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

Now that I see Merry, I don't feel that same way anymore.

Merry was startled too, and she looked distracted: "I can't sleep, so I came out to check!"

Merry's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension, and her usually charming face tried to force a cute smile, but it looked a little awkward.

Zoan-type Devil Fruits, especially Mythical Zoan types, do indeed have an influence on the mindset of their users.

Luffy grinned at her, as if he could read her mind, and said with one hand supporting his chin, "Don't worry, I told you it's nothing."

Everyone is quite worried about him.

Even Sanji prepared a banquet-level feast.

Luffy is a man of action. Instead of getting caught up in useless anxiety, he thinks about how to become stronger and how to solve problems.

"Then cultivate with me!"

Merry seemed to have found an excuse and excitedly raised her little hand.

If Merry were to do this, it would be incredibly cute, but when this cool and alluring girl does it, it has a unique charm, with a touch of clumsy naiveté.

"Oh, this."

Luffy scratched his face. "Now is my time to develop my Devil Fruit ability on my own. I can figure it out by myself."

What he really wanted to figure out was domineering presence.

The Golden Lion's move really piqued his interest.

"Liar,"

Merry twisted her slender fingers with a hint of grievance and muttered softly, "From morning till now, you've been practicing physical training and wind speed perception with Sister Vivi, learning meteorological knowledge and putting it into practice with Sister Nami, and even practicing lightning storage with Nika in the end."

She spoke softer and softer, feeling that her competitive mentality was strange, but she just couldn't control it.

After transforming, the desire to get close to Luffy and feel his presence became even stronger.

A strange desire for closer contact also began to grow in my heart.

Smell it, hug it, kiss it... Oh dear, Merry, what kind of nonsense are you thinking!

Realizing the images flashing through her mind, Merry's cool and charming face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple.

She felt like she was about to burst into flames, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into or jump into the sea to calm down.

Before she could break free from this shameful fantasy, she felt a pair of warm, large hands cover her forehead.

"Are you alright? Your face is so red. Did maintaining this form take too much effort?" Luffy leaned closer and asked with concern, "I was like this the first time I entered Gear 5."

The warmth of his hand felt especially scalding to Merry, whose mind was in turmoil at the moment.

Woohoo!

Startled by the sudden contact, Merry screamed and instinctively tried to back away, but she forgot that she was floating. Her two bare feet made a comical cross in the air, and she lost her balance and fell hard on her bottom on the deck.

Seeing this, Luffy quickly crouched down to help her up.

Merry collapsed to the ground, her white skirt billowing out to reveal a pair of fair, delicate, and rounded bare feet with jade-like toes.

Because of nervousness and shyness, those ten adorable toes unconsciously curled up slightly.

Luffy originally just wanted to reach out and help her stand up, but his gaze was drawn to her slightly curled jade feet that were so close to his.

By some strange twist of fate.

He reached out and grabbed Merry's cool, soft ankle as if he were catching a curious toy, while his other hand unconsciously pinched her curled toes.

Merry: "?!"

Merry's eyes, which were already moist with shyness, widened instantly. Her brain was completely blank for a very short time due to this sudden and unprecedented contact. All her thought processes crashed and she was completely unable to respond.

She froze on the spot, only the blush on her cheeks spreading rapidly to her ears and neck.

Just then, a soft click came from the hatch connecting the two ships.

"Luffy, Merry, I brought some late-night snacks, do you want some?"

Robin carried a plate of delicate snacks and two drinks, and gracefully pushed open the door to enter the deck.

She had noticed Merry sneaking onto the Merry earlier, so she came to check it out.

When the door opened, this was the scene that greeted her.

Luffy was squatting on the ground, his hands playing with Merry's bare feet as she slumped to the ground.

And Merry's cold and charming yet extremely shy appearance was even more pitiful.

what is this?

Robin was slightly taken aback at first, then a look of understanding and amusement flashed in his deep eyes.

No wonder Merry looked like this when she arrived.

Robin tilted his head slightly, a faint, sly smile playing on his lips, and said softly:

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

The air on the deck seemed to freeze, with only the soft sound of waves gently lapping against the hull remaining.

Luffy and Merry seemed to be put on pause, and then suddenly realized what was happening!

As if he had been burned, Luffy quickly released his hand that was still holding Merry's toes, and stood up with a whoosh, his movements so fast that they even created a gust of wind.

"No, no, no, you've come at just the right time."

Luffy finally mastered the skill, but what is his relationship with Robin?

I've already tried them all.

He grabbed the plate from Robin's hand, dumped all the snacks on it into his mouth, and then snatched the drink and gulped it down, his movements fluid and effortless.

With his mouth bulging, Luffy said in a slightly muffled voice, "I'm hungry too."

"hehe."

Robin's amused smile deepened as he watched Robin's attempt to cover up his blunder.

She watched Luffy wolf down his food with amusement, and only after he had finally swallowed it did she slowly ask:

Don't you need to wash your hands?

"Pfft, cough cough cough!"

Luffy almost choked on his own saliva, and his lips twitched uncontrollably.

This woman definitely did it on purpose!

Meanwhile, Merry, who had fallen to the ground, seemed to have finally been reconnected to the power source the moment Luffy let go.

Her usually cold and alluring face was now so red it looked like it could bleed, and even her fair neck and earlobes were tinged with crimson.

She suddenly covered her face with both hands, letting out a whimper like a small animal's cry, and curled up into a ball.

"I'll go get you more food!"

Merry’s voice leaked out from between her fingers, barely audible, and filled with obvious panic.

She didn't even dare to look up at Robin. A flash of iridescent light surrounded her, and her figure instantly became blurry. She floated up and flew back to the passage connecting to the Sunnylands without looking back.

On the deck, only Luffy and Robin remained.

Chapter 281 Releasing Stress and Providing Guidance

Luffy scratched his head, looking in the direction Merry had disappeared.

Turning around, he met Robin's deep eyes.

Having weathered so many storms, especially the torment of the "One Piece Training Program," Luffy's thick skin is indeed a far cry from what it used to be.

"Robin, are you still staying here?"

This means they're kicking people out.

Robin didn't say anything, but just stared at him quietly for a few seconds.

"I'll be going now!"

If you won't leave, then I will.

When Luffy saw Robin's cunning expression, he was reminded of the time when his legs went weak and he trembled.

His gaze couldn't help but sweep over her rosy lips.

Suddenly, Robin took a small step forward, closing the distance between them. His cunning smile deepened, and he lowered his voice, speaking softly in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"How about we try it next time?"

Luffy's brain didn't quite catch on for a moment, and he instinctively followed her words, asking, "Try what? With your feet?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Luffy wished he could tie his rubber tongue in a knot!

He suddenly realized what was happening and, seeing the triumphant smile in Robin's eyes, couldn't help but cough lightly.

"Sure!"

"what?"

I said yes.

Robin's answer was light and airy; instead of being embarrassed, she moved even closer, almost touching him.

The faint scholarly air and mature womanly fragrance emanating from her wafted into Luffy's nostrils, making him feel slightly dizzy.

Before Luffy could react, Robin had already reached out and gently grasped his wrist. Her fingers were slightly cool and had a delicate feel.

“I remember there’s no one on the Going Merry right now,” Robin said.

"Where to?" Luffy felt his voice was a little dry.

He was being pulled along by Robin, and he couldn't help but follow her.

Robin turned her head and winked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings in the moonlight, her smile mysterious and alluring.