Chapter 268: Robin: I Choose Ralph, Because He Wants to Go to the Moon!
When everyone returned to the Going Merry, Zoro was sitting on the deck, looking rather displeased.
As the one who had stayed behind to guard the ship, he was the first to learn that the Going Merry's keel was damaged beyond repair.
Hearing the new news brought by his crewmates, his emotions felt like they were on a rollercoaster.
Upon learning that the Going Merry could be saved, Zoro happily punched Ralph in the arm.
"Nice one."
Ralph simply smiled and asked Zoro:
"Did anyone cause trouble while you were guarding the ship?"
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. Even though he knew Ralph had this kind of foresight, it still felt a bit strange.
"Someone did come."
"Do you know who they were?"
"A group of bounty hunters calling themselves the Franky Family. They weren't much, and I already chased them off!"
Usopp shouted angrily.
"It's them again! At the shipbuilding company's entrance, their people almost stole our money box!"
Nami also gritted her teeth:
"Attacking our ship while stealing our money—do they really think we're pushovers?"
They had already learned from the Galley-La Company that the ones who tried to steal their money earlier were from the Franky Family.
However, Lufia grinned widely, completely unconcerned.
"Luckily, the Going Merry is fine, and the money is safe!"
Under normal circumstances, given that the ship was unharmed and the money wasn't lost, coupled with the inherently kind nature of the Straw Hat Crew, the matter might have been let go!
But this time was different.
Ralph smiled slightly.
"We can't just let this go. We'll go get our revenge tomorrow."
Lufia's eyes lit up.
"Revenge?"
"According to my prophecy, information about the Treasure Tree Adam is in the hands of the Franky Family."
"They even stole our money to buy the Treasure Tree Adam."
"Using revenge as our reason to go after them won't be unjustified."
Usopp let out a loud cry.
"Wahaha! If we get bullied and don't fight back, can we even call ourselves pirates?"
He jumped onto a crate, hands on his hips.
"Let them see the power of Captain Usopp!"
Sanji blew out a smoke ring, his eyes also filled with interest.
"Where do those guys live?"
"I heard it's a ship dismantling yard," Lufia said, her eyes full of anticipation. "We should be able to find it easily with a little asking around."
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Perfect! I didn't get enough of a fight with them today! Let's see if their hideout has any stronger fighters!"
After dinner, the Going Merry grew quiet.
Lufia lay on the deck, gazing at the stars.
Zoro swung his massive dumbbells.
Sanji washed dishes in the kitchen.
Usopp continued tinkering with his inventions.
Chopper mixed medicines at his small table.
Nami worked on charting sea maps.
And Robin found Ralph, beginning their secretary and boss role-playing game.
"Boss, do you have a moment?"
Ralph was leaning against the ship's railing, looking out at the sea.
He turned and saw Robin standing at the cabin door, holding a Den Den Mushi.
Then, Robin brought up the call from Skypiea earlier that day.
"A call from Skypiea?"
Ralph took the Den Den Mushi and dialed back to Skypiea.
"Hello?"
The Den Den Mushi's mouth emitted Conis's voice.
"Mr. Ralph! It's me, Conis!"
Ralph smiled.
"How are things? Are the Den Den Mushi doing well?"
"Yes! Very well!"
Conis's voice was excited, then her tone changed.
"But something strange happened..."
"What is it?"
"One of the Den Den Mushi, somehow, suddenly started generating electricity!"
Ralph was taken aback.
"Generating electricity?"
"Right! That kind of... zap! zap! electricity! Like Enel's!"
Ralph's eyes lit up.
"Go on."
"It happened just two days ago. That Den Den Mushi was originally kept with the others, but suddenly one day, it started sparking with electricity. We were startled, thinking it was going to die. But it's perfectly healthy—it just discharges electricity. And..."
"And what?"
"And it seems unusually intelligent, like it can understand what we say."
Ralph took a deep breath and spoke earnestly:
"Conis, listen to me. Take good care of that Den Den Mushi. Give it the best food, the best environment. Protect it, nurture it. It's important."
Conis was taken aback.
"Important?"
"Extremely important. You'll understand later!"
Then, Ralph suddenly added,
"You must protect the Ark Maxim that Enel left behind. That thing will be of great use to me too!"
After a few more instructions, Ralph finally hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He handed the receiver back to Robin, a smile on his face.
Robin looked at him.
"Breakthroughs in Den Den Mushi cultivation?"
"More than just smooth—it's a surprise."
"What surprise?"
"The Den Den Mushi cultivated in Skypiea are all quite large. And one of them has undergone a miraculous change."
Robin calmly waited for him to continue.
"That Den Den Mushi can discharge electricity."
Ralph said excitedly, "Like Enel."
Robin's pupils contracted.
"..."
"The Goro Goro no Mi."
Ralph nodded, "Was eaten by a Den Den Mushi."
Robin was stunned for several seconds.
"Such an invincible Devil Fruit ability, once belonging to the supreme power of a god, now resides in a Den Den Mushi."
Robin narrowed her eyes, covering her mouth as she laughed, "How interesting!"
Ralph looked at her, "You still haven't grasped the key point."
Robin looked up.
"Key point?"
"Enel's Observation Haki was enhanced by the Goro Goro no Mi."
Ralph's eyes shone as he explained, "The Goro Goro no Mi can receive electromagnetic waves, covering the entire Skypiea. So, what would the communication capabilities of a Den Den Mushi with the Goro Goro no Mi be like?"
Robin thought for a moment.
"Longer range? Clearer?"
"More than that. It might cover a wider area, penetrate more obstacles, and as a base station, it could even enable real-time communication across seas."
Robin nodded.
"That would indeed be a powerful communication tool."
"Tool?"
Ralph shook his head, "Robin, you're still thinking too small."
Robin frowned in confusion, and Ralph lowered his voice, "By connecting Enel's Mantra ability to the global Den Den Mushi network, we could potentially monitor the entire world!"
Robin, who valued intelligence, certainly understood what that meant.
She gasped in surprise, covering her mouth to stifle a cry.
But that wasn't all!
"The true value of the Goro Goro no Mi isn't just communication."
"It represents energy—powerful and controllable energy."
He pointed upward.
"Enel's Ark is powered by the Goro Goro no Mi. Now, the Goro Goro no Mi is in my hands."
Robin's eyes slowly widened.
"You mean..."
"I can activate that Ark at any time, fly up to Skypiea, soar over the White Sea, and even—"
His eyes were full of longing.
"Fly to the moon."
Robin's breath hitched.
"The moon?"
"Yes, the moon."
Ralph looked at her.
"Robin, do you know what's on the moon?"
Robin shook her head.
"Ruins."
"Ancient ruins."
"Ruins that record the history of this planet."
Robin's face turned pale, then flushed, then pale again.
Then she let out a scream.
"Ah—!"
Sanji shot out of the kitchen in an instant.
"Damn you, Ralph! Don't you already have Miss Lufia? What did you do to Miss Robin now?"
Immediately, everyone else rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Lufia stared with wide eyes, as if asking:
What are you two doing?
Ralph spread his hands, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Let me explain..."
Seeing Ralph's flustered state, a smile returned to Robin's face.
Compared to the Boss monitoring the entire world and the idea of flying to the moon, the Buster Call seemed almost trivial.
Just as Robin was about to tell Ralph about her encounter with the CP9 agents...
The CP9 agents lurking in Water 7 received new orders.
Their targets now included not only the Devil Child Nico Robin and the legendary blueprints of Pluton, but also one more.
The Straw Hat Girl, Lufia!