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Chapter 138: An Encounter with Aokiji
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 14:24:41 +0000 UTCChapter 138: An Encounter with Aokiji
At five in the evening, the crew's designated meeting time, in the center of the town square.
In the twilight, Robin walked out of the museum, her steps light, a satisfied smile on her lips.
It had been a quiet afternoon. No one had bothered her, and the museum was practically empty.
This kind of life, for her former self, was almost a luxury.
But since joining the Curtain Call Adventurers, it had become the norm… Robin squinted at the sky, remembering that day on the turtle's back, when the young man had laughed and held out his hand to her. The sunset had been the same warm, orange-red.
Why do I keep thinking about that day? She chuckled and shook the thought from her head.
Just as she arrived at the central square, she heard Nami's tearful voice—
"Waaah!"
"Why?! Why am I the only one who's so unlucky!!!"
Robin looked over, surprised, and saw Nami sobbing on Shane's shoulder, her short orange hair trembling with each sob. "Kuina was just sitting by the fountain, and they didn't even dare to look at her! Nojiko was drinking coffee on the second floor above me, and only a few people went after her! But every single pirate on this island came after me!"
"That's really too much," Shane said, gently patting her back, his expression serious, as if he were sharing her righteous indignation.
But when Robin moved to the side, she clearly saw that her captain's lips were twitching. He was obviously struggling to hold back his laughter and was on the verge of breaking.
What's going on?
Her curiosity was piqued. She lowered her voice and quietly asked Nojiko, who was sitting on a bench beside her.
Nojiko was also trying hard not to laugh. She leaned in and whispered an explanation in Robin's ear.
"Big Bro, do you know what else they said? It was so hurtful!" Nami, who hadn't noticed Robin's approach, suddenly sat up and imitated the pirates' rough voices.
"'That's her! That's the 80,000-Berry mascot!'"
"'Remember to go easy on her! That's Boss Shane's sister! We can't offend her!'"
"'Offend her my ass! Just coming after me is already offending me!'"
She grew more and more agitated, and sparks began to fly from her hair. "And they dare to call me a mascot?! What's wrong with 80,000 Berries?! Did 80,000 Berries eat their rice?!"
"That is a bit much," Robin said, having now heard the whole story. She couldn't help but chuckle. "But you don't have to be so upset, Nami. If you think about it from another angle, wasn't this a great opportunity to show them your true strength? And you could have beaten them all up to vent your anger."
"If only it were that simple!!!"
Nami was even more furious. She looked around. "Where's that little bastard? He was just here a moment ago."
"Meow?"
A fluffy, pale yellow ball of fur popped out from the top of her head. The little mochi-like creature blinked its big, round eyes and tilted its head, looking down at Nami.
Are you looking for me?
"You're so fat! How did you hide in my hair?!"
Nami snatched it down and began to squish its round face. "This is all your fault, you know that?! I was about to fight, but you had to go and jump out! The moment you opened your mouth, all those cowards were scared away!"
"And they were screaming something about 'oh no, that monster is going to set us all on fire…'"
"Meow!"
The little mochi-like creature proudly puffed out its tail, a look of extreme pride on its small face.
See how amazing I am!
"Amazing my ass! You were just borrowing my power, you know that!"
Nami was furious and began to beat it up. "Until you give me back my bounty, you're not coming with me when I go shopping! And you're certainly not coming with me when I fight! In any case, just stop perching on my head all the time!!"
"Meow…"
The little mochi-like creature's eyes went dizzy, and it fell backward, several smoking lumps on its head.
Watching this familiar scene, everyone burst out laughing. The square was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"So everyone's here,"
Shane said, his face serious again, after Nami had let out her anger and everyone had had a good laugh. He cleared his throat. "I've booked a table at the most famous restaurant in the north of the city. We'll all have a good meal together tonight and drink our fill!"
"At night, no other pirates should dare to bother us. We can just relax and rest tonight. When we wake up tomorrow morning, we'll set sail for our next stop."
"Huh?"
This time, it was Nami's turn to be surprised. "We're leaving tomorrow morning?"
"What, you're going to miss this place?" Nojiko said with a grin. "Wasn't someone just crying about how shopping on this island wasn't any fun at all?"
"It has nothing to do with that!"
Nami shot her sister an annoyed glare and held up her slender, pale wrist. "It's the Log Pose! If we leave tomorrow morning, it won't be set yet!"
She was a professional navigator.
The first thing she had done when they had split up this morning was to determine how long it would take for the Log Pose to set on this island.
After asking around, the answer was a full five days.
"That's usually the case, but not for this island,"
Shane said, pinching Nami's cheek. "You're usually so smart. Did all that crying turn your brain to mush? Have you forgotten what we saw in the tower this morning?"
"Huh?"
Nami was taken aback for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh, right! The Sea Train! We can just follow the Sea Train tracks to the next island!"
"Bingo,"
Shane said, snapping his fingers.
The current Sea Train had a total of five stops, connecting five islands.
From south to north, they were Carnival City, the city of food, the city of the Spring Queen, Water 7, and Enies Lobby.
Shane's crew was currently at the second stop.
And the next stop was the city of the Spring Queen, "Saint Poplar," which was famous for its annual grand carnival and its thriving underground industry.
Shane didn't really remember much about this city.
It had never appeared in the main story of the manga, only in a cover story.
After being wanted by the World Government, the members of CP9 had used it as a base, living in the city under assumed names for a while, each using their own skills to earn money for Rob Lucci's medical expenses.
"Actually, we could just take the train to the next stop,"
Shane said with a grin. "None of you have ever been on one, right? I'd like to try it out. What about you guys?"
"Me, me, me!" Nami was the first to raise her hand. "I want to try it out too and see what it's like!"
"Me too," Nojiko also nodded.
The others all had similar reactions. Clearly, everyone was interested in this new thing that had only just begun to be tested in the Grand Line a few years ago.
"Well, that's a problem…" Shane said, stroking his chin.
If everyone wants to take the Sea Train, who's going to sail the ship?
Everyone looked at each other, and their gazes gradually shifted to the same direction.
Awoo?
Gin's eyes widened in disbelief.
Me, sail the ship?
Are you serious?
"Just kidding. That would never work,"
Shane said, ruffling his head with a smile. "Alright, let's go get dinner first. We'll draw lots tomorrow morning. Half of us will take the ship, and half will take the train. There will be other chances to ride the train later, so we can just switch next time."
That was a fair idea, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The streetlights came on.
The group followed Shane to the restaurant on the north side of the city.
On the way, they happened to pass through a garden, which was quite peaceful.
On the benches along the path, lovers could be seen, huddled together and whispering. The air was filled with a faint floral scent.
Only one of the benches was a little strange.
A tall, scruffy man was lying there, sleeping soundly in a very ungraceful position, a white coat covering his head.
The group didn't think much of it and just walked past, but the man's snoring suddenly stopped.
"Ara, ara, what a lively bunch…"
a lazy voice came from behind them.
The others didn't react, but Shane, Robin, and Smoker all stopped in their tracks, their expressions changing slightly as they turned around.
"So many familiar faces,"
Aokiji said, putting on his coat and taking off his sleep mask. He yawned, his eyes still bleary. "What a coincidence, to run into you all here."
