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

The two or three huge wild beasts we ate earlier were not a proper meal at all.

Luffy said, "Speaking of which, fighting you, Hancock, must have taken a lot of toll."

"Don't worry,"

Hancock immediately turned and gave orders to Sonia and Mary:

"Go and prepare for the banquet immediately."

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Oh? There's a banquet too?"

Margaret smiled and explained, "This is a customary banquet held to celebrate the Kuja Pirates' safe return after a great haul at sea."

She paused, glanced at Luffy, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "However, men have never attended banquets in our country."

Luffy thought it made perfect sense.

This is a perfectly normal thing, because men are prohibited from entering this country.

Hancock herself did not seem to have any intention of attending the banquet in person, and left early on the grounds that she needed to prepare for her trip the next day.

The banquet hall was quickly set up and brightly lit. The huge lights illuminated the healthy and energetic faces of the female warriors, as well as the golden luster of the walls and decorations.

Luffy, Margaret, and Perona sat at a table, enjoying their meal.

Luffy held a huge leg of meat in his left hand. It was said to be a sea king that the Kuja Pirates brought back on their way back and cooked. The huge piece of meat was so big that it was reduced to bones after he took a bite.

Eating quickly and in large quantities is a crucial step in becoming a warrior, a consensus shared in the Kingdom of Kuja, which explains the emergence of many women with imposing physiques like Sonia and Mary.

Women like Hancock, who conform to normal aesthetic standards, possess a stunning figure, and are incredibly strong, are few and far between.

Both Luffy and Perona attracted a lot of attention.

Because Perona is floating, it is clearly a force that defies common sense.

As an unprecedented male participant in this banquet, Luffy's ability to stretch his body acted like a magnet, quickly attracting the curious gazes of everyone present.

"The food is delicious!"

Luffy finished eating the food in front of him and then noticed that almost no one nearby had started eating. "Don't they have any appetite?"

It's not the appetite that's the problem, it's you.

Perona secretly thought to herself, "Luckily, everyone was unconscious and didn't see Luffy really hurt Hancock."

If they saw their country's emperor Hancock being mercilessly beaten by Luffy, there would be absolutely no atmosphere for a normal meal right now.

At first, these women, who had long lived in the land of women and were filled with unfamiliarity and even vague hostility towards men, simply observed Luffy from afar.

But as the atmosphere of the banquet gradually heated up under the influence of alcohol and food, some of the bolder ones, such as members of the Kuja Pirates who had been adventuring at sea for many years, began to gather around.

At first, they were just asking questions out of curiosity, but then some of them couldn't resist reaching out to pinch Luffy's supposedly stretchable rubber cheeks.

"It really can be stretched! It's so elastic!"

"Let me pinch it too!"

"This looks like a lot of fun!"

Robin and Nami had already verified this themselves.

Luffy's face feels amazing to the touch; everyone who's played with it raves about it.

Luffy himself didn't seem to mind too much; a banquet should feel like a banquet.

He had finally managed to get this much time since the One Piece training program started.

But the problem is, now it's not just one or two people, but a whole group of overly enthusiastic women who have surrounded us!

You pinch it, I pull it.

Although it didn't hurt, the countdown to the third stage of punishment was still on, and it was amplified under this intense physical contact, making him feel like he was being bitten by a swarm of ants, making it really hard to concentrate on enjoying his food.

"Perona, please help me!"

Luffy shouted to Perona while trying to protect the plate of grilled meat in front of him.

Perona watched him being surrounded and besieged by a group of women, pursed her lips, but still floated up and waved her small hand:

"Negative, negative!"

Several white, negative ghosts merrily passed through the bodies of the female warriors who surrounded them.

In an instant, the women who had just been excitedly touching each other seemed to have had their spines removed, and they all knelt down on the ground in unison, the scene changing drastically:

"How dare a piece of trash like me touch the future Pirate King? I'm truly ignorant of my own limitations."

“To be so rude as a woman, I am a disgrace to the Amazonian lily.”

"My hands are only fit to scoop out mud."

"..."

The world suddenly became quiet.

Luffy breathed a sigh of relief, having gained a better understanding of Perona's abilities. This ghostly power was indeed a troublesome one, and the warning from his Observation Haki was correct.

Even the strongest person will have their fighting ability greatly reduced when they fall into a negative state.

Unless they are extremely negative people.

It can remain completely unaffected.

Luffy looked at the group of people around him who had instantly become dejected, scratched his head, and felt a little embarrassed.

A banquet should be lively and bustling, right?

As the female soldiers gradually recovered from their negative state, looking at each other with flushed cheeks, he cleared his throat.

"Hey everyone!"

Luffy said to the female warriors, "A banquet is all about singing, so I'll start!"

He didn't know many pirate songs, but the most famous and popular one was undoubtedly "Binks' Sake".

Who is Luffy's teacher?

The renowned Gordon, the man who taught the phenomenal musician Uta.

His words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The somewhat awkward atmosphere instantly dissipated with the familiar melody.

The female soldiers were initially surprised, but then they clapped and tapped their feet to the beat, and some even started humming along.

Margaret sat beside him, gently clapping her hands, watching Luffy with a smile in her eyes.

Perona, standing next to her, was shocked, her mouth slightly agape.

Is her captain an all-rounder?

She sings so well?!

She had heard Moria sing before; it was an ear-piercing, mesmerizing voice that you never wanted to hear again after just one listen!

The banquet reached its climax.

After singing a song, Luffy turned around and continued eating, wondering when the next banquet would be.

"Have you already eaten that much?"

A cheerful pirate crew member, watching the mountain of flesh disappearing before Luffy's eyes at a visible speed, couldn't help but exclaim, "What on earth is your stomach made of?"

"Haha, can you ask the kitchen to make twice as much? Don't worry, I treat eating as a form of spiritual practice!"

Luffy's mouth was stuffed full, and as he spoke, he raised his glass to the woman next to him who was toasting him, clinking glasses with her and letting out a hearty laugh, "It's been so long since I've had such a satisfying meal!"

The atmosphere became lively again.

Perona was still somewhat worried.

She leaned closer to Luffy and whispered:

"We're leaving tomorrow. Are we going to leave through the Calm Belt?"

She pursed her lips, a hint of fear on her face. "It feels so dangerous. The Calm Belt is full of Sea Kings!"

The sea monsters on the ocean floor are said to be many, even larger than Oz the Thriller Bark!

She suddenly realized that while following Luffy was exciting, the risk factor seemed ridiculously high.

She wasn't too worried if he could maintain the same overwhelming and reliable style he displayed in his fight with Hancock today.

"rest assured!"

Hearing this, a member of the Kuja Pirates nearby patted his chest and said confidently, "Our Kuja Pirates have sailed in the Calm Belt for generations and have unique methods to drive away Sea Kings. We have never been attacked by Sea Kings!"

"Oh ho ho, so is there a way to attract sea kings?"

Luffy was beaming with excitement.

To most people on the high seas, Sea Kings are terrifying and deadly deep-sea monsters, but to Luffy, aren't they just moving, super delicious mountains of meat?!

Oh, right, we should thank Rayleigh and his crew properly when we get to Sabaody Archipelago. Or should we bring two Sea Kings as a thank-you gift?

However, this seems to attract too much attention.

Luffy isn't afraid of the Navy causing trouble again, but if they bully him with numbers like they did in the Sabaody Archipelago, he currently has no choice but to retreat strategically.

I really need to keep practicing!

For example, right now, even though Luffy is enjoying his meal, he is still using the multitasking skills he developed through the One Piece training program.

His mind was still racing, trying to figure out how to further develop the Devil Fruit's abilities.

In comparison, the development of the Rubber-Nica Fruit is almost complete; the next step may be its combination with Haki.

It's like a second-gear plus stance.

However, there don't seem to be any good ideas in the short term.

The banquet eventually ended amidst a lot of noise.

Luffy patted his round belly contentedly, while the women of Amazon Lily were clearly still not satisfied and were overly enthusiastic, wanting to keep him drinking and chatting.

Luffy and Perona exchanged a glance and made their choice in tacit agreement.

run!