Chapter 9

East Blue - Americas Archipelago 

America Island – Jungle 

It has been a week since the two of them ventured into this treacherous jungle, delving deeper into the heart of the island. 

For Reiju, who was used to such environments at the power level of the New World, this past week was nothing out of the ordinary. 

As for Luffy, well, let's just say our boy has been fighting for survival every second of the way. 

For Luffy, this week has been a series of brutal battles with giant animals that attacked them at every turn, requiring him to be extra vigilant of his surroundings, as even a single misstep could lead to a stealth attack from a bullet snake or a sting from a venomous insect. To make matters worse, he couldn't sleep properly due to the constant noise of animals that seemed to be right next to him. But on the bright side, there was no shortage of food, he was getting stronger by the day, and he knew he would be in a much worse situation if Reiju weren't there. 

"We've been walking for a week now. How big is this island, anyway?", Luffy asked before taking a swig from his canteen. 

"Like I said, the island is gigantic. I wasn't kidding", Reiju replied, waiting for Luffy to rest before they continued. 

After a few minutes of rest, Luffy pointed in a direction, "Anyway, I think we're close. The voice is coming from that direction, and it seems closer than before." 

They continued until they reached a high point where the view opened up, giving them a vantage point over the forest. 

Luffy noticed something in the distance and made binoculars with his hands, calling Reiju's attention with a tap on her arm, "Hey, Bubblegum, are those ruins, or am I seeing things?" 

Seeing the ruins enveloped in vegetation in the distance, Reiju remarked, "I never thought I'd be excited to find ruins in the middle of a forest. Why does it feel different this time?" 

"It's because you're with a friend", Luffy said, pulling a small transponder snail from his backpack, which could take instant photos. After snapping a few pictures of the distant ruins, he added, "Come on, we've got ruins to explore." 

As they advanced closer to the ruins, they came across a road made of worn, irregular stones, partially covered by vegetation. 

Following it, they passed through a large, weathered, and partially collapsed stone arch that gave them a full view of a massive structure resembling an Aztec pyramid, covered in moss and lichen, with some sections crumbled and completely overtaken by nature. 

Meanwhile, Luffy continued taking photos of everything they saw. 

Reiju then caught Luffy's attention and pointed to a partially collapsed entrance, through which they entered. 

They followed a long, moss-covered corridor with sections of the ceiling collapsed until it opened into a large hall with a segmented pillar made of four large carved stone blocks. On the opposite side of where they stood was a large smooth stone slab that stretched from floor to ceiling. In the center of this slab was something inscribed in the same language as the Poneglyphs, and unlike the rest of the hall, which was clearly worn with age and seemed ready to collapse, this stone slab showed no signs of wear. 

"So, what now?", Reiju asked, unsure of what to do. 

"Well, this thing is written in the language used on Poneglyphs, so it must be something important", Luffy said, rubbing his chin. 

"Sure, it's not like there's only one person in the world who can translate these texts, right?", Reiju asked with a voice full of sarcasm. 

Not catching the sarcasm, Luffy responded, "Believe it or not, there really is only one person in the world who can translate these texts." 

"I knew that, you idiot. Now, how are we supposed to find Nico Robin and convince her to help us?" 

"How do you know it's Robin who can translate it?" 

"Did you forget I'm part of a powerful royal family with lots of information at their disposal?" 

"Ah, right. Anyway, leave the translation thing to me." 

He then closed his eyes and focused, trying to listen to what the slab had to say. 

Luffy began to repeat aloud what he heard, "Nika and his magical ship, explored the seas in search of adventures. Nika and his magical ship, once bored, decided to explore the sky. Nika and his magical ship, mocking the phrase 'the sky's the limit,' decided to explore the stars. Nika and his magical ship." 

"Okay, I get that this Akuma no Mi is related to this Nika and his magical ship, but did we really come all this way just for a children's legend?" Reiju asked, slightly disappointed that it was just that. 

Looking around the hall, Luffy pointed out, "Check it out, there are a bunch of wooden statues around the hall, and this pillar in the center, the top block has a ship carved on it, the block below it has waves, the one below that has clouds, and the block at the bottom has stars carved into it. In short, Bubblegum, this is a puzzle." 

"Okay, so according to this legend, we need to move this pillar through the seas, then the skies, and finally the stars. How do we do that?", Reiju asked, looking around the hall for anything new. 

"Uh, do you see those grooves on the floor around the pillar area that connects to it on two opposite sides?" 

"Yeah, I see them. So, we just move the pillar through them?" 

"Doesn't hurt to try", Luffy said with a shrug. 

Reiju then tried to push the pillar, but it didn't budge. "No, that's not it. If I apply more force, I might end up breaking the pillar. What are we doing wrong?" 

Luffy looked around the hall again, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, and then had an epiphany "Nika, the legend says 'Nika and his magical ship' The pillar only has the ship. We're missing Nika. Bubblegum, see if the pillar has some kind of slot." 

"Uh, let me see. Oh, it does! There's a hole at the top." 

"Got it. Now we just need to place the statue of Nika in that hole." 

Looking at the wooden statues around the hall, Reiju asked, "Okay, but which one is Nika?" 

"Just look for a guy who's smiling or laughing. He's said to be a warrior, so he's usually depicted holding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other", Luffy said as he examined the statues one by one. 

"Like that one?", Reiju asked, pointing to a statue. 

Looking where she pointed, Luffy saw the statue of a man with flowing hair in a jumping pose, holding a chipped sword in one hand and a broken spear in the other, and most importantly, he seemed to be laughing heartily at something. 

"Yeah, Bubblegum, meet Nika, the Sun God", Luffy said in awe. 

"I've never heard of this god before. You seem pretty interested in him." 

"Well, Nika is closely tied to a figure from the Void Century called Joy Boy, and the Void Century itself is closely linked to this Joy Boy's story. I just... I don't know, I find all of this so interesting and exciting—" 

"Can you stop with the melodrama and help me move this statue?", Reiju said, trying to cut him off before he could launch into what she realized would be an endless speech, even though she didn't really need help. 

"Oh, right." 

They then moved the statue and placed it in the slot on the pillar. After that, they tried to move the pillar again. 

This time, the pillar moved, so Reiju guided it around the center, passing through four markings before returning it to its original position in the center. 

They then heard an audible click of gears, and the block with the carved waves suddenly sank into the pillar, making it shorter. 

"Okay, so we just repeat the process?", Reiju asked. 

"I think so." 

They repeated the process, and upon returning to the center, they heard another click, and the block with the carved clouds sank into the pillar, making it shorter. 

Repeating the process one last time, they heard a click, and then a subterranean passage opened in front of the slab where the legend was inscribed. 

"That's it? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything, but wasn't that a bit too easy?", Reiju asked, looking at Luffy. 

"Maybe, but then again, to solve this puzzle, you'd need someone who could translate that slab, and I bet the pillar wouldn't move unless you placed exactly the right statue of Nika, and we don't know if this puzzle allows second chances if you mess up." 

Without overthinking it, they continued down the passage, descending further until they reached a long chamber with walls covered in inscriptions in the same language as the Poneglyphs. At the end of the chamber, an altar rose with a wavy white Akuma no Mi resting on an old, worn cushion. 

"Luffy, what do the walls say?", Reiju asked, diverting her gaze from the Akuma no Mi. 

"Uhh, let me see, it says here in summary: Fune Fune no Mi, a Paramecia-type, the only fruit free from the curse of the sea, the only fruit that can only be eaten by Klabautermanns, based on the sentient magical ship of the Sun God Nika that allowed him to travel anywhere he wanted, in any way he desired. The same ship is said to be unbeatable in combat and incredibly fast. It's said that if it wanted to, this ship could annihilate the entire world, but that's apparently just speculation." 

With these thoughts lingering in her mind, Reiju walks over to the stairs they had just descended and sits down. 

Luffy's attention then turns to the fruit. He approaches it, and as he stands before the altar, he smiles and says, "Shishishi, so it was you calling me?" 

This catches Reiju's attention, who had been lost in thought until that moment. 

As if receiving a response, Luffy says, "Shishishi, of course, we're going to have tons of adventures." 

Luffy then falls silent, listening to the fruit, and responds, "Yes, yes, I can't wait either. It's going to be so much fun." 

"Luffy, you seem connected to all of this", Reiju says, pointing to their surroundings. "Who are you, really?" 

Luffy takes the Akuma no Mi and places it in a small chest in his backpack along with the fruit he took from Lampião. He then walks over and stands in front of Reiju, who is seated on the stairs. 

"Will you join my crew?", Luffy asks seriously. 

"Luffy, I already told you, not until you can—" 

"Will you join my crew? It's a leap of faith." 

Reiju then lowers her head, spending several long minutes in quiet contemplation before she looks up and meets Luffy's eyes with a slight smile spreading across her face. "A leap of faith, right, Captain?" 

"That's right", Luffy says, a big grin spreading across his face. 

"Even so, I'll only physically join the ship when I'm sure my father and the kingdom won't be a problem for us." 

"That's fine by me", Luffy says before getting serious and starting to speak, knowing he could trust her completely, whether by intuition or not. "Well, here's why I'm involved in all of this. I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Paramecia-type, and became a rubber man. But this fruit is known by another name: Hito Hito no Mi, Mythical Zoan Type, Model Sun God Nika. It allows the user to fight however they want when awakened, with the only limit being their imagination. In short, that's it." 

"Luffy, you shouldn't go around telling just anyone this kind of secret", she says, concerned for him. 

"And since when are you just anyone, Bubblegum?", Luffy says, ruffling her hair before starting to climb the stairs. 

Reiju is momentarily stunned before a small smile forms on her face. She then follows Luffy, silently vowing never to betray his trust. 

"Bubblegum, I still have about three years before starting my journey. During that time, can you help me train on this island? The environment here is perfect for getting stronger, and I just need your help until I can survive on my own. So, what do you think?" 

"Alright, but I can only stay here for about six months before my father starts getting suspicious and sends people to check on me." 

"Hmmm, six months should be enough, I think." 

From that moment on, Luffy's three years of grueling training began. 

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(AN: 2,126 Words) 

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