Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

"you know?"

"That man came aboard the ship and seemed to have spotted me." Merry sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the dragon, as if some monster was hiding within its body. Yet, there was no malice, which seemed contradictory.

But that feeling was very familiar.

Merry also noticed that feeling in Luffy.

"It is indeed very suspicious."

"Don't be suspicious. You should also prepare for tonight's banquet. There's still a lot to do." Nami brought over two glasses of orange juice, one for Merry and one for herself.

"Nami, I'm thirsty too."

Nami was about to refuse outright when she noticed that Merry had already handed the cup to Luffy with both hands.

She spoils Luffy even more than she does.

Tonight we'll have a grand welcoming ceremony for Merry.

Merry's cuteness is universally appealing, especially her adorable appearance after taking off her hat—it's just too endearing. Nami couldn't resist rubbing her cheek against hers, and as a fashion designer, it's hard not to have the urge to dress her up in some beautiful clothes.

Don't have any suitable clothes?

This difficulty was obviously no challenge for Nami. When she came out, Merry had changed into a new dress, a Lolita dress with a pure white base, which looked like various clothes sewn together. Her hair was tied into two small ponytails that swayed behind her, and she wore black stockings and knee-high boots.

Someone who didn't know better would think she was a princess from some country.

Wearing her new clothes, Merry ran excitedly to Luffy with a smile on her face, spread her arms, and spun around in place, looking adorably innocent.

"Let's welcome our partner Merry and start the feast!"

Chapter 57 This is not the hardness of the East China Sea!

It will take two more days to travel from Loguetown to the Red Line, but once we return to our original route, we can quickly reach the Grand Line.

As the sun set, Sanji's hands were almost blurring out afterimages. The chef on the pirate ship had only one requirement: cook quickly! To cook fast while also making delicious food is the dream of countless chefs.

"The banquet is starting!" Luffy announced, holding up a large piece of roasted meat.

"Oh!"

Luffy had finally managed to carve out some real banquet time from the devilish plan, and he was so happy he could fly.

Excitedly, they ran around the makeshift dining table on the deck, their mouths stuffed full.

Experience is accumulated little by little.

Luffy, too, learned how to conserve time during his struggles. Of course, if the "One Piece Training Plan" were to prioritize this conserved time, giving him 24 or 48 hours of training time instead, then...

Let's have fun first and worry about the consequences later.

Who cares about the raging flood behind us!

"What an idiot, who's going to take it from you?" Nami said.

Despite his apparent disdain, he smiled as he handed a glass of juice to Merry, who was sitting quietly in the VIP seat on Luffy's shoulder.

"Time is money." Luffy's stomach seemed bottomless. "Nami, throw me the meat in front of you."

"then."

The two were very in sync, and Nami felt like she was feeding some kind of creature.

Merry was still holding her signature little hammer in her arms.

She timidly took the juice, sipped it slowly, and curiously looked around at the lively scene with her big eyes.

It's so wonderful to be able to have a banquet with them like this.

Merry wanted to go on an adventure with them, to take them to farther and farther places, forever!

"Cheers to our comrade Merry!" Luffy raised his glass.

"cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses in response, and even Zoro, unusually, raised his wine bowl.

Merry shyly raised her glass of juice, her little face flushed.

Nami, acting as both a mother and an older sister on the ship, naturally couldn't stand seeing Merry being led astray by drinking.

He's still small; we'll talk about it when he grows up.

The banquet was lively, with Sanji moving around and constantly serving new dishes, but Luffy's stomach was clearly a bottomless pit.

"We don't have enough meat, how can a banquet be complete without a whole fish feast!" Luffy exclaimed.

"You can conjure fish in the middle of the night?" Nami asked, hands on her hips, looking rather helpless.

At that moment, Merry, who was sitting on Luffy's shoulder, leaned close to Luffy's ear and whispered, "Luffy, I can feel a lot of fish down there."

Ship spirits are among the most magical beings on this sea. They are not only the best helmsmen, but also have an intimate knowledge of the entire ship and even the entire sea area.

That's why Nami has a natural affinity for Merry.

Compared to the idiots on the ship, Merry was practically an angel to the navigator. Not to mention, she was so adorable.

"Really?" Luffy's eyes lit up.

"Mmm!" Mei nodded vigorously, seemingly happy to be able to help Luffy. Luffy didn't even need to get the fishing gear; the items flew to him automatically.

"Is this the power of the ship spirit?"

“We’re no longer worried about capsizing,” Usopp laughed.

"Let's go to Merry! Let's go fishing."

"Oh!" Merry waved her little fist.

Luffy grabbed his fishing rod and ran excitedly toward the boat.

"Hey, don't drop Merry."

Nami followed after them, worried.

"Tsk, why does this scene seem so familiar?" Zoro watched Luffy carrying little Merry away and took a sip of his drink, muttering, "It feels like I've seen this somewhere before."

Sanji, standing next to him, exhaled a smoke ring. "That idiot green-haired moss, because that rubber idiot always sits in that ram's head VIP seat on the Going Merry! Now it's the Going Merry's turn to sit there."

"That's true."

Beside the boat.

"Luffy, the big fish is over there!"

"I understand!" Luffy was looking forward to fishing up something.

Not long after, a force came from the other end of the line.

Luffy looked at Merry with surprise; everyone had taken the bait!

Nami happened to walk over and saw Luffy using his lever.

Then, under the moonlight, a huge bulge suddenly rose from the sea.

Immediately afterwards, a monstrous head covered with tentacles and sharp teeth burst through the sea surface, with the part that emerged above the water being nearly ten meters long.

Who can bear this.

Nami turned deathly pale and nearly fainted.

Luffy's reaction wasn't exactly the same, but rather completely different.

This big one should be enough to eat.

"Barbecued, braised, steamed... I want a little bit of everything!"

Luffy suddenly stretched his arm back, inhaled air, and his bones cracked loudly. His entire arm instantly grew to a gigantic size and was covered in jet-black Armament Haki.

"Giant's Pistol!"

An unidentified fish was punched so hard it questioned its very existence. Could there be something that hard in the East China Sea?

This is completely unreasonable!

The giant fish's huge eyes rolled back instantly, its massive body stiffened from the terrifying punch, and then it slowly fell backward, crashing onto the sea surface and creating huge waves. It then floated there motionless.

"All done, let's continue the banquet!" Luffy called out as he turned around.

"This fish is just unlucky."

When it comes to food handling, Sanji is a professional, skilled in several meat-chopping and kicking techniques, removing internal organs and fish scales.

Then you can eat it however you want.

The world has an average large eater.

The most important thing to become a strong person is being able to eat.

Nami ate for a long time before realizing she hadn't eaten as much as Luffy, which is why she said she couldn't become a strong person.

The banquet lasted a long time, until Merry started rubbing her eyes and her little head began to nod off.

"Alright, little one, it's time for you to go to sleep."

Nami gently lifted Merry off Luffy's shoulder and took her to wash up.

The deck gradually quieted down; Luffy had thoroughly enjoyed his meal. However, the time he'd missed was indeed a serious problem; he'd heard the warnings countless times all night.

But Luffy also has something to say: he spends most of his time developing his Devil Fruit abilities.

Gear Second enhances all of the body's core skills, but can it be taken to an even greater extreme? For example, in Gear Second, could it be an ultimate mode where the entire body is covered in Armament Haki?

If Gear Third transforms a part of your body into a giant, can you become a real giant?

Furthermore, his current attack methods are somewhat lacking, so Luffy is trying to make changes by imitating the attack methods of animals.

Now only Zoro remained on the deck, leaning against the side drinking.

He seemed to be in a very good mood as he took out the two new knives he had obtained in Loguetown.

The Third Generation Kitetsu and Yukihachi.