Chapter 264: Sanji: This Life Was Worth It!
The sunlight was dazzling, the sea breeze blowing.
Ralph lay on the deck, soaked to the skin.
Warm water poured down from above, flowing along his neck into his collar.
Beside him lay three "popsicles" in a row.
Lufia, Zoro, Sanji.
The three of them were lined up, wrapped in blankets, while Usopp and Nami took turns scooping water from a bucket and pouring it over them.
The water temperature was just right, close to body heat.
Ralph looked down at himself—he was also wrapped in a blanket and being watered.
Usopp saw him open his eyes.
"He's awake! The fourth one's awake!"
Nami also set down the bucket, wiping sweat from her brow.
"You scared me to death. Seeing the four of you frozen like that, I thought it was all over."
Ralph moved a little. Though still somewhat stiff, he was mostly fine.
"Where's Robin?"
"In the bath."
Nami said, "Chopper is taking care of her. This water was scooped from her bathtub."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sanji abruptly sat up.
"What? This is Miss Robin's bathwater?"
His eyes turned into hearts, an abnormal flush appearing on his face.
"I haven't recovered yet! Pour a little more! No, I could just go to the bath and share the same pool with Miss Robin—"
Nami punched him on the head.
"Stay put!"
Sanji clutched his head and lay back down, still muttering things like "Miss Robin's bathwater" and "this life is worth it."
Lufia also woke up.
She sneezed, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.
"Did that ice man leave?"
"He left."
Nami recalled what happened afterward.
"He left after freezing you all. I thought he was going to attack me, but he didn't even glance my way."
"Did he say anything?"
"He said one thing: 'You'll regret taking in that woman.'"
Lufia frowned.
"Never!"
She looked at Ralph.
"I would never abandon any of my comrades. You feel the same, right?"
Ralph was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:
"Of course."
The sunlight shone on the deck, warming the four who had just been pulled out of the ice.
Lufia quickly regained her energy.
She jumped up, ran to the ship's railing, and gazed at the distant sea.
"Great, we survived again! Where to next? What's the next island?"
Nami opened the Log Pose and adjusted the course for the Going Merry.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Lufia placed her hands on her hips, laughing into the sea breeze.
The deck returned to its usual liveliness.
Zoro leaned against the railing, polishing his swords;
Sanji went to the kitchen to prepare lunch;
Usopp was studying the Sky Island Dials;
Chopper was mixing medicine at his small table;
Nami was checking the weather and ocean currents;
Robin, having changed into dry clothes, watched her shipmates with a smile before returning to her historical research.
On the surface, everything was as usual.
In reality, everyone had something on their mind.
Kuzan's visit this time had served as a wake-up call.
Lufia's goal was to become the Pirate King.
The further they went, the stronger their enemies would become.
Now, opponents at the level of Navy Admirals had already set their sights on them.
What about tomorrow?
The entire Pirate crew realized one thing.
They weren't strong enough.
Over the next few days, although laughter and joy continued on the Going Merry, the overall atmosphere was one of daily, upward-focused training.
Zoro's training time increased from six hours a day to eight.
Sanji added more kicking practice.
Even Nami, while charting maps, asked Usopp for advice on improving the Clima-Tact.
While helping Nami, Usopp was also undergoing his own unique training.
According to Ralph, he now needed to possess long-range sniping capabilities and powerful ammunition.
Chopper occasionally rested his little hooves on his cheeks, pondering ways to grow stronger.
Robin incorporated Devil Fruit Ability training into her daily routine.
Lufia was also training.
And naturally, Ralph was Lufia's loyal sparring partner.
Through repeated observation and comparison by Ralph, close-quarters combat with Lufia, with every punch landing solidly, was the fastest way to improve strength.
This applied both to Lufia and to himself.
On this day, the most fanatical training maniac among maniacs, Zoro, approached him.
"How did you make that sword catch fire that day?"
While reviewing the battle, Zoro suddenly remembered this point.
Ralph pointed at Munch-Munch, who was sunbathing on the deck.
"Simple! Munch-Munch ate a Heat Dial and utilized its ability when transforming into a sword."
Zoro looked at Munch-Munch thoughtfully.
"Flame Slash... looks quite powerful."
Ralph understood.
"You want your sword to catch fire?"
Zoro nodded.
"There is a way."
Ralph said it was simple, "Munch-Munch can now synthesize items."
"Fuse one of your swords with a Heat Dial, and you'll get a flaming sword."
Zoro couldn't help but imagine it, "Have Munch-Munch... eat my sword?"
"Yes, eat it and then spit it out."
Zoro touched the three swords at his waist.
First, the name Yubashiri didn't seem to match well with flames.
Wado Ichimonji held special meaning—wouldn't it be inappropriate to modify it casually?
And the modification method involved being eaten and then spat out by Munch-Munch.
Just thinking about it made Zoro feel he couldn't accept it.
That left Sandai Kitetsu.
Just as he was about to agree with Ralph, he remembered something else.
"...After fusion, won't the sword's attributes change?"
"Hard to say."
Ralph told the truth, "The fusion of the Baku Baku no Mi is crude."
"It might ruin the optimal state carefully crafted by the swordsmith when forging the sword."
Zoro frowned.
After thinking for a long time, he still shook his head.
"Forget it."
But Ralph didn't want to give up just yet, "You can slash with flames without modifying the sword. There are swordsmanship styles like that in the world."
"What swordsmanship?"
"Wano Country's Foxfire Style."
"First, let me clarify—I don't know it."
"But when we reach Wano Country or encounter a samurai from there, you can ask."
Zoro stroked his chin.
"Wano Country? That'll be a long wait. Even if there are samurai from Wano Country, they probably aren't easy to come across."
"Not necessarily."
Ralph pointed toward the kitchen, "If we're not talking about swordsmanship, there's someone on the ship who can use flame techniques."
Zoro followed his finger.
Sanji was in the kitchen making lunch.
Only then did he recall the stinky cook's special moves.
That guy seemed to have had moments when his feet caught fire during battles.
Zoro's expression looked as if he had swallowed a fly.
"You want me to learn from the stinky cook?"
Sanji, with sharp ears, poked his head out of the kitchen.
"The moss-head wants to learn my moves? Dream on!"
"Who wants to learn!"
"Then why are you staring at me!"
"What's wrong with looking at you? Looking doesn't mean I want to learn from you!"
"You want to learn, but I won't teach you!"
"You want to teach, but I won't learn!"
"You want to learn, but I won't teach you!"
Their argument fell into an endless loop.
Rushing onto the deck, they stood face-to-face, sparks flying between their eyes.
Nami covered her face.
Lufia looked excited—they were about to fight again!
Ralph was still rambling on beside them:
"The principle is actually quite simple."
"Anything moving fast enough will generate high heat from friction with the air, causing it to catch fire."
"In theory, anyone could throw a Hiken."
He was painstakingly explaining the principle, though it was unclear if anyone on the ship was listening.
Zoro and Sanji were already wrestling, banging and clattering as they fought.
Lufia watched with great amusement.
Ralph shrugged and leaned against the ship's railing.
Just then—
"Ribbit—"
A tremendous croak echoed from the sea.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked toward the sound.
A giant frog was swimming on the ocean's surface.
It was truly enormous—almost as big as the Going Merry.
Lufia's jaw dropped.
"What a huge frog!"
Usopp gaped in astonishment:
"Another giant creature... The Grand Line is too terrifying..."
Chopper hid behind Usopp, peeking out with half his head:
"I-It's not going to eat us, is it?"
The frog glanced at them and continued swimming forward.
Then—
Toot!
A steam whistle sounded in the distance.
A train, on the azure sea, was heading straight toward them.