"Sis! Sis! Hurry and come down! The water feels amazing!"
Chimney was splashing around wildly in the pool with her pet rabbit-cat Gonbe, sending glittering droplets sparkling beneath the sunlight.
"Quiet, quiet! I'm eavesdropping and gathering important intel here!"
Disturbed by Chimney's shouting, Nami sat up with slight annoyance.
"…Is it really okay to say something like that out loud?"
On the opposite side of the pool, Kokoro, leisurely drinking alcohol, rolled her eyes speechlessly.
Nami ignored her and once again immersed herself in that strange sensory world.
At that moment, through layers of corridors and ruins, the voices of Luffy, Koby, and Helmeppo reached her clearly.
"Those revolutionary technologies… like Seastone-coated ship bottoms, were all invented by the Navy's genius scientist, Dr. Vegapunk!"
"He's an incredible person! They say his intellect is five hundred years ahead of the current world!"
"Exactly."
Even Helmeppo's voice carried a trace of fanatic admiration.
"That guy's basically a monster."
"And I heard he's currently leading a top-secret research project investigating the transmission conditions of Devil Fruits."
"There are even rumors that he's developed technology capable of letting 'objects' eat Devil Fruits!"
Nami's pupils suddenly contracted, and even her breathing quickened unconsciously.
"Making objects eat Devil Fruits… intelligence five hundred years ahead of its time…"
Nami's mind spun rapidly.
The scene within her perception continued.
Outside Dock One, sea winds swept through the open grounds.
Koby stood straight-backed, his expression complicated as he looked at Luffy, who was still devouring giant chunks of meat without any table manners whatsoever.
"Luffy-san, before I met you, I thought the world was only as big as Alvida's pirate ship."
"That tiny, hopeless world without dignity… I truly believed that was all my life would ever amount to. If you hadn't jumped out of that barrel that day…"
"Hahahahaha!"
Luffy slapped his thigh so hard he nearly cried from laughter.
"Oh yeah! You used to be Alvida's cabin boy and errand slave! Even now your reason for getting on that ship is hilarious!"
"Oi oi, what reason? Tell me already!" Helmeppo instantly became interested and leaned forward with a gossip-loving grin.
"Well…" Koby scratched his short pink hair awkwardly.
"He originally wanted to go fishing, but he was so dumb he boarded the wrong ship and climbed straight onto a pirate vessel!" Luffy mercilessly exposed him.
"PWAHAHAHAHA!"
Helmeppo exploded with thunderous laughter, nearly choking from laughing too hard.
"Koby! You seriously started from that level of failure?! That's a genius-tier screwup!"
Though Koby's face turned bright red, his eyes softened tremendously.
"Yeah… it really was pathetic. Back then, I didn't even have the courage to run away."
"But now that I think back on it… I'm unbelievably grateful for that mistake."
"If I hadn't boarded that ship, I never would've met Luffy-san."
"Maybe fate really wanted me to meet the person who'd change my life forever out there on the sea."
Luffy stopped chewing and looked seriously at Koby before nodding firmly.
"Koby, you really have gotten stronger. Your eyes already belong to a real man now!"
Koby straightened proudly, his eyes filled with reverence toward that elderly Marine.
"That's all thanks to Vice Admiral Garp. He's truly a great man."
"When Helmeppo and I had nowhere to go, he took us in."
"Even though his training was unbelievably brutal—there were several times I thought I was going to die—without that kind of hellish tempering, we never could've stood where we are today."
"So at the very least, I want to repay Vice Admiral Garp's kindness… by becoming an outstanding Marine."
Beside the swimming pool, Nami slowly lowered the hand resting against her temple.
She had already obtained the information she wanted—clues about Vegapunk, along with Koby's heartfelt conviction that could illuminate the road ahead.
That bond, born not from simple hostility but from dreams and personal growth, even made Nami marvel at Luffy's strange talent for attracting extraordinary people.
"Whew… intel gathering complete."
Nami stood up and stretched lazily in an incredibly seductive motion.
Sunlight outlined her graceful silhouette, while faint blue-violet sparks from her Devil Fruit ability flickered across her skin, instantly dispersing the lingering summer heat in the air.
"Big sis, you're finally done!" Chimney waved excitedly from the water.
"Yep!"
Nami revealed a bright, confident smile before taking a deep breath and leaping forward.
Splash!
Her beautiful figure traced a perfect arc through the air before plunging into the crystal-blue pool, sending silver ripples spreading outward.
Then, as a user of the Goro Goro no Mi, Nami immediately sank straight to the bottom of the pool.
She had completely forgotten that she was now incapable of swimming.
…
Back on Luffy's side—
He looked at Koby, who was tidying his Marine uniform, and spoke with completely undisguised reluctance.
"Oi, Koby, are you really leaving already? You could at least stay until after the banquet! Sanji's cooking is insanely good!"
Koby paused what he was doing.
Under the sunlight, his youthful yet determined face was filled with complicated emotions.
He looked seriously at Luffy, his voice trembling slightly but remaining perfectly clear.
"Luffy-san, please forgive me. We… belong to opposing factions."
"As a Marine, being able to sit here and talk peacefully with you is already the limit. We absolutely can't become any closer than this."
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind rose.
Dust swirled through the air, tugging at Luffy's straw hat and scattering Koby's pink hair.
Koby inhaled deeply, as though preparing to release the grand vision buried deep inside him.
"Luffy-san… do you know the name of the second half of the Grand Line?"
Luffy froze briefly, holding down his hat as his eyes lit with longing for unknown adventures.
"Beyond the Red Line… in that final sea stretching endlessly into the distance… people have given it a name that makes all powerful men tremble—the New World!"
Koby's tone suddenly rose sharply.
"That's the land of death where those pioneering the next era gather! The proving ground for those destined to become kings!"
"Only the one who conquers that sea can truly become the Pirate King!"
"Luffy-san, we absolutely… must meet again there!"
"The next time we meet, I'll personally capture you! I'll become stronger and stronger until one day… I absolutely will become an Admiral!"
Luffy looked into Koby's excited eyes. Not only did he not laugh, he instead revealed a domineering and profound grin.
"Koby, you want to fight me, right? In that case, becoming an Admiral is only natural!"
"An… Admiral…"
Koby was stunned by the matter-of-fact certainty in Luffy's tone.
He had always believed this dream was merely his own arrogant fantasy, yet in Luffy's eyes, it sounded completely achievable.
"When we meet again, we'll both be stronger. Koby… don't disappoint me."
Luffy stood up.
The pressure radiating from him in that instant made Koby feel like breathing itself had become difficult.
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