Chapter 064

The Strawhats glanced at one another and then turned to Nico Robin. Since Luke also accepted her to the crew, there's no need for them to be wary about her. Their expression lighten as they stared at her.

Nico Robin on the otherhand, felt surprised to learn such information from Luke. If she didn't heard wrong, Luke mentioned three ancient weapons.

"You guys seem to be putting too much trust for... our Vice Captain. You guys don't find it a bit odd?"

She probed. One thing she knew about Luke is that, he's very powerful that even Akainu was having a hard time matching his strength.

"Just like you, we showed doubt on first impressions since he's always this mysterious. But he's a reliable Vice Captain and also the Crew Commander. You'll know why we trusted his opinion. He's.. our friend." Nami smiled as she said in a low voice.

The Strawhats also agreed. They still doubt him even now since he never revealed his goal, but he takes good care of them.

Luke was like a guide to them and letting them learn new and wonderful things. He also taught them how to be stronger and he personally fend off powerful foes like an Admiral and that mysterious individual back in Little Garden that they saw him so vulnerable for the first time.

If not for him, the Strawhat Pirates might already be in tragic situation given the dangers brought by the sea.

Robin's eyes shone as she glanced at where Luke was. Her interest towards him grew even further.

...

Meanwhile...

The world shook by the newspaper announcement of the marines.

A new Pirate Emperor has been introduced to the world.

The Beast Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates received the news and got surprised.

The Red Haired Pirates captain, Shanks stared at the newspaper with widened eyes. He kept rubbing his eyes if he really read it right.

The rest of the Red Haired Pirates crew were all in sheer disbelief. Their mouth were wide open while reading the news.

"LUFFY?!!"

...

New World...

Whitebeard was seen staring at the newspaper with a serious look on his face.

"The D clan is starting to spread their influence once again..." he paused and stared at the sea.

He murmured, "Roger.. Will I ever see the day of his promise finally happen?"

"P-Pops! There's a call from that- that bastard! He-He wanted to talk to you!" A random crew hurriedly went to Whitebeard carrying an active DenDen Mushi.

"Who?" Whitebeard squinted his eyes at his so-called son.

"ZEHAHAHA!! It's been a while, Pops! I kinda missed you these days!" The DenDen Mushi assumed an evil looking vibe.

The nearby Whitebeard crew became serious and expressed their rage after hearing that familiar laugh.

"Teach.." Whitebeard narrowed his eyes coldly. The space surrounding him suddenly distorted as if it's about to crack.

"I'm called Blackbeard now. I kinda follow your lead Pops! You're my idol after all! ZEHAHAHA!" Blackbeard laughed out loud.

"Don't you call me such name. State your business before I change my mind and set a course of your whereabouts." Whitebeard appeared calm but bulging veins slowly appeared on his forehead.

"Don't be so harsh on me, Pops! I'm also concerned about the crew... I heard Ace has been captured? A shame, he's my commander after all. I hope he's fine in the Impel Down while eating some rats for good nutrition. ZEHAHAHA!!" Blackbeard's annoying laugh made the whole Whitebeard crew go berserk.

"You fucking bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

"Where are you, you fucking coward!?"

BAM!

Whitebeard lightly tapped the pommel of his naginata weapon to the floor which rocked the whole Moby Dick ship. This slight move of his caused the ruckus of his crew to stop.

"Is that all you want to say? You better keep hiding, Teach. If I caught a whiff of your stench, you better run because I will personally hunt you down to the ends of this world." Whitebeard declared with a murderous tone.

"ZEHAHAHA! Pops really likes to joke around! Anyway, I am planning to have a family reunion with all of you. I'm bringing the party to you soon." Blackbeard grinned.

He added, "In fact, I already invited one of our family. He will sleep early to reunite with all of you soon."

"..KGH! ..P-Pops." A hoarse voice of a dying man echoed at Den Den Mushi.

Whitebeard and the crew changed their expression greatly. They didn't recognized the voice, but they knew for a fact that this man is part of Whitebeard's family.

Whitebeard took a deep breath as the air distorted and cracks in the space appeared around him.

"I bet you all gonna be excited to see me soon. This reunion is going to be wild! ZEHAAHAHA!!" Blackbeard made a final annoying laugh before ending the call.

"..."

"Everyone! Check who's missing or in peril right now! Contact everyone we know! Go!" Marco, the first division commander immediately issued an order. His face looked so glum while staring at the Den Den Mushi.

He turned to Whitebeard, "Pops... "

"Summon the commanders all over the world. If Teach wants a war..."

Whitebeard's face was full of killing intent.

"We'll give him war!"

...

Somewhere in the Grandline, Paradise area...

After Blackbeard ended the call, he looked down at the corpse of a bloodied man.

"15th commander Fossa, your pretty lucky to spot me in this island. Your sacrifice makes my gift more pleasant to Pops. Zehahaha..."

"Captain, we have another company." Laffitte pointed at the distant marine warship heading fast towards their location.

"These two old men kept hunting us for days. Just why are they so annoying? They are following us back in Drum Kingdom." Blackbeard muttered with annoyance.

"They're here for me. One of those old men was my master. He's probably chasing us all the way to because of me." Garou licked the blood from his palm as he stared at the warship. He's the one who finished Fossa on the ground.

"Was?" Blackbeard's eyes rolled as if thinking something. He grinned as he issued a command,

"Prepare to fight! Let's give this old men a proper burial in this land."

The Blackbeard crew squinted their eyes at Garou before they stared back at the warship.

"I'll deal with them alone." Garou stepped forward. His aura grew ominous.

Meanwhile, Wapol became so timid that he held his breath everytime these people beside released their auras.

...

Few hours later...

The Strawhats were resting all day after dealing the matters with Alabasta Kingdom. The Only people who's awake were Zoro, Luke and Robin.

Zoro has a very simple routine, Eat, Train, Drink, Sleep. He's mostly awake during night to train while sleeping during the day.

Meanwhile, Luke was reading some random books. However, most of the time, he was contemplating things.

"Hmm?"

He saw a falling rolled paper from the sky that dropped by a bird. His eyes flickered then controlled the paper to drop to his side.

A newspaper and a bounty poster are all in this rolled paper.

And as Luke expected, Luffy got announced to be the new Emperor of the Sea.

The bounty poster of Luffy also changed. It was the same smiling face but with a bounty of 2.5 billion berries.

"You seem not surprised?" Nico Robin appeared beside Luke as she commented. When she saw the bounty of Luffy, her expression turned to shock. Although she already expected this outcome, she still couldn't believe it.

Luke gave Robin a side glance before focusing his attention back to the newspaper.

"I've read Akainu's memory. That was their plan in the first place." He simply replied.

"So you can really read minds. Then you must also be reading Crocodile's mind at that time, right?" Nico Robin smiled as she probed.

"There's no need to. Also, reading memories will caused a heavy toll on my mental energy." Luke squinted his eyes at Robin. He waved a hand and a piece of cloud formed into a reclining chair similar to his.

Robin's eyes shone. This man in front of her is full of mystery. She then gracefully sat down at the cloud chair prepared by Luke. She got surprised how comfortable it is to sit on such a chair.

"Looks like Luffy only got the bounty. I wonder how high is your bounty too." Robin examined Luke. She found him full of mysterious charm as she wanted to uncover his real identity.

"As much as possible, I prefer not having a bounty. Just like you, right?" Luke's eyes met with Robin's as he smiled calmly.

Robin's eyes flickered and her heart thumped for a second. She smiled, "You are bad. Did you read my mind just now?"

"In order for me to read memories, I need to touch that person's head. Even if I don't read your memories, I still know you more than you do yourself." Luke chuckled. He examined this slightly tanned beauty. Although he has no interest in her as his other half, he won't deny other spicy benefits from her either. This woman is a living paradise for men.

"That's interesting. But I need some proof if you really know me well." Robin smiled.

"Are you sure?" Luke smiled that wasn't a smile. His crimson eyes glowed a bit.

"...Yes. Since you know me that well, I want to know what I missed." Robin replied. In order for her to believe his claim, she needed a solid evidence.

"Because of your tragic origin, you have nothing to lose today. If I end your life right now, you won't even blame me for it." Luke indifferently stated.

His words caused a slight ripple from Nico Robin's eyes.

"I know for a fact that you persistently lived because you want the secrets of the world to be uncovered. However, that's all there is to it. There's no life to your adventure, only pain and hatred."

"However, what if I give you a reason to live?" Luke smiled. He knew that Robin will find her way on getting along with the Strawhats like real friends in the future. That's her new reason for wanting to live, but now is different.

He could tell the world is not used to be like in the original story. He could feel a deep undercurrent is going on. A great uprising that can turn the world upside down soon.

Then why not let her have some spoilers?

This is his way to compensate her for taking her spot as the brain of the Strawhats. Still, he needed her knowledge on some major and minor things he may fail to remember.

Nico Robin's lips turned pale every passing second. She wanted to know this information, but she felt afraid for some reason.

"Someone you once called a friend when you have nothing to rely on is still alive." Luke slowly revealed.

"Jaguar D. Saul."

*****

A/N : 2 more chapters ready today.