One Piece:I am King Luffy!

"You're really beautiful."

Luffy's voice carried a note of sorrow.

"I love beautiful things—flowers, birds, beauties—I cherish them all," he repeated.

"Just thinking about cutting down a goddess like you pains my heart…"

Sweetheart Queen pressed her hand against his chest. "Oh, come on, always talking about cutting. I could teach you grown-up things, you know…"

"Let's forget unpleasant matters."

Yet, as she looked at him, an unsettling feeling crept up within her. The boy was genuinely sorrowful.

Though she didn't fully understand why, she found herself believing his words.

"That won't do." Luffy reached out, grasping her heart figuratively, his voice sharp.

"Harming a sweet young girl… how does your heart bear it?"

With a firm grip, he tightened his hold.

"You wicked woman!"

Sweetheart Queen cried out in pain, her body dissolving into sticky goo to slip away.

She slipped through the gaps in the deck, retreating to the lower levels, her liquid form allowing her to pass through narrow spaces.

As she fled, clutching her chest, confusion gnawed at her. The pain there felt oddly real. How could that boy's touch have affected her so? It made no sense; he somehow managed to penetrate her supposedly invincible Devil Fruit body…

As she pondered, a fiery blade pierced her heart.

"…"

Sweetheart Queen looked down, shocked to see flames burning at her chest.

"What a pity… I couldn't protect a goddess like you, nor did you need my protection as you slipped away from me," Luffy murmured, gazing at his hand, savoring the peculiar sensation.

He wanted to grasp it tightly.

With a swift thrust, his sword's flames plunged into Sweetheart Queen's heart.

"It's unfortunate, but no matter where you run, I can feel the waves of your body's movements…"

"At least you didn't die before my eyes—it eases my heart a little."

Luffy withdrew his sword from the deck, slowly sheathing it.

With a final click, his heightened awareness receded, his kingly aura calming.

Exhaustion flooded his body, wave after wave of fatigue weighing him down.

Rising from the pool, he stretched, his heavy exhaustion seeming almost unnatural given his current physical state.

Even though he had just slaughtered an entire crew, it was all mechanical to him. Sweetheart Queen was a weak opponent, her Devil Fruit powers granting immunity to bullets and slashes, but powerless against Haki, which bypassed her liquid body's defenses.

A fight that should have been challenging ended too quickly.

It's a shame, Luffy thought, as he pinpointed the cause of his exhaustion: his heightened Observation Haki.

His body couldn't fully handle its burden yet.

Is this why it goes out of control sometimes? He wondered, still awed by the overwhelming sensation—the feeling of mastery over everything.

The pirates couldn't even lay a finger on him. They practically threw themselves onto his sword.

Only when they fled did he have to exert some effort to chase them down.

Flames now spread across the pirate ship.

Luffy searched the vessel, finding no gold but only a collection of jewelry and rings used by wicked women.

Not worth it. He left them, jumping back onto the Marine ship with a damp body.

"I'm back," he said.

"You took down that massive ship too?" Bellemere asked, impressed.

She watched smoke rising from Sweetheart Queen's vessel—Luffy's trademark. The flames would sink the ship, leaving no escape for the Devil Fruit user, even if she survived the fight.

Because she was a Devil Fruit user.

Uta glanced at Luffy's pants, finding them as normal as ever, as if nothing had happened.

Bellemere also took a quick look, relieved to find nothing unusual.

But then she sighed, troubled.

A boy his age, seeing a mature woman's body, was bound to be curious. Some guidance was necessary.

But even as a former delinquent, she found this a hard topic to broach.

If only Luffy were more childish, then she could discuss it openly. But he seemed so mature for his age, likely due to his parents' passing. According to Uta, he only had his grandfather.

Such a difficult life had forced these unfortunate children to grow up fast.

Yet Bellemere still found it awkward to address such matters with a mature-minded boy…

But it was necessary—after all, he was surrounded by girls on the ship…

"Sweetheart Queen and Pig Jack's bounties can be removed."

Luffy announced.

"With only three left, we could try for Clockwork Island."

The Navy records on Skunk provided some intel; he could release poisonous gas.

Hmm… High-density gas meeting an open flame…

That might just negate his bounty in advance.

"Are you hurt, Luffy?" Uta asked.

"No, just feeling very tired." Luffy replied.

His Observation Haki had finally activated in battle, giving him a taste of the thrill of heightened awareness, a sense of omniscience.

"Rest up. I've also gathered some info on the Poker Pirates to report to the Marines." Bellemere said.

He'd taken down a Devil Fruit user so easily, without injury… Is he getting stronger again? Bellemere wondered.

Could he really single-handedly take on a crew of thousands?

"I'm going to take a bath," Luffy said.

"Tired, Luffy? Nami offers a 'hugging service' for comfort. Only five thousand Berries," Nami chimed in, holding up a book.

"Wait, Nami! Stop reading weird books, and isn't five thousand a bit much? You're obsessed with money!" Bellemere protested.

The prices had escalated so much—from mere hundreds to thousands now.

"Hehehe…"

"Sure, but I'll take a bath first." Luffy yawned, heading for the bathroom.

"Uta can give tired Luffy a hug too! But you're too dirty right now, so… no hugs," Uta said.

She would have loved to hug him. After all, humans naturally craved affection.

Luffy glanced at his sword.

Maybe I'll just hug you instead. Let's take a b

ath together.

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