The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

Usopp, standing nearby, twitched both his eyes and his long nose at the same time. "What he said is true."

......... ... .......

"Eh?!?!?!?!"

Chopper and Nami's bodies trembled violently.

"why is that?!!"

They were utterly bewildered and astonished. Having such a dangerous person on board posed a great deal of uncertainty!

No matter the reason or request, he shouldn't have been left on the ship. How could such an arrangement be made? Who came up with this idea...?

"It was my request~"

Link said with a smile, "This is because I helped him find the seafood fruit, which led to him agreeing to one of my conditions."

Is that Link?! Oh, I see~~~

Nami and Chopper exchanged a glance, and a look of understanding appeared in their eyes at the same time.

Since it was Link's request, then it's fine.

The two quickly regained their composure and nodded solemnly.

Usopp: "..."

Hey, you guys are so real!

It wasn't like this just now!

Well, he had completely forgotten what kind of person he was after Link and Aokiji reached an agreement on the transport ship.

Yes, his shock at that time and the subsequent reversal were no less than those of Chopper and Nami.

After all, the three of them are a timid trio, and this pairing is quite a good match.

Of course, he himself doesn't realize it now. Having accepted it, he begins to look at Chopper and Nami's changes with a deadpan gaze.

Beneath Usopp's speechless, twitching face, Chopper and Nami also asked with some curiosity.

"What kind of terms did you reach with this guy, Link?!"

Chopper pointed at Aokiji with his deer paws, "So you're just letting this former Marine Admiral stay on the ship like that?!"

~~~~~~~~~

[Thank you so much to the generous donor 'Once Upon a Time There Was a Eunuch' for the latest and greatest reward! Thank you!!!]

539. The conditions with Aokiji!! The whetstone left on the ship!! Sharpening and increasing strength through battle!!

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this guy."

Link smiled and patted Chopper's head. "As for what conditions were met..."

He smiled and looked at Aokiji, who was there exuding an air of nonchalance, as if he had no psychological burden.

Don't you think that our progress has been slower since we came to this new world?

"That's because we no longer have the power of your... gadgets, Link!!"

Nami was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly remembered that Aokiji was still there, so she mumbled something.

"No, we've already learned most of what we needed to learn."

Link smiled and slowly shook his head.

After all, there is almost no teacher in this world more suitable than Rayleigh and Ichisho.

The two had already paved the way for them to become strong, and had also taught them all aspects of domineering power that would make them stronger.

So what remains is for them to explore and discover for themselves, and find the right path for themselves.

For example, Zoro's "937" swordsmanship, Sanji's physical kicking techniques, and so on.

While searching for a path that suits you, there is another indispensable element.

That is……

"Training and battle!"

Link glanced around at everyone present and said firmly.

"We have no shortage of ways and paths to become stronger. What we lack are opponents and enemies who help us grow stronger step by step, and the challenges and combat power they bring us."

"Only through continuous real-world practice can we gradually understand our own situation and become stronger!"

This is Link's understanding, and it is indeed the situation that the Straw Hat Pirates are currently facing.

After all, in the original story, Luffy and his crew reunited two years later.

In less than three months, he arrived in Wano Country, his strength advancing by leaps and bounds as if he had taken a rocket.

They didn't really cultivate much; they just constantly fought, won, fought again, and won again against powerful enemies.

Then... he got a cheat code, awakened the Nika form, defeated two veteran powerhouses from the old era, raised his bounty to 3 billion, and became one of the new Four Emperors.

Hmm, in the Ganges, right?

After all, even the Clown King with the [Thousand Taels of Transformation] skill was able to win by doing nothing and become a new Yonko, so what's impossible on this sea?!

Of course, to be fair, every time Luffy gets a power-up... every time his strength increases and he improves, it's related to battle.

He learned advanced techniques of Observation Haki, including the ability to foresee the future, during his battle with Katakuri.

Then~

The advanced techniques of Armament Haki, namely "External Release" and "Internal Destruction," were awakened by a single blow from the Cornetto.

The advanced technique of Conqueror's Haki, [Entanglement], was awakened by a blow from a cute little stick.

Nika's Devil Fruit powers awakened and Gear 5 was developed, all thanks to a blow from Cornetto...

Yes, Kaido truly lives up to his title; he was definitely the MVP of the Wano Country arc!

"Therefore, what we need now is a formidable opponent."

Nami and Chopper both understood Link's meaning, but precisely because of this, they...

"The formidable opponent you mentioned, could it be...?"

The two realized something at the same time, their eyes twitching slightly, yet they also harbored an inappropriate expectation and wishful thinking.

"Ah, that's right~"

Link smiled and nodded, gesturing with his chin towards Aokiji.

"It's this former admiral!"

"No one is a more suitable opponent than him!!"

Chopper and Nami: "...!!!"

The entire straw hat boat fell silent once again.

The idea of ​​using former Navy Headquarters Admirals as whetstones would have sounded like a fantasy in the past.

If someone were to say such a thing, others would scoff and disbelieve it.

Even if it's a reliable man like Link, they'll still be somewhat skeptical when he says things so casually.

but……

Everyone glanced at Aokiji, who hadn't expressed any opinion but had already given his approval.

And Usopp's slowly nodding gaze, and Zoro's eager expression...

Well, that's enough, okay?

"It really is..."

Chopper and Nami still find it somewhat unbelievable.

Such a powerful figure, actually, became a so-called whetstone on his own ship...

This sounds incredibly unreal.

Even if it was arranged and designed by Link... it was both reasonable and unexpected, making people feel as if they were in a dream.

“Ah la la~”

Seeing the others' expressions, Aokiji slowly shook his head.

When he first heard this condition, he wondered if Link was still half asleep.

Although it was my teacher who was seriously ill and needed treatment.

Although it was his own teacher whose life was hanging by a thread.

Although his juniors were also trapped in prison.

Although I have always been lazy by nature, I don't have any specific goals at the moment, I'm just traveling around.

Although I am quite curious about the Straw Hat Pirates' current development and strength.

Although I am also very interested in the other props in the hands of the [prop master].

Although it is said to be...

Okay, despite all those "althoughs", Aokiji was still a Marine Admiral before.

It's simply impossible for someone to openly offer you a price and sell you out like that.

At the very least, he had to save face for his former high-ranking position and negotiate a price...

Ever since~

After a very intense bargaining process, Link reluctantly agreed to provide some other items for Aokiji to use.

It will allow him to better understand and observe the world.

Well, feeling that he was at least worth a certain price, Aokiji was quite satisfied that he had sold himself for a reasonable price.

Then he readily agreed to Link's request and came aboard their ship, intending to stay for a while.

He was also very curious about what the Straw Hat Pirates' ship was like.

And I also want to explore the secret behind how his strength improved so rapidly and underwent such a dramatic change in such a short period of time!

Therefore, after discussing it with Link, the two hit it off immediately and agreed.

"is that so……"

Link gave a brief explanation, but Chopper and Nami were still completely confused.

"Anyway, this former admiral won't hurt us, so be it!!"

Franky concluded there.

"And they will also help us train, serving as our opponents in combat..."

Jinbe's tone was somewhat ambiguous, and his expression was even more complicated.

This all sounds so outrageous, it's practically a pipe dream.

But ironically, he actually made that dream a reality.

Yes, he is the one who feels this matter most deeply.

He understood very well what a general-level combat strength meant on this vast ocean.

And to be able to bring in someone like that as a sparring partner...

Even Jinbe had to show immense respect for his first mate.

　1.6 Sure enough, only someone as extraordinary as their first mate could accomplish something that no one would even dare to imagine.

It certainly broadened his horizons.

He composed himself, and with a hint of admiration on his face, looked at Link standing there.

The latter smiled with great pleasure after seeing that things had been settled so smoothly and accepted by everyone.

To be honest, their strength has already reached an extremely high level.

If you want to improve further, ordinary battles and opponents are completely ineffective.

After all, they had all experienced world-class warfare like the Marineford War, so ordinary battlefields and enemies were nothing to them.