Five days later, on the Going Merry,
The weather was clear, with a gentle breeze.
"Not bad, Robin, how are you feeling?"
Facing Nami, who stretched lazily, Robin smiled and nodded, turning to the little reindeer beside her.
"Much better, thanks to the ship doctor's skills."
!
"I'm not happy at all, you idiot~~"
Chopper twisted and turned.
"This is my new creation, ladies. Fried potato-wrapped fish, please enjoy."
The elegant Sanji, as always, presented the food.
"Delicious~~"
"What about mine?"
Turning to Zoro, he immediately showed an impatient face.
"You only get mashed potatoes, go get it yourself in the kitchen."
??
"Coming, coming~~~"
Usopp was eagerly waiting at the cabin door with Chopper: Luffy came running out excitedly.
"Watch this—"
Luffy, who had just run out of the cabin, sprinkled flour all over himself.
"Frozen Man returns!"
Covered in white flour, Luffy struck a statue-like pose.
"Puhahaha~~"
"Luffy, you're amazing~~"
...
"Seriously, you almost froze to death. And you still have the mood to joke around?"
"Hahaha, how is it, does it look real?"
Just as everyone was laughing and joking as usual, the cabin door opened again, and a figure walked out. The laughter subsided instinctively because:
"Hahahaha~~!!"
Roman appeared at the door, with one arm in a sling, but unlike his usual stern face, he was smiling brightly.
The smile... made others wonder if the cold had affected his brain.
But Roman didn't care. As he clenched his fist, an unusual power covered it. It was like an invisible armor with no thickness! But unlike armor, it was an extension of the mind, the ultimate form of the body.
Armament Haki! If it weren't for Admiral Aokiji's 'guidance', Roman wouldn't know when he could throw a punch with 'undivided focus'.
Although Roman's Armament Haki was still in its initial stage, only capable of the simplest 'hardening', which was just a small fry level in the New World, it was still a crucial step from nothing to something.
Next, it would be continuous training,—on this point, Roman believed he wouldn't lose to anyone.
After all, since crossing over, Roman had spent every day training and fighting.
"Roman, you..."
Facing Nami, who was at a loss for words, Roman waved his left hand.
"I'm fine, very fine."
"I could even say I've never been better."
"Roman, your right hand..."
Facing Chopper, who was also at a loss for words, Roman waved grandly.
"It's just an arm, and it's only temporarily damaged, not broken." Just having an arm in a sling, learning Armament Haki was a huge gain! After all, Armament Haki might not be valuable in the New World, but in the first half of the Grand Line, it was extremely rare.
It could grab Logia users, resist Paramecia abilities, increase attack and defense... it was the most versatile and practical ability. And Armament Haki could be continuously strengthened through training.
If he hadn't just been frozen into an ice sculpture by Aokiji, with his right hand still in a sling, Roman would be eager to train Haki 24/7!
But before that—
Thud,
With a snap of Roman's left fingers, sheets of white paper peeled off his arm, swirling and quickly reassembling into the 'White Knight' that had collapsed after he was frozen. But unlike the simple lines of the previous White Knight, this time—
Although it was still made of white paper, the new 'White Knight' now gleamed with a metallic luster, exuding a heavy, solid feel.
On the armor, one could clearly see the vast landscapes of thousands of miles! The northern scenery, the southern misty rain, and on the shoulders, the majestic Great Wall was engraved, displaying a sense of solidity, grandeur, and indestructibility.
The long spear in its hand gleamed coldly, representing the unyielding spirit and the iron-blooded rivers and mountains!
This knight itself represented Roman's nostalgia and pride for his past life.
"Behold, the new version of 'White Knight - Modified'!"
As Roman introduced it grandly, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper's eyes sparkled with stars. They immediately rushed over and started touching it all over.
"Whoa~~"
"So cool, really awesome!"
"I didn't know you had such artistic talent, Roman..."
"Hmph, actually, I've always had the ability to create a more glamorous appearance."
If it was just about appearance, Roman had long been able to create better-looking armored puppets. After all, his skin and clothes were always made of paper, and super creation was definitely the ability Roman had developed the most. However,
What's the use of just looking good? Something that gets crushed with one punch is just a joke. But now it's different!
"My new version 'White Knight - Modified' not only has an upgraded appearance but also—"
Bang!
"Ouch!"
Facing Luffy, who was clutching his head in pain, Roman laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, it hurts, doesn't it! This is a punch enhanced with Armament Haki~~"
???
"Huh, is this Armament Haki? It feels far weaker than my grandpa's punches—"
Uh,
How can you use your grandpa as a benchmark? In front of Vice Admiral Garp, ninety-nine percent of the Armament Haki in the pirate world is 'far weaker.'
"Oh, Roman, you've mastered Armament Haki?"
Zoro drew his sword, eager to try.
"Let me slash it."
Clang!
Sparks flew— even with Zoro's current strength, he couldn't break through the puppet enhanced with Haki without charging up. Roman's puppet's strength had greatly increased! It had already reached the threshold of a '100 million' bounty.
"Hahaha, finally, the last shortcoming has been filled. Now it's just continuous training and development! — I've decided, today I'll do ten thousand one-handed handstand push-ups!"
"Oh oh oh, then I'll do twenty thousand!!"
"Luffy, Roman, your bodies..."
"Usopp, you too. Five thousand, three thousand? No less—"
As everyone was playing around, Nico Robin smiled, resting her chin on her hand, watching this group. Not everyone has the courage to stand up and resist after encountering a Marine Admiral; not everyone can survive a great disaster and still laugh and accept her as usual...
No!
It should be said that besides this group, no one else in Nico Robin's life would sincerely treat her as a companion.
So, she shouldn't...
Two days later,
"Wow, I see a frog swimming freestyle!"
Just after being tortured by Seastone wristbands in Roman's training ground, Luffy was instantly energized and started his usual antics again.
"Turn the rudder, turn the rudder, I want to catch that frog and roast it!"
"Hey, frogs are at least beneficial..." Forget it, in this world, who knows if frogs eat people. Roman shook his head, no longer paying attention to Luffy's antics, and seriously controlled the 'White Knight - Modified' beside him to punch and kick.
Although learning Armament Haki from Aokiji's 'guidance' was a great gain, having one arm in a sling was always a disadvantage in battle. If he could make the puppet as agile as his own arm, it would not only be an extra combat power but also allow for various combinations...
"Hey, hey, hey? There's a lighthouse ahead!"
?
Roman, snapping back to reality, focused on the seagulls circling above and frowned.
"Luffy, we need to slow down."
"Huh? But I still want to chase that frog~~~"
"No way, the sea train is coming. If we go any further, the Going Merry will be in danger."
??
Woo woo woo—!
As the Going Merry slowly decelerated, a long train sped across the sea, leaving the Straw Hat crew stunned.
"A smoking ship?!"
"A ship this long running on the sea, that's not scientific at all—"
"This isn't a ship, it's a sea train."
And you guys aren't exactly 'scientific' yourselves, are you?
"It's a large transport vehicle for goods and people. The smoke is because it uses a steam engine for power..." The huge sea train before them was one of the rare 'normal technology' creations in this world. —Though running on the sea wasn't exactly scientific.
"Roman, you're so knowledgeable~~"
Facing Chopper's compliment, Roman shook his head.
"I'm not really knowledge, just know a little bit."
Roman watched the sea train speeding into the distance. Compared to the various cool and powerful movement abilities of Devil Fruit users, the steam engine was the direction most people should develop. Unfortunately:
This is a distorted world where the Marine Headquarters' high-tech creations like the 'Pacifista' are already in battle, while Alabasta doesn't even have a freshwater purification device...
"Let's go. Since we've encountered the sea train, it means we're not far from 'Water 7'."
"Water 7?"
"Yes, there's a very large shipyard there, the Galley-La Company."
"Repairing ships, building new ones, it's all possible there. —That smoking sea train was made by that shipyard. If we go there, we can get the Going Merry repaired..."
However, although Roman had carefully protected the ship along the way, it was still just an ordinary sailboat, already riddled with holes and barely holding together. If—
If it really comes to that, I'll use that method.
——————
PS: Riddler, get out of Gotham City!!... Ahem, you can guess how Roman will solve the Going Merry's problem.
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