Chapter 41: I, Your Daddy Luo, Am Back!
Luo Lin rolled up his sleeves and got to work on the two giant catches, while Robin wandered around inspecting the altar.
"This altar looks ancient… at least a thousand years old!"
"Ohhh!"
"After lunch, come with me to look for other ruins, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"The Poneglyph should be here too, right? If their 'God' knows anything, it'll probably be near him!"
"Ohhh!"
Luo Lin was fully focused on grilling Super Express Shrimp and sky shark, answering everything with two "ohs."
Robin: (⌒◡⌒ꐦ)
She slowly walked over. Luo Lin looked up the moment he sensed her.
"Robin-baby, hang on! Almost ready!"
Robin cupped his cheeks with both hands.
(#)•̌ 3 •̑(#) "What's wrong?"
"Did you even hear a word I said?"
"I heard, I heard! After eating, we'll go look for ruins together!"
"That's more like it!"
She squished his face hard a couple times, then let go. Instead of going back to her book, she just rested her chin on her hands and watched him grill.
There was so much meat that he ran out of tools—he even used Mitama as a giant skewer. If Zoro saw that, he'd try to murder him.
Of course it wasn't just meat—there were vegetables, fruits, and even a huge pot of soup! Raising Robin this big required a balanced diet!
"Done! Come eat, Robin-baby!"
He sliced a mountain of meat with Mitama (now a kitchen knife), handed her a platter the size of a banquet table, added a side of fresh fruit and barbecue sauce.
In Michelin terms, this one plate could be split into a hundred portions and sold for ¥1999 each.
Robin took a bite.
"Mmm! So good! Your cooking keeps getting better!"
"Mmmph! I fink sho too!" (I think so too!)
Luo Lin's mouth was stuffed with sky shark—he couldn't even speak properly. The texture and flavor were unlike anything he'd ever tasted!
They were happily eating when a familiar yet long-lost voice suddenly rang inside Luo Lin's head.
DING! This Great System has finished upgrading! Now presenting the Strongest Cultivation System 2.0! Did you miss me, host?!
Luo Lin froze.
Ten years. A whole damn decade!
He'd half-given up on this garbage system ever coming back. But deep down… he was a little happy. Half his current strength came from this thing, after all.
"Long time no see, trash system! Do you even know how long you've been 'upgrading'?"
"Uh… just ten years! This System has time logs! And stop calling me trash! I'm super strong now!"
"Do you know my current level?"
"Of course!"
"Then tell me—what the hell do I still need you for? Your rewards are pocket change to me now!"
"Well… I'm still useful! Uh… the upgrade just finished, lots of functions still need polishing. Going dark now! Keep training, host!"
"System? System?! It just ditched me again?!"
(▼皿▼#) This garbage system! When will it ever be reliable?! Train your ass!
He viciously tore into another piece of sky shark.
Robin watched his rapidly changing expressions—blank, then gnashing teeth, then a flash of joy—and couldn't help but smile.
After more than ten years, Luo Lin was finally "broken" again. That silly sequence of emotions she hadn't seen in forever. She missed it!
A little while later, one entire Super Express Shrimp + one sky shark = completely demolished. Shells and bones piled high beside them.
Of course, 90% went into Luo Lin's stomach. Robin hadn't even finished her single huge plate. In all these years, besides Luffy, she'd never met anyone who could eat like Luo Lin. If he were a normal human, she'd go bankrupt feeding him.
Meal finished, Luo Lin flopped into the beach chair to digest. Robin went back to coffee + book.
Robin wanted to start exploring right away—she was always eager about history—but Luo Lin declared: "Can't exercise right after eating! Don't waste this perfect afternoon! Gotta lie down first!"
"Just the two of you, huh? Living sacrifices! And you're shamelessly eating on the altar like you have no fear of death!"
The newcomer was one of Enel's four priests—Shura, the Sky Knight, also known as the Priest of Ordeals.
"Ugly."
Robin glanced up, gave her instant review, then ignored him completely.
Luo Lin had sensed him ages ago. The guy was pathetically weak in his perception. If he weren't lying down, he wouldn't even bother getting up.
He was still thinking about the system—tried calling it several times, no response. No mood to deal with small fry.
If Enel himself showed up, now THAT would be interesting.
Shura's face twisted with rage at their casual attitude—especially the woman calling him ugly!
"You dare act so arrogantly?! Fine! I assume you're ready to die!"
Shura charged at Robin on his giant cloud bird.
He was already using Mantra—he predicted Luo Lin's kick.
"Chest kick! No—changed!"
He twisted mid-air to dodge.
Halfway through, his expression changed drastically.
BAM!
He and his bird were sent flying, crashing into a tree by the riverbank.
"Impossible! I clearly predicted it—how did the trajectory change?! Is he a Mantra user too?!"
Shura wasn't badly hurt—just sore. (Luo Lin had held back. This guy might be useful for information.)
"What impossible? You have to actually be able to dodge what you predict! Pretty proud of your little future sight, huh? You attacked my Robin-baby—did you ask my permission first?"
Luo Lin shouldered Mitama, looking every bit the final boss.
"So you really are a Mantra user? Interesting. This batch of sacrifices might actually be fun to kill! But a kick like that won't finish me!"
Shura refused to accept it. He grabbed his dropped heat lance, remounted, and charged again.
As he closed in, his bird spewed flames—double attack!
"If Mantra can't track you, then as long as I stay airborne you can't touch me! I'm the Sky Knight! Burn to ash!"
"Weaklings who rely entirely on external tools—without your shells you're nothing. I hate people like you the most!"
Luo Lin's calm voice rang out.
He knew only Enel fought with his own power on this island. Everyone else just spammed shells. Their actual combat ability? Trash.
He could understand using a jet dial for shoes, but outsourcing your entire fighting style to shells? Pathetic.
As the flames reached the altar, Luo Lin casually pulled out a stolen impact dial and blew the fire right back.
True fragrance!
Watching Shura frantically dodge his own bird's flames, Luo Lin cheerfully pocketed the dial again.
"Pfft… hahaha!"
Robin couldn't hold in her laughter. He'd just been trash-talking shell users, then immediately used one himself!
"Robin-baby, ever heard the saying?"
"What?"
"In the end, people always become what they hate the most!"
Robin: (◦`~´◦) You and your twisted logic!
"To chat so casually in the middle of battle—ignoring me completely! Don't regret it when you're dead!"
Shura, humiliated, charged again on his bird.
Luo Lin was ready.
He wouldn't kill the priest yet—but the mount was fair game!
In Shura's disbelieving eyes, Luo Lin vanished.
Shura slammed on the brakes and looked around—no sign of him.
When Luo Lin reappeared, he was already at the bird's side.
One kick—CRACK!
The bird's neck bent 90 degrees. It screeched once and plummeted.
SPLASH!
It hit the river and was instantly torn apart by frenzied sky sharks. The water turned red.
Shura leaped clear just in time, landing on the altar and panting heavily.
"That was close! What kind of monster is this guy?! Even I, a priest, can't touch him!"
"Priest? That supposed to impress me?"
"NANI?! When did you—!"
Shura nearly jumped out of his skin—Luo Lin was suddenly right behind him, completely undetected.
He scrambled back several steps, snatched his heat lance, and assumed a defensive stance, eyes locked on Luo Lin.
"Damn it! My Mantra is disrupted! This is bad!"
Luo Lin sneered.
"Put away that pathetic pose. The second you meet a little resistance, you can't even focus your Observation Haki properly? Trash like you isn't worth drawing my blade."
Those words crushed Shura's pride.
He gritted his teeth and charged again, desperate to defend his honor as a priest.
Luo Lin's face turned ice-cold, emotionless.
He sidestepped the lunge effortlessly, then slapped the heat lance in half with one palm.
Before Shura could react, the same hand clenched into a fist and smashed into his stomach.
Shura's mouth flew open—PFFFT! Blood sprayed.
He rocketed backward even faster than he'd charged, slamming into the altar. Stone shards exploded everywhere. He passed out on impact.
"Done! Hehe! Robin-baby, aren't I awesome?!"
The ice-cold killer expression instantly switched to golden retriever mode. He scampered over to Robin, tail practically wagging.
Robin just gave him a beautiful eye-roll.
She could've beaten that small fry herself! And he wants praise? Absolutely not spoiling him!
Luo Lin wasn't discouraged. He cheerfully ran down, dragged Shura aboard, and the two of them stared at the unconscious priest.
About ten minutes later, Shura groggily woke up.
The first thing he saw was Luo Lin's face inches away.
"GAH!"
He tried to scramble back—could only kick uselessly.
Luo Lin had already chained him with bowl-thick iron links.
"Robin-baby, he's awake! Told you I held back perfectly! Quick, praise me!"
"Yes yes yes, my Luo Lin is the strongest~"
Robin helplessly indulged him, then walked over to Shura.
Luo Lin giggled like an idiot from the praise and stepped aside.
Robin repeated the same questions she'd asked the White Beret captain.
Shura, of course, refused to cooperate.
But under Luo Lin's "enhanced interrogation"… he sang like a bird.
(Joke's on you—Luo Lin once read the entire Manchu Top Ten Tortures! Simple questioning? Child's play.
Actually, he just described lingchi in detail and threatened to beat the shit out of him then feed it back… Shura wasn't that tough.)
They got everything they wanted.
There really was a massive ruin to the far south—just head straight that way.
Enel's shrine was there too. Whether it was the City of Gold was unclear, but there was definitely tons of gold—they'd already taken it all.
Poneglyph? Never heard of it, never seen it.
Also, this island was the other half of Jaya, shot up by a Knock-Up Stream long ago. (Robin figured that part out herself.)
Robin fell into thought.
Luo Lin didn't disturb her—even knocked Shura out again with a burst of Conqueror's when the guy tried to speak.
"So? Robin-baby, where to first?"
When she finally snapped out of it, Luo Lin asked.
Robin considered.
"Straight south, like he said. We have to see it with our own eyes. Just hope he's not lying and leading us into a trap."
"As long as the direction is right, we're fine. Nothing on this sky island can ambush and kill the two of us."
"Mm. Let's go! We can always come back if it's wrong."
"Alright! When do we leave?"
"Now!"
Robin was too excited to wait. Luo Lin didn't mind—he'd rested plenty and even got a workout!
As for Priest Shura?
Of course they killed him.
He'd literally come to murder them—did he expect mercy?
Not even a corpse left. Tossed straight into the river for the sky sharks.
They packed up quickly and headed south.
Luo Lin, as always, carried his giant bag of fruit.
No rush for Enel—they'd run into him eventually.
Robin's business first!
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats had also set off for Apayado.
They too were chased by a different squad of White Berets.
After dealing with them, they sailed the Merry toward the forbidden land.
Deep in the White-White Sea, the Shandian warrior Webber was in a meeting with the other Shandians when little Aisa suddenly burst in.
"What is it, Aisa?! We're planning how to take Shandora back from Enel! This isn't a place for you!"
Laqi gently comforted her.
"One of the voices… disappeared! It was a priest's voice!"
Webber and the others shot upright.
"You're sure?!"
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