recovery pills."These five pills are for you. I just want to remind you, if you can't win, run, okay?" Luke tossed the small cloth bag to Ace.Ace took the cloth bag and smiled slightly: "I'll take the pills, but I can't just run if I can't win."Luke snorted: "Suit yourself, I'm here anyway.""You're here? Hahahaha, I don't know what you're talking about. No more fighting, I'm hungry!"Ace laughed and returned to the Going Merry with Luke.The ship started again, and Sanji served everyone fragrant dishes.When you're hungry, everything tastes good, let alone the delicious food cooked by Sanji.Luke ate three large bowls, while Ace and Luffyastonishingly ate ten large bowls.No wonder Sanji always complained about not having enough food; with a glutton like Luffy, it would be strange if there were enough.After witnessing Luke and Ace's battle, Usoppsecretly vowed to become a brave sea warrior.No sooner had Usopp made his vow than he, Luffy, and Chopper picked up their glasses."This is truly wonderful! Ace has become our nakama! Cheers!" The three clowns clinked their glasses.Ace looked speechless: "Who said I was going to be your nakama?""Then, to this good wine, cheers!"The three clinked their glasses again.Nami chuckled: "Don't mind them, they're just looking for an excuse to toast.""Ace, are you really not going to be my nakama?" Luffy asked while eating meat."I'm chasing a man. His name is Blackbeard. He was originally a member of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, which means he was my subordinate. But he committed an unforgivable crime on the pirate ship; he killed a nakama and fled the ship. So, as the captain, I must find him and deal with him," Ace said, holding his wine glass.
Chapter 65: Emperor Yan's NecklaceChapter 65: Flame Emperor NecklaceAce's purpose in coming to Alabasta was due to intelligence reports that Blackbeard was in a city called Yuba in Alabasta.Therefore, Ace and the others' destination was also Yuba.Princess Vivi went to Yuba to find the leader of the rebel army, to inform them of Baroque Works' true intentions and to quell the rebellion.Luke knew that Blackbeard was not in that city; he had already headed to a certain place in the west.But Luke did not say anything, allowing Ace and his younger brother Luffy to stay a few more days. The next time they met, it might be during the Marineford War.If Ace had heeded Luke's advice to run if he couldn't win, he might have avoided this war."In any case, for now, everyone can travel together," Nami said.Usopp said, "Since he's Luffy's brother, he's naturally warmly welcomed."Luffy picked up his cup and laughed, "Let's have a good time together, Ace."Everyone raised their cups, clinked them, and drank them down."By the way, what I'm really curious about is Luke's gauntlet?" Ace suddenly asked.Luffy said, "Luke is an Appraiser; he can appraise many interesting items. That gauntlet was appraised by him.""Appraiser?" Ace looked puzzled. Not only had he never heard of it, but he hadn't even heard of it during his years with the Whitebeard Pirates."It's an incredible profession, anyway, haha," Luffylaughed heartily."In that case, appraise this scimitar of mine," Acesaid.Ace took out the scimitar from his waist, placed it on the wooden barrel, and then looked at Luke with a peculiar gaze.That look seemed to say, 'You can trick my brother, but you can't trick me. Today, I'm going to see if this Appraiser is the real deal.'Luke picked up Ace's small scimitar and, with a slight force, drew it from its sheath.The small scimitar was exquisitely crafted, and its blade was incredibly sharp. What was surprising was that a few small leaves were clinging to the blade.Ace said, "I just used it to cut coconuts today."No wonder Ace hadn't been seen using this small scimitar; it turned out it was for cutting fruit.After wiping the blade clean, Luke began to appraise the small scimitar.Ace watched Luke intently, ready to jump out and expose this old charlatan if he showed any flaw.However, Ace was disappointed."Ding! Appraisal successful. The finely crafted small scimitar has been appraised as a Shadow Scimitar. Attacks come with a corrosion effect, which is doubled against Devil Fruit users."Ace looked at the scimitar on the wooden barrel, his face filled with shock.After the appraisal, the scimitar emitted a purplish-black light, and a bone-chilling coldness could be felt.He picked up the scimitar and lightly grazed the wooden barrel with it. A large section of the barrel was corroded away.However, when the Shadow Scimitar was returned to its sheath, it caused no damage to the sheath."This is the first time I've seen such a strange ability," Ace said."I can also appraise your hat and your beaded necklace," Luke said.Ace took off his red beaded necklace and handed it to Luke."If this necklace fails to be appraised, I'll go back to Windmill Village and ask Dadan for another one," Ace said.Dadan was the female bandit in Windmill Village. Dadan also wore an identical red beaded necklace around her neck.Because Dadan had looked after Ace for most of his childhood, and because Ace had nearly lost his life, Ace wore a red beaded necklace to remember this kindness.Appraisal failure was impossible; there had been no cases of appraisal failure so far, as long as it didn't appraise with properties like corrosion or curses.Everyone gathered around Luke, all very curious about what interesting item would be appraised next.To make the appraisal more ceremonial, Luke took out an incense burner and lit three sticks of incense.Usopp prayed to the incense burner, "Gods protect me to live forever, gods protect me to live forever."Nami punched Usopp, and only then did Usoppquiet down.Luke held the red beaded necklace in his hand, took a deep breath, and activated All-Things Appraisal.A golden light flashed, and the appraisal was successful."Ding! The red beaded necklace has been appraised as the Flame Emperor Necklace. The wearer's flame effects are doubled, and the beads can be manipulated to form giant fireballs to chase enemies. Any enemy hit by a bead will restore the wearer's vitality."Damn, such an excellent necklace was appraised; Luke even wanted it himself.As soon as the appraisal was complete, Ace eagerly put the necklace on."I don't know why, but I feel that the appraised necklace is very compatible with me, a feeling of mutual understanding," Ace said.Before Luke could explain the necklace's effects, Acewas already deeply captivated."In that case, you can try to figure out how to use this necklace," Luke said.Ace closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then clasped his hands together.Immediately after, a sight that left everyone dumbfounded appeared.Ace actually floated into the sky, and the necklace around his neck transformed into dozens of giant fireballs floating behind him.Ace sat cross-legged in the sky, the fireballs behind him shining like the sun, truly like the descent of the Flame Emperor.If even one fireball hit, the Going Merry would definitely be blown to pieces. This distance of tens of meters already made everyone feel the powerful energy contained within the fireballs."Flame Burst!"Ace pointed with one hand, and a giant fireball floating behind him flew towards the direction he indicated.Upon reaching its destination, the fireball exploded violently, sending huge waves across the sea.It took a while for the Going Merry to stabilize.After the explosion, the fireball transformed back into a red bead and floated back to Ace's necklace."This is too terrifying!" Sanji was dumbfounded."The Sun God has descended!" Usopp exclaimed."So cool! I want an appraisal too, Luke, appraise something for me too," Luffy looked at Luke with expectant eyes."Later, for now, let's rest."Appraising things was quite mentally exhausting, especially when good items were appraised, it made one particularly listless and in need of energy replenishment.Ace floated down from the sky, fully satisfied. The giant fireballs all transformed back into the beaded necklace, which still had small flames flickering on it."Thank you!"Ace stood before Luke and bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude to Luke."Uh, can I have this necklace? I'll appraise another item for you instead."Luke rubbed his hands. This Flame Emperor Necklace paired with his Flame King Gauntletwould also be a very formidable combination.Ace took a few steps back, covering the necklace with his hand, and shook his head, "Impossible, absolutely impossible.""Just kidding. Just don't become overly reliant on the necklace and your Devil Fruit abilities," Luke said lightly.But Ace didn't pay attention, still curiously fiddling with the necklace, his face beaming with joy and excitement.
Chapter 66 Green CityChapter 66: City of GreenSeeing Ace's cool necklace, Luffy begged Luke to appraise his flip-flops too.Luffy placed the flip-flops in front of Luke, who frowned."Wash them a hundred times then come back for me to appraise them!" Luke said loudly.Luffy immediately took the flip-flops and started washing them under the tap, seemingly a hundred times, though probably not quite.After washing, Luffy excitedly ran back and placed the flip-flops in front of Luke.To be honest, Luke was reluctant, especially when it came to appraising flip-flops or underwear; such requests should not be accepted.Just this once, Luke swore to himself.Pinching his nose with his left hand and holding up the two flip-flops with his right, Luke activated his All-Things Appraisal skill.Seeing Luke appraise Luffy's flip-flops, everyone was extremely interested, even more curious than when Ace's necklace was appraised earlier."What do you think the flip-flops will appraise as this time?" Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette.Zoro, holding his wado ichimonji, calmly said, "If they appraise as having fire attributes, then this ship is doomed."Nami's eyes lit up: "It'd be best if they appraised as a pair of golden shoes, then we could sell them for money."Usopp confidently declared, "Don't worry, they'll definitely be jet-powered flip-flops. A light jump and he'll leap dozens of meters."A golden light flashed. "Ding! Appraisal successful. The flip-flops have been appraised as'Sunshine Rainbow Flip-Flops'. When walking, they leave beautiful rainbow footprints behind. When running at speed, a beautiful, dazzling rainbow appears behind the wearer."Hoo! This is a good thing. Now we won't have to worry about not finding Luffy. A divine artifact for finding people.After successful appraisal, the flip-flops glowed with a seven-colored radiance."So cool!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at the flip-flops.For Luffy, property enhancements were useless; he only cared about good-looking, cool, and flashy appearances.Luffy eagerly put on the Sunshine Rainbow Flip-Flops and began running on the deck.As he ran, beautiful rainbow footprints were left behind. As Luffy's speed increased, a brilliant rainbow gradually appeared behind him, shining brightly."This is too cool!" Usopp exclaimed.Nami curiously asked, "Besides looking good, are there any special effects?"Luke shook his head: "They just look good, and you can easily find Luffy by following the footprints."Nami and Usopp were very satisfied with this function.The dazzling new flip-flops made Luffy incredibly excited, and he ran dozens of laps around the Going Merry.The deck and sails were all covered in rainbow footprints."I say, Luffy, stop quickly! The ship is turning rainbow-colored!" Nami shouted.Luke said, "Don't worry, these rainbow footprints will disappear after a while."Luffy still didn't stop, looking at the rainbow behind him and shouting loudly: "Rainbow! Such a big rainbow!"Ace came before everyone and bowed deeply again."My younger brother has caused everyone trouble."The Straw Hat Crew waved their hands, indicating they were used to it and it was nothing.At this moment, the Going Merry was heading upstream along the Sandora River towards the rebel city of Yuba.On the ship, everyone discussed Alabasta and Crocodile.Ace said, "Although I know the ShichibukaiCrocodile is in this country, for a pirate to try and usurp power, that's too bad a joke. A pirate wanting to drop anchor and settle down in a place... he wouldn't be thinking of taking up residence on the king's throne, would he?"Zoro said, "A conspiracy?""There might be a deeper plot," Ace said calmly.After a day of sailing, the ship finally reached the shore.Looking out from the ship, there was an endless desert, with no trace of green."Alright, we're landing!" Luffy cheered, raising his arms.No sooner had the anchor been dropped than many strange creatures, known as Kung Fu Manatees, appeared on the sea surface.The Kung Fu Manatees stood on the shore, demonstrating their might to everyone.The Kung Fu Manatees were saying something unintelligible, which only Chopper could understand.Chopper translated: "If you want to come ashore, try to defeat me. If you don't dare, then go back to the other side, cowards! That's what he's saying."Usopp stepped forward: "Being called a coward, I can't stay silent! I'm going in!""Wait, Usopp!" Princess Vivi shouted, stopping him.Usopp roared, stomped on the deck, and leaped into the air, landing on the shore.The next second, Usopp was knocked down by a Kung Fu Manatee, beaten black and blue, and lay motionless.Princess Vivi said, "Kung Fu Manatees are very strong."But on the other side, Luffy easily defeated a Kung Fu Manatee.The defeated Kung Fu Manatee stood up and bowed to Luffy, showing recognition of a strong opponent."If a Kung Fu Manatee loses, he will apprentice himself to that person. This is the rule of the Kung Fu Manatees," Princess Vivi explained.Sure enough, a group of Kung Fu Manatees surrounded Luffy, looking at him with admiring eyes.Luffy began to lead these Kung Fu Manatees in practicing basic boxing moves."Good, like this!"Luffy threw a punch, and the Kung Fu Manatees followed with a punch."That's right, again like this!"Luffy threw another punch, and the Kung Fu Manatees imitated him perfectly.He threw dozens of punches consecutively before stopping.Luffy even wanted to take these Kung Fu Manatees with him towards Yuba.However, food didn't allow it, and crossing the desert was impossible for the Kung Fu Manatees, as they are marine creatures.There was no choice; in the end, they could only be sent away with Chopper's persuasion and delicious food.As they left, the Kung Fu Manatees waved goodbye to everyone with tears in their eyes.Walking in the desert, the temperature was much higher than in the previous towns, over fifty degrees Celsius.This high temperature made people sweat profusely, and for Chopper, it was a living hell.Chopper had thick fur, so he wasn't afraid of the cold at all, but he was afraid of the heat.Chopper panted with his tongue out, feeling dizzy.After walking for a short while, everyone saw a city.Rather, it was a ruin."Is this the city of Yuba?" Luffy asked.Princess Vivi shook her head: "No, this is Erumalu, a place once known as the City of Green. Seeing this city, you will understand what Baroque Works has done to this country, and what suffering the people of Alabasta are enduring."Everyone walked through this place once called the City of Green. The ground was cracked, with wide fissures appearing, buildings had collapsed, and only dry husks remained of the trees.A light kick would send a dry husk flying like sand.It hadn't rained in this city for three years, and the canal that diverted water from the Sandora Riverhad also been destroyed.With no rain and the canal destroyed, the City of Green had become a desolate city.
Chapter 67: Hot EarthChapter 67: Scorching EarthA fierce wind blew through Green City, making a wailing sound that came from all directions, like human voices.Even by the roadside, several dried skeleton remains could be seen.This was the former state of Green City. Hearing Princess Vivi's account, Luffy was filled with righteous indignation."Vivi, let's hurry, I can't stand it anymore," Luffy said."Let's go to Yuba. The rebel army is there. I will persuade their leader to stop the rebellion. I must tell the truth and prevent any more senseless bloodshed," Princess Vivi said.Everyone walked away from the ruined city.After walking for half an hour, everyone was exhausted.Hunger, heat, and even the inability to sweat from the intense heat.Luffy leaned on his crutch, constantly yelling, clearly indicating how hot he was.The worst was Chopper, who could only lie on a wooden board, being pulled forward by Zoro."I can't do it, I hate the heat the most, though I'm not afraid of the cold at all," Chopper said deliriously while lying on the cart.Usopp also leaned on his crutch and grumbled, "Who told you to be so fluffy? Why don't you take off that toy fur?""You scoundrel, are you looking down on reindeer?"Upon hearing this, Chopper immediately transformed into his large form."Ah! A monster!" Usopp exclaimed."Chopper, don't get so big, or I won't pull you anymore," Zoro said, exasperated.Zoro forcibly pushed Chopper back, turning him into his small form.Luke suddenly remembered that he had previously appraised an Ever-Flowing Goblet.Thinking of this, Luke took it out from his storage ring.Sweet spring water flowed down his throat, gulping, gulping, gulping, replenishing the body's needed moisture."Ah! That feels so good!"He drank several pounds of water in one go, the most Luke had ever drunk at once in his life."You're sly, Luke, I want some too." Usopp snatched the cup and drank greedily."I want some too, quickly give it to me." Luffy also joined the scramble."You guys be careful, if you break it, there'll be no more water, understand?"Nami punched each of them, which finally quieted them down."No need to rush. The water inside is inexhaustible anyway. One by one, drink until you're full," Lukesaid.Finally, it was Luffy's turn. Luffy picked up the goblet, and the water inside continuously flowed.Gulp, gulp, gulp. Everyone watched Luffy drink for ten minutes straight.His stomach was distended like a ball, and he was still drinking."Hey, are you ever going to finish?" Zoro's forehead was lined with black marks."Almost, almost, ah, pfft~~"As he spoke, water gushed out from Luffy's mouth.Zoro quickly snatched the cup and then unhurriedly began to drink."What are you doing? You've already drunk like a water barrel," Nami really couldn't understand.Ace gave an awkward smile. Having such a younger brother, it would be strange if he didn't cause headaches, but Ace didn't say anything to Luffy; he was truly a doting older brother.After becoming a water barrel, Luffy regained his vitality, threw away his crutch, and strode forward."Yosh, let's go!"After everyone had replenished enough water, Lukeput the cup back into his storage ring."Tell me if anyone wants water," Luke said."Okay!" everyone replied.In the desert, having an inexhaustible supply of spring water was such a wonderful thing.Among them, the most heat and thirst-resistant person was Princess Vivi, after all, she grew up in a desert kingdom.There were many sand dunes here, unlike the flat ground Usopp had imagined. Some larger dunes even exceeded three hundred meters, making walking very strenuous.After walking for half a day, they finally made it to evening.Without the heat, it initially felt very refreshing.But as night fell, the temperature dropped lower and lower, even reaching zero degrees. The drastic temperature change made it difficult for people to adapt.Everyone had no choice but to build a bonfire next to the rocks to keep warm and roast some meat.This temperature was simply blissful for Chopper.A cold wind blew, and Chopper lay there, gazing at the starry sky with immense contentment."Ah, so many stars," Chopper exclaimed."Didn't you see stars on Winter Island?" Luke asked."Winter Island's sky was always covered by thick snow clouds. This is the first time I've seen so many stars," Chopper said.Usopp shivered from the cold nearby: "I have no interest in looking at stars.""I'm not afraid of the cold at all," Chopper said.Upon hearing this, Usopp hugged Chopper tightly, as if hugging a warm plush pillow."Hey, don't come near me."'Who told you to be so fluffy?'Luffy also rushed over and hugged Chopper tightly, feeling very warm.Helpless, Chopper finally gave in, being held tightly by Luffy and Usopp for warmth.Ace remained silent. Since landing on the island, Luke noticed that Ace had been observing everyone, seeing what kind of companions Luffy had.Noticing Luke looking at him, Ace smiled slightly: "Luffy hasn't changed at all since he was a kid. Don't let his behavior fool you; there are always people around him. My younger brother is a guy with incredible charm.""Yes, you're right."This doting older brother, his eyes full of love for Luffy, Luke silently smoked his cigar, gazing at the beautiful night sky.He eventually fell asleep while watching.It wasn't until past five in the morning, when the sky was faintly lit, with the first hint of dawn.Luke, just waking up, heard Luffy's voice."I found shrimp!"Shrimp? Finding shrimp in the desert, he must be dreaming.He must have found something like a scorpion and mistaken it for shrimp.Luke got up and went to Luffy and Chopper, finding that Luffy was indeed holding a scorpion, and a poisonous one at that."Is this shrimp? How amazing!" Chopper exclaimed, finding it incredible."It looks so delicious!" Luffy said.Usopp also rushed over excitedly: "Can this really be eaten?""If crayfish can be eaten, this can too," Luffy said.Luke looked helpless: "That's a poisonous scorpion, highly venomous. If you get stung, you'll die. Quickly throw it away.""What? It can't be eaten?"Luffy felt very regretful and then threw away the poisonous scorpion.Suddenly, a gust of wind struck, and Choppersensed something was wrong.Luke focused his gaze and saw a huge tornado approaching in the distance.Everyone was startled awake by the strong wind."Everyone, quickly take shelter under the rocks! There's a storm, a desert storm is coming!" Princess Vivi exclaimed.With an earth-shattering momentum, the desert storm rapidly approached.Everyone found a good spot to hide from the desert storm.Everyone was instantly enveloped in a sky full of yellow sand, unable to see anything, unable to open their eyes, their skin intensely battered by the grit.The desert storm destroyed their camp and buried them.The storm lasted for an hour. Once it dispersed, the sky became clear again, and the heat was unbearable.
68Sand SledChapter 68 Sand CrowChapter 68: Sand SledEveryone climbed out of the sand, breathing in the fresh air.They then continued their journey, walking over the sand dunes.Although water was plentiful, food began to run short. With Luffy and Ace, those two gluttons, the food supply lasted only one day.Sanji had no choice but to start controlling the frequency and timing of meals, primarily to restrict Luffy.The most exaggerated thing was that they had only covered one-tenth of the distance to the city of Yuba."Everyone, play rock-paper-scissors! The winner has to carry everyone's luggage!" Luffy shouted.The rock-paper-scissors game began, and Luffywon.So, everyone placed their luggage on a wooden board for Luffy to pull.Luffy walked with heavy steps: "It's so heavy and hot. I won rock-paper-scissors, why is this happening?""Those are your rules, so pull it properly," Lukereminded him from the side.Sanji followed Princess Vivi's suggestion to rest and eat at the next rocky area.Usopp was the first to spot the rocks.Upon hearing this, Luffy ran wildly, pulling the luggage, while the others walked towards the rocks at a normal pace.Where there are rocks, there is shade, suitable for a short rest.After only a few steps, Luffy ran back again."This is bad! There are so many injured birds that can't move! Chopper, go save the birds!" Luffyyelled.Hearing this, Luke knew it was over; the luggage was gone.Princess Vivi realized the problem: "Birds? Wait, Luffy, those birds are..."By the time everyone reached the pile of rocks, there wasn't a single bird to be seen, and all the luggage was gone.Princess Vivi apologized profusely: "I'm sorry, I should have said something sooner. The Great Deceiver Birds trick travelers; they are desert thieves who steal luggage.""The birds are pretending to be injured? Isn't that fraud?" Usopp exclaimed."Was I tricked?" Luffy said.Sanji furiously grabbed Luffy's collar: "Luffy, it's not okay just because you say 'Was I tricked?' That was three days' worth of travel supplies! How can we cross this desert without food, stolen by birds no less!""But there's nothing we can do, because we were tricked," Luffy said calmly."Is your brain even worse than a bird's?" Sanjiquestioned."What did you say?"Luffy and Sanji started arguing again, then wrestled and fought.Just then, everyone heard a lewd, snickering laugh.They looked closely and saw the group of Great Deceiver Birds standing not far away. They were not only eating everyone's bento boxes but also making mocking sounds, with extremely punchable expressions on their faces."Give us back our luggage!" Luffy quickly ran towards the Great Deceiver Birds.The Great Deceiver Birds let out lewd laughter, then flapped their wings and flew into the sky."Stop! Don't even think about escaping!" Luffypanted, exhausted.The Great Deceiver Birds were in the sky; Luffydefinitely couldn't catch them.Luke directly threw out the Demon Binding Rope, which flew rapidly towards the Great Deceiver Birds in the sky.Seeing the rope flying towards them, the Great Deceiver Birds' expressions turned to terror. They were then all bound by the Demon Binding Ropeand fell to the ground."Go! Beat these Great Deceiver Birds!" Usopp threw away his crutch and ran towards the Great Deceiver Birds.Sanji rolled up his sleeves: "Just watch me steam, grill, and braise you all.""Hahahahaha, meat, bird meat, hehehehe!" Luffycame before the Great Deceiver Birds, drooling.The Great Deceiver Birds, who had always tricked others, were finally caught. The net of justice is vast and nothing escapes it.As expected, the Great Deceiver Birds were grilled by Sanji. There were seven Great Deceiver Birds in total, enough to eat for several days."Delicious, truly delicious!" Luffy chewed heartily.Sanji also took a bite of a bird leg: "That's satisfying! They were making lewd laughs just now, and now they're on my plate."After eating and drinking their fill, everyone continued their journey.During their travels, they encountered giant man-eating plants that emerged from under the desert and rescued a camel that was almost eaten by one.This was a perverted camel that refused to carry men and only wanted to carry Nami and Princess Vivi.Nami named this perverted camel Eyelashes.After walking for a few hours, everyone heard a rustling sound.They initially thought it was another desert storm, but unexpectedly, they saw a huge pirate ship in the desert.They didn't know what powered this ship, allowing it to glide across the desert.They also didn't know what kind of charm it was, but Luffy actually got along well with the leader of the Desert Pirate Group and became good friends.On this peculiar pirate ship, Luke took a liking to an item: a sand sled.Similar to a snow sled, the sand sled, like a sailboat, could travel quickly through the desert.Luke traded ten barrels of water for three sand sleds. Each sand sled could seat three people, which was perfect.Everyone rode the sand sleds, quickly advancing towards Alubarna."Vivi, can you tell us about the rebels?" Nami asked."Yes, it's better to tell you beforehand."Princess Vivi introduced the matter of the rebel army.The leader of the rebel army, Koza, met Vivi eleven years ago and became friends after an initial conflict. One was the leader of the Suna Suna Clan, and the other was the vice-leader; they were childhood sweethearts.The Suna Suna Clan was made up of a group of children who usually played and bickered.Koza had also fought fierce enemies to protect Princess Vivi.Later, Koza went to Yuba, an oasis where no one yet lived, to develop a new city there, which is now the main stronghold of the rebel army.The current situation had all been caused by Crocodile.After sliding on the sand sleds for a few hours, they saw another pile of rocks, and everyone decided to rest there.They took out the Great Deceiver Bird meat from earlier and heated it on the scorching rocks. A delicious aroma wafted through the air.Luke was about to pick up the piece of meat in front of him, but the meat actually flew up on its own.A hook was attached to the end of the meat, and it had been reeled away by someone hidden behind the rocks.Luke pursued the meat and found two children in a corner of the rocks.One of the children was heartily eating the meat they had just stolen."Where are you from?" Luke questioned, standing on the rocks.The two children were startled and huddled together."We won't give you back your stuff!"Saying this, the older child pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Luke."If you move, you'll lose your life!" the boy said.Luke smiled slightly: "Just like Ace, you like to play with fire."Then the boy pulled the trigger. Luke caught the bullet with a finger imbued with Armament Haki."That's enough, little ones."Luke came before the boy, snatched his pistol, and threw it into his storage ring."He actually caught the bullet with his hand!" the boy exclaimed."I've never seen anyone so powerful!" the boy's younger brother said fearfully.Luke knew these two young boys; they were the children of the bounty hunter Scorpion.The bounty hunter Scorpion, in order to defeat Ace, deliberately spread rumors that he had defeated Blackbeard, which is why Ace came to this place looking for Blackbeard's whereabouts.Of course, it was impossible for him to defeat Blackbeard with his abilities.As for why he wanted to defeat Ace, according to the bounty hunter Scorpion, it was simply to show his children that no matter how small a person is, as long as they have determination, they can challenge the world's greatest hero.
Chapter 69 Looking forward to meeting you next timeChapter 69: Looking Forward to Our Next MeetingHearing the gunshots, the Straw Hat Crewapproached, looking at the two children in confusion.When the children saw Ace, they quickly ran over, knelt on the ground, and said, "I need your help. There's a man I hope you can find and capture. If you can catch him, I'll give you 1 million Berries as a reward.""1 million Berries?" Nami asked, puzzled.The boy looked troubled: "Although I can't pay you now, I will definitely pay you when I grow up. Please help me find this man!"The boy took out a photo of his father, a bounty hunter known as Scorpion.This family made Luke feel a bit speechless. The father spread rumors to attract Ace, all to prove his courage to his two children.The child was also lying, asking Ace to find his father.A double trap? It was utterly meaningless and very annoying.Luke walked over, directly tore up the photo of his father, and then burned it completely with fire."Luke," Usopp said, puzzled.Everyone was confused, not knowing why Luke tore up the photo.Luke explained the reason to everyone: "This photo is of his father, the bounty hunter Scorpion, whom Ace has been looking for. Scorpion didn't defeat Blackbeard; he was just spreading rumors to attract Ace. These two little boys are also lying, deliberately asking us to find their father, wanting their father to fight us to prove his determination.""What? So he's a big liar!" Usopp looked at the two little boys with disdain.The little boy's face turned red from being stared at. Nami came over, knelt down in front of them, and softly said, "Good children shouldn't lie."The little boy felt wronged and cried out his father's name, leaving everyone at a loss.Just then, a missile suddenly flew in from a distance.Seeing this, Ace launched a Fire Fist, and the missile exploded in mid-air.The children's father, the bounty hunter Scorpion, appeared.Scorpion stood on a rock and laughed: "Listen up, don't be scared! Both Twin Pistols Danny and Helbatrusia knelt and begged for mercy after a heroic battle with me. I am the bounty hunter Scorpion!"A cold breeze blew by, but no one applauded."Haha, this uncle is so strange," Luffy said, giggling foolishly.Scorpion continued: "Fire Fist Ace, I am an unyielding hero. I traveled thousands of miles to challenge you to a duel. Let's have an honorable fight to the death!"Ace stared at Scorpion without a word, his expression calm.In contrast, Scorpion's expression seemed a bit fearful."I'm sorry, but you're unlucky to have met me. Your heroic deeds, famous throughout the sea, end today."With that, Scorpion, riding an ostrich and holding a weapon, charged towards Ace.Scorpion pulled the trigger, and an iron net shot out from his weapon, covering Ace.Ace transformed into a raging inferno, deflecting the iron net, which bounced back onto Scorpion, scalding him and making him scream.After finally getting rid of the wire net he had fired himself, Scorpion took out his self-made compressed fire extinguisher gun."This is a compressed gun filled with fire extinguisher. This way, I can inject the compressed fire extinguisher into your body."Scorpion rushed towards Ace, holding the fire extinguisher tube, attempting to stab the tube into Ace's body.Ace was also stunned; such a fighting style was ridiculous.Ace dodged Scorpion's fire extinguisher, then came in front of him and knocked him down with a punch.Luke came to the little boy, took a puff of his cigar, and asked, "Do you think this kind of fight is interesting?"The little boy swallowed, then shook his head: "No, it's not interesting.""Good that you know. Don't do such stupid things like your father in the future. You're lucky to have met us, a group of kind pirates. If you had met other pirates, you would have been dismembered long ago," Luke said.The two boys nodded seriously: "We understand.""Here, your pistol. I'll let the shooting at me slide this time, but next time you shoot, be prepared to die."Luke tossed the pistol to the boy.Scorpion lay motionless, and Usopp shook his head: "He's no match at all."Ace stood beside Scorpion and said, "You really had the nerve to talk about defeating Blackbeard. You gambled that I would appear if you invoked Blackbeard's name, didn't you?"Scorpion lay on the ground, laughing: "That's right. It was a good plan, wasn't it? It's a draw for now, but I'm going to get serious next.""That's enough, stop fighting, Dad!" the little boy shouted.The two boys came to their father's side."Dad, how can you possibly win? How can you defeat Fire Fist Ace?""That's right, I'm a useless dad who only brags. But there's one thing that's true: no matter how small a person is, if they have determination, they can challenge the world's greatest hero. I just wanted to tell you this truth. I want you to see great dreams. A man's heart must burn with dreams. Even if you have to endure every day, never give up. Live every day with a smile. As long as you keep challenging the impossible, any kind of life is paradise, hehehehe. I will tell you this truth, even if it costs me my life. That's right, as long as you dare to stand up and face it, you can forge your own path. Look closely, my unyielding soul. Don't worry, I won't lose, as long as a great dream burns in my heart."The bounty hunter Scorpion was still trying to speak when Luke came to his side and knocked him unconscious with a chop.Oh my, he talked too much, he was like Tang Sanzang!Every time he finished a sentence, Luke thought he was done, but then another sentence followed, and he talked for a long time without finishing. There was no choice but to knock him out first."Dad!" the two children shouted."It's fine, I just knocked him out. Don't worry," Lukesaid.Zoro sharply commented: "Having dreams is good, but you also need to weigh your own strength."Sanji exhaled a smoke ring: "Pursuing dreams should be done with a down-to-earth approach, not just talking big."Luffy's ears drooped: "I almost fell asleep listening."With the ostrich carrying the children's father, Lukegave the two children two Power Pills, hoping their future lives would be more than this.The two children waved, leading the ostrich carrying Scorpion back to their village."Next, I'm leaving too!" Ace pressed down his hat brim."Are you really leaving, Ace?" Luke asked."Yes, since Blackbeard isn't in Alabasta, I have no reason to stay in this country," Ace said.Sanji asked: "Where are you going next?""I heard someone saw that guy in the west. I'm going to check it out. Luffy, take this, and keep it always."Ace threw a Vivre Card to Luffy."What? It's just a small piece of paper.""This small piece of paper will bring us together again. Don't you want it?""No, I don't want it.""With such a troublesome younger brother, I, as an older brother, am very worried. You must be at your wit's end with him too, but please take good care of him."Ace bowed deeply to everyone."Luffy, the next time we meet, it will be at the pinnacle of piracy. You must climb to the top."After saying this, Ace strode away, leaving behind a dashing figure.