"Then come with me."
Luffy couldn't wait.
There was no time to delay. He got straight to the point, asking Vivi what she was good at.
It was a familiar question.
Vivi remembered—just yesterday, Luffy had asked Robin the same thing, and Nami had already warned her about it.
Sure enough, better late than never!
Around eight in the morning, the Straw Hat crew members gradually woke up.
Nami rubbed her eyes as she sat up in the tent.
She yawned, noticing the tent was now empty except for her and Robin, who was also just getting up.
Robin was facing away from her, a black hair tie held between her lips as she gathered her thick, raven-black hair, preparing to tie it into a neat ponytail.
The morning sun filtering through the tent seams cast light on the smooth nape of her neck and her elegant movements, exuding a mature woman's unintentional allure.
Even as a woman, Nami found the scene a bit too... sensual. Her cheeks warmed slightly. She quickly cleared her throat, feigning composure with a huff. "Hmph. Up early, I see, Miss Prisoner."
What is this woman plotting, making her hair look so much like Vivi's? Trying to imitate her?
Imitation? In a way, yes.
Robin calmly finished tying her hair, turned around, that composed smile still on her face.
"Good morning, Ms. Nami. And there's really no need for you to be so concerned about someone of ambiguous allegiance like me. Perhaps you should pay more attention to the one outside?"
As she spoke, her slender finger lightly lifted the tent flap, pointing outside.
Puzzled, Nami peeked out. In the clearing not far away, Luffy and Vivi were... holding each other?!
Ugh, in broad daylight!
Even if you're going to do... that, at least go on the ship and close the door!
Looking closer, she realized their posture was natural, their steps rhythmic. They were... dancing.
[Based on current crewmate situation, learning subject updated: Study Noble Etiquette with Princess Vivi. Please commence in three minutes. Countdown...]
Luffy's face instantly fell.
Noble Etiquette?
What does that have to do with becoming the Pirate King? Unless becoming Pirate King meant eventually living in some luxurious castle, being respected and served as a king.
Wouldn't that make him like those pigs Grandpa talked about living in Mariejois or something?
Memories of those 'pigs' flashed through Luffy's mind. Of course, the pigs Grandpa occasionally mentioned lacked not just noble etiquette, but basic human decency. According to Garp, just thinking about them was enough to make you physically uncomfortable.
This was torture within torture.
But the penalty countdown hung over him like the Sword of Damocles. He had to grit his teeth and do it.
"Noble etiquette?"
Vivi looked at Luffy strangely. "I thought we were getting stronger?"
"Well, maybe... what if being extremely good at anything makes you strong?"
Even Luffy didn't believe his own nonsense.
Although noble etiquette covered many aspects, most related to attire and appearance... Still, being extremely meticulous about something at least hones your mental fortitude, right?
"That... sort of makes sense?" Vivi began to rationalize it on her own.
Not to mention what Luffy had learned from Robin before.
History, apparently.
That was even more abstract.
But the fact was, Luffy was strong. Which proved his method worked.
Though puzzled by Luffy's sudden interest, Vivi agreed happily. She selected a part she thought might be useful for Luffy—dance.
Luffy had something to say about that.
"Dance can train your body's flexibility and sense of balance. That helps in fighting too," Luffy said.
This wasn't a bluff.
With his practical combat experience, Luffy knew full well the importance of body balance—essentially, body control.
Training certain aspects to an extreme could even lead to subconscious, instinctive physical reactions.
"First, regarding body flexibility... you have a natural advantage there, Luffy. Being rubber is so enviable."
Vivi couldn't help poking Luffy's leg. She was, of course, very accomplished in this area. If she hadn't fully 'graduated' in noble etiquette, the royal family wouldn't have given their princess so much freedom.
Be excellent enough, and you earn enough freedom.
That principle applied everywhere.
In other words, if you're strong enough, you are the freest.
"Your flexibility is unmatched, Luffy. We can skip straight to the next step. Men can learn dance too. Women emphasize grace and allure; men emphasize bold, sweeping movements. Both are forms of beauty."
The basic solo dance step lessons began.
To Vivi's surprise, Luffy learned extremely quickly.
His rubber-man's unique bodily coordination and the super-powered learning ability forced upon him by The Plan allowed him to quickly grasp the basic steps in a recognizable form.
As Vivi spoke, Luffy adjusted his posture.
This novel activity momentarily brought back the joy of mastering a craft for Luffy.
So, life needed seasoning too.
Eat one thing for too long, and you crave something else.
[Through diligent practice, your Dance proficiency has increased. Gained 10 proficiency points.]
[Due to severe mental exhaustion, your willpower has increased. Kenbunshoku Haki proficiency +1]
[Through compressed physical energy training, your body strength has increased. Busoshoku Haki proficiency +1]
It boosted everything?
Luffy's face lit up with joy.
Since being forced to study, this was the first time he'd seen both Haki types increase simultaneously.
This was a double blessing.
As his proficiency rose, Luffy's rapid progress was evident to Vivi.
She couldn't help but fall into the same stunned silence as Nami and Robin before.
Isn't this a bit too fast?!
Vivi felt a bit numb.
Couldn't you take it a little easier? Slow down a bit?
Step-by-step progression is normal, but you're going all out right from the start... I can't keep up.
[Through diligent practice, your Dance proficiency has increased. Gained 10 proficiency points.]
[Through diligent practice, your Dance proficiency has increased. Gained 10 proficiency points.]
[Through diligent practice, your Dance has leveled up to Lv. 1.]
This feeling was easy to get lost in.
Whether active or passive, Luffy absorbed it all like a sponge.
Vivi was soon sweating profusely because she didn't know what to teach next.
There was only so much to solo dance.
The rest involved poise and demeanor, which required constant practice.
Vivi began to suspect Luffy's intense effort was because he wanted to learn partner dance.
Honestly, while she wasn't a complete novice in that area, she was far from a master.
But she soon realized there was no time to think about that.
As Vivi gently placed her hand on Luffy's shoulder, and Luffy's hand settled on her slender waist, their bodies inevitably drew close.
***
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