One Piece: From Picking Up Red Hair's Broken Arm

Chapter 187 Finally Seeing Red Hair
After standing silently for a while.

He withdrew his gaze from the distance, left the bow of the ship, and went to the open-air kendo dojo on the second floor.

Most of the crew members were gathered here, forming a circle, curiously examining the peculiar new member—the Dream Grass.

This was given to Shano by Old Link himself at last night's bonfire party, before he got completely drunk.

The original true master, Rocks, had long since passed away. After Shano completely shattered the remaining Haki in Rocks with his powerful Conqueror's Haki, this rather intelligent little thing seemed to have great awe for him and naturally recognized Shano as its new master.

At this moment, Nami cautiously reached out her finger and poked its "cage".

It immediately snapped its leaves shut with a fierce "snap," as if it wanted to swallow Nami's hand.

Startled, Nami cried out and withdrew her hand, hiding behind Nojiko.

"Hey, can you demonstrate your abilities to us? I'd like to see what a truly realistic illusion looks like."

Smoker found it amusing, and with a cigar in his mouth, he leaned down and asked.

The Dream Grass remained unmoved, even disdainfully turning its leaves aside.

Smoker's forehead immediately showed a dark line.

It's just a blade of grass, why are you acting so arrogant?

"It seems it only listens to the captain."

Robin chuckled and looked up at Shano who was walking towards him. "Perhaps it thinks that only someone who can erase the will of Rocks has the right to command it."

As Xia Nuo approached, he gently stroked the Dream Grass. It immediately nuzzled his fingers affectionately, its leaves unfurling and emitting a faint, dreamlike glow.

"Remember these people on the ship; they will all be your partners from now on."

Xia Nuo instructed, "If they want to use your abilities to hone their skills, try your best to accommodate them, just like you did on Agatha Island, understand?"

The Dream Grass nodded obediently.

Who wants to try first?

Xia Nuo looked around.

The training in this illusion is different from reality. In some aspects, such as improving physical strength, it won't be of much help.

However, most of the improvements in other aspects can be carried over from the illusion into reality and retained.

For example, combat skills, the use of Devil Fruit abilities, the tempering of will, and the improvement of Haki...

It can be said.

With the Dream Grass, it's like having an infinitely spacious, top-tier training ground on the ship.

The crew members can enter the illusion at any time and cultivate with all their might without any worries. They don't have to worry about damaging the ship or accidentally injuring their companions. They can face their inner fears and fight to their heart's content.

This training method is extremely efficient.

“Boss, let me try it out first.” Smoker’s eyes flashed, and he spoke first in a deep voice.

When he first joined the ship, his strength was enough to firmly rank him among the top three crew members. In fact, it could be said that he was not afraid of anyone except for Xia Nuo.

But now...

If we exclude Nami, he's only hovering around the average level. After entering the New World, the enemies he faces become increasingly powerful, and the pressure gradually increases.

Take Vergo, for example, whom I encountered recently. He fought Vergo three times in a row on Thunder Isle, and they ended up in a draw each time, with neither able to defeat the other.

Finally, as if he could not bear the humiliation, he took advantage of the opportunity while everyone was having dinner, suddenly attacked and snatched away his ten hands, stabbing at Xia Nuo's chest.

The ending was, of course, predictable.

Xia Nuo grabbed him like a chick and snapped his neck with a flick of his wrist.

If you didn't know his true identity, this scene would actually look quite tragic, making you feel that this guy fought to the death and was a respectable navy man.

Unfortunately, everyone already knew Vergo's true identity from Shano's words.

He wanted to seize an opportunity to kill the captain and avenge that flamingo?

Smoker glanced at the crooked jiten behind his back and felt utterly speechless...

"Okay, you go first then." Xia Nuo nodded, signaling the Dream Grass to prepare.

Smoker took a deep breath and strode forward.

“Remember, the illusion will generate opponents based on your inner fears,” Shano warned. “Don’t get scared.”

"Don't worry, boss, I'm naturally brave, there's nothing to be afraid of." Smoker grinned, a cigar dangling from his lips. "Come on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Dream Grass opened its mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke, enveloping Smoker in it.

……

The surrounding scenery suddenly distorted.

Smoker felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself standing in a familiar training ground—the Navy Headquarters training base.

As the sun sets, its afterglow bathes the entire venue in an orange-red hue.

“This is…” Smoker frowned and looked around, then his pupils suddenly contracted.

Not far away, a tall figure stood with his back to him, his body robust and imposing, his arms crossed over his chest, and his short purple hair swaying slightly in the wind.

“…Teacher?” Smoker’s voice trembled slightly.

The figure slowly turned around; it was none other than "Black Arm" Zephyr—the former Navy Admiral and Smoker's most respected mentor.

Despite it being a rare reunion between master and disciple, Zefa's eyes were cold and unfamiliar, filled with deep disappointment.

“Smoker,” Zephyr’s deep voice rang out, “I’ve heard… you betrayed the Navy and joined the pirates?”

Smoker's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively retorted, "No, I didn't! I just—"

"Just what?" Zephyr sneered. "Just that you think the Navy is corrupt and unworthy of you! So you've decided to join forces with pirates?"

"That's not how it is, teacher!"

Smoker gritted his teeth. "There are indeed major problems within the Navy, and I've been disappointed many times, but I've never betrayed my beliefs! The main reason I'm willing to follow Boss Shano is because of him—"

"Shut up!"

Zefa flew into a rage, roared, and stomped heavily on the ground, causing the entire training ground to instantly collapse!
"A pirate is a pirate! There's no difference. Don't try to excuse him! Smoker, back in the day, I considered you the future of the Navy. You've disappointed me greatly, you bastard!"

boom!
Zephyr flashed forward, instantly closing in on Smoker. His jet-black right arm, crackling with terrifying Armament Haki, slammed down on him—

……

in reality.

All eyes were on Smoker's face.

This guy... the moment he entered the illusion, his pupils contracted, his face trembled violently, cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and his breathing became rapid.

Anyone could see the fear and panic in them.

"What did you see that scared you like that?"

Nami stood on tiptoe and curiously waved her hand in front of Smoker's face. "Hey, Smoker, can you hear me, Smoker?"

Smoker, of course, did not react at all.

"Stop fooling around, Nami."

Nojiko pulled him back, "If you're interested, why don't you give it a try yourself?"

No way!
Nami immediately took a few steps back. She didn't have much motivation to continue getting stronger. She had come up to the second floor to watch everyone have fun, but it wouldn't be funny if she became the fun herself.

"Let me try too," a soft voice said.

Everyone turned to look, and the person who spoke was none other than Robin.

"I think everyone can guess who I'm most afraid of."

Robin took off his sunglasses and hung them on his chest, lowered his eyes slightly, and said softly, "Thanks to the captain... I managed to escape from that terrifying darkness."

Her fingertips unconsciously traced the frame of her glasses. She looked up and smiled at the Dream Grass:
"But I know that fear still lurks in my heart. Now that I have this opportunity, I want to face it myself." "This time, I want to rely on my own strength to completely dispel this shadow."

Xia Nuo turned her head, met her gaze, said nothing, but grinned.

As if encouraged, Robin's gaze hardened, and she took a step forward, arriving in front of the Dream Grass.

The latter immediately exhaled a puff of mist.

Robin immediately froze.

"Let me go in and take a look."

Xia Nuo patted the Dream Grass, reached out and grasped its leaf, and then entered Robin's illusion.

As the master, he possesses higher-level authority, like a manager holding the key, able to enter other people's dreams, observe, and even intervene.

As the fog cleared, he saw an island ablaze with flames. In the pitch-black night, Robin stood with his back to him, his body stiff and trembling.

Further away, a man draped in a cloak of justice, with somewhat disheveled hair, walked towards them with his hands in his pockets and an indifferent expression...

"It really is you, Aokiji."

Xia Nuo clicked his tongue, silently retreated, and then took another look at Smoker's illusion, which surprised him somewhat.

Zephyr...

He mentally went through the timeline.

The current Zephyr has already experienced the Whitebeard Jr. attack several years ago, in which almost all the students on the ship were killed, and he himself lost an arm.

But he hadn't yet modified his prosthetic arm into a mechanical arm fitted with seastone, nor had he left the Navy to become a pirate... That would have been five years later, a year after the Marineford War, after Whitebeard Jr. joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

However, the old man's disappointment and resentment towards the Navy were not something that could be accumulated in a day or two. Whitebeard Jr. joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea was just a fuse.

In other words, Zephyr is now a potential candidate to be courted.

Shano kept this in mind. After watching Zephyr beat up Smoker with great interest for a while, he withdrew and returned to reality.

Xia Nuo glanced at the Dream Grass.

These world-class powerhouses can be simulated to a great extent in terms of both ability and domineering aura. He was quite satisfied with the result.

It truly is a magical tool for cultivating cadres.

Unfortunately, it didn't help him. If he wanted to cultivate, he still had to smash the historical texts head-on.

The beings in the illusion, whether it's Zephyr, Aokiji, or Rocks whom he personally shattered with Conqueror's Haki yesterday, are all far from their original true strength.

For powerful individuals like him who have already reached the pinnacle of the world, almost every aspect is top-notch. When they clash, domineering aura, physique, will, and belief are all indispensable, and the Dream Grass cannot perfectly simulate them.

A guy who can be smashed in a few punches doesn't put much pressure on you.

but.

Xia Nuo was also quite curious about what she would see if she entered her own illusion.

He voluntarily released the brain-sealing technique, allowing the Dream Grass to exhale a mist towards him. He truly didn't even know what his deepest fear was.

fear?

to be frank.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time since he awakened Conqueror's Haki.

Even when facing monsters with murderous intent and strength far exceeding his own on Thor Island and Water Seven, he never felt fear, only an almost instinctive fighting spirit and excitement.

Call ~
A fog rolled in.

The scene before Xia Nuo's eyes suddenly distorted, and the surroundings turned into a white expanse. The scene seemed to freeze, and there was no movement for a long time.

He was getting incredibly bored while waiting, and was on the verge of losing his patience...

The scene finally changed. A slightly salty sea breeze blew in, and the feel of fine sand underfoot. Xia Nuo looked down and found that he was now on the mudflats of the Cocossia Village dock.

Looking back towards the village, in the distance, familiar wooden houses emit wisps of smoke, and coconut trees rustle in the wind.

Turning around, he was met with a tall figure that looked extremely familiar, one he had seen countless times in his dreams...

"What a boring, insignificant human being!"

Arlong spread his arms wide, grinning wildly, "Listen up! From this moment on, this island will be ruled by our Arlong Pirates! Hahahaha—!!!"

boom!
A black torrent shot out, and in an instant, Ah Long's body exploded into countless fragments.

Xia Nuo withdrew his index finger with a dark expression.

What the heck is this? Where did this thing come from? From some distant corner of the world?
The person they were facing was at least Aokiji Sawamura, what kind of class is this purple-skinned shark that it deserves to sit at the same table?
Ugh.

He sighed sadly, exited the illusion, and walked towards the training room containing the Poneglyphs.

Sure enough, I have nothing to fear now.

I should just stick to practicing my Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist.

……

three days later.

The light rain, which had been falling since morning, had not stopped, and in this blurred vision, the outline of the next island finally appeared in the distance.

Nochiko, who was on the watchtower, immediately notified everyone, and the crew members came out of the cabin one after another.

During this period, apart from Nami, almost everyone has been training using the Dream Grass, with varying progress, but no one has yet been able to break through fear.

That kind of thing isn't something that can be done easily.

Xia Nuo had just come out of the training room, and after taking a quick shower, he also came to the bow of the ship, letting the raindrops wet his black hair, his gaze piercing through the hazy mist as he looked into the distance.

A bustling port city gradually came into focus.

It was a town entirely black, with almost all the buildings constructed of black stone, appearing particularly solemn and mysterious in the rain.

At the highest point, towering black spires pierce the clouds, and the streets are teeming with people, including the local residents, who are all dressed in black and carrying black umbrellas.

"Blackrock City?" Robin walked up to Shano's side, holding an umbrella, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "I didn't expect to encounter it here."

Do you know this island?

"Ah."

Robin nodded. "One of the famous trading hubs in the New World, known for its abundant production of a solid black stone. It used to be the territory of Shiki the Golden Lion. After Shiki was captured, there was a period of chaos. More than ten years ago, the Whitebeard Pirates announced that they had taken over the area, and it has become prosperous and stable again."

"Whitebeard..."

Xia Nuo narrowed his eyes. On the towering black spire, one could indeed faintly see a black skull flag fluttering.

This reminded him of Fishman Island, where he had made a promise with Marco to go to the Moby-Dick and meet Whitebeard.

Unfortunately, the sea is vast, and he has yet to encounter the Whitebeard.

I wonder if any of Whitebeard's officers are stationed on this island... Just as I was thinking this, Nojiko suddenly cried out in alarm from the watchtower above:

"Brother! Look at seven o'clock, that ship, the pattern on the sail is... it's..."

Ok?
Following the direction, Xia Nuo saw a rather conspicuous pirate ship docked on the far left of the harbor.

The ship is striking because it is predominantly dark red, with huge, conspicuous skulls painted on the two largest white canvases. The skulls have crossed swords behind them, a red scar on their left eye, and the figurehead is a red serpent with bull horns.

"It's the Red-Haired Pirates."

Xia Nuo's lips slowly parted into a smile.

The ship before them was none other than the flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates. Within the entire Red-Haired Grand Fleet, only that guy was qualified to sail this ship—

Shanks himself!
Behind him, Nami, dressed in pajamas, walked out groggily carrying Gatomon, and happened to see the expression on Shano's face.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion…

She always felt that her older brother seemed to be laughing, and laughing very happily.
(End of this chapter)