[U.T] Ch 7: Roronoa Zoro

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"Such a cool title! Hehehe!"

Luffy grinned from ear to ear after hearing Luen's explanation of the title.

Becoming the Pirate King was Luffy's ultimate goal, and now his very first crewmate not only acknowledged that dream but even supported it. Naturally, that made him happy.

[Trait load progress increased.]

Luen stared at the holographic screen that only he could see.

So there was indeed a way to speed up the loading of his abilities.

Looking at the visibly increased progress of his Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) trait and the finally moving progress bar of Sun God (Super Gold), Luen smirked.

Choosing the title "Sky King" wasn't just because it fit within the pirate world's theme or because it aligned with Luen's personal aesthetics.

More importantly, it was an experiment. He wanted to see if deepening his connection with Luffy could accelerate the loading of his abilities.

Luffy's dream was to become Pirate King. By explaining his title in a way that resonated with that dream, their bond naturally grew stronger.

And since Luffy was one of his trait-loading targets, if strengthening their relationship sped up the process, then Luen's theory would be proven.

Now, judging from the results—it worked.

Guess that cringe speech of his was worth it.

Luen scanned the skies but didn't see any News birds in sight.

However, in the world of One Piece, those birds were everywhere. Since he hadn't awakened Observation Haki yet, he couldn't pinpoint their exact location.

Still, as long as the news was reported, he'd soon find out whether his title had spread across the seas.

After all, when it came to Conqueror's Haki, the president of the World Economy News Paper, Morgans, definitely knew its worth.

Conqueror's Haki truly marked someone with the qualities of a king.

Once someone awakened it, they were guaranteed to learn both Observation and Armament Haki, and at the very least, they could refine their Haki to a decent level.

In other words, anyone who awakened Conqueror's Haki had, at minimum, a power level on par with a Warlord of the Sea.

For the East Blue to produce a Conqueror's Haki user? That was definitely something Morgans would want to write about.

Since Luen had joined the protagonist's crew and had Luffy's Powerful Connections (Special) trait, he didn't have to worry about being hunted down by enemies beyond his level before he had fully grown.

There was no need for him to stay low-key.

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"Alright, we took care of these guys. Let's find a ship and set sail!"

Luffy grinned, looking at the unconscious members of Alvida's pirate crew sprawled across the deck.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Just as he finished speaking, cannonballs rained down on Alvida's ship.

In the distance, a Marine battleship was approaching fast.

"The Marines, huh? Well, since we're pirates, we better get moving! Let's go, Luen!"

Luffy wasn't worried in the slightest. He had seen much bigger warships—his grandpa's, for example.

"Got it."

Luen smirked.

Alvida's trait wasn't worth stealing. That thick layer of fat she had? Not something he was interested in.

"Phew! That was a good haul!"

Nami grinned, clutching a heavy sack full of treasure as she hopped into a small boat.

When she noticed the Marine battleship approaching, she prepared to make her escape.

Splash!

Just then, a small lifeboat crashed into the sea from a merchant ship's deck, sending waves splashing.

"Ah!"

Nami shielded herself from the spray and turned to look.

On the boat were a straw-hat-wearing boy and a familiar face.

"You... you're—"

Her eyes widened.

Wasn't that the guy from the merchant ship earlier?

"Looks like our little thief has completed her mission."

Luen chuckled as he eyed Nami, now dressed in her usual burglar outfit, clutching her stolen treasure tightly.

Nami instinctively tightened her grip on her loot.

"You know her, Luen?" Luffy asked curiously.

"We've met once."

Luen smiled.

"I see! Well, we gotta go—Marines are closing in!"

Luffy shouted as he looked at the approaching warship.

"Set sail!"

"Well then, I'll see you again, Miss Thief. My name's Luen."

Luen glanced at Nami but didn't linger. He knew they were heading to the same destination soon enough.

Pushing too hard now might backfire.

Before Nami could reply, Luen used his Basic Navigation (White) skill to steer the boat away from the Marines at high speed.

"Luen...?"

Nami muttered his name before quickly sailing off in the opposite direction.

As for his parting words about meeting again—she didn't pay them much mind.

The sea was vast. What were the chances of running into him again?

"Hahaha! That was fun!"

Once they had completely lost the Marines, Luffy burst into laughter.

"Hey, Luen, that fat lady mentioned a pirate hunter. Do you know what kind of guy he is?"

Luffy turned to Luen.

"I've heard of him. A powerful swordsman, they call him a beast in human skin."

Luen smirked.

"A beast, huh? Sounds strong!" Luffy grinned.

"What, interested?"

Luen played along knowingly.

Without Koby's interference, it was up to him to push the story forward.

Not that he minded.

"I want to be Pirate King, so I need strong crewmates! If he's that good, I'd love for him to join us!"

Luffy's smile widened.

"Well then, let's go check him out. He's in Shells Town."

Luen pulled out a map he had "acquired" from the merchant ship and smiled.

"Alright, destination set! Let's go, Luen!"

Luffy cheered excitedly.

"Got it." Luen smirked, equally intrigued.

Roronoa Zoro... What kind of traits did he have?

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