NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Feels Good
Following the sound to a wooden cabin nearby, they left their cart of vegetables in a nearby storeroom.
"Hm!" said a girl in green shorts, "She must be in there. I can hear her voice coming from that cabin."
They all paused, suddenly surprised. The cabin appeared to be shaking violently. Because it was a single wooden structure, if someone inside was doing something forceful on the floor, it would cause the entire place to tremble.
"What's going on?" wondered a girl with a playful sparkle in her eyes. She looked a bit younger than the others, giving off an innocent, childlike vibe.
"Hehehe!" laughed another girl in a pink dress. "I think I hear Lord Luffy's voice! Maybe he and Aimee are… doing something interesting. Let's take a look!"
Ignoring the others' reactions, she strode forward. After a few seconds of exchanged glances, the rest of the girls followed her. The closer they got, the louder the sounds grew.
"Aimee!" called a tall, orange-haired beauty, Ava, but there was no response. Only those strange sounds continued from inside.
"She's crying!" another girl with wavy hair, Luna, observed. At this distance, she was sure of it.
"No," said the younger one. "She's… begging? Or maybe… pleading. It's more than just crying. It's something complicated."
The others nodded. Whatever it was, it was indeed complex. But they had come all this way, so they had to see for themselves.
"Creak!" The door opened with a crisp sound as the six of them peeked inside.
Instantly, they were frozen in place, eyes wide with shock, faces expressionless. This might have been the most startling sight of their lives, like something out of a nightmare. They were speechless, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"Aimee!"
"Lord Luffy!"
"What on earth are they doing?" asked the youngest girl, her innocent eyes blinking with curiosity.
The others looked at each other, equally clueless but feeling a strange tension. Their hearts were pounding, and their minds were spinning.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" The sound echoed in their heads. Aimee seemed oblivious to their presence, lost in whatever she was experiencing. But Luffy's sharp senses had noticed. Turning his head, he looked straight at them.
They saw him freeze for a moment, his expression shifting. And then, the cabin started shaking even more intensely.
"What is happening?" thought the six, feeling as if the cabin was about to collapse. Luffy's gaze remained on the six beauties standing in the doorway. He could hardly believe his eyes—each one of them rivaled Aimee in looks and presence, easily outshining any celebrities he had seen in his past life. How could he not be thrilled?
"Boom!" His heart almost exploded.
"Crash!" The cabin wall behind them suddenly gave way and collapsed, though it was only the wall closest to them.
Luffy stopped what he was doing and covered Aimee with a blanket as she lay unconscious. "Get some rest, Aimee," he murmured, "Maybe I was a bit too much." Aimee had fainted just as the wall collapsed—a testament to his moment of triumph. Whatever the case, Luffy was happy.
He walked over to the group of six beauties.
"You must be under Hancock's command?" he said without much thought. After all, this island wasn't exactly open to many visitors aside from those connected to the Empress.
"Sorry!" he added, shaking his head. "I was just helping Aimee with her training. I probably should've adjusted our schedule if I'd known there'd be visitors."
His words were clear and straightforward, but the girls still seemed baffled. The youngest one stepped forward to ask, "Training? Lord Luffy, what kind of training? It seemed… kind of strange."
Luffy laughed. "Training, of course! It's a complicated process. Aimee has great potential—perfect for training. I was just helping her open her energy channels."
Another girl with long wavy hair asked, "Energy channels? That sounds intense. What does it do?"
Luffy nodded approvingly, pleased at their interest in training, which was rare among beautiful women. "Put simply, it'll make Aimee much stronger. Understand?"
They all nodded, finally understanding a little. "Yes!" said the youngest girl. "So, um... Lord Luffy, would you mind helping me with training sometime too?"
The question left Luffy momentarily taken aback, but he chuckled, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Not so fast! It'll depend on your performance. Training is serious business—it's not something to agree to lightly."
Inwardly, Luffy was amused. He wanted to train all of them but couldn't agree too quickly; otherwise, they might think training was too easy and not take it seriously. He knew a bit of patience would make them even more eager.
Sure enough, each of the girls stepped forward, determined to prove themselves worthy of his approval in the future.
Luffy scanned each of them. Beauty, elegance, charm—every single one of them was stunning, on par with Aimee. In that moment, he felt his heart soar with pride and satisfaction.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" he laughed, but then, he suddenly sensed something.
The system flashed: [Conqueror's Haki Level: 70/100!]
"What?" Luffy was stunned, realizing the system had leveled up. As he pondered, it all made sense: his breakthrough moment with Aimee had brought him a new level of insight, deepening his understanding.
He laughed, thrilled by his newfound strength.
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T/N:
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