"Unfortunately, Luffy, the Francis Drake in front of you is just a projection,"
"So we can't actually invite her to become a crew member."
"Instead, you should carefully observe the power she's displaying."
"Then compare it with the other two, and in the end, choose the power you truly want."
Genrou placed his hand on Luffy's shoulder to stop him from impulsively rushing toward the projection of Francis Drake.
As they spoke, the skeleton soldiers that had been bombarded by Francis Drake were already completely shattered—not a single one was still standing.
Just as Luffy and Nami thought the demonstration was over—
On the distant sea, several hundred meters away from Francis Drake, ten massive Marine warships suddenly emerged.
The moment they appeared, the warships opened fire on Francis Drake.
The dense barrage of cannonballs instantly made Nami's expression change. She quickly ducked behind Genrou.
'Damn it, is this really just a projection? Why do those cannonballs look so real?'
'Can that woman named Francis Drake really handle that many cannonballs?'
Nami bit her lip as she looked toward Francis Drake.
She saw Drake curl her lips into a smile, her presence suddenly becoming incredibly imposing.
"All hands—prepare to sail!"
Drake raised her twin pistols into the air, and as her commanding voice rang out, the ice beneath her feet shattered.
A dazzling warship nearly 37 meters long rose from beneath the frozen sea, grand and majestic, with Drake calmly standing at its bow.
Boom! Boom!
As soon as it surfaced, the ship immediately counterattacked the incoming volley of cannonballs.
However, unlike the Marines' ordinary cannon fire, the ship beneath Drake's feet fired golden lasers.
Each cannonball struck by the lasers melted in the air, vanishing instantly.
"So cool! Lasers?!"
"Genrou, is that her ship?"
"Will we have a ship like that someday too?"
Luffy's eyes sparkled as he excitedly asked Genrou.
Genrou simply smiled without replying—because he knew the next scene would blow Luffy's mind even more.
After the main ship fired a single laser, twenty smaller warships rose from the sea around it.
"King of Storms, Swarm of the Dead… The wild hunt begins now."
With a confident smile on her face, Drake raised her flintlock pistol and fired at the ten Marine ships in front of her.
In that instant, her flagship and the surrounding warships all began their assault.
Lasers rained across the sea.
Under the overwhelming firepower, accompanied by deafening blasts, the ten Marine warships were reduced to wreckage and sunk beneath the ocean.
Luffy's eyes went wide—he was so stunned that for a moment, he couldn't even speak.
Nami managed to keep her composure better than Luffy, but her trembling body still betrayed her inner shock.
"The Noble Phantasm Golden Hind and Stormy Night—that's Francis Drake's ultimate armament and her greatest power."
"Luffy, if you choose to inherit Francis Drake's Heroic Spirit template, you will be able to wield her strength."
Genrou patted Luffy on the shoulder and smiled as he spoke.
"Amazing! Genrou, if I inherit Francis Drake's template, does that mean I can summon all those warships too?!"
Luffy asked excitedly.
Genrou shrugged.
"Well, inheriting a Heroic Spirit template only gives you the seed of that power. How far you can develop it depends on you."
"The stronger you are, the more powerful your use of the Heroic Spirit's power will be."
"What we just saw—Golden Hind and Stormy Night—is Drake's strongest Noble Phantasm. It's not easy to reach that level."
"Also, there's something called compatibility between a person and a Heroic Spirit template. The more compatible you are with it, the easier it is to draw out its true power."
"So, Luffy, I recommend you take a look at the other two templates before making your choice."
As he spoke, the platform beneath their feet trembled.
In a flash, the three of them returned to the pitch-black space.
"Hehehe, this is so fun!"
"Genrou, you're amazing! This ability of yours is incredible!"
"And Francis Drake—though I don't know which sea she's from, she's so cool!"
"I wonder if the other two are just as cool as her."
Luffy adjusted his straw hat, his gaze landing on the other two names on the panel before Genrou.
"Rubber—Reed Richards. Let's see what he's like!"
With a wave of his hand, Luffy slapped the name "Reed Richards" under the "Rubber" attribute.
Soon after, a familiar trembling sensation came over them.
The three were transported into what appeared to be a highly advanced laboratory.
In the center of the lab, a man was stretching his rubber-like arms, handling materials and data while conducting calculations.
"He really is rubbery, just like me!"
"Genrou, did he eat the Rubber-Rubber Fruit too?"
Luffy pointed at Reed Richards and turned to Genrou curiously.
"No, he didn't eat a Devil Fruit. His rubber powers came from a different source."
Genrou glanced at Reed Richards, who was engrossed in his research, his eyes shimmering slightly.
'Mister Fantastic—Reed Richards. The terrifying thing about this man isn't his rubber body.'
'If Luffy inherits his power… will he also gain that frightening scientific knowledge?'
(End of Chapter)
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