OnePiece: Concept Space

Chapter 12: A Relaxing Bath

Wisps of mist floated all around, swirling gently in the air.

The sound of water running and splashing echoed softly.

At first glance, the scene looked like a natural hot spring—but it was actually an artificial one, just another theme-bath inside the ship.

Luffy lay submerged in the warm water, moaning in comfort as he lazily took sips from his rainbow smoothie now and then.

Ever since the girls had gained power and talent, training had become second nature to them. After all, as long as you kept training, you could feel yourself growing stronger—and that feeling was addictive.

It was all great, but Luffy ended up miserable.

The girls were so clingy that he had to join them in their training sessions. And while the space they trained in removed exhaustion and fatigue, human habits couldn't be overcome that easily—a bath was still a necessity after a hard day.

He raised his head to look at the girls, who still seemed more energetic than him. They were all naked, with small towels resting on their heads, and none of them seemed to shy away from him. In fact, they showed off their curves proudly, each vying for his attention.

Luffy, of course, watched gladly.

A funny thing was, after their transformations, the average height of the girls was over 190 cm. Meanwhile, he—a proud 175 cm—looked like a younger brother next to them. But somehow, he seemed to enjoy this dynamic.

The only disappointing part was how territorial they had become. They weren't like the heroines in other novels, the ones who become sisters on the first day and share a man the second.

Poor Nami had tried to sneak into his room for three nights straight, only to be intercepted each time—either by others who had the same idea, or simply because they didn't want her to succeed.

The girls seemed engrossed in their conversations, but Luffy could tell that at least half of their attention was on him.

Kuina played with the water in front of her, gently washing her large breasts while mocking Zala. Her nipples were pink and pointy, and Luffy couldn't help but nod in approval.

"Zala, you lost miserably again," Kuina teased. "So what if you were the first to get the captain's favor? You're still weaker than me…"

Zala snorted in disdain as she took a sip from her sake bottle. Her eyes stole a glance at the captain, who seemed to be watching her.

"What are you so proud of? The only reason you can beat me is because you're older than me, so your strength is a little higher. We both understand iron-cutting and air slashes now. Honestly, I might even be better than you in pure swordsmanship…"

Kuina giggled.

"You're really shameless. Better than me in swordsmanship? You're using three swords, and you can barely draw with me using just one sword—and you call that better?"

Zala blushed a little, sinking deeper into the water until only bubbles rose to the surface.

"The swords are new, that's all. I'm just not used to such supreme blades yet. Once I adapt, I'll definitely beat you to a pulp…"

Kuina snorted and grabbed Zala by the hair, pulling her up from the water. Her face was flushed with anger.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. Your eyes can see clearly underwater—you were actually peeping at the captain's body."

"And 'not used to the swords yet'? Please. The swords created by the captain are supreme-grade. The only difference between them and the famous meito swords is reputation. If you can't control them, that just means you're a third-rate swordswoman."

Zala protested, trying to stand up—but her true thoughts were known only to herself.

At the side, the gloomy Nami stopped washing her hair and intercepted Zala's intentional seduction toward the captain with a sharp glare. Her eyes were murderous.

"If you were this skilled at wielding a sword, you'd have defeated Kuina by now."

Seeing her attempt foiled by Nami, Zala wasn't angry. After all, Nami had it worse. Because of her arrogant attitude and the fact that she kept talking about her "first crew" status, she'd been bullied pretty badly lately. That explained her gloom.

Kuina chuckled and withdrew her hand, though she stayed alert.

Suddenly, Zala laughed.

"It won't be long. Ever since the captain helped me, I've felt this terrifying hidden power inside my body. Today, I finally grasped a little bit of it. When I master it, you won't be my opponent anymore. And at that time—hehe—the captain will be mine."

Kuina rolled her eyes.

"You wish."

Nami's face darkened. She, too, could feel that hidden power awakening inside her. However, her basics were poor, and since she'd only just started serious training, she was behind both Zala and Kuina, the two natural combatants.

On the other side of the bath, Kaya lay comfortably, her eyes unfocused.

Yasha, sitting beside her, watched her with anticipation.

Finally, Kaya opened her eyes—eyes that shone with wisdom.

Yasha asked quickly, "How is it? Is it still the same?"

Kaya nodded, elated.

"Yes! I can't believe it. Just by using the memories from a medical book I read and recalling it again and again, I can gain more knowledge and mastery over medicine. This time, the knowledge is even more advanced, and it has nothing to do with the book I originally read. That means as long as I can read medical books—even simple or incomplete ones—I can extract new knowledge from them."

Kaya's discovery made the others, who had been eavesdropping, happy as well.

Yasha commented, "I don't know what kind of ability the captain gave us, but it's simply incomprehensible…"

They had all been worried that, at some point, once they mastered the knowledge they currently had, their growth would stop. But now Kaya had given them the answer:

It wouldn't stop. Even if you read the same material repeatedly, your proficiency would keep increasing.

Luffy chimed in, "Of course. I gave you all a very powerful ability. As long as you work hard, you'll always be rewarded."

Suddenly, Kaya threw herself onto him, taking everyone by surprise. She buried his head in her huge breasts.

Luffy could swear that, by accident, he might have sucked her nipple.

The sudden sneak attack threw the whole bath into disarray.

Jiggling breasts, swaying hips, bouncing buttocks—

It was certainly Heaven.