One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

Yamato closed her eyes, focusing all her strength to sharpen her senses. Her body tensed as she reached out with every ounce of her observation Haki.

"Well... I can sense most of the base," she finally said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Oh, I see," Luffy replied casually, leaning back in his chair. "Then I'm only about a hundred times stronger than you. Not that impressive."

The words hit Yamato like a physical blow. Her face turned pale as if she'd been struck by lightning.

"One... one hundred times? Am I really that weak?" she muttered, her confidence crumbling.

No one paid much attention to Yamato, who now slumped over in defeat, resembling a dried-up salted fish. Instead, all eyes were glued to the nautical chart spread across the table.

Luffy furrowed his brow, tapping a finger thoughtfully on the map. "Even with my range, it's not going to be easy to search the entire New World. If we're unlucky, we might never find it, even in a lifetime."

Hina sighed, her face clouded with disappointment. "A treasure that can keep people young forever, and it's right in front of us… but we can't reach it. It's torture. It would've been better if Hina hadn't known about it at all."

Kujaku, Olivia, Kalifa, and the others looked equally disheartened, the hope of obtaining pure gold fading fast. Their expressions mirrored the pain of losing something precious they never truly had.

But amidst the gloom, Ain and Nami turned their attention to Luffy, their eyes filled with unwavering trust.

"If you've told us about it, then you must have a plan, Luffy," Ain said, her voice steady.

"Exactly," Nami chimed in, her confidence unshaken. "I trust you, Luffy. Don't let me down!"

Their words pulled a grin from Luffy, who scratched his nose sheepishly. "Well, I was hoping to watch you all squirm for a little while longer. But since you've figured me out, I might as well spill the beans."

"What?! You're so mean!" Kujaku exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

"Yeah!" Kalifa added, narrowing her eyes. "No more sneaking into our rooms for a month, you hear me?"

"Agreed!" Hina shouted.

"+1!" chimed Olivia with a smirk.

Luffy chuckled, watching the playful rebellion with his arms crossed. He let the protests die down before speaking, his voice calm but firm.

"Alright, alright. Here's the truth," he said, leaning forward.

The women fell silent, their anger replaced by curiosity and anticipation.

"No, dear, you're the best~!" Kujaku cooed, her earlier frustration forgotten.

"Master, I'll even wear your favorite nurse outfit tonight if you tell us~" Hina teased with a sly grin.

Luffy smirked, his mind already filing away their shameless attempts to win him over for future payback. I'll teach you all a lesson when we get back to the ship.

"Here's the deal," Luffy finally said. "In about five years—or less than six—the lantern fish will resurface. If we don't find it before then, we can just wait for it to show up again."

The tension in the room dissipated as everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Gion, however, frowned, her hand brushing her cheek thoughtfully. "Five or six years... By then, I'll be 44. Almost 50 in appearance. I'll practically be ancient."

Luffy rolled his eyes. "Hey, 44 isn't that bad. If you take care of yourself, it can still be your prime."

He leaned back, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. "Just remember—pure gold freezes you at the age you are when you wear it. It doesn't make you younger. So, if you're worried about aging, you'd better start taking care of yourself now."

Gion's eyes widened in realization. Her serious expression returned as she nodded. "I see. Then I'll make sure to delay aging as much as possible. Maybe we'll get lucky and find the lantern fish tomorrow."

Luffy's teasing smile only grew wider as Gion turned on her heel, heading straight to the women around her. "What skincare products do you all use?" she demanded. "Tell me everything!"

Nami blinked, startled by the sudden shift. "Do you really need skincare products? You could just ask Kalif—"

Before she could finish, Kujaku clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! Don't say that out loud!" Kujaku hissed, her face pale with panic.

"Why not? What did I—"

"Enough, Nami!" Kujaku snapped, cutting her off. She turned to Gion with a forced smile. "Don't worry, I'll share my best tips. Your skin will glow like never before."

Gion arched an eyebrow, unconvinced, but nodded. Meanwhile, Nami looked utterly confused, her wide eyes darting between Kujaku and Gion.

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