Chapter 92: Comrade's Mark, Robin Joins the Crew.

"Hahaha, I am the King of the Sky!!"

Standing on top of the 'Boeing 747,' Luffy spread his arms and shouted, making everyone getting off the 'plane' speechless.

"In a few days, you'll probably be the King of the Universe..."

Splash~~

As Roman retrieved the paper, Luffy, who had fallen onto the sand, grumpily adjusted his straw hat.

"Roman, make me a smaller 'plane' to play with."

...

"Hmph, why not just use my ability to go to sea?"

"Let's take this 'Boeing 747' and fly to the Grand Line, passing by Luffy... laughing at those poor souls on rafts in the sea."

As they say: Army on land, Marines at sea, and Air Force is the big bully!

Come and go as you please, that's the way to live~~~

...

Going Merry: So love will disappear, right?

—

"No way~~ What about the Going Merry?"

Usopp burst into tears instantly,

"No way~~ That wouldn't be fun at all!"

Luffy also looked devastated.

"Just kidding."

??

"The Grand Line's wild and unpredictable weather, using my 'paper plane' to navigate?"

Forget Roman's knockoff, even a real Boeing 747 wouldn't dare to fly in this world where the weather changes through all four seasons in a day, and thunderstorms are a daily occurrence.

But come to think of it, that hunk of metal might not be as sturdy as Roman's 'paper plane'...

"In short, until my strength reaches the level of the Seven Warlords, using my ability to go to sea is just asking for trouble"

"That's good, that's good~~"

The two instantly revived, patting their chests in relief.

"By the way—"

Roman looked at Luffy, "If we're waiting until twelve, there's no need to set sail now."

They were currently on the outskirts of a port city in eastern Alabasta. Nami had given Vivi half a day to decide whether to join the Straw Hat crew, meaning they would set sail again at noon today.

Whether Vivi wanted to board the ship was entirely up to her.

"If we set sail now, we'll easily attract the Marines' attention."

Strictly speaking, there were three Marine warships patrolling outside the port. If the Going Merry showed up, they'd be met with cannon fire.

"Yeah, makes sense."

Luffy rubbed his chin, "Then let's go adventur—"

Rustle~~

"I've already got a detailed training plan for how to spend this time."

Sheets of white paper flew out, forming a large training ground. Roman also held the wristbands that made Luffy shiver.

"Come on, don't be shy."

"Luffy and Chopper, one each, I'll wear a pair myself!"

"...Alright," X2

With tears streaming down their faces, Luffy and Chopper silently took the 'seastone' wristbands and put them on, then:

"Ahhh, I feel drained~~~"

"Oh oh oh, I can't go on~~~"

"Alright, everyone, let's start training!"

Facing Roman, who was sweating profusely with Seastone wristbands, and Zoro, who was silently doing squats with two huge stones, Sanji tugged at his collar and complained.

"Anyone who knows us would say we're a pirate crew..."

"Anyone who doesn't would think we're a XXX gym..."

"Don't underestimate gyms,"

Roman said while doing sit-ups at high speed, "You should know that 'Destruction Cannon' Ideo from the New World is a fitness enthusiast and the champion of the 'New World Central Fighting Tournament' V2, with a bounty of 200 million..."

Wait a minute!

Did Destruction Cannon win the fighting championship at this time... never mind, don't worry about the details.

"200 million?"

In an instant, Luffy's eyes turned into stars.

"That's amazing! I want him on my ship!"

Uh... that's your future crew member...

"Anyway, since we have nothing else to do, exercising is never a bad idea. — At least we'll be able to run faster, right?"

So, the group started sweating and celebrating their youth!

Then—

"I didn't expect training with these Seastone wristbands to be so tough..."

After spending the whole morning, the group staggered back to the Going Merry. They left footprints with every step, their sweat drying and wetting again and again...

"I feel like I've been touched by Crocodile!"

"Chopper is already half-cooked..."

"Water~~ give me water~~~"

"Here,"

In a calm, mature voice, a large wooden bucket was handed to Luffy. After he grabbed it and drank it all down, "Ah, finally revived!"

"There's some for you too,"

One by one, hands handed cups of water to the group, who gulped it down after a morning of training.

"Thank you~~" x4

Then:

"Spit!!!" x4

"Why are you here!?"

"Are you here for revenge?!"

"Ahhh, a stranger!!"

"Beautiful Miss All-Sunday~~"

Facing the yelling Nami, Chopper, Usopp, and Sanji... well, Sanji's eyes had already turned into hearts, and he was floating around like a dandelion.

"Hmm? You're only noticing now?"

Roman took a sip of water and put down the cup.

"Looks like we can't slack off on your Observation Haki training..."

You devil coach! x3

Usopp and Nami were in tears, and Chopper was already lying down. — For him, a reindeer living in the icy cold, the desert environment was hell! Not to mention the crazy training with Roman, his thick fur was a nightmare...

"So, why are you here, woman?"

With his hand on the hilt of his sword, Zoro, the only one who didn't take the water cup, raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's you,"

"Thanks for the antidote~~"

Luffy, however, remained calm, as if the person in front of him wasn't a former life-and-death enemy.

Nico Robin!

Yes, the person who appeared on the Going Merry was this tall, intellectual beauty. She had taken off her boss-like white fur coat and changed into a shirt and pants. However—

The top two buttons of the shirt couldn't be fastened, and the pants looked like capris.

"When did you get on the ship?"

Facing Nami's question, the tall Robin pulled over a chair and sat down, calmly opening the book in her hand.

"I've been on the Going Merry all along, reading, taking a bath..."

"The clothes I'm wearing are yours, right? I borrowed them~~~"

Ah, no wonder this outfit looked strange, it turned out to be Nami's clothes—

"Roman, are you thinking something inappropriate?!"

??!!

"No, absolutely not."

"Liar!"

Hmm~~~ Could it be that Nami has awakened her 'Observation Haki'? Roman, touching his chin, seriously pondered, making Zoro beside him unable to watch.

"Roman, I think you should learn some expression management..."

Although Roman didn't have the exaggerated 'facial expressions' unique to the Straw Hat crew, he liked to touch his chin when thinking and would unconsciously look up when lying... These small details had long been noticed by the others...

"Don't mind these details."

"The important thing is—"

Waving his hand to change the topic, Roman looked at Nico Robin, who had changed into casual clothes and was lying on a chair reading a book. Although her appearance here was part of Roman's 'deal,' the final decision had to be...

Hmm?

As the Going Merry slowly sailed out of its hiding place, the Marine ships on the sea immediately noticed the Straw Hat skull flag on the ship. After circling once, they quickly sped towards them! Of course, this wasn't Roman's main concern. The main concern was—

Thud, thud, thud~~

Amidst a series of dense footsteps, a giant land duck rushed towards the port.

On it sat a blue-haired girl in a gorgeous long dress, —the princess of Alabasta, the next heir to the kingdom: Nefertari Vivi.

"Oh, Vivi is here!"

"Stop, stop! Wait for Vivi to get on board~~"

Following Luffy's order, Roman immediately slowed down the Going Merry, although he knew Vivi wouldn't get on board. But—how could a few Marine ships be more important than a companion?

If it weren't for Luffy always avoiding the Marines, Roman could have flown over and beaten those three ships to pieces...

"Everyone!"

Waving to them, Vivi took the Den Den Mushi from the land duck 'Karoo,' and her voice came from the nearby port city!

"...I'm here to say goodbye."

This...

Luffy's face froze.

"Sorry, I can't go with you."

"Thank you so much for this time!"

...

"Impossible, is that the princess of Alabasta?" Not only the crew of the Going Merry but even the soldiers on the three surrounding Marine ships were stunned.

A princess and pirates... how could they possibly mix?

"I really want to go on adventures with you, but—"

Vivi's voice echoed across the sea.

"I love my country!"

"I've decided to stay..."

If she could, the naturally brave Vivi would love to go to sea with Luffy. 

But she is the princess of Alabasta, the heir to the throne. 

She represents not only the Nefertari royal family but also millions of Alabasta citizens! How could a princess, a future queen, join a pirate crew and expect Alabasta to stand in this world?

Don't forget, this world is still ruled by the World Government and the Marines!

"I see..."

Luffy smiled warmly.

"If we meet again someday..."

Vivi's voice, already filled with tears, she didn't need a Den Den Mushi to amplify it; it was clearly heard on the Going Merry.

"Would you still call me a companion!?"

"..."

"Impossible, that person is really the princess of Alabasta, the next queen?" The Marine warship nearby was in chaos, it was as bizarre as seeing a cat and mouse getting married!

"Of course, we—" 

Luffy's words were cut off by Nami's 'Iron Claw' grabbing his face. Roman shook his head, stopping Luffy's struggle.

"Luffy, the Marines over there are almost scared to death."

He pointed with his thumb, indicating the three warships that had already entered firing range but seemed unmanned.

"So, don't provoke them anymore. Know that colluding with pirates is a serious crime! Even royalty can be executed on the spot."

Of course, secretly raising their own pirate crew is a 'game rule' most royal families tacitly accept. But such things can't be done openly.

"Roman is right, so we can't respond to her."

Everyone silently turned around, then—

One by one, they raised their left hands, forming a line at the ship's rail! Wrapped around them were paper bands made by Roman, unique in the entire ocean!

'This is the mark of comrades!'

"Luffy, everyone..."

Tears streaming down her face, Vivi looked at the row of arms, undoubtedly receiving the Straw Hat crew's silent answer.

As Vivi and the running duck beside her raised their left hands, Luffy's loud shout echoed.

"Set sail!"

"Depart!!"

 ----

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