If the teacher wasn't up to the task, then the student would have to work twice as hard!
Like with certain things—if the other party doesn't move, you have to take the initiative.
However, reality had a way of disappointing lofty ideals.
By afternoon, when Nami emerged from the chart room to ask what was for dinner, she found several people sprawled across the deck.
"What happened to them?"
Nami looked at Zoro and Sanji lying limp on the ground, their chests barely rising and falling. Usopp and Chopper were laid out beside them.
Luffy was doing bicep curls with a massive dumbbell, looking utterly innocent:
"They just got worn out."
"I barely had them do the same physical training as me, and they couldn't handle it."
He spoke with a slightly teasing tone, as if lamenting the quality of this generation of crewmates.
"Not everyone is a freak like you!"
Usopp used his last ounce of strength to protest, his arms still trembling uncontrollably. "Hundreds of push-ups in half an hour? And those weighted squats? Is that even humanly possible?"
Chopper nodded tearfully. He was a reindeer, and he felt like his legs no longer belonged to him.
Zoro and Sanji didn't even have the energy to speak, conveying their shared indignation through glares alone.
They even suspected Luffy had gone especially hard on them!
After the physical training came endurance training—euphemistically called "practicing Kenbunshoku perception and Busoshoku defense." Luffy's punches were not something just anyone could take!
Forget Usopp and Chopper—even Zoro, who prided himself on his toughness, and Sanji, whose kicking specialty gave him a solid foundation, felt like they'd been half-killed.
Luffy set down the dumbbell, whistled, and spread his hands. "You guys were the ones who asked for extra training."
Honestly, he thought their concerns were a bit unnecessary.
When it came to enemies on Shiki's level, that was his responsibility as captain.
For him, the most important thing was for everyone to enjoy their adventure together.
But he also understood how Zoro and the others felt.
They wanted to get stronger so they could fight alongside him, not just worry from the sidelines or take care of the small fry.
He appreciates that sentiment.
Nami looked at the bodies littering the deck—especially Sanji—and sighed helplessly. She walked over and tugged at Luffy's cheek. "If you've exhausted Sanji like this, who's going to make dinner?"
Luffy's face was stretched out of shape as he mumbled:
"Then I guess I'll have to show you what I can do."
"Let him handle it, Nami-san."
Sanji was too exhausted to do more than breathe, barely managing to raise one hand. "Luffy's already at about twenty percent of my level."
"Only twenty percent?" Luffy protested. "At least fifty!"
Nami was skeptical.
But then she thought about it—Luffy had studied navigation with her for a while and had become a pretty decent navigator.
His other skills were probably about the same.
At dinner, the table was covered with food Luffy had cooked himself.
And indeed.
While the presentation wasn't as refined as Sanji's, the taste was surprisingly good. The portions were generous, carrying Luffy's signature boldness.
As everyone ate, they couldn't help but marvel.
Their captain had put them through half a day of training and nearly broken them. But Luffy had been doing this almost every day since the East Blue—with even greater intensity. His perseverance and natural talent were such that jealousy felt pointless.
"Luffy, you're a monster," Usopp said sincerely between bites of meat.
"Haha, of course I am—I'm the man who's going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy replied without a hint of modesty, wolfing down his food.
Just then, little Merry came bounding in, carrying a News Coo.
In the past, the crew's first instinct upon seeing a News Coo might have been to consider it as an extra meal. But Robin had warned them that Morgans, the president of the World Economic Times, was well-connected and held grudges. Offend his News Coos, and they might find themselves completely blind on the vast seas.
So now, the task of receiving the News Coo fell to the most harmless, adorable-looking member of the crew: little Merry.
The News Coo seemed to like her too, flapping its wings and snuggling into her arms whenever it came.
Nami bought two copies of the newspaper.
"This didn't make the front page, did it?" Luffy wasn't particularly interested.
Sure, he'd defeated a legendary pirate like Golden Lion. But what a shame that no one had witnessed it. Unless the World Government had spies in the sky—now that would be terrifying.
And if Shiki was still alive, he wouldn't go around telling people that Luffy had beaten him. Old-school pirates had too much pride for that.
Nami unfolded the paper, her expression somewhat strange. "Actually, it seems it did make the front page."
The headline blared with a world-shaking event:
LEGENDARY PIRATE GOLDEN LION SHIKI RECAPTURED AND RETURNED TO IMPEL DOWN!
MARINES SCORE GLORIOUS VICTORY, UPHOLDING JUSTICE ON THE SEAS!
The article went all out with dramatic embellishment, crediting the Marines' heroic actions entirely for Shiki's capture. It described in detail how the Marines had strategized, fought valiantly, and finally recaptured the legendary pirate who had escaped twenty years prior. As for the specific process and who had actually defeated Shiki? The details were conveniently vague.
Once again, the magic of journalism was on full display.
Anyone reading this paper would naturally assume the Marines had captured Shiki.
In other words—the Marines took the credit, while Luffy and his crew got nothing.
But there was one silver lining.
The earlier reports about disappearing towns had all been caused by Shiki. Now that Shiki was back in Impel Down, that whole incident was considered closed.
Nami and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Luffy, however, was focused on something else. "So it was the World Government who took Shiki? I sensed an unfamiliar presence at the time."
"It seems they sent him straight to Impel Down," Nami said, scrutinizing the report. She let out a relieved breath. "It doesn't mention us. Looks like the World Government is covering this up again."
Robin took an elegant sip of the soup Luffy had made, speaking calmly, "That's a good thing. We made quite a scene at Enies Lobby not long ago. The heat hasn't fully died down yet."
Nami patted her chest. "It's great that the World Government doesn't know Luffy was the one who defeated Shiki."
Robin set down her spoon gently, analyzing rationally: "Not necessarily. The upper echelons of the World Government and the Marines almost certainly know. Just like with Crocodile and Enies Lobby, they've chosen the narrative that benefits them most. They control the news—they decide what the public knows and what gets buried."
Luffy curled his lip. "The World Government really is annoying."
He grabbed a piece of meat, chewing as he asked, "Oh, by the way—I never asked. Where are we heading next?"
Nami pulled out her sea chart and Log Pose, confirming their course. "The end of the first half of the Grand Line. A place called the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Ooooh!"
The crew's excitement surged.
***
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