Chapter 77 - Shimotsuki Village 04.

[Chapter Size: 2014 Words.]

Third Person POV

Shimotsuki Village, East Blue.

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"Captain... it seems I lost that fight..." Hugo looked embarrassed as he got up from the ground after the battle concluded.

Luffy approached and placed his hand on the big man's shoulder.

"Don't be too down, that's normal for everyone; people are always weak at the beginning, and you faced a tough akuma no mi user. Just don't give up and focus on training to become even stronger. I saw you trying to use Tekkai, but it failed. I won't blame you since you started training ahead of most; your body hasn't adapted yet," Luffy said calmly to his companion.

"Yes, thank you for those words, Captain..." Hugo muttered, thinking about the next training session and his strengthening with the idea of getting stronger and developing this technique.

"Anyway, it looks like Bepo didn't kill all of them. Good job, Bepo!" Luffy said, observing 8 of those 30 knights still alive but heavily injured on the beach.

"I thought Bepo was kind, but he eliminated 22 people, and I must say he developed his technique with talent, even though he failed a few times in the fight..." Luffy thought, surprised.

"Thanks, Captain!" Bepo exclaimed a bit embarrassed.

"I'll clean up this mess; tie up all the knights still alive," Luffy said as he walked towards the dead.

"They had interesting akuma no mi, but I'll have to spend money to get them from the shop after they've been killed. It's not worth it, although the chain's akuma no mi is even more interesting than the one that Marine woman uses, I think her name is Rina..." Luffy debated whether to take this akuma no mi that reminded him of the Uzumaki's power.

'500 million...' Luffy opened the shop and looked at its price; he instinctively looked at Nojiko, who could eat that fruit in a corner of the beach.

'No... it's not worth it... I have a better fruit for her when we get to Alabasta.' Luffy reasoned and set aside the idea.

He began to set fire to the bodies to clean the beach, making them all cremate along with their armor, which had no chance to resist the heat of Luffy's flames.

Returning to his companions, he noticed they were all looking at the still-standing enemy ship.

"I like that ship... It's quite luxurious," Reiju said, looking at the Goa Kingdom's ship.

The luxurious ship of the Goa Kingdom was a true floating masterpiece. With an impressive length, it rose majestically above the blue waters of the East Blue, leaving everyone who saw it marveling at its magnificence.

The ship's hull was of pure and shining white, glistening in the sun like a precious pearl. The bow was adorned with intricately carved hardwood, intricate details depicting scenes from the kingdom's history, showcasing past glories and the heroes who served it.

The sails were immaculately white and seemed capable of capturing the very essence of the wind. They were giant, like the wings of an angel, giving the ship impressive speed and a sense of freedom as it cut through the waters.

The deck was made of hand-polished wood, smooth as silk, and adorned with expensive carpets and high-quality wicker chairs. Large glass windows, carefully cleaned and polished, adorned the sides of the ship, allowing a panoramic view of the ocean and sky. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the dining hall's ceiling radiated a soft and shimmering light, creating an atmosphere of refinement and sophistication.

The ship's interior was equally splendid. The rooms were spacious and decorated with fine furniture, silk curtains, and valuable artworks. The dining hall was adorned with marble tables and chairs upholstered in luxurious fabrics, where guests could enjoy sumptuous banquets and opulent parties.

On the upper deck, there was a sparkling pool, surrounded by wooden loungers and umbrellas, providing an oasis of tranquility and relaxation. The onboard spa offered beauty treatments and massages for privileged guests who wished to relax even further.

In summary, the luxurious ship of the Goa Kingdom was a symbol of wealth and power. Its splendor and elegance made it a refuge for the privileged, offering an unparalleled travel experience amid the splendor of the waters of the East Blue.

"Probably the ship used by the king himself..." Lami commented with the same reasoning as the captain.

"Great, we have a beautiful ship now, and we'll keep it to sell as soon as possible. I'm sure it'll be worth a few hundred million," Luffy commented, but he was surprised when he approached these two, and they spoke one after the other without starting a fight.

"Is the Goa Kingdom trying to capture me, Luffy-Sama?" Shirahoshi asked with a bit of concern.

"Yes, but don't worry, we'll pay them a visit after we sail from here."

"We're going to attack a king?!" Usopp shouted in surprise.

"No... we're going to attack a kingdom," Luffy said calmly.

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"Captain, can you repeat that? I think I heard it wrong," Hugo said.

"What? I said we're going to attack the Goa Kingdom," Luffy spoke again.

"Luffy... You can't be serious, can you?" Nojiko said with wide eyes.

"Hahaha. It seems you don't know me; I said we're going to attack a kingdom, and that's what we're going to do!" Luffy said.

"Wait a minute! You're not from this kingdom?" Zoro opened his eyes when he remembered the time he and his captain met; Luffy mentioned that he was born and raised in Goa.

"Yes, but that doesn't stop me from attacking their king when he decided to target us." Luffy spoke calmly.

"So, are we really going to attack the Goa Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"..."

"Since this is an order from the captain, I will follow him."

"Yes, I trust you, Luffy."

"Yes, I agree with Luffy. If they want to be our enemies, we should respond to that!"

They, who were initially surprised that Luffy planned to attack a kingdom, ended up agreeing, as Luffy always said that his goal is to conquer the seas, and what is a kingdom compared to that, especially one that decided to make them their enemies by trying to capture Shirahoshi.

"Yes, but let's first train for the rest of the day. I intend to see Kuina's response by the end of the day, and we'll set sail shortly after," Luffy announced.

With everyone agreeing to that, there were 8 prisoners placed in a small cage, and everyone went to train in the next moment, with some even more determined after the fight against the knights.

During the rest of the afternoon, the team trained for two more sessions until just before the sun began to set in the West. It was at this moment that Kuina appeared on the beach, surprising everyone.

"Kuina! We were already going after you!" Nojiko said with a smile.

"Hello, everyone. As you can see, this is my answer," Kuina said as she approached with a backpack on her back and her sword at her waist.

She had accepted to travel with them after spending a few days with her father; her path with the sword asked her to follow them on the journey.

"That's great, then welcome to the crew!" Luffy announced with a laugh.

[System - Crew: Kuina has joined as a member of your crew!]

'That's great!' Luffy celebrated internally.

"Hahahaha! Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates, Kuina. I hope you know what you're getting into because it won't be an easy journey!" Luffy announced with a big smile.

"I know very well what I'm getting into," she scoffed as she approached them.

Kuina approached and was greeted with a wide variety of smiles and greetings from everyone, congratulating her on officially joining the group.

"Luffy, my father would like to talk to you and even Zoro before we leave," Kuina said after the meeting.

It was understandable; Luffy knew that the man wanted to talk to him about his daughter, and Zoro, being his apprentice, wanting to exchange some last words of farewell or advice.

The captain picked up the Black Pearl on the beach and threw it into the sea before setting sail.

"I would say I could go ahead, but Zoro might get lost, so let's go together," Luffy said, laughing, earning a grimace from the swordsman, and the duo set off towards the dojo.

Arriving at the location, Luffy was greeted by Koushirou with a small smile in front of the place with some students.

"I want to talk to your captain first, Zoro. Can you accompany me, Monkey D. Luffy?"

"Sure..."

Luffy followed the man, who led him to a hill with a tomb a little distant from the dojo; this was the old tomb of his daughter. The sun was setting at that moment, creating a strange atmosphere, but Luffy broke the silence between the two as soon as he arrived at the location.

"Did you open it?" Luffy asked surprised, looking at the excavated spot.

"It was Kuina's idea; she really wanted to see what was inside," he said calmly.

"And there was nothing, right?" Luffy already imagined the answer since Kuina had been resurrected, and the original bones should have disappeared from there.

"No, I'm sure the body should be here, and it was never violated all these years."

Luffy looked in silence, and the man sighed.

"I must thank you for bringing my girl back... Even though it's so unbelievable, she's here again, and I know it's her," he said.

"..." Luffy didn't know what to say; he had stated his motivations for this many times.

"I tried to convince her to stay here, you know?" He said with a small smile.

"..."

"She said she had an unpayable debt to you, but I said I would pay for it myself and advised her to have a safe life, yet here she is," he continued.

"..."

"But she refused; she said she connected with you, that she really wanted to travel the sea and develop her swordsmanship in your pirate group and pursue her dream..."

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"I failed my daughter once; I don't intend to do it a second time, so I can only ask you to take care of her and help her with her dream."

"That will be done, uncle," Luffy said after his brief silence and smiled.

"You brought her back, so you have the right to take care of her from now on."

"She's already a member of my crew; even if the world has to burn, I'll save anyone from my crew," Luffy announced.

"You even handed over the old and legendary lost sword, Tensa Zangetsu. Despite the curse, the sword is a great treasure and can easily be a substitute for Wado Ichimonji," he said.

"She needs a good sword to pursue her dream..." He shrugged.

"Thank you; you're a better man than I am and even a better father in the future."

"Well... I hope so..." Luffy couldn't help but reflect on those words.

The two's conversation turned to some general topics in the next 10 minutes; Luffy took the opportunity to get some tips for training his swordsmanship, which is still at a very low level.

After that, they descended the hill, and Kuina's father talked to Zoro alone.

Luffy didn't want to risk leaving ahead, so he waited for Zoro to return with him to the ship.

As soon as Zoro returned, they set sail after bidding farewell once again to Master Koushirou.

Returning to the ship, Luffy used his wings to go to the ship in the water, holding onto Zoro's shirt collar, much to the swordsman's discontent with the treatment.

"So, are we leaving?" Nami asked.

"Yes, heading straight for Goa."

"Is it really your home, Luffy-Sama?" Shirahoshi asked curiously, recalling Zoro's words.

"Yes, before embarking on this journey, I had never left the country," Luffy said, looking nostalgically at the horizon.

"I won't fail to visit some dear people to me in that place," Luffy murmured.

As night fell, the Black Pearl began to sail, heading in the opposite direction of Loguetown, delving even deeper into the East Blue.

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