Luffy wasn't as resistant to studying as he used to be.
The main reason was the tangible progress he could see. Take Zoro and Sanji, for example. They felt Luffy's punches were getting more painful by the day.
That was an improvement!
The best way to deal with having been rained on was to tear up the umbrella and make your friends get wet too.
Wasn't it great for everyone to improve together?
In the past, Luffy wouldn't have thought this way.
That's why they say learning is a good thing. Luffy could now wave goodbye to the idiot he used to be. Once a person learns to think, the emptiness in their mind changes, flooded with a torrent of thoughts.
So now, Luffy was thinking: why hadn't there been any trace of the two terms that appeared during the special reward time—Nika and the Klabautermann?
It was like being given a blank check, but when you go to cash it, you can't even find the bank teller.
For Nika, he had some leads.
But the Klabautermann... by the name, it should be a spirit that appears on the Going Merry, right? So, during his morning training, Luffy even ran a lap around the entire ship, looking for this so-called Klabautermann.
Several times, Luffy felt like someone was watching him from behind, but when he turned around, no one was there.
He even accidentally ran right into Nami, who had just gotten up.
Just as Luffy was staring at Nami, she suddenly covered her mouth, got emotional, and ran off.
So strange.
Loguetown.
This was the gathering place for pirates heading to the Grand Line.
Everyone was quite excited about it. This was the so-called starting point of dreams.
Luffy and the others made landfall here. Everyone had places they wanted to go.
Zoro wanted to buy two good swords. Luffy curiously asked if he had any money, a question that made Zoro break out in a cold sweat.
Oh, right. He'd forgotten the most important thing.
"Zoro, come with me. If you act as my bodyguard, I'll give you money," Usopp said, putting on a wealthy air.
"If you waste my money, your life is over."
Nami showed a smiling expression. "I expect to see a finished product, you know."
"Hey, you didn't borrow money from Nami at loan-shark rates, did you?" Zoro asked, tugging at Usopp.
"D-don't worry! My life isn't over yet!" Usopp's legs trembled a bit.
Sanji lit a cigarette. "Looks like there might be some good ingredients here... and lovely ladies!"
"As for me, I'm going to see the Pirate King's execution platform!"
[Warning, punishment countdown...]
As soon as the words left his mouth, Luffy shivered.
While time was like water in a sponge—you could squeeze some out—sometimes Luffy couldn't just force things against the Plan.
He had tried forcing it a few times. Aside from one instance that could be considered a success, the other times nearly blew up in his face.
So, while saying he was going to the execution site, he carried a book in his hand.
It was one Usopp had been reading lately.
[On the Sniper's Strategy of Befriending the Distant and Attacking the Near]
Luffy wasn't particularly interested in becoming a sniper, but he had no choice! It was either read Nami's navigation logs or Usopp's stuff. He'd been reading a lot of the former lately and was getting sick of it; a change of pace wasn't bad.
The result was...
[Mental energy severely depleted. Your willpower has increased. Observation Haki proficiency +1]
Luffy looked like he'd had his life force drained by a succubus.
This kind of torture was an even greater form of torment.
Luffy checked. His Observation Haki proficiency had directly increased by 25 points.
[Lv0—Proficiency 95/100]
Having hope was good, but Luffy had paid for it with his very life force.
But he wouldn't give up!
Just as he was about to leave.
Nami grabbed Luffy's arm. "Luffy, did you forget something important?"
"Huh? What?"
"You promised me before you'd go shopping with me."
"Ah, when was that?"
For some reason, Luffy was becoming increasingly aware of the pleasant scent on Nami.
Getting close to her brought a nice fragrance, though he didn't know where it came from.
Nami knocked on Luffy's head.
"Besides, you don't even know where that place is, and you're holding a book."
Nami leaned in close to Luffy, their faces only half a fist apart.
"You might not be a directionally-challenged idiot like Zoro, but you're not far off in terms of general cluelessness. You'd probably cause some kind of trouble somewhere."
It had to be said, Nami understood Luffy quite well in this regard.
After agreeing on a meeting spot with Zoro and the others—with directionally-challenged Zoro being followed by Usopp—Nami took charge of Luffy.
Loguetown was a bustling place, full of merchants coming and going.
In some corners, there were even pirates selling items from the Grand Line.
Luffy kept his eyes straight ahead, single-mindedly focused on his book.
He had thought he could manage to do two things at once, but the reality proved he had overestimated himself.
Because the moment he got distracted, a warning would sound. At times like that, who had time to watch the road? The only reason he didn't trip was that his body's core strength was excellent.
Finally managing to squeeze out a moment to look up, he walked straight into Nami.
A nice fragrance wafted over.
Luffy was also stunned, then slowly looked up.
"What's wrong with you...? Are you obsessed with studying?"
Nami changed the subject, reaching out to pinch his cheeks.
"I have a disease where I'll die if I don't read books."
Luffy looked at Nami with a helpless expression.
"...Fine, I'll cut you some slack."
With Luffy in this state, he couldn't even walk properly. So, Nami reached out, linked her arm with his, and the little thief-cat's eyes narrowed with smug satisfaction.
"Wow, heavy."
Luffy said without thinking.
"Hey, do you know how many girls and guys would be envious of this?"
Nami said indignantly, holding onto his arm tighter. "Doesn't that rubber brain of yours ever have any other thoughts?"
"Uh..."
The time Luffy had squeezed out was already up. His mind was once again flooded with a jumble of theories.
"Honestly, reading medical books and navigation logs is one thing, but how can you find this kind of book so engrossing?"
Nami didn't even know how to make sarcastic or witty remarks anymore.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me, am I less appealing than this stuff?"
"There's no comparison," Luffy said honestly.
"How can you say that so matter-of-factly?"
Nami was furious.
While the two were pulling and pushing like this, they didn't notice a huge lion, Richie, and its tamer, Mohji, following them sneakily from behind.
"Go tell Captain Buggy! We've found the target!"
Back in Orange Town, the Buggy Pirates had been scattered by that Straw Hat kid. They only managed to regroup here in Loguetown.
Finding the Straw Hat Kid here was an unexpected stroke of luck. This was a chance for revenge!
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!