One Piece: Hashirama Template

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment."

Hearing Link's words, Vivi smiled happily.

She had specially changed her clothes to let Link see her true self.

As Vivi walked closer, Link asked with a smile, "Has your father finished dealing with the kingdom's affairs?"

Vivi shook her head and said something astonishing, "No, he's talking with the Five Elders right now."

The Five Elders. Before Imu was revealed, they were the highest leaders of the world, beings who wielded supreme power.

Even the Fleet Admiral needed to apply for an audience with the Five Elders. Yet, Cobra could speak with them at will. As long as he didn't cross a line, the Five Elders would be accommodating.

Recalling Cobra's fate in the original story, Link couldn't help but say, "Your father's health seems a bit poor. After he's finished with his work, I'll treat him."

"Really?"

Vivi's expression changed, but then she remembered the scene of Link healing Nami. Her eyes instantly filled with a gentle light as she looked at him, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Link."

This was the umpteenth time Vivi had thanked him.

Initially, Link would feel uncomfortable, but this time, he chose to respond.

Taking advantage of his significant height advantage, he raised his hand and patted Vivi's head, smiling. "There's no need to thank me. Do you remember what you promised me?"

"Mhm..."

Receiving the head-pat from Link, Vivi's face flushed slightly. She nodded forcefully, her shyness barely concealed by her curiosity, and asked, "Link, what is your condition?"

Link pulled back his hand and grinned. "My condition... is for you to join me and go on an adventure at sea!"

"..."

Vivi stared blankly at Link. Then, her beautiful eyes misted over, and tears quickly formed and slid down her cheeks.

Biting her lower lip, Vivi was too moved to speak. Then, under Link's astonished gaze, she suddenly threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly.

Link's body froze on the spot once more, his hands open, unsure of what to do. But soon, his discomfort vanished. This time, he chose to place his hands on Vivi's delicate back, embracing the young woman.

Although he didn't know why Vivi was so emotional, he was certain the young woman had misunderstood something.

And that was indeed the case.

Vivi hadn't expected Link's condition to be this, which meant that Link had never intended to ask for a reward from the very beginning.

After all, in Vivi's eyes, it was impossible for bounty hunters and mercenaries to not want a reward, to work for someone for free.

Vivi had originally thought Link's reward would be the Poneglyph that the royal family had guarded for generations. She was even prepared to persuade her father to let Link see it.

But unexpectedly, Link's reward was her!

This was clearly a perfunctory answer; Link didn't want a reward at all.

This meant that Link had chosen to face a terrifying enemy like Crocodile and a dangerous criminal organization like Baroque Works all for her sake.

So Link's one sentence was like a straight pitch, striking right at the core of Vivi's heart.

The young woman's feelings at this moment were beyond words.

Her affection for Link had instantly surpassed that for Carina and Nami.

Little did she know, the reward Link wanted was, genuinely, her.

From the moment he decided to change course, Link had decided that his third crewmate would be Vivi, and his fourth would be Robin.

Getting Vivi to go to sea with him was a very difficult task.

In the original story, Vivi had to give up on sailing with the Straw Hat Pirates because of Cobra's poor health.

So, for Link to get Vivi to sail with him, he not only needed to win her favor but also had to resolve Cobra's health issues.

The latter was not difficult for Link, but winning her favor was.

Link had never actively tried to cultivate his relationship with Carina.

For Carina's health, he hadn't taken her to Little Garden, heading straight for the Alabasta Kingdom after leaving Whiskey Peak.

This route had fewer adventures, causing their relationship to develop slowly.

From Vivi getting on the ship to defeating Crocodile, only a little over a week had passed.

Link believed his relationship with Vivi was probably just that of an employer and employee.

So to get Vivi to join the crew, he could only use this as his "reward."

Unexpectedly, Vivi misunderstood and was moved beyond words.

Soon, Link understood Vivi's misunderstanding.

But he didn't explain. He patted Vivi's delicate back and teased with a smile, "Vivi, you're not going to go back on your word, are you? You did say you'd agree, no matter what my condition was."

Hearing this, Vivi immediately pulled away from Link's embrace. Her beautiful eyes were red as she looked at him, but her tear-stained cheeks blossomed into a beautiful smile. She extended her small hand and said, "I keep my word. Please take care of me... Mr. Captain!"

Link smiled and shook Vivi's small hand. "Please take care of me, Your Highness!"

"Oh, stop it! Don't call me Your Highness, call me Vivi."

"You're the one who started with 'Mr. Captain'!"

Under the starry sky, a man and a woman were teasing each other.

This was behavior neither had shown before.

From this, it was clear that the relationship between Link and Vivi had leveled up significantly.

People who are outwardly reserved can be quite proper on the surface, but once they show their true colors, they can be more playful than anyone.

Link was such a person.

He wasn't proactive. If the other person wasn't proactive, their relationship would remain at a standstill.

But if someone took the initiative, they would find that this big boy was very easy to win over.

The proactive Vivi had easily overtaken Nami and Carina, becoming the one with the best relationship with Link.

——————

After recruiting Vivi, Link became even more concerned about Cobra's health.

After all, for Vivi to be able to set sail with him without worry, Cobra had to be in good health, at least not to the point of needing a wheelchair like in the original story.

So, the next day, Link used Medical Ninjutsu to restore Cobra's body.

In the original story, Cobra ended up in that state due to extreme physical and mental fatigue, as well as being seriously injured during the Utopia operation.

In this life, Cobra was only suffering from physical and mental exhaustion.

This small problem was nothing for Link.

Link, who possessed the Hashirama Senju template, had medical ninjutsu that was in a league of its own.

As the reincarnation of Asura, Hashirama Senju possessed the ultimate Yang Power. No matter how severe his injuries, he could heal rapidly.

Even after his consciousness had perished, his body remained alive, and his cells were potent enough to destroy anything.

It is precisely because it uses the ultimate Yang Power as its source of life that Hashirama Senju's Wood Style is so unstoppable.

By the same token, the medical ninjutsu performed by Hashirama Senju was like an angel's holy light, seemingly able to heal anything.

Under Link's treatment, Cobra quickly recovered, becoming vigorous and strong once more.

After all, he was only forty-eight years old this year. Many people at this age were in their prime.

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