Chapter 97: Epithets and Representative Animals

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Epithets and Representative Animals Chapter 97: Epithets and Representative Animals "Goodnight." "Mm, goodnight." Nami stood up and walked back into the cabin. Reiner remained alone, gazing up at the starry sky, lost in thought. Aokiji... he’ll probably come looking for us soon, right? Reiner vividly remembered the man who displayed such crushing strength upon his debut. He knew Aokiji had been secretly keeping an eye on Robin. Some time had passed since they left Alabasta; he would definitely track them down. Doflamingo was no weakling, yet before Aokiji, he barely moved a finger and was taken down in one encounter. Then a Sweet Commander was taken down in another, and then several of Blackbeard’s executives were taken down together in yet another. His own strongest solo combatant was Frieren, the summon fused with Enel’s template. If Aokiji didn’t open with an ultimate move, she could barely exchange a few blows, but winning... Reiner still remembered Aokiji’s first appearance, starting straight off with Ice Age, freezing a vast expanse of the sea. That’s just... "Ai~~ My head hurts." Thinking of this, Reiner couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, reaching into his shirt pocket for a cigarette. Huh? Where are my cigarettes!? He sat up, baffled, patting his chest from top to bottom, then both pants pockets. Suddenly, he realized. Reiner: "." Damn it! What Reiner didn’t know was that, besides Aokiji, Doflamingo was also currently in the first half of the Grand Line. Due to Crocodile’s defeat, the World Government had convened a meeting regarding the successor to the Warlord position, and Doflamingo had gone to attend. He arrived in Paradise after the Alabasta incident and, just two days ago, had been pursuing the Straw Hat crew to Jaya Island... Early the next morning, at the End of the Clouds on the lower White Sea, the Going Merry and a small Waver were stationary... "Goodbye, everyone!" Conis and her father stood on the Waver, waving farewell. "Goodbye, Conis!" "And Uncle Pagaya!" "Thanks for the Waver!" The crew stood at the Merry’s stern, waving back. Soon, summoned by Conis’s whistle, an Octopus Balloon, a specialty of Skypiea, appeared. Its round body swelled, inflating into a giant air sac. Its huge tentacles wrapped around the Going Merry’s hull, carrying the ship and its crew gradually downwards from the 10,000-meter-high sky. In the azure blue sky, the Going Merry descended slowly like a hot air balloon. Fluffy white clouds were within arm’s reach above their heads. Looking out from the bow, there was an expanse of blue and the curved sea horizon. The Merry seemed to be parallel with the sea surface, alongside the sun. "Woahahaha! This is amazing!" "It really is like a hot air balloon!" On the Merry’s deck, the three hot-blooded idiots (Luffy, Usopp, Chopper) danced around as if they’d never seen the world, Luffy even starting to tickle the octopus. "Honestly, those three idiots... At this speed, descending 10,000 meters will take ages." Nami stood at the entrance to the second-floor living area, leaning on the railing, watching the excited trio on deck with a worried expression. "I just have this feeling something unexpected is going to happen." "Isn’t that a certainty?" Reiner patted her shoulder, jumped onto the ship’s rail, squatted down, and placed his palm on one of the Octopus Balloon’s tentacles. Azure flames surged out. After collecting its template, he turned back to Nami and smiled, "There, no problem now. Relax." "Mm. Good thing there are still a few normal people on this ship." Nami finally sighed in relief. She picked up a newspaper and walked towards the stern, simultaneously lifting Reiner’s chin with a slender finger, teasing him with a seductive expression, "I’m going to sunbathe. Come help me apply sunscreen." "Woohoo~~ Coming, coming!" Reiner’s heart rippled with excitement, rubbing his hands together eagerly. Nami, seeing this, switched to a mischievous grin, patting his cheek. "Just kidding. Dream on." Reiner instantly turned to stone. "You!" Reiner gritted his teeth. It was fine when I wasn’t excited, but getting worked up like this and then... it’s unbearable! "You’ve learned some bad things, Nami." "Learned from you! Blep blep blep!" "Ai, let’s go. It’s time for my workout anyway." Arriving at the yellow stern deck, Robin was already there reading. Under a red and yellow striped awning, the two women leaned back on white deck chairs. Nami unfolded her newspaper and began to read. Zoro had already prepared his equipment and just started his training. "Where’s Usopp? Is he not coming today?" Reiner picked up a pitch-black, shiny barbell, glancing at the spot on the deck where Usopp’s usual equipment was missing. "Did he train himself to exhaustion, that kid?" "Well, he said he was going to tinker with some new invention," Zoro grunted, gritting his teeth as he swung a giant iron rod, six 1-ton plates hanging from one end. "Added another plate? You’re progressing fiercely." "Still far off. How can I compare to you two monsters?" Zoro said gruffly. "Mhmm! Only Mythical Zoans reign supreme over all!" Reiner grinned widely. "Tch!" Zoro scoffed, then turned serious. "However, lately during training, I’ve started to vaguely feel a strange power within my body." "Hm?" Reiner looked at him strangely. "Seriously? Don’t tell me you’re going to awaken Haki before me!" "Who knows?" Zoro smirked, forcefully swinging the iron rod specifically designed for his arm strength training. "Curly Brows seems to have this feeling too." "NANI!!" Reiner was instantly displeased. In terms of physique, I’m much stronger than both of them! On what basis!? Zoro trains like a beast, so him awakening it first is somewhat acceptable. But Sanji too!? What, is this some kind of bloodline hax!? Bang! Reiner slammed his barbell down heavily, storming straight into the cabin to grab more iron plates. "Extra training! Train to the death!" Today, I will vindicate all ordinary people! Two hours later... "Phew~~ Finished," Zoro let out a long sigh of relief, glancing to his side. Thump! Reiner lay heavily on the yellow deck, panting raggedly, tongue lolling out, looking half-dead as he crawled forward. "Chopper... I’m dying, Chopper... Quick, give me a massage." "Honestly! Why push yourself so hard!?" Nami said irritably. Bang. "Reiner! What’s wrong, Reiner!?" Chopper ran out from the back door of the cabin, yelling in panic. "I need a massage, Chopper! Quick, give me a set of your acupressure techniques!" "You mean acupuncture and massage, right? I know! Wait, let me get my tools!" Chopper’s little short legs spun like wind and fire wheels as he ran back into the cabin, brushing past Sanji who was just coming out. "Such a hurry." At the doorway, Sanji, dressed in his black suit and holding a tray with two cups of coffee, looked down at the golden-haired man sprawled on the floor and asked, puzzled, "What happened to Reiner?" "Well, he got stimulated by us... developed a bit of an inferiority complex," Zoro mocked, sitting leaning against the railing. "Oh yeah? Can’t beat me, so you resort to trash talk, Moss Head?" Reiner retorted teasingly from the floor. "Who says I can’t beat you, Four Eyes bastard!" Zoro gritted his teeth, immediately drawing his sword. "Bring it on! I’ll give you a two-hand handicap!" Reiner, unwilling to show weakness, tried to summon his undead... Can’t summon. Out of stamina. "Ahem... I’m in a good mood today. Won’t stoop to your level," Reiner said sheepishly, turning his head towards Sanji. "Me too. Get me something to drink, Sanji." "Get it yourself from inside," Sanji placed the tray on the table and said coolly. "I’m a chef, not a waiter. I only serve ladies." "So stingy," Reiner took off his glasses, mimicked Sanji’s expression, and said in a passive-aggressive tone, "Aba-aba~~" "Bastard! Been wanting to slaughter you for ages! Go die!" Bang! "Haha! Didn’t hurt a bit! Don’t even need undead to beat you guys," Reiner said, tanking a hit, then sneered contemptuously at both of them. "I’ll cut you!" Bang! Bang! Bang! The three instantly started brawling. "Ara. Everyone seems quite energetic," Robin put down her book, unable to help chuckling softly. "Honestly! A bunch of idiots just know how to make noise all day," Nami complained to Robin about them. "Even so..." Robin rested her elbow on the table, cupping her face, and smiled gently. "Sailing on such a lively ship... the atmosphere is quite nice." "You’re right. Heehee," Nami couldn’t help but show her dimples as well. Just then, the sharp-eyed Nami spotted a News Coo wearing a white sailor hat flying past. The News Coo, seeing the Going Merry also floating in mid-air, anthropomorphically bulged its eyes out in terror. "GAA!!!" The white News Coo flapped its wings frantically, shrieking in terror as it tried to flee. "Hey, don’t go! If you dare run, I’ll send a complaint letter to your company!" A loud shout reached the News Coo’s ears. After hesitating for a moment, it seemed to resign itself to its fate, flying dejectedly to the Going Merry’s rail and perching its feet on the white railing. "Here’s 500 Beri." The News Coo held out a newspaper in its beak, then accepted the 500-Beri gold coin handed over by the bossy woman, and flew away as if escaping, flapping its wings. Nami returned to her seat. As she unfolded the newspaper, she discovered several complimentary bounty posters tucked inside. "Hey! Everyone, come look quickly!" Nami called out urgently, spreading the bounty posters on the table. Even Luffy and the others at the front of the Merry were drawn over. "Your bounties have increased! And the amounts are so high!" Nami looked at the figures on the posters, her heart pounding. She had never seen bounties this high before; she even felt the urge to capture them and sell them off. The crew gathered around, looking at the bounty posters on the table, unable to help but marvel. "Heeheehee! Look at this! Mine is 150 million!" Luffy picked up his own bounty poster, grinning widely, looking high-spirited and quite pleased with himself. "Three bounties over 100 million!" "Well... mine’s only 60 million," Zoro said, holding his own bounty, in a classic humblebrag. "Wait a minute! This one is!" Nami pointed at one of the posters. It showed a picture of Robin as a child, but the name below... Nico Robin! "Robin! Is this your bounty poster!? You’re wanted for 79 million Beri!?" "Mm. That’s mine," Robin took the poster and replied coolly, her expression calm and unchanged. "Wow~~ Miss Robin looked so cute as a child~~" "Stop fawning, Curly Brows. Doesn’t look like there’s a bounty for you up there." "Nani! How is that possible!?" "Tsk tsk tsk. And you," Zoro glanced sideways, immediately mocking Sanji, then picked up another bounty poster, displaying it teasingly to Reiner. "Five million, dead last." "Yo! You’re pretty impressive, Zoro." Reiner immediately picked up one of the Blue/Red Ogre bounty posters, casting an appreciative glance at Zoro. "Actually worth half a Blue Ogre! Terrifyingly strong! Sixty million." Reiner deliberately emphasized the last two words. "Sharp-tongued Four Eyes!" Zoro gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. Duang! Duang! Duang! "Still fooling around, you three idiots!" Nami directly landed a punch on each of them irritably, then picked up Reiner’s and Robin’s bounty posters. "Aside from Luffy being initially labeled ’Straw Hat’, Reiner’s and Robin’s posters seem to have epithets." Usopp pointed at the small text below the posters, examining it closely. "It’s true! Robin’s epithet is ’Devil Child’?" Hearing this, Robin seemed to recall some past events, her expression not looking too good. Just then, a gasp of surprise from nearby made her look over, astonished. "Wow! Devil Child! Robin, your epithet is so cool!" Luffy looked envious, eyes sparkling. Robin couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Cool? In the past, whoever heard this epithet treated her as an ill-omened child. This was the first time she had heard someone say that. "Is that so?" An inexplicable smile appeared on Robin’s face. "But... why is my epithet written where my surname should be?" Reiner held his own bounty poster, looking puzzled. He wasn’t too surprised about being wanted, and 5 million Beri in a sea where the average bounty was 30 million was practically nothing. "Usually, if there’s no surname, or if the surname can’t be traced, or if the epithet is more recognizable – in these cases, the epithet might be used directly for identification," Robin explained. Having spent considerable time in the Grand Line and previously working for Crocodile’s criminal organization for years, she had seen many bounty posters and naturally understood these things. "Speaking of which, Reiner, do you have a surname?" "Yeah! What is your surname?" Reiner: "." "Forget it, it’s nothing." Reiner waved his hand. The crew generally didn’t pry too much into each other’s pasts, just like how no one knew Sanji was from the North Blue before. "But... [Black Snake], huh? Pretty cool. But what does it have to do with me?" "Eh? Don’t you really like snakes?" "Huh? Do I like snakes?" Reiner was a bit baffled; he himself didn’t know. "Don’t you? And you really resemble a snake," Nami said, looking at Reiner’s eyes through his glasses, then added, "For example, when you fight, you always give off a cold, snake-like feeling." "And insidious too," Zoro added with disdain, then pointed at the White Bone Chain Sword at Reiner’s waist. "Doesn’t your weapon also look like a snake?" "And! And! Reiner’s fighting moves are all snake-like too!" Chopper jumped up, rushing to speak, recalling Reiner’s battle techniques against Enel, which almost all involved snake forms. "Ah... seems like it. Haven’t paid much attention," Reiner rubbed his chin. Speaking of which, the others also have corresponding representative animals. For example, Monkey, that’s Luffy, obviously. Tiger, Cat, Antelope... Now that they mention it, maybe there’s some truth to it. As for being cold and insidious... No way! I, Reiner! Am gentle, kind, humble, sunny, and righteous! And handsome! The group discussed the new bounties for a while, then dispersed to their own activities. Reiner dragged over a deck chair, laid it flat, lay down, and enjoyed a full-body massage from Chopper. The Going Merry continued to descend slowly, still in mid-air... Until afternoon, when a small sailboat descending from the sky gradually approached the surging sea below... Splash! The Going Merry landed on the long-unseen sea surface, kicking up a giant spray of water... "Woohoo~~ We’re back!" Luffy sat at the bow, raising his hands and grinning widely, shouting excitedly, "Towards the next island!" "Depart!!" (End of this Chapter) ♧♧♧ -> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE -> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS Chapter ♧♧♧ -> 20 Advanced Chapters Now Available on Patreon!! -> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais (Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally) If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that’s help the story a lot Thank you