Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

Just as the clone disappeared, Reina, who was resting in the hot spring, suddenly opened his eyes and said softly, "Barrett? I didn't expect you to still be alive. But then again, you're not so easy to take down!"

After saying that, Reina slowly emerged from the hot spring, dressed himself again, glanced at the location of the central hotel, smiled slightly, and then disappeared from the spot.

He's not worried about Luffy and the others anymore. Judging from the message his clone just sent, Barrett is probably going to lose to Luffy again.

Even in a one-on-one fight, Luffy is no match for Bullet now, let alone with Zoro and the others by his side.

He's going there now in the hope that Zoro won't kill Barrett, since he still has a use for the guy.

When Reina arrived at the Central Hotel, Zoro, Usopp, and Franky were watching the battle. They didn't go forward, but Luffy, who had only activated Gear Second and Gear Third, was already able to fight him on equal terms.

"Hey~ what are you guys doing here watching the game? Barrett isn't so easy to deal with!" Reina appeared and greeted the three of them.

"Luffy said he wanted to test how much he's improved, and I want to test it too!" Zoro glanced at Reina, his whole body brimming with fighting spirit.

Reina, feigning weakness, waved his hand and said, "Don't look at me. My injuries haven't healed yet. I'm wounded. Are you going to bully a wounded person?"

Usopp and Franky, who were standing nearby, could tell that Reina was faking it. They figured that if Zoro actually made a move, he would definitely get a beating from Reina.

Although this was the scene Usopp really wanted to see, Reina wasn't so easily fooled. If he stirred things up, he might end up being one of the ones who got punished.

Sure enough, when he heard Reina say that his injuries hadn't fully healed, he stopped paying attention and turned to look at Luffy's battle.

"Tsk tsk tsk... I really didn't expect that Luffy would grow to this level in such a short time. Even Bullet can't get any advantage over him anymore!" Reina said with a sigh after watching for a while.

This was only because Luffy hadn't activated his Nikka form; otherwise, the battle would probably have ended much sooner.

"Do you think we can defeat Kaido if we encounter him again?" Zoro suddenly asked from the side.

They won in Wano Country, but it was a very difficult victory. If their opponents hadn't been careless, the Straw Hat crew wouldn't have had a chance of winning given their numerical advantage.

Moreover, Kaido is incredibly strong. He not only fought Luffy, but he was constantly fighting him. Luffy not only had to rest and eat to replenish his energy, but he also awakened his Nika form and barely managed to defeat Kaido.

Chapter 1370 A Disappointing Battle

"Want to hear the truth?" In response to Zoro's question, Reina thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "If it were you, you should be able to hurt Kaido, but you'd still be a little short of defeating him head-on. As for Luffy... it's hard to say until we've fought him!"

Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruits provide a significant boost to the body. Luffy has now awakened his Devil Fruit power and is on par with Kaido, except that Kaido awakened his power earlier and has a stronger body.

However, Luffy's talent was simply too great, so Reina couldn't say for sure what the outcome of their battle would be.

In his last battle with Kaido, he felt that Kaido had become even stronger. If he hadn't used his full strength, he might not have been able to defeat Kaido.

But honestly, when it comes to Luffy, Reina could have ended the fight before Luffy even activated his Nika form.

If Luffy were to recklessly activate his Nika form, then Reina would have to focus on defense during that time, stalling until Luffy's stamina was exhausted, and then he could turn the tables.

After all, Luffy hasn't truly reached his peak yet. He still has a long time to grow, and he doesn't know how terrifying he will become in the end.

Perhaps even he wouldn't be a match for Luffy by then.

These chosen ones are meant to eliminate the remnants of the old era. However, Reina is also growing stronger. When he stops progressing, that might be the time when Luffy surpasses him.

Seeing Reina suddenly become somewhat depressed, Zoro was a little confused. He had only asked himself if he could beat Kaido, so why was Reina so depressed?

"Is it because you already defeated Kaido?" In Zoro's mind, only things related to battle matter; everyone else is insignificant.

“No, I’m just amazed at how fast you’ve grown. Do you know how old I was when I had your strength?” Reina shook his head and replied.

This is even with the system; without it, he probably wouldn't even be able to beat Usopp right now.

"Hahahaha..." Zoro, Usopp, and Franky were all very happy to hear Reina's praise. They couldn't quite grasp Reina's feelings yet; they were simply happy for their own progress.

Seeing the three people beaming with joy, Reina helplessly pursed his lips, thinking to himself that they would all face the same fate sooner or later, while he could at least still easily defeat them. This made him feel a little happier.

On the battlefield, Luffy and Bullet continued their battle. Facing the powerful Luffy, Bullet had no choice but to focus and unleash his full power.

He is, after all, one of the veteran powerhouses. Even for Luffy now, without activating Nika's form, it would be almost impossible for him to defeat him.

"Hehehehe...This is starting to get interesting!" Luffy whispered, emanating a strange energy from his body.

Reina knew that this was the prelude to Luffy activating Nikka's new form.

As Luffy's energy dissipated, some white things emerged from his body, turning his hair and eyebrows white.

"Hehehe... So are you ready? Let's make everyone happy! Hehehehe..." As Luffy transformed into Nikka form, the ground around him began to ripple like waves, and Reina immediately retreated a distance, giving the two more space to fight.

Because he knew that the battle ahead would be serious.

Seeing Luffy's complete transformation, Bullet was just as dumbfounded as Kaido had been back then.

The Gum-Gum Fruit is a Paramecia type and does not have the ability to change one's physical condition. However, he did not know that Luffy's fruit was actually a special Zoan type fruit, which not only has the Zoan type's ability to change itself, but also some of the Paramecia type's ability to change its surroundings.

"So... let's make the next battle even more interesting!" Luffy in his Nika form seemed to become even more unrestrained, fully unleashing the free imagination within him.

Although Barrett also activated the Fusion Fruit's ability, fusing the surrounding ruins and making his body enormous, he couldn't gain any advantage in a fight against Luffy in his Nika form, and was even completely suppressed.

If things continue like this, his defeat is only a matter of time.

"Tsk tsk tsk... You haven't improved at all. I really overestimated you!" Reina, who was watching the game, was disappointed to find that Barrett had not improved at all and was still using the same old tactics and abilities.

Sure enough, the successive blows caused Barrett to lose his composure even more, and his situation became worse and worse. He was soon knocked away by Luffy's punch and could not even maintain his fused state.

"This is impossible...you brat...how did you become so strong?" Barrett could hardly believe that he had been defeated by this kid.

Moreover, this time he couldn't even come up with a decent excuse.

“Do you know? Golden Lion has also failed before, even many times, but each time he was able to analyze the reasons and change himself to become stronger. Although he still failed, I think he is a true warrior, while you... are just a loser!” Reina, who was watching the battle, shook his head and got up to leave.

"Nonsense... I am the strongest, I am the number one in the world!!" Barrett roared angrily and charged towards Luffy with a single step.

"Hehehe... Want to keep playing? Then I'll play with you!" Luffy said, and started to play around, as if this wasn't a battle for him, but a fun game.

Faced with Bullet's relentless pursuit, Luffy, like a child, played and fought at the same time.

Reina didn't stay any longer; he felt the fight had entered garbage time and there was no need for him to continue watching.

As for the final result, Reina didn't ask, but he found out when Luffy and his crew found him.

"So you're planning to go back?" Reina asked with a smile as he looked at Luffy and his crew who had come to say goodbye.

"What a pity!" Usopp said with a regretful look, "I was planning to stay here for a few more days, but now I can't!"

Reina naturally knew the reason: they had destroyed a large part of the island, and now the organizers had run away. When they came back, they would definitely seek compensation from them. If they didn't run away now, when would they?

Even after they left, Reina was ready to leave as well. Firstly, he had rested for so long and had to go back, and secondly, he was afraid of trouble, so it was better to get away as soon as possible.

Chapter 1370 Trivial Matters

When Reina returned to Crescent Island, Frank was waiting for him at the port.

"What happened? Why did someone as busy as you have to come here to wait for me?" Reina asked with a smile when he saw Frank.

Of the entire Whitebeard Pirates, he and Vegapunk were probably the busiest. Vegapunk was busy because he wanted to, while he was busy because he had too many things to do.

"Captain Bruin couldn't reach you before, so she contacted us. There's a new problem in Alabasta. They did find people from the World Government, but they didn't admit that they kidnapped Bruin. They said they only warned Bruin not to interfere in Alabasta's affairs anymore!" Frank didn't waste any words and directly shared the information with Reina.

Reina frowned and said, "Aren't Katakuri and the others currently with Brûlée? If so, why haven't they directly attacked the World Government?"

“Because Captain Bry said the other party didn’t seem to be lying, so she plans to take another look!” Frank replied, startled.

"Idiot, don't you understand her? She doesn't want to cause trouble for the Whitebeard Pirates. Pudding is her sister, how could she not be worried? But if she attacks the World Government, then it means the Whitebeard Pirates have attacked the World Government! Do you understand?" Reina said with dissatisfaction.

"This..." Frank was stunned; he hadn't expected this at all.

“Contact Brulee immediately, or Katakuri directly if you wish. Just say it was me who said it, and tell them to just go for it. My goal is simple: find Brulee and rescue her! As for who we might offend… the Whitebeard Pirates are never afraid of offending others, because… only others are afraid of offending us!” Reina said in a deep voice, “Has Ace not yet joined them?”

“Yes, First Mate!” Frank replied, his face slightly flushed. “We haven’t been able to contact Captain Ace yet! But judging by the time, he should have arrived in Alabasta by now!”

He was indeed careless before, but now that he thinks about it, Reina's guess was probably correct.

"Is there anything else?" Reina asked again when he saw that Frank had not left.

"Um... Captain Marco also has a little problem!" Frank said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Hmm?" Reina then remembered that Dr. Assie and Dr. Vegapunk had asked him to find some kind of energy stone, but Reina was too lazy to go, so he left the task to Marco.

"It's just stealing something, and Marco managed to mess it up?" Reina asked, somewhat amused and exasperated.

In his opinion, this shouldn't be difficult.

"No, it's because he couldn't find it. Everyone in the New World is searching for it, but the energy stone seems to have vanished and hasn't reappeared! So Captain Marco asked if he could come back!" Frank said with a wry smile.

“That guy…” Reina rubbed his head with a headache. Ever since Marco’s son grew up, that guy has become less and less willing to leave Xuan Yue Island. He spends all his time around his wife and son. On the contrary, although his son is not old, he has a little pineapple head and really wants to go out and play.

So Marco was even less inclined to go out, all to prevent his youngest son from running off to play.

"Forget it, let's see who's available recently and send someone to replace Marco!" Reina said helplessly.

There's still no news about the energy stone, and leaving Marco there is indeed a waste.

After returning to Xuan Yue Island, Reina became very busy, as he had to make many decisions.

He also specifically sought out Judge to inquire about the condition of the three Ichi brothers, and only after learning that they were alright did Reina feel relieved.

"The toxins in those hidden weapons were very potent, so after Ichi and the others were poisoned, their bodies' protective mechanisms forced them to shut down. They recovered after I removed the toxins!" Judge sighed and said, "If these toxins had hit someone else, it could have been very dangerous!"

Upon hearing the mention of toxins, Reina immediately thought of the user of the Venom-Venom Fruit and Reiju, so he asked, "Can't Reiju absorb toxins?"

Judge shook his head and said, "At the time, they didn't realize that Ichi was poisoned, so Reiju didn't try to see if she could absorb the toxins!"

Upon hearing this, Reina stroked his chin and said, "You kept some of the extracted toxins, didn't you?"

"Yes, Vegapunk has already started analyzing its components, and hopefully an antidote can be made by then!" Judge nodded and said.

"Could we take a little out and let Reiju try to see if she can absorb it?" Reina asked.

If Reiju can absorb it, that would be the best outcome, because absorbing the toxins would not only treat those who have been poisoned, but also enhance Reiju's own abilities.

"This... is not a problem, but is it really necessary? We'll definitely encounter them again when we attack next time. We can just let Reiju absorb them then!" Judge asked, somewhat puzzled.

Reina's face darkened. He wanted to ask Reiju, "Is Reiju really your child? Aren't you afraid Reiju will be poisoned?"

“Just do as I say. Also, if there’s any left over, make some more and send it to the Straw Hat crew!” Reina replied.

“No problem!” Judge said cheerfully, completely oblivious to anything.

After leaving the laboratory, Reina contacted Reiju and asked her to return to Xuan Yue Island, telling her about his plans.

As it turned out, Reiju and Judge had the same opinion: next time, they should just absorb it directly. This angered Reina, who directly questioned her: what if the toxin was too strong and she was also poisoned after absorbing it?

Clearly, Reiju hadn't considered this question, because in her mind, she was just a tool. What could she do if she couldn't absorb anything? Isn't it normal for a useless tool to be discarded?

Perhaps sensing Reina's kindness, Reiju was very happy and said she would return to Crescent Moon Island immediately.