Alvida was sent flying, her body tumbling through the air.
"Hmm? That punch felt... stronger," Luffy muttered, staring at his right hand in confusion.
"Yeah, you've started refining chakra," Naruto explained casually. "You've already entered the basic stage of training."
"When you throw a punch now, your chakra activates instinctively. Even just a little boost can strengthen your attack."
He made it sound simple.
The most classic example of this, of course, was Tsunade's famed Super Strength Punch.
To pull that off, you need extremely refined chakra control—delicate to the point of precision. It's not just about brute force.
It also requires a certain level of innate talent.
Like Sakura.
Back during the original tree-climbing exercise, Sakura had climbed with ease, while Sasuke had needed a bit more time.
Not that Sasuke wasn't talented—he was undeniably a prodigy. But chakra control is its own separate beast.
Naruto didn't expect Luffy to master something like Tsunade's super-powered punch anytime soon.
This guy... his chakra control probably wouldn't ever reach that level.
Everyone's affinity with chakra works differently. Everyone has their own strengths.
Luffy's body was bursting with activity—his cells were practically vibrating with energy. Given time, his chakra reserves would definitely grow huge.
But control?
Yeah... definitely not his strong suit.
Still, even a small amount of chakra could enhance his physical power.
Take Alvida, for instance. She was just an early-stage boss in One Piece. Her strength? Honestly, nothing special.
So when Luffy hit her with that chakra-boosted punch…
She got instantly wrecked.
Naruto scanned her briefly with his senses—yeah, she wasn't dead. Just out cold.
Now, as a ninja, should he go finish her off?
Naruto reached up, scratching his chin as he pondered.
...Nah. No need.
Even in the future, after she eats the Slip-Slip Fruit and powers up, she's still not much of a threat.
Besides, arresting her for a bounty? Ugh, more trouble than it's worth.
Naruto shrugged lazily, not at all interested in that kind of hassle.
"Damn it! What's up with those two?!"
"Boss Alvida got one-punched?! No way... that's impossible!"
"Are they bounty hunters? Are we being targeted!?"
A few of the lesser pirates started panicking.
Typical of small fry crews—no real cohesion, no unity.
With Alvida down, they were completely lost.
Just a pack of headless chickens.
"Scram," Naruto said flatly, waving his hand.
A wave of undeniable presence rolled off him like a tide.
The pirates froze, glanced at each other... and then dropped everything and bolted.
At that moment, Naruto's aura became terrifying—like a ghost from hell.
The petty pirates didn't even dare to meet his eyes.
Naruto frowned slightly, sensing something off. He spread his arms, glancing down at his body.
As the man who now stood at the top of the ninja world…
Of course, he carried the aura of a true powerhouse.
Even his killing intent had weight.
In the original Naruto series, Zabuza had once frozen a squad of Genin in place with his sheer bloodlust.
Naruto's presence now? Far beyond that.
"...Just a little bit of killing intent caused that strong of a reaction?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
His analytical instincts kicked in.
A moment later, he figured it out.
It was Haoshoku Haki—or more accurately, the embryonic form of it.
Conqueror's Haki: the rarest and most potent of all three Haki types in the pirate world.
One in a million can wield it—the mark of a true king.
Although Naruto had never seen it firsthand in this world, he was now manifesting something quite similar.
"This is only the beginning," he thought, curling his lips into a smirk. "To truly understand it, I'll need to see the real thing up close."
And that meant heading for the Grand Line.
They were still stuck in the East Blue, where this kind of power was rare, almost non-existent.
If he wanted to grasp the depths of Conqueror's Haki—or even Armament and Observation Haki—he'd have to go much further.
But Naruto had already identified the seed within himself.
The question was: should he wait and figure it out slowly? Or…
...Use a shortcut.
A thought flashed through his mind.
Shadow Clone.
His gaze shifted to the retreating pirates.
A pink-haired kid among them caught his attention—Coby.
Naruto's lips curled in amusement. He'd just thought of something brilliant.
Garp was going to show up in the East Blue eventually.
If he sent a shadow clone to follow Garp instead of Coby…
Forget Conqueror's Haki for now—even learning Armament, Observation, and the Six Powers (Rokushiki) would be worth it.
Naruto remembered clearly—in the original story, when Luffy reunited with Coby at Water 7, Coby had already learned several Rokushiki techniques.
But right now, Coby was just tagging along with pirates. He hadn't even met Luffy yet.
Naruto could easily send a clone to take Coby's place... and hijack all those future opportunities for himself.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
A solid, genius-level plan.
He made up his mind right there and then.
With the pirates driven off, the ship's crew erupted into cheers.
The grateful captain arranged a feast—food, drinks, everything they had.
"Please take us to the nearest island," Naruto requested.
"Of course! No problem at all," the captain said, nodding enthusiastically. "We were planning to dock for supplies anyway—and report this incident to the Navy."
After the celebration, Naruto and Luffy retired to their cabin to rest.
Among the crowd, a girl with striking orange hair—Nami—watched the two closely, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
Luffy, unfazed, was soon climbing the ship's mast like usual.
Naruto, on the other hand, was busy refining his clone technique.
The basic money-making clone was far too fragile—it'd disperse with just a light hit.
And worse: he could only receive its memories after it was dispelled.
Totally inconvenient.
Time to upgrade.
First, he infused the clone with Wood Release chakra to make it sturdier—able to last longer and take more hits.
Next, he poured in a significant portion of his chakra to sustain it for the long term.
Then, he integrated a modified version of the Telepathy Technique—a mental link that would allow him to stay connected and share thoughts instantly with the clone.
No more waiting for it to vanish just to get an update.
As he layered more features into the technique, he formed hand seals and activated the jutsu:
"Enhanced Shadow Clone!"
A puff of smoke erupted, revealing a second Naruto standing tall beside him.
Luffy's eyes widened. His jaw dropped.
"Two Narutos?! What kinda jutsu is that?!"
He gasped in awe, absolutely floored.
...
TN:
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