Kurama continued to explain how his ability worked, not noticing how someone was listening to his conversation with an expression of utter surprise.
"I have to report this to my boss" - muttered the man as he disappeared, not noticing how Kurama seemed to have detected his increased heart rate.
"Interesting" - Kurama muttered as he narrowed his eyes.
"Something wrong, honey?" - Hancock asked as she noticed how her boyfriend was looking back.
"No, it's nothing" - replied Kurama with a smile as he stroked Hancock's cheek to calm her down - "It's just that I thought I felt something, but maybe it's just the arrival of our little friends."
"The [Straw Hat]?" - Alvida asked in surprise, only to frown - "After reading all their adventures, I can say that troubles are chasing them, so I wouldn't be surprised if this town went up in flames now that those troublemakers are here."
"That's a good way to call it" - Kurama said as he let out a laugh - "Trouble always chases certain people, but at the same time, this makes them not only become stronger with each overcoming, but they acquire a certain 'luck'"
"You have a point" - Alvida nodded as she shook her head - "Luffy's power has grown considerably since I last saw him."
"You've gotten stronger too" - said Kurama with a smile.
"And this all thanks to your potent semen" - replied Alvida while rolling her eyes at him - "Who would have thought that inside your balls would have a liquid that would strengthen your women after having sex with them? You're like the world's most coveted sex god."
Hancock's expression became increasingly embarrassed because she too had felt her power increase slightly with each time her lover cum inside her.
Kurama said nothing in response, after all, his semen contained an enormous amount of vitality, which the physiology of the women of this dimension seemed to absorb directly with their bodies, greatly reducing the likelihood of pregnancy, but slightly increasing the power of their partners.
"We'd better change the subject because it's not a good idea to talk about this kind of thing when there are so many people around" - Kurama said while shaking his head with a calm expression.
With everything he had lived and gone through in his life, it was impossible for something like this to embarrass him or make him lose his cool.
"You have a point, after all, I don't wish to share you with more women" - Alvida snorted as she looked around and noticed how not only normal women but also pirate women were looking at the albino with passion, though this was fixed with a cold stare from Hancock and Alvida.
* * * * *
"Are you sure about this?" - A slightly older male voice asked.
"Affirmative" - replied the man who had overheard the conversation between Kurama and the two women - "If what he said is true, then we might find the key to producing more than one ancestral weapon."
"Interesting, very interesting" - said the older man as he let out a laugh - "This information is too good to be true, but at the same time it would explain why those three have been able to travel and sell so much treasure without resorting to piracy."
"Do you believe it to be true, Spandam-sama?" - The young man asked as he looked at the small snail in his hands.
"I couldn't say for sure, but we can't dismiss the idea either" - said the snail as a deep silence pervaded the place.
"What are your orders?" - The young man asked.
"I want you to keep watching them and tell me everything they do while they are in [Water 7]" - said Spandam with a cold voice - "By the way, I want you to check how true that man's words are."
"I think I have the perfect plan to do so" - replied the young man - "Kurama and those two women are looking for the best carpenters in [Water 7] to create a good ship, and I can use that moment to unveil the truth."
"Perfect, I couldn't expect less from my best subordinate" - said Spandam as he let out a laugh - "I expect good news, Rob Lucci!"
Rob Lucci was silent for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"A new mission, Lucci?" - Asked a seductive, but a cold female voice.
"You could say so" - said Rob Lucci as he looked carefully at his companion.
She was a beautiful blonde woman with large breasts and hips, small waist, like the vast majority of beautiful women in the world, and she was wearing glasses that made her look much smarter.
"I see, I hope it's more interesting than standing next to that idiot Iceburg" - the woman said while frowning.
"You could say it's a mission that's much more dangerous, after all, we're going after the man with the highest bounty handed out by the [World Government]" - Lucci answered seriously as he folded his arms.
"You mean we're going after [Jubi no Kami]?" - the woman asked in surprise, only to frown - "Do you mean you want to send us to our graves?"
She had heard and read the report of how a man had not only managed to withstand a [Buster Call] but also that he had destroyed the entire fleet of the [Marines] without leaving a single survivor, in other words, this man had the destructive level of a Yonko (4 Emperors).
"Relax, this time we'll just go to get some information, and if I'm honest, you're the one for the job" - Lucci said after some thought.
". . ." - the woman frowned when she heard this as she started to think at full speed, after all, this was not only a mission but also the biggest danger she would have to overcome - "Do you want me to use my body?"
"Not exactly, but if that ends up being the last option, then you're going to have to" - Lucci answered seriously.
". . ." - the woman again fell silent as her mind raced, only to sigh with regret when she remembered how she had no choice but to follow the instructions of her superiors.
Within the team, she was one of the weakest, trained specifically to gather information through her charms and body. She could be said to be the [Marine] version of the Kunoichi from a certain New World country.
"Ok, I'll do it, no promises though" - snorted the woman as she silently retreated.
"I hope your results are favorable, Kalifa because all our lives depend on it" - said Lucci seriously.
The woman named Kalifa paused for a few seconds before continuing to walk silently.
Lucci gave her one last look before shaking his head.
Kalifa would be the plan B in case he failed during his attempt to discover the truth of the albino's words during the craft creation, though now that he thought about it more calmly, he wasn't sure how truthful this man's words could be when he thought about how he could create a ship big and strong enough to serve as transportation during his journey.
* * * * *
"We've finally arrived at [Water 7]" - Nami said as she sighed with regret at the sight of the emaciated state of their boat.
"Here we can get a new boat" - Zoro said while keeping a neutral expression on his face, although if one looked closely into his eyes, one could see that he too was suffering after saying these words.
Robin kept her silence because, unlike the others, she had not traveled for so long on this ship to show the same level of affection that the other members of the group showed for the [Going Merry].
The ship slowly approached the shores of [Water 7] as the expressions of the crew members solidified, after all, this would possibly be the last voyage their beloved ship would take with them.
"You still can't show such pessimistic expressions!" - Usopp exclaimed as he looked at his shipmates with hostility - "We have to be hopeful enough and say with full conviction that the [Going Merry] will be saved!"
The other crewmen looked at Usopp in silence before shaking their heads.
It wasn't that they didn't want the [Going Merry] to continue with them, but they had to admit that the damage the ship had received was irreparable, an inference that even they, with their zero experience as experts, could be sure of.
Luffy had a conflicted expression on his face.
He wished his companion would continue with them for much longer, but at the same time he could not allow his emotions to cloud his judgment, not when keeping the [Going Merry] meant possibly abandoning his dream along with that of his Nakamas.
"Luffy, tell them something!" - Usopp exclaimed, only to show an expression of devastation when he saw his captain fall silent.
"Usopp, I'm going to try," said Luffy after a few minutes of silence, "But if we can't fix the [Merry], we'll have no choice but to leave her for another ship."