Chapter 68"Mmm... hmph~"Early the next morning, when only a faint sliver of white was appearing on the horizon, Vivi woke up from her slumber.The tent was very quiet; she could only hear Nami's steady breathing beside her, and a bit further away, Robin seemed to have just woken up as well, making rustling sounds.Vivi sat up gently, pulled back a corner of the tent, and looked outside.The campfire had not yet fully gone out, its dancing sparks flickering tenaciously in the dawn chill.After the banquet last night, everyone had slept on the ground; the boys were on the other side, while the girls had set up a tent here.By the campfire, a figure had already begun his activities.It was Luffy.He was drenched in sweat, performing high-intensity physical training, repeating dull yet powerful punches and squats. Steam was faintly rising from his reddened skin, a state like the warm-up for Gear Second.If one wanted to just lie flat, they would have nothing to do with being strong.Even Luffy admitted that without a plan, the capital he squandered after going to sea was all accumulated punch by punch from Garp during his childhood.If he encountered an enemy so powerful they were unbeatable again, he would need to stop and cultivate.Trying to use a youth's decade-plus of accumulation to clash with those old fogies who had been at it for decades—even with a body full of talent—still required the accumulation of time.Watching Luffy's focused and hardworking figure, a hint of realization and admiration couldn't help but flash in Vivi's eyes.Great power did not come out of thin air; it was forged through such grueling daily cultivation.It was just...She blinked in some confusion; Luffy's hair was soaking wet, as if he had just taken a bath?Does one take a bath first after waking up in the early morning to exercise?Seemingly sensing Vivi's gaze, Luffy stopped, wiped away some sweat, and turned his head to reveal a signature bright smile:"Yo, good morning."Only, within that smile, there was a faint hint of indescribable embarrassment.If possible, Luffy really wanted to hold his pillow and sleep until the sun came out... but on second thought, that didn't seem right either. Because most of the time he could sleep in, he was making up for it in his dreams.Wasn't this a dead end both ways?In that case, it was better to only sleep for an hour.After finishing a dream battle with a giant in the morning, before he even opened his eyes, that Life-demanding voice rang out in his mind.[Warning: Cultivation time has arrived. Please execute immediately...]He couldn't wake up at all.So he tried to put up a small resistance.For example, when the countdown reached one, he would suddenly snap into action with a Kip-up, attempting to use this insignificant method to snatch back a few seconds of sleep.Regardless of whether it was useful, this scraped-together time was a precious victory for Luffy.This was his small rebellion against the system, an insignificant struggle!However, the timing he picked today didn't seem perfect; at the last moment, he still failed to completely avoid that damn Punishment mechanism.Coupled with being full of energy upon waking up and having no time to stop it, a small accident occurred, forcing him to sneak off to a nearby stream for a quick rinse while everyone was still fast asleep.But strangely enough, after all that fuss and the shock of the cold water, his lingering sleepiness was completely washed away, and his mind became exceptionally clear.This probably fits that old saying:Better to channel than to block, and better to clear than to channel?Medical knowledge that had been forced into Luffy's head a few days ago inexplicably popped up, and he felt it made some sense, yet also felt the price was a bit hard to talk about.However, simple medical knowledge did indeed allow Luffy to make a judgment.Releasing energy was equivalent to revitalizing it, which could lead to a long period of abnormal excitement. If he ever felt he wasn't energetic enough, perhaps he could adopt this special therapy.Of course, it shouldn't be overdone.[Warning: Independent cultivation time has been met. Currently searching for a new learning point. Note: It is time for the planned session with Vivi. Please execute immediately...]Luffy habitually looked toward Vivi.In his eyes, Vivi was a knowledgeable person; after all, as a princess, that kind of aura allowed her to be distinguished at a glance in a crowd.Yet at other times, she blended in perfectly and harmoniously with people of Humble origins like them."What does Vivi know?"Luffy thought about it; regardless of what Viviknew, he had already learned all sorts of abstract things anyway. Could there be anything even more abstract?In any case, for someone like him who hated studying, it was all a form of torture.This psychological torture couldn't be resolved in a short time, so his proficiency in Observation Hakiwas soaring.Maybe this was the ultimate goal of the plan!Amidst these thoughts, Vivi had already walked out of the tent, intending to head back to the going merry on the nearby river to wash up and have breakfast. As she walked, she asked:"Luffy, do you always wake up this early to cultivate?""The early bird gets the worm. Vivi, do you want to eat worms?""What?"Vivi was stunned upon hearing this, feeling that the sentence seemed to have some sort of ambiguity.Who was the bird, and who was the worm?And who asks if someone wants to eat worms for breakfast?Luffy scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, quickly explaining: "I mean, Vivi, do you want to join me? Don't you want to become stronger?""Can I?"Vivi's eyes immediately lit up.Facing Baroque Works and Crocodile, she had felt for the first time that even a kingdom was helpless in the face of absolute power.She had a desire to become stronger in her heart!Chapter 90: He's So Fast"Then come with me."Luffy was impatient.There was no time for him to delay, so he asked Vivi directly what she knew.This was a familiar question.Vivi remembered; it seemed Luffy had just asked Robin this question yesterday, and Nami had already warned her back then.As expected, it was better late than never!Around eight in the morning, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates woke up one after another.Nami only then sat up in the tent, rubbing her eyes.She yawned and found that only she and the recently awakened Robin were left in the tent.Robin was facing away from her, a black Rubberband in her mouth, her hands gathering her thick, jet-black long hair, preparing to tie it into a neat ponytail.The morning sunlight spilled through the gaps in the tent onto her smooth neck and elegant movements, carrying a casual charm unique to mature women.Even as a woman, Nami felt this scene was a bit too suggestive. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she quickly cleared her throat, humming with feigned composure, "Hmph, you're up quite early, Miss Prisoner."What was this woman up to, actually getting a hairstyle similar to Vivi's? Was she learning?If you call it learning, I suppose it counts.Robin unhurriedly tied her hair and turned around, that calm smile still on her face:"Good morning, Miss Nami. Also, there's no need to pay too much attention to someone like me with an unclear stance; perhaps you should focus more on the one outside?"As she spoke, her slender fingers gently lifted the tent's door flap and pointed outside.Nami poked her head out in confusion, only to see Luffy and Vivi actually hugging each other in the nearby open space?!Bah, in broad daylight and in plain view.No matter what you're doing, at least go on the ship and close the door.Upon closer inspection, she realized the two were poised naturally, their steps rhythmic as they danced gracefully....[Based on the current companion situation, the learning project has been updated: Learn Aristocratic Etiquette with Princess Vivi. Please begin in three minutes. Countdown...]Luffy's face instantly fell.Aristocratic Etiquette?Does this stuff have anything to do with becoming the Pirate King? Could it be that after becoming the Pirate King, he would eventually have to live in some luxurious castle and be respected and honored as a king?That would make him no different from the Swineliving in Maria that his grandfather talked about.Memories of those Swine flashed through Luffy's mind. Of course, the group of Swine his grandfather occasionally mentioned didn't even have basic human decency, let alone Aristocratic Etiquette. According to Garp, just thinking about them caused physical discomfort.This was truly the ultimate torture.But the punishment countdown was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head; he could only bite the bullet and go for it."Aristocratic Etiquette?"Vivi looked at Luffy with a strange expression. "Wasn't it about becoming stronger?""Well, is there a possibility that if you do anything to the extreme, it becomes strength?"Luffy didn't even believe this nonsense himself.Although Aristocratic Etiquette is divided into many aspects, mostly reflecting in dress and appearance... how should he put it, being rigorous to the extreme in some aspect at least hammers the mental strength, right?"That seems to make some sense." Vivi, however, automatically began to fill in the blanks.Then again, she didn't consider what Luffy had learned from Robin before.She heard it was history.Wasn't that even more abstract?But the fact was, Luffy really was strong. This proved that his method was effective.Although Vivi found it strange that Luffy suddenly wanted to learn this, she readily agreed. She chose a part she thought might be useful to Luffy—dancing.Luffy had something to say about that."Dancing can train the body's flexibility and sense of balance, which is also helpful for combat," Luffysaid.This wasn't nonsense.With his combat experience, Luffy knew very well the importance of physical balance; simply put, it was about controlling his own body.If certain aspects are trained to the extreme, the body will even develop subconscious stress responses...."First is about physical flexibility... In this regard, Luffy, you have a unique advantage. Being Rubberis truly enviable."Vivi couldn't help but poke Luffy's leg; she was naturally very skilled in this area. If she hadn't fully graduated in Aristocratic Etiquette, the royal family wouldn't have given her, the princess, so much freedom.Only when you are excellent enough can you obtain enough freedom.This sentence applies everywhere.In other words, if you are strong enough, you are the freest."Luffy, no one can match your body's flexibility, so we can go directly to the next step. Men can also learn to dance; while women are soft and alluring, men are bold and expansive—both are forms of beauty."The solo basic dance step instruction began.To Vivi's surprise, Luffy learned extremely fast.With the physical coordination unique to a Rubber Human and the super learning ability forced out by the cultivation plan, he soon mastered the basic footwork quite decently.As Vivi spoke, Luffy adjusted his posture.This novel thing momentarily allowed Luffy to rediscover the joy of a Craftsman.
