"Good job, Vivi," Rifan commended.
"You have the talent to learn the 'Firefox Style.'"
"When you have free time later, you can come to me and continue to learn the 'Firefox Style'.'"
"Let's rest for a while; today's training ends here."
Rifan sheathed the famous sword 'Oto' and spoke to Vivi, who held two swords on the opposite side, with a smile on his face clearly he was quite satisfied with Vivi's performance. It wasn't just the comprehension of swordsmanship displayed on the surface; Vivi's personal attribute panel also showed her achievements in the 'Firefox Style' swordsmanship.
Of course, the fire style shown on Vivi's personal panel wasn't exact. Like Vivi, Nojiko also had the achievement of "Gungnir" on her personal attribute panel. Although Rifan had only been there for a few hours, he was still very happy to see the potential in Vivi and Nojiko.
"Is it finally over?" Vivi asked when she heard Rifan's words. She immediately sat down on the ground, her rough clothes bearing the marks of battle. Obviously, the recent fight had drained her energy.
Seeing this, Rifan smiled and stepped forward, lifting her up like a princess. With a bashful look, he carried her over to Robin and Nojiko, who had finished their training earlier and were relaxing on deck chairs by the pool.
After their training, Robin had naturally made some progress in Fishman Karate. It might not take too long for her to successfully master Fishman Karate, if not reaching the level of Jinbei, at least approaching the level of Koala.
"Captain Rifan, come down to rest for a while," Robin suggested as she saw Rifan place Princess Vivi on an empty deck chair and started to walk away. She reached out and linked her arm with Rifan's, offering him a warm smile.
Nojiko, standing nearby, wore a knowing grin. Rifan could imagine that if Vivi weren't present at that moment, Robin and Nojiko, who understood the subtleties of attraction, would probably be making their advances right now.
"Not yet, Robin," Rifan replied with a shake of his head. "Later, we may have to contact Smoothie from the Big Mom Pirates and Hancock, one of the Shichibukai. Ada and an acquaintance of mine are connected to these two pirate groups. I have to mediate between them to prevent Ada and Leigh from clashing."
Rifan expressed his concerns earnestly. Although he hadn't met Leigh, he had a favourable impression of her who had bought his spring fruit. This goodwill stemmed from their shared identity as reincarnation from the same country. As Rifan was currently acting as a Panda reincarnator, he didn't want other Panda reincarnators to fight among themselves for any reason. While he might not care if two male Panda reincarnators chose to fight, Rifan had a personal connection with Ada, and Leigh was someone he held a certain fondness for, so he wanted to prevent a confrontation between them.
"The Big Mom Pirates and the Nine Snake Pirates, along with Ada, are all involved," Rifan added. "In that case, I can't rest here any longer."
Robin frowned slightly and quickly got to her feet. Even though Ada hadn't been with them for long, everyone considered her a valued crew member. As for Leigh, although Robin and the others didn't know her personally, they wanted to help her since she was important to Rifan.
"Well, let's pack up," Rifan said. "I'm going to the deck first. It might take some time to reach them. So you don't need to worry too much, especially you, Vivi. You should rest well."
Rifan nodded to the three of them, then turned and headed towards the entrance of the swimming pool. After changing into fresh clothes, he returned to the deck.
"Rifan, have you completed your training?" Gion asked with interest when she saw Rifan.
"Yes, for now, training is over," Rifan replied to Gion and then walked over to Bonney, who was steering the ship, and Nami, who was handling navigation.
Gion's smile faltered momentarily when she was about to make a casual comment to Rifan, but she quickly composed herself and followed Rifan's lead.
"Bonney, Nami, head to the northwest of the capital of Water 7 at full speed," Rifan said with a serious tone. "We need to go there first."
Bonney asked, "Huh? Aren't we supposed to find Moria? Why are we changing our course?"
Rifan looked across the sea and replied with a grin, "Over there, some very interesting people are engaged in a battle."
Bonney and Nami exchanged glances without further questions. They quickly adjusted the ship's direction and accelerated, heading towards the northwest of the capital of Seven Waters.
…
..
.
"As expected of the Empress known as the most beautiful woman in the world," Smoothie remarked. "You're truly stunning."
"But I wonder if your strength matches your beauty," she added, extending her tongue to lick the corner of her lips before casually unleashing a sharp flying slash at the Nine Snake Pirates' pirate ship.
Hancock frowned and leaped up from the deck of the ship to counter Smoothie's attack with a powerful kick.
She landed gracefully and questioned Smoothie coldly, "Charlotte Smoothie of the Big Mom Pirates, why did you attack this empress?"
Behind her, the rest of the Nine Snake Pirates watched Smoothie and her crew with vigilance. No one had expected to encounter one of the Four Emperors so early in the Grand Line. Only Leigh, a member of the Nine Snake Pirates, had known in advance that Smoothie would come due to the reincarnators exchange group, so her reaction was less surprised.
"Is that woman Ada Wong, who made a slave contract with Rifan?" Leigh pondered. "Even if such a contract was signed, Rifan doesn't seem like the kind of person to force others into servitude."
Like Leigh, Ada watched Leigh thoughtfully. Knowing that Rifan was on his way, Ada had fewer worries.
Smoothie continued, "Do I even need to explain? Naturally, I want to see what makes the world's most beautiful woman so remarkable. However, to be able to withstand my attack just now, you are quite capable. But the real battle is about to begin."
With a light laugh, Smoothie extended her long sword and slashed at Hancock. Under the influence of her Devil Fruit ability, the water within several crew members quickly drained from their bodies and into Smoothie's, causing her to grow taller and her sword to increase in size.
"Water Sword!" Smoothie declared as she swung her now-enormous sword at Hancock. A nearly ten-meter-high crescent-shaped flying slash filled with high-pressure water rushed towards Hancock and the pirate ship beneath her feet. It was clear that if Hancock chose to evade, her ship would sustain severe damage.
Hancock gritted her teeth and, with her own Devil Fruit abilities, countered Smoothie's attack with a powerful kick.
"Perfume Femur!" she called out.
The collision shattered Smoothie's slash, and Hancock was sent flying backward, landing on the deck once more. However, her strained expression revealed that stopping Smoothie's attack hadn't been as effortless as it seemed.
"Sister, are you all right?" Marigold approached Hancock, concern flowing in her eyes.
"Damn Big Mom Pirates, picking a fight with us for no reason," Sandersonia added, joining them with a grim expression.
The other members of the Kuja Pirates shared the sisters' sentiments. Despite facing a crew from one of the Four Emperors, the members of the Nine Snake Pirates couldn't stand idly by when their empress were attacked.
"Since you want a fight, I'll gladly accommodate you!" Hancock declared, taking a deep breath and adopting her iconic pose with one hand on her hip and the other behind her head.
Behind her, the Nine Snake Pirates readied their weapons, their expressions a mix of excitement and determination.
Smoothie chuckled, raising her sword again, and her fellow Big Mom Pirates followed suit, ready for battle.
Of the two pirate groups, only Ada and Leigh sighed quietly, knowing that this fight was a mere facade.
"Captain Rifan, there are two pirate ships flying their flags and battling on the sea ahead," Mikita reported as she landed on the deck from the sky.
Rifan's eyes glowed red as he quickly activated his Observation Haki and focused on the direction Mikita pointed. Soon, he detected Ada's familiar presence.
"The Nine Snake Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates... how did they cross paths?" Rifan muttered to himself.
"Do you want to go and check it out, Rifan?" Gion inquired, stepping up behind him, her gaze fixed on him intently.
Hina also kept a close eye on Rifan, as the connection between him and Hancock, a Shichibukai, was a matter of significant interest within the Black Pearl Pirates.
"Of course, I've been wanting to meet the empress known as the world's most beautiful woman~" Rifan replied with a grin. He glanced at the crew members of the Black Pearl Pirates and added, "Get ready, everyone. I might have to face off against someone on the other side later. Bonney, keep going."
Upon hearing the news that they were about to confront the Big Mom Pirates and the Nine Snake Pirates, the expressions of Nami, Carina, Chopper, and others turned serious. Fearless crew members like Bonney and Mikita, however, wore excited expressions.
"Engaging one of the Four Emperors in battle would be fantastic!" Mikita exclaimed, gripping the blade hidden in her umbrella tightly.
"Rifan, you're a real man!" Bonney laughed, pushing the ship's acceleration button, causing flames to erupt from the Black Pearl's stern once more.
Franky couldn't help but voice his concern, "Hey, you ladies, save some of that power. If you keep this up, you'll drain all the cola I've prepared before we even reach the next island."
Ignoring Franky's remarks, Bonney held onto Rifan's shoulder as they braved the wind and waves, shouting with excitement. "Rifan, are you thinking of targeting that woman Hancock now?"
Amidst the turbulent sea, Gion asked Rifan with a solemn expression, "Are you going to change your plan and attack Hancock?"
Hina kept her eyes on Rifan, anticipating his response.
Rifan chuckled, "How could it be, Gion? As I've said before, I'd rather befriend her. There are actually reasons why, but I won't share them. You should understand. However, if that person doesn't match up to the title of 'world's most beautiful woman' in appearance, I might change the plan."
Gion shook her head, saying, "You haven't changed."
But as the two pirate ships loomed in the distance, Gion refocused and became serious. Rifan's interactions with the current Shichibukai were a matter of concern for both her and Hina. Their departure from the Black Pearl Pirates had ties to these events.
Gion couldn't help but wonder if Rifan had learned more about Hancock and himself through the Four Emperors' top cadres and what impact it might have on their future interactions.