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--xLOVEx--
Two days later, after a lot of rest and recovery—mainly for Coby—the crew was ready to leave Thriller Bark. Franky had spent the past day crafting a monument from the remnants of Brook's old ship, the one that had carried the Rumbar Pirates on their final journey. It stood tall in the middle of the eerie island, a tribute to Brook's lost crew.
Brook stood before the monument, bowing deeply. "Thank you, Franky-san. This is more than I could've hoped for." His voice was soft, but his gratitude was clear.
"Hey, it's the least I could do," Franky replied, adjusting his shades. "The Rumbar Pirates deserve to be remembered in a SUPER way!"
The rest of the crew stood by the Thousand Sunny, watching as Brook paid his final respects. It was a somber moment, but it also felt like closure. Brook was finally free of the burden he had carried for so many years.
As the crew gathered near the ship, Lola and the other victims of Thriller Bark approached to say their goodbyes. They had decided to head in the opposite direction, their own paths leading away from the Grand Line.
Lola, always full of energy, waved enthusiastically. "Thanks for everything, Straw Hats! We'll never forget what you did for us!"
Nami took some of the golds Perona left on their ship before Kuma sent her to flying and handed them to Lola. Although this time there was no sisterhood between two, Nami still felt they deserved it, and they had lots of it anyway.
Lola then took out a piece of paper and tore it in half. "This is Mama's Vivre Card," she said, handing one half to Nami. "She's a big shot pirate and if you ever find yourself in trouble, this might come in handy."
Nami looked at the torn paper in confusion. "What's a Vivre Card?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. Her gaze shifted to Coby, who always seemed to know these kinds of things.
Coby stretched a bit before answering, still feeling a little sore from his ordeal. "A Vivre Card is a special type of paper made from someone's fingernail. It points toward the person it belongs to, no matter where they are. It's like a living compass."
Nami examined the paper in her hand. "So, it'll always lead us to this 'Mama' of yours?"
Lola nodded, smiling. "Yeah! It can't be destroyed easily either. Water, fire, nothing can touch it. But be careful! Mama's... well, she's powerful."
Nami raised an eyebrow at that. "And you're giving us this because…?"
Lola grinned, her typical boisterous energy returning. "Because I owe you guys! You saved me and the others." She winked before stepping back with a wave.
Luffy suddenly remembered something. He reached up to the red band on his hat and pulled out the small piece of paper Ace had given him. His eyes widened in shock—the paper had shrunk. It was a lot smaller than he remembered, and it was still getting smaller.
"What the hell… what's happening?" Luffy asked, worry creeping into his voice.
Lola's expression darkened when she saw the paper. "That's also a Vivre Card. It's also known as the Paper of Lives. Like I said earlier, no fire or water can burn it. But if it's getting smaller, that means the owner's life is slipping away." She looked at Luffy with concern. "I don't know who that belongs to, but it seems like they're in trouble."
Luffy's face tightened. "It's my brother's!" he shouted, clenching the shrinking Vivre Card in his hand.
The crew exchanged uneasy glances, but no one said anything. It was clear that whoever Luffy's brother was, he was in serious danger.
A tense silence fell over them as they all boarded the Thousand Sunny, getting ready to sail away from Thriller Bark. Nami, standing near the helm, glanced over at Luffy, who had returned the Vivre Card back in his hat.
"Luffy," Nami said softly, "are you sure you're not going after him?"
Luffy looked up, acting his usual carefree demeanor. He nodded slowly. "Ace has his own adventures. I'm worried about him, but… if I go after him now, he will think I was looking down on him." He looked at the sea with a laugh "So long as he's fine, there's nothing to worry about."
Nami didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push it. Coby stood off to the side, watching the interaction quietly. For a moment, he considered telling Luffy what he knew—about Ace's capture and the impending execution. He had altered the course of events before, changing things when it benefited him or the crew. But this was different. Telling Luffy now could change everything in unpredictable ways. It wasn't always a good thing to mess with the future.
Changing the course wouldn't benefit him or the crew in any way. First off, Coby couldn't guarantee that they would all make it out of Marineford alive. Luffy would insist on charging ahead to rescue Ace, even if it meant leaving the crew behind to sneak into Impel Down alone. But the others wouldn't agree to that, not in a million years. Forcing their way into Impel Down would be a suicide mission. Besides, Impel Down wasn't just about Ace. Luffy had saved a lot of people there, made valuable allies—some of them were key to survival in the war. These were crucial points Coby couldn't ignore.
Once again, he clenched his fist and let the plot take its course. As much as it pained him, this was a part of the story that couldn't be messed with. Ace's capture, Luffy's eventual rescue mission—it all needed to happen for things to play out the way they were meant to.
Instead, Coby glanced at the crew, his expression serious. "Gather around, you bastards," he called out, sitting up slightly despite the soreness in his muscles.
"I've been easy on you all for too long," Coby continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "This last fight taught me the importance of hard work. It's been weeks since I started teaching you Rokushiki. Has any of you actually mastered it yet?"
Robin, ever calm, raised her hand. "Sensei, I'm close to mastering Shigan as you instructed," she said, her voice smooth and teasing.
Coby gave her a nod of approval. "Good."
Nami also added, "I am working with Robin and learned the theory, but they are not easy to learn. I get that Geppo and Soru would benefit me, but I need a lot of leg power for them."
Coby nodded, "Train your legs and try to grasp Soru first. Geppo later."
Luffy raised his hand too, his face filled with excitement. "I'm getting good at Rankyaku, but do I really need it?" he asked, tilting his head. "I mean, I've got my fists!"
Coby smirked, shaking his head. "You need versatility, Luffy. Your fists and kicks are strong, but you need cutting power as well. Rankyaku will give you that edge, especially when you're up against tougher opponents."
Luffy shrugged but nodded. "Alright, I'll keep practicing."
Coby's eyes shifted to Usopp. The sniper was standing a bit further back, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "What about you, Usopp? You were aiming to learn Soru and Geppo to keep your distance, right?"
Usopp's face flushed. "I… uh… haven't made much progress," he admitted, scratching his head. "Soru's really hard to control, and Geppo just makes me feel like I'm gonna break my legs…"
Coby sighed, crossing his arms. "You need to keep working on it. If you can master those, you'll be able to keep yourself safe while providing support from a distance. Stick with it."
Chopper was next, his little reindeer form standing at attention. "I've been focusing on Tekkai and Shigan," he said, his voice filled with determination. "But I haven't made much progress either."
"That's okay, Chopper," Coby replied, giving him a reassuring nod. "Tekkai is tough to master, especially when your body has different forms. But keep at it. Once you get it down, you'll be able to take hits like a tank."
Chopper nodded eagerly, determined to keep improving.
Coby turned to Franky next, who was adjusting his sunglasses. "How about you, Franky? You were focusing on Tekkai too, right?"
Franky puffed out his chest proudly. "SUPER Tekkai training! I've made some progress, but I still need to work on strengthening my front. I can handle hits pretty well, but I'm not as durable as I want to be yet."
"That's good," Coby acknowledged. "Tekkai will help reinforce your defenses, especially in your back. Keep strengthening it."
Sanji, leaning casually against the wall, flicked his cigarette. "I've been working on Soru and Geppo, and I would say I'm getting the hang of them," he said, sounding more confident than the others.
Coby smirked. "That's what I expected. Those two techniques suit your style well. Keep pushing, and you'll get even faster."
Finally, Coby's gaze fell on Zoro, who stood silently with his arms crossed. "Zoro, I know Rokushiki doesn't exactly fit your fighting style, but have you made any progress with Soru and Tekkai?"
Zoro shrugged. "I don't need them. My swords are all I need in a fight."
Coby raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. But if you master Soru, you'll be able to move faster than your enemies can react. And Tekkai will help when you take a hit. Even the best swordsman can get caught off guard."
Zoro grunted, clearly not thrilled with the idea, but he didn't argue. "I'll keep working on it."
Coby stood up. "Alright, listen up. We've faced a lot of tough enemies, and it's only going to get harder from here. Rokushiki isn't just some flashy technique. It's a set of tools that can give you an edge in battle. But you won't get better unless you train seriously."
Seeing the crew was pumped up, Coby gave a quick nod. "Brook, you're new to the crew, so I'll explain what Rokushiki is. Unfortunately, since you don't have muscle mass, most of Rokushiki will be impossible for you. But I think we can try something with Tekkai to strengthen your bones."
Brook placed a hand on his skeletal chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Yohohoho! Strengthening my bones? Sounds interesting, Coby-san. I would like to give it a try!"
Coby crossed his arms, glancing over at the rest of the crew. "That brings us to Haki. It's been a long while since I first mentioned it to you guys, but I haven't made any progress either, so I can't really blame any of you." He paused, then shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure if it's because we lack a proper teacher or if we're just not ready yet. I just can't grasp it."
The ship went quiet for a moment as the crew processed Coby's words. Luffy scratched his head, looking confused. "Haki, huh? You have mentioned it before, but I still don't get what the big deal is."
"Yeah," Usopp chimed in, waving his hands. "You keep talking about it like it's some kind of secret power, but none of us have actually seen it in action. How do we even know if we're doing it right?"
Coby sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's the thing. Haki isn't something you just do. It's about willpower, awareness… and being able to sense things in ways we can't normally explain. There's Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki. But none of us are showing any signs yet."
Zoro, leaning back against the wall, let out a grunt. "Tch. Sounds like a waste of time if we can't even figure out how to use it."
"It's not a waste of time," Coby shot back. "We've just got to keep pushing ourselves in the right direction. When the time comes, we'll figure it out."
Sanji took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "So, what do we do in the meantime? Keep practicing Rokushiki while waiting for Haki to magically show up?"
"Pretty much," Coby answered, shrugging. "We don't have a lot of options right now. We keep training what we know and try to master Rokushiki. Haki will come when it's ready."
Luffy, who had been bouncing on his feet during the conversation, suddenly clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough talking! Let's just fight more! That's how I get stronger!"
Nami rolled her eyes but smiled. "Luffy, it's not always about fighting."
"Yes, it is!" Luffy shot back with a grin. "If we keep fighting tough guys, we'll get stronger! That's how we learned most of our moves, right?"
Robin chuckled softly. "He's not wrong."
Coby smirked. "Alright, fine. We'll stick to what we know and keep improving. But don't slack off! I'm still gonna push all of you to your limits. If I see any of you slacking during training, you'll be doing triple the amount."
Chopper looked worried. "Triple?!" he squeaked, his eyes wide.
"Triple," Coby repeated, making sure the little reindeer understood. He turned to Brook again, pointing at the skeleton's thin frame. "And you, Brook, we'll focus on getting your bones as hard as steel. Tekkai could be the game changer for you."
Brook tapped his skull with his bony fingers. "Yohohoho! I'm ready, Coby-san! Though I must admit, I'll have to train extra hard."
"That's why we're starting with Tekkai," Coby said, cracking his knuckles. "And everyone else, you'll continue working on the techniques you've already started."
With a shout of "HO!" the crew returned to their training. Despite his usual complaints, Zoro was working the hardest among them. He grumbled under his breath, his frustration evident. It wasn't just the training getting under his skin—he and Sanji had recently learned the truth about what Coby did back on Thriller Bark. Two of Lola's crew had spilled everything, tattling to Zoro and Sanji about how Coby had taken Luffy's pain using Kuma's powers.
Zoro grit his teeth, focusing on his sword swings. Luffy was still completely in the dark, clueless about the burden Coby had taken on. If Luffy knew, he would feel like absolute shit, and Zoro wasn't about to let that happen. Keeping this secret from their captain was easy and for once, Zoro and Sanji were in full agreement—it was for the best.
Meanwhile, Coby observed the crew from the side, arms crossed, giving pointers here and there when needed. Nami practiced her leg strength, trying to master Soru, while Usopp was struggling with the same move, occasionally tripping over his own feet. Chopper worked diligently on improving his Tekkai, and Franky was deep into his own intense training.
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