Chapter 162Chapter 236: You Bunch of MonstersUnder the vast, clear sky.Two ships, one large and one small, galloped across the sea.They were the thousand sunny and the going merry.With no pirates encountered and no Marinepursuit, it was a rare moment of peace. Daily leisure activities like fishing, swimming, and surfing, as well as necessary training, were temporarily put on hold.The new ship, the sunny, and the remodeled Merrywere the most attractive things to everyone right now."Super!"Franky spread his arms wide, standing in the center of the thousand sunny's broad deck, happily introducing the two brand-new ships to everyone.Having been in a rush to set sail earlier, even Luffy, the Captain, hadn't had a proper tour of the two vessels.Having escaped Garp's "loving" pursuit, the Straw Hat crew finally had the chance to take a good look at their new home.The sunny was streamlined overall, its white hull accented with bright yellow decorations, making it look both full of vitality and exceptionally sturdy.The most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the majestic and lifelike lion-head figurehead at the bow, its mouth agape as if letting out a silent roar.Franky struck his signature pose. "Do you all want to know what surprises the thousand sunny, one of the future Pirate King's rides, has in store?!""I like the sound of that," Luffy applauded enthusiastically.I knew we didn't invite the wrong person; Frankycertainly knows how to talk.Calling it the future Pirate King's ride right off the bat—the class of this ship just shot up instantly.Franky laughed and began his introduction:"First, right here!"He patted the base of the lion head. "The Gaon Cannon is one of this genius's masterpieces. In a pinch, it can fire a Super shockwave. Regular cannons are way too low-end; a cannon like this is truly the strongest. And over here is the Soldier Dock System. Channel One is the White Rocking Horse I, used for scouting and landing..."He went on and on with his introduction.The first floor included the men's quarters; with six beds, they didn't have to squeeze together anymore. Though it didn't matter much to Luffy—most of the time he only slept for an hour, so he'd just find any random spot to lie down.The bounty posters of all the big shots were also posted on the walls.Franky had also set up an aquarium, having thrown quite a few fish in beforehand; various strange Marine creatures were swimming around inside.The most important area was the energy supply room, capable of launching the Coup de Burst, which pleasantly surprised Vivi and Merry.It would be much easier for them to fly in the future.Otherwise, relying solely on Vivi's Devil Fruitability was quite taxing; physical stamina was her weak point. Though she had already started training with Luffy recently to make up for it.The second floor housed Chopper's medical room, complete with the spinning chair he loved so much—a dedicated room for the doctor.The massive kitchen and dining room drew endless praise from Sanji; now he could fully showcase his skills as a chef.In addition, there was a granary and a wine cellar that was off-limits to Zoro and Nika. This drew heavy protests from the two alcoholics, but their protests were futile; as soon as they saw the keys were in Nami's hands, they shut up immediately.The tyrant of the ship's majesty was truly terrifying.There was also a library and a surveying room. The library was packed with all sorts of books; Luffyfelt an urge to vomit at the sight but forced himself to hold it back.There was Usopp's workshop, Robin's flower garden, and a spacious grass deck used for planting Nami's tangerine trees and daily relaxation.And the training room, equipped with all kinds of fitness equipment, made Zoro's eyes light up."Everyone, there's also the going merry. I participated in its modification too."Usopp also added triumphantly, "Now it's even more maneuverable, and it's super safe stored inside the sunny's dock. From now on, we have two ships!""This lion head is pretty cool."Just like the Merry had a figurehead to sit on, so did the thousand sunny. Luffy jumped straight up and sat on it."What about me? What about me?"Just as Luffy finished speaking, he felt his sleeve being gently tugged. Looking down, Little Merryhad floated to his side at some point. She looked up with her small face, her blue eyes shimmering with tears and her small mouth pouting slightly, looking aggrieved as if she were about to cry."Of course, I like the Merry's sheep head even more. It's soft and super comfortable!"Luffy reacted instantly, quickly squatting down to cup Merry's small face in his hands and giving it a vigorous rub."Hee hee hee, Merry will get along great with sunny!"Hearing this, the grievance on Merry's face vanished instantly.The little cutie was super easy to coax.Watching this, Nami couldn't help but shake her head with a smile. She walked over to Luffy and reached out to pinch his highly elastic cheek."However, with such a big new ship, a certain training maniac can now toss and turn at night without restraint, without worrying about waking everyone up, right?""Is that supposed to be good news?"Luffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry.In a way, it really was. Back on the small going merry, he always had to hold back during his late-night training for fear that the noise would affect his friends' sleep. Now, he could finally let loose.But why, thinking about it carefully, did he feel an urge to cry?Before long, having completely left the waters of Water 7, the thousand sunny and the little going merry sailed side-by-side across the azure sea.On the main mast, a brand-new pirate flag fluttered in the wind.It was still the familiar skull wearing a Straw Hatwith crossed bone-swords behind it, symbolizing the will of the Straw Hat crew.However, looking closely, the artwork of this flag left something to be desired.The lines were a bit childish, and the skull's smile was a little crooked."Ugh, something feels off."Merry floated next to the flag, her little face scrunched up as she looked at her masterpiece, clearly dissatisfied."Let me do it, I'm good at this kind of thing," Nikavolunteered.She produced a brush and paint from who-knows-where and painted one with full confidence.As it turned out, once hung up, it was even more abstract than Merry's; the skull looked like a squashed tomato."Pfft, Hahaha!"Usopp laughed unreservedly, patting his chest. "Professional matters like this should really be left to yours truly. Watch me!"Finally, under Usopp's exquisite brushwork, a Straw Hat skull flag with smooth strokes and an imposing aura finally fluttered at the top of the thousand sunny's main mast."As expected, professional things should be left to professionals," Luffy praised, looking at the skull flag. "Not bad, Usopp.""Of course, I have quite a bit of confidence in this area.""So, I'll leave the other few pirate flags to you as well.""Eh?" Usopp instinctively looked at Luffy. "What are you busy with?""Studying," Luffy pouted, pointing at Zoro. "If you're bored, you can join Zoro; he's about to go for a ten-thousand-meter swim."Usopp's body instantly trembled.Don't joke around, ten thousand meters?And from the sound of it, he had to keep up with the ship's speed—is he even human?He wasn't a stamina monster like Zoro.Chapter 237: Natural DisasterSunshine, sea breeze, a brand-new giant ship, laughing companions, and a fluttering pirate flag—anyone who saw it would think this was a ship filled with dreams and joy.It had been some time since they left Water 7.At this moment, Monkey D. Luffy, the nominal Captain of this joyful ship, had a face full of gloom. He sat cross-legged on the deck, watching Usopp, Chopper, and Franky nearby, who were shouting and playing cards.There were also Nami and Vivi, lying on lounge chairs sunbathing and leisurely reading books, as well as Sanji, who was preparing an exquisite afternoon tea. Luffy let out a deep sigh.Only when he looked at Zoro did he feel a slight sense of comfort.No matter what he was doing, he was pumping iron.Now there's a kindred spirit.With the course stable and the wind favorable, the rudder and sails didn't need constant adjustment. Everyone was enjoying a rare moment of peace and relaxation, with only the dutiful Zoro stationed in the crow's nest, fulfilling his lookout duty for the day."I want to play too," Luffy lamented."Play what?"Sitting across from him, Robin, who was carrying out the daily study plan with him, closed the historical tome in her hands. She gave a thin smile and elegantly picked up the black tea beside her for a sip."Anything!"Luffy immediately perked up. He really didn't want to immerse himself wholeheartedly in those ancient texts and knowledge; slacking off whenever possible was his true nature.Moreover, his history knowledge level had already risen to LV2. Even Robin had praised his rapid progress, calling him a supernova in the field of archaeology.Of course his progress was fast; Luffy was either studying or on his way to study—everyone on the ship was used to it.Every day, he would unfailingly set aside several hours. Today, he was having one-on-one tutoring with Robin, Nami, and Vivi respectively, just like now.Tomorrow, he would study other things with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp.He wasn't a master of everything yet, but he could do a little bit of everything, which could really have miraculous effects at certain times.Robin looked at Luffy's restless appearance, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes.Seeing this, a shiver ran down Luffy's spine.Sure enough, Robin revealed her signature mischievous, slightly dark smile. "Then how about playing what you and Vivi played back in Water 7?""Pfft, cough cough cough!"Luffy almost choked on his own spit. "Vivi and I didn't play anything! It was just a normal walk and exercise!""Play what?" Nami asked curiously.Over there, Vivi, who was helping Nami apply a facial mask, heard Robin's words and her cheeks instantly turned red like a ripe apple. She hurriedly tried to push Nami, who had sat up, back down, her voice as faint as a mosquito's: "Nami, you heard wrong! Miss Robin is joking!"Nami looked suspiciously at the red-faced Vivi, then at the innocent-looking Luffy and the mischievous Robin. She felt that the disappearance of those two that night was definitely not that simple.But since Vivi refused to admit anything, she had to suppress her curiosity for the time being.Robin laughed even harder, seeing Luffy's nervous and guilty reaction.She didn't actually want to make it public knowledge; she just particularly enjoyed seeing Luffy's flustered yet forced-calm reaction when being teased."Forget it, I'm not playing anymore."Luffy looked like a defeated rooster. He wilted and picked up his book again, saying obediently, "I'll just keep studying.""That's more like it. Now, where was I?"Looking at Robin's beautiful, teasing smile, Luffysecretly vowed in his heart: if he got the chance, he would definitely get his revenge!As for how to get revenge, he hadn't thought of that yet....They had likely entered a special climate zone from the calm waters, as the waves on the sea surface gradually became more pronounced, no longer as smooth as a mirror.The wind direction and strength also began to become unpredictable, sometimes strong and sometimes weak.The joyful leisure time ended, and under Nami's direction, everyone began to get busy, turning the rudder and adjusting the sail angles to deal with the changing sea conditions.Before long, Vivi, who possessed the Wind-Wind Fruit, was the first to sense something wrong. She stood up and pointed to the rear-left:"There's a huge patch of dark clouds on the horizon at seven o'clock, and it's moving very fast!"Luffy looked up, shading his eyes with his hand. Sure enough, he saw a growing streak of heavy blackness on the horizon, spreading toward them."It couldn't be a storm, could it? We just left Water 7—are we that unlucky?""Encountering a storm in the Grand Line isn't strange at all,"Nami looked at the log pose on her wrist and observed the subtle changes in the sky and sea currents, analyzing calmly. "In fact, encountering several in a single day is normal. In contrast, constant calm weather would be the unusual situation."She frowned and continued, "Judging by the range and movement of those clouds, I doubt we can go around it. Prepare to push through. I just hope it's only an ordinary storm."According to the experienced old shipwrights in Water 7, in a hellish place like the Grand Line, it wouldn't even be surprising if it rained knives or cannonballs. Encountering only a storm was, in a way, considered lucky."Everyone, get ready. It's about to start,"
