The Backcourt Duo Returns

Robin was wondering what heinous crime a mere brat could have committed when she saw her captain draw Shadow Eater and gesture in front of the Golden Bell, seemingly considering where to start.

"Captain, what are you doing?" Robin hurriedly stopped Duke, saying unhappily, "If you’re thinking of selling the gold for money, I won’t allow it! This Golden Bell is a treasure left behind by a lost civilization, an important artifact worthy of being recorded in history. Its historical value far exceeds the gold itself. You can’t do this!"

"Come on, sis! You were just complaining that the Blue Bird was too small and wanted a bigger ship, and now you’re stopping me from making some extra money." Duke said helplessly, "You should know that our main source of income is robbing the robbers, but we haven’t run into any big fish lately. We’ve been living off our savings, and we’re almost spending more than we earn! Our wallet is getting thinner by the day. At this rate, I’ll have no choice but to sell you to the World Government!"

"No. I will not allow the destruction of historical ruins in front of me, not even by you, Captain." Robin stubbornly held out a hand in front of Duke.

"Tch, women are such a hassle…" Duke had no choice but to put away Shadow Eater and think of another solution.

Seeing Duke sheath his sword, Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Then, recalling something, her eyes lit up. "Captain, I remember you said that the god of Skypiea was the ruler here, right?"

"What about it?"

"Since Captain defeated him, it’s only right that you confiscate some spoils of war from him!" Robin smiled as she redirected Duke’s attention from the Golden Bell to Enel.

"That’s right!" Duke slapped his fist into his palm as realization struck him. "That guy has a huge ship made of gold. He’s a proper tycoon!"

Victors had the right to choose their spoils. That was an unchanging convention since ancient times. Robin’s words reminded Duke that, no matter how valuable a Golden Bell was, it could not compare to Enel’s Ark Maxim—a true tycoon’s ride crafted entirely from gold, enough to blind a whole crowd of bumpkins.

True to his word, Duke immediately took Robin back down to the ground. Using Observation Haki to search, they wandered around the island for over half a day. By nightfall, they finally found the massive flying airship that had yet to be completed.

After driving away the miserable shipbuilding slaves and Enel’s lackeys, Duke looked the unfinished vessel over from top to bottom. Honestly, Enel’s taste was indeed unlike that of ordinary people. The Ark Maxim’s hull was swollen like a ball, lacking both beauty and imposing presence. What Duke found most regrettable was that the ship used an electric power system. Other than Enel, no one could get it moving.

"So much gold… Did Skypiea’s god use all the gold from the ruins to build this ship?" Robin said indignantly as she looked at the gold melted into bricks all over the ground.

"Gold is a good conductor. Enel needed it to power this ship… Who the hell knows how he dealt with the heat dissipation problem!" Duke had none of Robin’s sentimentality. Happily, he found two large oilcloths, wrapped up several gold bricks roughly two meters square, tied them with rope, and carried them on his back.

Looking at the remaining gold, he let out a dispirited sigh. The Door-Door Fruit was not a spatial fruit; it could not provide portable storage like a spatial ring. Otherwise, he would never have left the rest of the gold behind.

"We’ll rest tonight and enjoy the local customs of Skypiea. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll head for Water 7. The best shipyard in the world is there!"

On the vast sea, a single-sailed ship drifted slowly onward. The gentle breeze carried the coolness of the ocean, while the blazing sun cast glittering ripples across the water. The calm, pleasant weather was perfect for sailing.

After descending from Skypiea, the Blue Bird followed the Log Pose toward the next island. In the first half of the Grand Line, aside from the Sea Forest of Fish-Man Island, they had already collected every Poneglyph. This ship’s goal was to enter the New World as soon as possible. Of course, before entering the New World, they first needed to change ships.

Duke could no longer stand sleeping on the sofa every day. Recently, Robin seemed to be deliberately provoking him. At night, she would leave the bedroom door half-open instead of shutting it completely, which irritated him greatly.

Damn it, so what if you have a bed to sleep in? Don’t get too cocky. That’s my bedroom!

On deck, Duke sat cross-legged with his twin blades laid across his knees, his eyes closed as he meditated on the Way of the Sword. Cultivation was like rowing upstream: if one did not advance, one fell behind. Duke did not want a moment of laziness to leave him with lifelong regrets.

Thanks to the base attribute enhancements from multiple worlds, it was difficult for him to improve much further in terms of physical strength. Therefore, he focused on Haki. Unless he found inspiration, it was difficult to develop clever techniques for Conqueror’s Haki. Only Observation Haki and Armament Haki still held great potential to be explored.

There was not much to say about Armament Haki. As long as one was willing to put in the hard work, there would eventually come a day when it reached mastery. Observation Haki, however, was far more elusive. It greatly tested the user’s talent—or rather, it developed in different directions depending on the user’s talent.

Observation Haki could sharpen the user’s five senses, allowing them to sense the presence of nearby living beings and shifts in emotion. It could also be used to foresee and avoid danger.

And that was only its most basic application!

In the New World, there might not have been countless pirates capable of this, but there were certainly plenty of them. After mastering Observation Haki, this was merely the most fundamental ability.

Beyond that, it depended on each person’s opportunities and chosen direction!

Looking at the Observation Haki experts in the original story, it was obvious that every one of them had their own unique strengths!

Fish-Man Island’s queen, Otohime, could use her Observation Haki to sense the fluctuations in people’s hearts and hear their inner voices. That was even more frightening than predicting an opponent’s movements in advance. No one could hide secrets in front of her.

One Piece Gol D. Roger could hear the Voice of All Things. That was rather mystical. He had the air of a child of destiny, so there was no need to dwell on it. In short, there was only one word for it… awesome!

The future admiral, Fujitora, the blind admiral, was exceptionally gifted when it came to "hearing." Perhaps because of his blindness, his Observation Haki was monstrously powerful.

Finally, there was the pride of the Charlotte Family, Katakuri. That guy could actually foresee the future… The moment he appeared, he immediately raised Observation Haki’s status to a whole new level. Because of him, the One Piece World went from an adventure, hot-blooded friendship-and-fighting manga to a mythic epic. Seeing the future was simply unbelievable.

Duke’s Observation Haki had reached a bottleneck. Whether it was the horizontal development of its range or the vertical extension of its limits, he had achieved no small measure of success. Though it could not compare to the buff provided by Enel’s Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it was still quite impressive and could hold its own anywhere in the world.

But taking another step forward left him completely stumped!

How did one peer into people’s hearts?

What was the trick to seeing the future?

What was the principle behind hearing the Voice of All Things?

He simply could not figure it out…

Robin sat properly in a deck chair, quietly reading books bought from Skypiea and occasionally taking a sip of Black Tea. Her white shirt and black slacks gave her the air of an intellectual, capable businesswoman, while her lovely face and slender figure added a touch of beauty to that heroic bearing.

"Woooooo——"

The thunderous whistle interrupted Robin’s reading. She rose unhappily and walked to the rail, staring in surprise at a roaring train that sped across the sea, billowing thick smoke.

A large blue frog covered in scars stood in front of the train, striking a diving pose. Then… it was sent flying.

"This…"

Robin stared blankly as the frog fell into the sea not far away, then unwillingly roared several times at the departing train. Whenever there was something she did not understand, she asked her captain. It was a good habit Robin had developed over the years. Though Duke’s explanations often left her even more confused, they always proved correct afterward.

"Captain, stop training for now. We’ve arrived at Water 7." Robin had originally wanted to ask what was going on with the giant frog, but the city appearing on the horizon made her abandon the silly question. Besides, she did not think Duke would know anything about the frog.

Duke braced one hand on the deck, flipped onto the bow, and gazed at Water 7 as it drew nearer. Nostalgically, he said, "That’s right. This is the place!"

"Captain, have you been here before?" Robin asked.

"No, but it left a deep impression on me!" Duke gave a mysterious smile. "Get ready to disembark… Put on your mask. The shipbuilding company we’re going to has World Government intelligence agents."

"World Government spies?" Robin frowned deeply, suddenly feeling somewhat resistant toward Water 7.

"More precisely, CP9… Come to think of it, I have some history with them!" Duke looked at Shadow Eater leaning against the deck. After thinking for a moment, he wrapped both swords in black cloth. "I don’t want to get tangled up with them, so Paul and Harden, the backcourt duo, will be making another appearance! No problem, Harden?"

"…" Robin refused to accept such an unfashionable, fat, round name.