"Of course not. Aren't we also actively training new marines and strengthening our forces?"
Luffy patted Nami's small head reassuringly, but she angrily pushed him away, her face scrunching up in annoyance.
Unbothered, Luffy looked around at everyone present and continued,
"As I said, the addition of this new batch of marines has significantly increased our military strength in a short period. However, due to issues like insufficient training and lack of proper equipment, it'll take considerable time before they can develop into an effective combat force."
He ignored Nami's momentary displeasure and turned his attention to Koala, Hina, Kalifa, and other in the room, who seemed to think they were already strong enough.
"In the short term, relying on them for direct combat would be a mistake."
Luffy sighed, his expression turning serious.
"Even though I consider myself pretty strong right now, facing both Kaido and Big Mom at the same time? we definitely doesn't have the strength to resist them head-on.
If we want to save Wano Country, the only viable option is to seek reinforcement from Marine Headquarters."
Hancock clenched her fists, unwilling to accept the reality.
"I've been training nonstop lately. I may not be able to defeat one of the Four Emperors, but if it's just about stalling them, I should be able to manage," she declared, her tone laced with determination.
Ain and Hina, equally unwilling to back down, voiced their own confidence.
"That's right! Don't underestimate us! If we work together, we can at least hold off one of the Four Emperors," Ain insisted.
"Exactly! You're not the only one in G-66 who can fight, Luffy. We're not weak either!" Hina added, crossing her arms defiantly.
Luffy knew where this conversation was heading. He let out a helpless sigh and said,
"Alright, alright, I get it. Each of you is a heroine in your own right, just as capable as any man. But do you really think that means you can go toe-to-toe with the Four Emperors?
Hancock, you were there when the G-2 branch attempted to encircle and suppress Kaido. You, more than anyone, should know how terrifying his strength is."
Hancock bit her lip, her pride preventing her from outright agreeing, but her silence spoke volumes.
"That battle may have been botched by those two idiots, Borsalino and Kuzan, and yeah, I was pissed about that," Luffy admitted, rubbing the back of his head in frustration. "But regardless, Kaido's strength is undeniable.
Even though you're incredibly powerful in your own right, in front of a monster like him, without having mastered advanced Haki techniques, you're no different from a regular soldier."
Hancock pouted at his words, turned her head away with a cold snort, and refused to acknowledge him further.
Luffy shook his head and shifted his focus to the others.
"The same goes for the rest of you. Against Kaido, you're just another target in his way.
And Koala, you in particular—your Pink Dragon Fruit's abilities originate from Kaido's Blue Dragon Fruit. If you transform in front of him, I guarantee he'll take a keen interest in you… and not in a good way."
Hearing her name, Koala instinctively shrank back, a chill running down her spine.
As someone who primarily handled intelligence gathering and served as Luffy's liaison with the Revolutionary Army, she had no desire to experience Kaido's Thunder Bagua firsthand.
Especially after she had witnessed Yamato use the same technique to crush the skull of a pirate with a 200-million-berry bounty back on Onigashima.
Though the other girls were still reluctant to back down, they remained silent, clearly taking Luffy's words to heart.
Seeing their subdued expressions, Luffy sighed but didn't offer them any further comfort.
Strength wasn't something that could be changed through mere words.
Unless the difference in power was relatively small, boasting or arguing wouldn't make a difference.
The hard truth was that, among all the women in his crew, only Hancock and Yamato were capable of fighting Kaido on any meaningful level.
And even then, their roles would mostly be limited to harassment and distraction.
If Kaido were to get serious…
It would still only take a single swing of his club to put them down.
Luffy's mind wandered for a moment.
What a shame about Yamato. In the original timeline, she mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion five years later. Right now, she's still a bit short of that. I need to set aside time to train with her and Hancock.
Putting those thoughts aside for now, Luffy straightened his posture and refocused on the situation at hand.
"Alright, enough idle talk. Fleet Admiral Sengoku from Marine Headquarters has already responded to the situation.
The alliance between Kaido and Big Mom is a huge deal, and the headquarters caught wind of it early on. Right now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is preparing to send Vice Admiral Gion, who's currently patrolling the New World, to Wano Country as a reinforcement.
At the same time, he's dispatching Admirals Akainu and Kizaru to oversee the New World.
If Kaido and Big Mom act suspiciously, those two will be able to intervene immediately."
Luffy's lips curled into a confident grin.
"But most importantly, my Grandpa doesn't have to run back every time something happens.
If things go south, I'll just call him over.
At that point, forget Kaido and Big Mom—even if Whitebeard himself shows up, I'll beat him half to death!"
He clenched his fists as he spoke, his confidence radiating through his entire being.
The room was silent for a moment before the girls collectively exhaled in relief, their previous worries lightened.
"With Sister Gion, Admiral Sakazuki, and Grandpa supporting us, the pressure isn't as bad as we thought," Ain mused, her mood noticeably improved.
She conveniently ignored Kizaru, who was notorious for avoiding unnecessary effort.
Nami, who had been contemplating whether to take Stormbreaker and flee to the open sea, suddenly had a change of heart.
"Yoshi! Then I'll trust you again," she declared, placing her hands on her hips. "But you better protect me! I'm very fragile, you know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~