Chapter 174: The Straw Hat Crew
Amidst the haze, Rodney seemed to hear someone bickering near his ears. Annoyed, he rolled over but was still disturbed. Subconsciously, he grabbed something furry nearby and threw it toward the source of the noise.
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
A miserable cry.
"Chopper! Are you okay?!" Robin hurriedly helped Chopper up, frowned at the young man wearing a straw hat and flip-flops before her, and said, "Mr. Luffy, please be quiet. The captain is still resting!"
The one causing the commotion was naturally our pirate, Monkey D. Luffy. Upon seeing Rodney again and recalling their previous brawl, he decided to challenge him once more, thinking that Rodney was asleep and wanted to wake him up by making a racket.
"Ah, isn't he recovering well? Hey! Rodney, wake up! I want to fight you!"
Luffy hopped around, making a scene. Robin put down Chopper, and her arms sprouted from her body, covering Luffy's mouth to silence him.
"Wuu wuu wuu!"
At this moment, Nami approached and landed a punch on Luffy's head. "Shut up! Mr. Rodney is resting!!"
"Bang!"
Clearly, as a rubber person, Luffy shouldn't be hurt by blunt strikes, and Nami wasn't using Haki, but it was incredibly strange. Luffy was left with a swollen lump on his head after Nami's punch.
"That hurts! Nami, why do your punches hurt so much? Why are you like Grandpa?" Luffy shouted while clutching his head. This finally woke up Rodney, his eyes bloodshot.
"Oh no! The captain's morning anger has kicked in!" Robin wisely kept her distance, and Rodney used a bit of his remaining chakra to perform a ninja technique: "Suiton - Suiryūdan!"
Boom!
A water dragon suddenly materialized and sent Luffy flying out of the room and into the sea.
Rodney: ZZZZ...
Having accomplished this, he went back to sleep soundly.
Robin chuckled and said, "The captain despises being woken up when he's sleeping. Is your captain a Devil Fruit user? You should send someone to rescue him; he might drown."
Without a second thought, Zoro jumped into the sea and pulled the drowning Luffy back.
"Really, if you can't beat someone, don't provoke them. He was able to handle you even while half-asleep. He's truly a formidable guy! Maybe it's worth taking him on."
As Zoro berated Luffy, he kept a close eye on the sleeping Rodney, then lowered his gaze to the valuable swords, Autumn Water and Hanazhou, leaning against the bed.
Those were two fine blades, his intuition told him so.
"Robin... Miss, right? Who did Mr. Rodney fight with to end up like this? The last time he was in such a condition was when he fought against Arlong," Nami recalled. The last time they had fought together, Rodney had ended up in this state, completely powerless, lethargic, and asleep.
"He fought against a very formidable opponent. Are you Miss Nami, as Captain mentioned?"
"Huh? Did Mr. Rodney mention me?" Nami was surprised. She hadn't expected Rodney to remember her. Perhaps it was because she was too pretty? Did he become infatuated with her at first sight?
"Yes, the captain said you're a genius navigator. At that time, he didn't take you with him because you were too young and had no combat abilities. But he didn't expect you to set sail on your own."
"Haha, well, I had to set sail because those idiots would've perished at sea without me," Nami said self-deprecatingly. She hadn't realized that Rodney had recognized her for her navigational skills; she had misunderstood his intentions.
"Mr. Rodney is already one of the Shichibukai, right? He has quite a reputation in Alabasta," Nami reminisced.
They had visited Alabasta and had encountered Princess Vivi, who had heard praise for Rodney from the locals. Curious, Nami approached and found out that the one being praised was Rodney. After befriending Vivi, they had become friends.
"Alabasta?" Robin thought for a moment and said, "At that time, the captain defeated Crocodile there, and I think that's why he gained fame. He used a technique called Seawater Distillation, which ensured that cities near the Sandora River and the coast no longer suffered from water shortages. This action saved many cities."
Alabasta was a water-scarce country, and the Sandora River, which ran through the entire country, was a saltwater river. Rodney had casually given them the Seawater Distillation technique, which had instantly saved the cities near the water. Rodney's fame in Alabasta was well-deserved.
"Did the captain do that too? I didn't know," Nami shook her head and said, "He has many secrets that I'm unaware of. Sometimes he doesn't fit in with the people of this world, but that's what makes him fascinating. He's a real fool."
Nami's words left it unclear whether she was talking about Rodney or herself.
Nami shooed away the others who had gathered to join the conversation, then pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Mr. Rodney also has a great reputation in the East Blue. Not only did he save my village, but he also single-handedly wiped out a thousand-strong pirate fleet. The guy Luffy defeated was nothing compared to him."
"Indeed, not worth mentioning. If the captain wants to, he can make the entire world tremble, assuming there are no side effects."
If there were no side effects, with Rodney's Susanoo, he'd dare to confront the Four Emperors head-on. He was fearless, stronger than anyone else. In the original story, former Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, former Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru, and the newly appointed Admiral Fujitora, Rodney can simply sail his ship closer.
An old man, an old woman, and a blind man, that's all they were. What was there to be afraid of? Move the ship for me!
Rodney: Can't help you! Farewell!
"Has Mr. Rodney become this strong in just two years?" Nami asked, astonished. "Has his growth rate been too rapid?"
"Not too fast. You'll understand once you go to the New World. It's a place where monsters gather. When you go there, even the waves won't be able to capsize your ship; you'll be killed on the spot."
"Is the New World really that dangerous?"
"Much more terrifying than you can imagine," Robin shook her head and said, "The captain also struggled to establish himself there. It's best not to venture into the New World until you've improved your strength."
Robin kindly reminded them, considering Rodney's presence, but she had no idea about the captain's stubbornness. He was just as headstrong, if not more so, than Jack.
The two of them chatted casually, and the ship quickly arrived at Jaya Island, specifically, Mock Town.
Their ship wasn't far from there, or else Haste wouldn't have noticed it.
Robin disembarked and called Vinsmoke Sanji, who was guarding the ship, to join her. Vinsmoke Sanji didn't dare to act recklessly; he had seen Rodney's terrifying power. In Rodney's presence, he had no means of resistance and decided it was best to watch the ship.
Unexpectedly, instead of going up to the heavens, Rodney's group had left in a boat from another direction. It was truly surprising.
Without uttering a word, Vinsmoke Sanji boarded the Straw Hat crew's ship. After making their purchases and filling the Log Pose's magnetic storage to the brim, they didn't linger in Mock Town.
Blackbeard Teach wasn't here because he didn't want to encounter Rodney. The Shichibukai was a fearsome individual, and he didn't want to take any risks until he was fully prepared, especially when there was someone else following behind.
Meanwhile, after lying down for two days and a night, Rodney regained his mobility.
Eating the food prepared by Sanji, drinking beverages, basking in the sun, and without any discomfort in his eyes or body, he seemed perfectly normal. There was nothing peculiar about him; he wasn't using his Mangekyou Sharingan or exhibiting any strange behavior.
"Rodney! Give me a fight!" The Iron-Headed Kid started pestering him again.
While still reading a book, Robin said, "Captain, just agree to his request, or else he'll keep bothering you. You've seen that for the past few days."
"Is it appropriate to fight on someone else's ship? Should I really beat someone up here?" Rodney asked.
Nami, who was nearby, said, "It's fine, it's fine. He needs to be disciplined."
So, this was what it meant to be a captain?