Luffy turned the pair of glasses over in his hand, marveling at how something so plain and unassuming could hold such immense power.
"Well, no point holding back now."
Without hesitation, Luffy spent the remaining 100,000 gold or so on enhancement materials, five Star-up Gems and 54 Enhancement Stones.
And just like that, Robin's personal equipment upgrade project came to a close.
[Companion Gear – Head (+10)]
Stamina +286
Strength +286
"Perfect! With these stats, Robin should meet the minimum requirements to start training Armament Haki!" Luffy laughed in satisfaction.
He glanced up at the sky.
"Yeesh. Pitch black, can't see a thing."
Looking around the ship, Luffy mumbled, "Robin's probably not asleep yet… Meh, I'll tell her tomorrow."
To avoid another awkward situation like before, Luffy decided to save the surprise.
And so, amid the endless sea of mist, Luffy sat idly on the deck and slowly dozed off without realizing it.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Luffy… Luffy…"
Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, Luffy heard someone calling his name.
The voice was soft and sweet, like honeyed peach wine flowing gently into his ears. It lulled him deeper into restful slumber.
Sigh…
Robin looked down at the sleeping Luffy, shaking her head with a resigned smile.
Just as quickly, her expression changed. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin, eyes narrowing like a sly fox. Clearly, that gentle sigh had just been part of the act.
She reached out and grabbed Luffy's cheeks.
"LUFFY! TIME TO WAKE UP!"
With both hands kneading his face, Robin seemed quite pleased with herself.
"Wha…?" Luffy's mouth was stretched all the way to his ears, and his cheeks were flushed red. Slowly, his eyes blinked open… then closed… then opened again.
"Robin? What's going on…" he murmured groggily, still half-asleep.
"Nothing, oh wait! Look around you, Luffy!" Robin quickly hid her hands behind her back and smiled as if nothing had happened.
Luffy wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and rubbed his eyes, finally starting to come to.
He looked around, but everything still seemed the same. The thick purple mist was still everywhere, obscuring anything beyond it.
Robin, watching him stare blankly, pointed forward with a smirk. "Look over there, Luffy."
He walked to the bow and squinted into the distance.
Far ahead, a giant mouth slowly emerged from the fog, moving steadily toward their ship.
"Oooh! Looks like we made it!" Luffy shouted excitedly at the eerie sight.
"Huh? Made it where?"
"Robin! Raise the sails, straight ahead at full speed!"
Robin wasn't sure where they were going, but seeing Luffy so excited, she was happy just to follow his lead.
"Aye aye, Captain!"
With some quick adjustments, the ship surged forward toward the gaping mouth.
"Right!" Luffy suddenly remembered. Before he fell asleep, he'd spent all his savings crafting the ultimate gift for Robin.
He pulled out the glasses from his pocket. "Here, Robin, got something for you."
In his palm rested a cute pair of round-frame glasses. Robin blushed slightly. In that moment, the fog, the eerie sea, the terrifying maw, they all faded from her mind.
She accepted the gift and gently put it on. It fit perfectly. She smiled tenderly, about to say something…
But suddenly, a strange energy surged from the glasses and flowed through her body.
Robin knew this sensation well.
The last time she'd felt it was under the moonlight, when Luffy had slipped a magical ring onto her finger.
So these glasses… they weren't ordinary either.
Robin looked at Luffy, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Feel anything?" he asked eagerly. After all, he'd sunk every last coin into this gift.
"Mhm!" Robin beamed, flashing a bright smile. "Thank you, Luffy!"
She was getting stronger. She wondered when she'd finally be able to truly help him.
"Oh! These glasses are super cool, they can turn into any kind of headgear you want." Luffy explained casually.
Robin's eyes widened. The glasses began to shift, first into a mask, then a headband, before finally returning to their original form. She chose to keep them that way, perhaps so she could always remember this moment.
Luffy didn't think much of it.
Meanwhile, the ship neared the enormous mouth.
Creak… creak… creak…
Mechanical sounds echoed as the massive jaws opened wide, sucking in seawater, and the Thousand Sunny with it.
"Luffy?" Robin called, a bit nervously.
"Relax," he said calmly. "We're fine."
To reassure her, Luffy pulled her close and gave her a firm pat on the shoulder.
The ship rocked violently as it was pulled inside, tossing about in the waves until it finally slammed into land with a loud THUD, forced to a stop.
Luffy leapt off the ship in a single bound. Robin followed, summoning two soft pink wings behind her and gliding gracefully down.
"This is the place!" Luffy exclaimed.
Robin took in their surroundings. The thick fog blanketed everything in a spooky gloom. The forest ahead was pitch black, and eerie rustling sounds whispered from within.
Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, Robin asked the question that had been on her mind. "Luffy… where exactly are we?"
She stepped closer to him, intentionally or not.
Luffy scanned the area and replied slowly, "This is the domain of a once-great pirate…"
"A pirate?" Robin frowned. "Who would live in such a desolate place?"
"Yeah… a fallen pirate. This entire island is actually his ship. He fought Kaido in the New World, lost everything, his crew, his pride. He's been hiding out here ever since, too scared to show his face again."
As they walked deeper into the forest, Luffy explained everything he remembered to Robin.
Despite the grim setting, the two of them chatted casually as they moved forward, unbothered by the creepy atmosphere.
Listening to Luffy's voice, Robin felt like the darkness around them began to lose its edge. The fearsome aura was fading, shrinking, becoming insignificant.
Strange… This was the first time she'd ever felt this kind of emotion toward someone.
Was it because she had grown stronger?
Robin looked down at her hands, then back at Luffy.
"…No," she thought with a smile. "It's because the one walking beside me is him."
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