One Piece: Heaven-Defying Luck

Another four days passed.

The improvement craze had finally died down. It was no longer as easy to climb rapidly as before. Xun had finally gained full control of his "bug-like" form, completely mastering it across different body parts such as his hands, feet, eyes, nose, ears, wings, brain—even his clothes.

His body transformation had also reached a level where his cellular control could no longer keep up.

Molecules, atoms or even smaller units or a certain special state—he had no idea how to peer on those levels, and could only leave them to "luck."

As a result, the boat no longer wandered aimlessly as it had before. The shared luck that had boosted their progress was also withdrawn, which explained why their growth had slowed significantly.

Still, the results were astounding. Zoro had increased his control by another thirty times, reaching eighty times in total. Nami's progress was even more impressive—she had reached fifty times, equivalent to Zoro's level four days ago.

Of course, without the shared luck, this level of progress would have taken years, even with the knowledge engraved in their brains and their continuously accelerating learning pace.

It seemed that the truths Xun had shared still affected them to some extent, as their performance over the past four days was noticeably better than before.

The sound of flocking birds echoed above the small boat as a news coo bird made its way toward them.

Nami, wearing a black bikini while basking in the sun, was drawn to the sight. She paused her siesta and waved at the hovering bird.

"Here! I want one…"

The bird gladly approached, handing her a newspaper, but soon regretted it. This woman was ridiculously stingy.

"What? 100 Beli?! Are you crazy? It was only 50 before!"

The news coo bird shook its head firmly, refusing to budge. Nami begrudgingly handed over the money, knowing that these birds could hold grudges. Besides, she was curious about the news and didn't want to miss it.

Zoro, on lookout duty, spared only a glance before continuing to wave his sword. He was finding it difficult to reach the second level of mastery, where he could cut mountains and seas like a Great Swordsman.

However, this was merely Zoro's misconception. Which Great Swordsman hadn't spent decades honing their swordsmanship before achieving success? Even Dracule Mihawk was no exception.

Nami suddenly exclaimed.

"What the hell?! The East Blue is full of positivity?!"

Xun, who was also lying beside her and enjoying a sunbath, was immediately intrigued by her outburst.

"What's wrong?"

Nami didn't answer right away, instead giving Xun a suspicious look.

"Xun, did you hypnotize Buggy or something? Otherwise, this is hard to believe…"

Xun sat up and moved closer, glancing at the striking news headline.

[{Axe-Hand Morgan, A Dedicated Marine Captain! Loved by the Masses – (A Picture of Axe-Hand Smiling, Surrounded by Happy Civilians)}]

[{Captain Buggy: A Pirate or a Hero?! The Remnants of Kuro Pirates Meet Their Doom – (A Picture of Buggy Standing Tall Above the Corpses of Jango and Other Kuro Pirates. Residents of a Certain Island Look at Him with Awe and Worship.)}]

Xun chuckled.

"I might have planted the idea of 'stop doing evil,' but I didn't expect him to have hero potential. Even the Marines can't obscure his light. Hahaha…"

Then he smirked.

"But it seems our next crew member is about to suffer…"

Zoro, who had been drawn to the conversation, came over and looked at the news with twitching eyelids.

"This is ridiculous… I kind of understand what you meant by this guy being a 'lucky bastard.' He's definitely loved by the world."

Even Zoro couldn't hide a bit of envy.

Nami suddenly recalled the stories Xun had told them about their next crewmate. She jumped up in surprise, her face full of worry.

"Kuro pirates?! Aren't they the ones who want to kill that little girl, Kaya, and steal her wealth? Their next target is the liar—the one with the least loyalty to the 'captain.' This is bad! If Kuro finds out about this news, he'll definitely attack Kaya without hesitation!"

Xun patted her head gently, calming her down.

"Don't worry. Look out there. Aren't we already here?"

Nami and Zoro turned to the horizon and saw the silhouette of an island coming into view. Once again, they were amazed by their captain's uncanny luck.

Nami muttered under her breath.

"Outrageous… No matter how much I try to convince myself, your luck is simply beyond belief."

Zoro glanced at Xun with determination in his eyes.

"Captain, how about you share your luck again? I'm approaching the hundred-times limit."

Even Zoro was willing to swallow his pride to request a share of Xun's luck. That small dose of fortune could easily push him closer to becoming a Great Swordsman when combined with his hard practice and enhanced learning.

Xun's lips twitched in amusement.

"Let's talk about this later. First, we're going to pick up our ship and a doctor…"

Nami's eyes gleamed as she muttered with anticipation.

"Merry…"

She had heard the story of the legendary ship and felt a deep longing for that kind of bond.

Zoro, however, looked at Xun with black lines forming on his face.

"Isn't our next crew member the liar?"

Xun and Nami both ignored him. Usopp?

Xun turned to Zoro, his tone suddenly serious.

"Zoro, Usopp is a very important person in the original protagonist's crew. We can't just take him. Don't be selfish."

This time, both Nami and Zoro stared at their shameless, thick-skinned captain in silence.

"Speaking of the devil, here he is…" Xun added, as the vision cleared.

Usopp's figure could now be seen standing majestically on a hill with his arms crossed over his chest, as though he had been awaiting their arrival.