NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: The Food Problem
The flock of adorable birds surrounded the young doctor, playfully tugging at her clothes—her collar, the hem of her dress, even the edges of her skirt. In a strangely coordinated way, these birds chirped and nipped persistently, almost as if trying to lift her right off the ground.
"Ah!" she yelped. By now, though, she'd grown accustomed to their antics. At first, it was just one bird, but as time passed, more arrived—two, three, four, until now there were over a dozen of them, always flocking around her with unmistakable affection. The doctor couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Why did these birds seem to adore her so?
In truth, it wasn't that the birds had fallen for her—it was Luffy who might have. The thought that these birds were Luffy's doing would never have crossed her mind. Over time, as Luffy recovered, he continued to train and hone new skills, gradually learning to control not just one, but many birds, until he'd expanded his flock to more than a dozen. It was a significant improvement and…
Luffy could sense that his mastery was evolving, perhaps due to his continuous training. His progress was unmistakable and, frankly, thrilling. And, of course, he welcomed it.
[Conqueror's Haki Level: 66/100!]
What's more, his Conqueror's Haki had gone up by five points during this period, now sitting at a solid 66.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy hadn't expected that training could be as enjoyable as play. If training were always this fun, well…
Luffy would say he'd fallen in love with it—even more than he fancied the prettiest of girls.
Watching the young doctor surrounded by birds, Luffy thought, A dozen or so birds aren't nearly enough to lift her up into the air.
"Ah!" she cried again as a few of the more mischievous birds wriggled under her skirt.
"What are you all doing?" she grumbled, exasperated, but Luffy just chuckled to himself, knowing he was the orchestrator of all this mischief. She had no idea, which made it all the more entertaining.
"Hahahaha!" Luffy burst into laughter. "Aimee!" he called. "What's going on? Why do they love you so much?"
The doctor blushed slightly. "Luffy!" she stammered. "I'm almost embarrassed… these cheeky little birds seem to have developed quite the… attachment to me."
"Ah!" She yelped as one of the birds darted beneath her collar. "Out you go! Get out!" she cried, flustered, her tone caught somewhere between indignation and amusement. But Luffy noticed her true feelings—the twinkle of joy that only comes from a bit of carefree playfulness.
After all, she was only around nineteen or so—just barely an adult, a young beauty with a pure heart. Watching her, Luffy thought she was rare indeed. Back in his previous life, women with her kind of beauty were often cold and aloof, but…
Aimee was pure and kind-hearted, a trait Luffy hadn't encountered often. It made her all the more captivating. Yes… captivating. No exaggeration—Luffy was genuinely starting to like her.
"It's time to cook!" Aimee exclaimed, glancing at the clock. Breaking free from her feathered entourage, she hurried into the kitchen to prepare a meal. Luffy chuckled, finding her reactions endlessly amusing.
Soon after, she returned with a large pot of meat, and Luffy dug in enthusiastically. In mere seconds, he'd devoured it all.
"Aimee!" he protested, licking his lips. "Didn't I say that's not nearly enough? I can eat ten times as much!"
But Aimee waved her hands, firmly shaking her head. "Luffy," she replied, "I have strict orders from Her Majesty—I have to watch over you and make sure you're taken care of. If anything were to happen…"
"Her Majesty wouldn't be pleased!" she finished with an apologetic smile.
It was clear she was referring to Hancock. Luffy nodded in understanding. Aimee's loyalty to Hancock was beyond question, and, of course, she didn't realize just how much he could eat. For her, making that large pot of meat was already quite a feat.
And besides… the food Aimee had brought from Hancock's stores wasn't limitless. If Luffy kept eating like this, they'd soon run out, and Aimee didn't have the skills to hunt. So, eventually, they'd face the same problem of food scarcity.
"Wait a minute!" Luffy thought, a sudden idea popping into his head. I can roast birds! I've still got my skills with barbecue, after all. Even if I can't hunt right now…
Roasting a bird or two shouldn't be a problem.
In an instant, everything became clear to him. He just had to make use of the resources around him. Luffy eyed the flock of birds nearby. Sure, they were adorable, but…
They were still birds, after all. If he didn't eat them, they'd just end up as someone else's meal in the food chain.
After a moment's thought, Luffy was certain—he'd go through with it. Roasting birds sounded pretty good. The very thought was enough to make him giddy.
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T/N:
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