https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-30-Are-You-a-Master-Teacher-Too-/12808834/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-32-The-Inner-Life-You-Don-t-Count-Everything-/12808836/
Chapter 31: Pulling Up Your Pants and Speaking with Conviction
Chapter 31: Pulling Up Your Pants and Speaking with Conviction
Unfamiliar, no, familiar ceiling.
This was his bedroom in the Windmill Village house.
Luk opened his eyes to see a silly face leaning in close.
What the heck?
"Ruffy, Luk just woke up. Don't get so close, give him some space and fresh air."
A gentle female voice rang out, and the face that had been leaning in moved away. Nami and Ruffy stood by the bedside, the former looking a bit worried, while the latter was eyeing him with concern while sneaking snacks from the fruit basket on the nightstand.
He looked down at himself and saw that his upper body was wrapped in bandages, and his hands were immobilized with splints. At first glance, he looked like a critically ill patient on the brink of death.
Silently assessing his injuries, Luk found that he was mostly healed, thanks to his enhanced constitution. The recovery was impressively fast.
For the remaining injuries, Luk instinctively used his healing ability, and within three seconds, he was back to his original state.
He looked at Nami, who was still concerned, and his eyes flickered. Then, he weakly relaxed his body and spoke with a feeble voice.
"How did you guys get here?"
"Ruffy said you had a serious fight with his grandpa and were badly injured. He called me to take care of you." Nami touched Luk's forehead and nodded. "You don't have a fever, and the wounds don't seem infected. Just to be safe, you should take some medicine to prevent any complications."
Sure thing.
Luk gave Ruffy an appreciative look, but the kid was still munching on the fruit basket. When he noticed Luk's gaze, he scratched his head sheepishly.
"Luk, I'm sorry. Grandpa really beat you up. You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Are you kidding? We're friends. Besides, it was your grandpa who beat me up, not you. Why would I be mad at you?" Luk's smile grew wider.
"Where's your grandpa?"
"He left."
So, you're on your own now, huh? Luk's lips curled up slightly.
Since Garp worked so hard to help him level up, it would be a shame not to return the favor by helping Ruffy level up too.
Ruffy, I'll give you a bit more training now so you'll get beat up less in the future. As your big brother, I'm doing this for your own good, you know.
"Looks like you don't have much to do in Windmill Village. Once I'm healed, I'll train with you."
The last two words were spoken lightly and quickly, but Ruffy somehow sensed a hint of menace.
He shook his head rapidly. "No need, no need. You rest up, I'll be going now!"
With that, he ran out of the room.
Two seconds later, a stretched arm snatched the fruit basket from the doorway.
Nami looked at the missing fruit basket and sighed. "Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."
"A little," Luk said with a shy smile. "But there's a bigger issue I need to address first."
"What is it?" Nami asked.
"I... I'm a bit embarrassed to say it," Luk said, looking a bit shy.
Nami furrowed her brow. "You can tell me, don't worry."
"I need to use the bathroom!"
Nami: "..."
Her composed demeanor faltered for a moment as she hurriedly stood up. "I, I'll go find Ruffy."
"Ruffy's already gone, and you told me to speak my mind," Luk said innocently.
By all that is holy, he swore on his honor that he really needed to use the bathroom.
"I'll get you a chamber pot, and you can take care of it yourself."
"No can do. The chamber pot's too small, and my hands are like this." Luk gestured to his bandaged and splinted hands. "I'm all heart, but no strength."
Nami's face visibly reddened, likely imagining something from his comment about the chamber pot being too small. She bit her lip and looked down, then quickly looked away.
"Are you rejecting me? If you don't want to take care of me, you can leave."
Luk used a bit of reverse psychology, turning his head away as if he was in a bad mood.
"You... I, I'll leave then."
Nami hesitated, said the words, and without another glance at Luk, she quickly left the room.
Click.
The door closed.
Luk blinked, lying on the bed, momentarily stunned.
Wait, I was just saying, you really left?
For a moment, he wanted to slap himself.
Just as Luk was regretting his words, the doorknob turned, and Nami, looking conflicted, reappeared.
Nami looked at Luk's expectant face, her heart heavy. When she heard he was injured, she had instinctively closed the bar to rush over and take care of him.
Aunt Erin shook her head, the Sea Queen thoroughly understanding this mindset. "It's beyond saving."
Now, thinking back, it might really be true.
Marine leaned down, pushing back her hair with her hand, her face slightly flushed as she asked, "Do you need my help? Can you stand up on your own?"
Luk tried moving, managing to shift his legs and weakly stand up. "No, I can do it myself."
Seeing him like this, Marine bit her lip and stepped closer to support him. It was then that she truly felt the size difference between them.
Although Luk had always been tall and strong, now...
Marine's heart was in turmoil as she helped Luk undo his belt. Her eyes widened, her mind filled with four words.
This is going to kill me.
She turned her face away, listening to the sound of trickling water, trying hard not to run out. She let out a sigh of relief only when the sound stopped.
Just as she was about to help him tuck it back in, a demonic voice spoke again.
"Could you shake it for me?"
Marine glared at Luk, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anger, only to see a pitiful look in his eyes.
"We guys always have to shake after peeing."
Marine: ...
After everything was done, Marine felt like her soul had been thoroughly tainted.
But Luk kept needing to use the restroom every now and then.
In the afternoon, he went six times, and by the end, Marine couldn't take it anymore. She pinched him hard.
"You're doing this on purpose!"
"Yes, I am." Luk admitted without a hint of shame, then removed the splint from his hand and unwrapped the bandages from his body, revealing his well-built physique.
Marine's eyes involuntarily wandered over his body before she firmly said, "Since you're fine, I'm leaving."
"Stay and keep me company, will you?"
Although it was a question, there was no uncertainty in Luk's tone. He looked at Marine gently and said, "I've been thinking about you nonstop this whole year."
Marine lowered her head, and after a long pause, she softly shook her head. "No, I can't be with you."
"Give me a reason." Luk wasn't disappointed; he felt that Marine must at least have some feelings for him, so she shouldn't refuse so decisively.
The reason was the size difference. Even with her height-boosting shoes, she was only 1.66 meters tall, while Luk was nearly 2.6 meters.
What kind of monster is this tall?
Marine, feeling both embarrassed and anxious, lifted her tear-filled eyes. "This is going to kill me."
Luk was confused for three seconds, then swallowed hard and cautiously hugged Marine, pulling her into his chest.
Marine didn't resist but chose to bury her head in his chest, feeling ashamed.
If he couldn't see her attitude now, he'd be a complete moron.
Luk's emotions surged, but he managed to suppress his excitement. He softly said, "It won't, the human body has great potential. Let's learn together, okay?"
He anxiously waited for Marine's response, then felt a sharp pain in his chest as she bit him, answering his question with action.
...
Four thousand words later.
When the first rays of morning sunlight fell on his body, Luk, feeling refreshed, gently pushed the just-fallen-asleep Marine and walked to the window.
He slowly lit a cigarette, reminiscing about the night before.
It was okay, just average.
Luk made this sharp comment after pulling up his pants.
The One Piece arc is temporarily concluded, and the next part will feature the "Under One" storyline.
I apologize to all my readers.
(ノ‥)ノ bows
From Chapter 27 to Chapter 30, I got a bit carried away and the writing became a bit messy and off-rhythm.
It's not easy to delete content, so I made some adjustments. It should feel a bit better, but some readers might still find it uncomfortable.
Whether you read the initial version or the revised one, I apologize. I will always listen to your feedback and make adjustments to ensure similar mistakes don't happen again.
I also want to specially thank the three readers who gave me monthly votes even when my writing wasn't at its best today.
(End of Chapter)
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