[~1600 Words]
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Later That Afternoon
The sun hung high overhead, casting shifting shadows across the open grass behind the clinic. A small wooden training dummy (borrowed from the Mayor's old shed) stood crookedly in the dirt, its arms half-splintered from age. Haruki stood beside it, arms crossed, watching Luffy sitting cross-legged in front of him like a hyperactive monk.
"Alright," Haruki said, "we're going to try something very basic."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "YEAH! Let's do the FIRE thing!"
"No." Haruki narrowed his eyes. "You're not ready for anything involving combustion. You'll probably torch Makino's entire tavern."
Luffy pouted. "Aw, c'mon! I've got experience with explosions!"
"That is not reassuring."
Makino, seated under the shade with a book and a drink, looked up with a smirk. "Don't let him near my kitchen if you value your eyebrows."
Haruki knelt in front of Luffy. "Alright. We'll start with chakra control. Close your eyes."
Luffy shut them tightly.
Haruki continued, "Now breathe. Slow. Steady. Focus on the center of your body—your stomach. That's where your chakra coils begin. Feel the warmth. The flow."
Luffy hummed like he was holding in a sneeze.
"…Okay, now imagine the energy rising up your spine, cycling behind your heart, into your chest…"
Luffy started shaking.
Haruki blinked. "You alright?"
Luffy's face twisted. "I feel… hungry."
Haruki stared. "That's not chakra."
Luffy opened one eye. "I don't think I have this chakra thing."
Haruki sat back, his brows knitting together. "Try again. Concentrate. Look inward. Most people have some degree of chakra… even civilians."
Luffy squinted harder. "I still feel nothing. Except, like… weird stomach juice."
Haruki sighed deeply. "...That's probably the fruit you just ate."
Makino raised an eyebrow. "Is it not working?"
Haruki shook his head slowly. "No chakra… not even a flicker of it."
Woop Slap had wandered in with a broom and looked curious. "Does this mean he's not cut out for your… ninja stuff?"
Haruki hesitated. "Maybe. But…" He turned to Luffy. "You've eaten a Devil Fruit, right?"
Luffy grinned, proudly stretching his arms like noodles. "Yup! I'm a rubber man!"
Haruki nodded slowly. "Then that might explain it."
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"
"You see," Haruki began, "in my homeland, chakra is the energy flowing through everyone. It connects the spiritual and physical inside you. But using a Devil Fruit already alters your body's natural makeup. Maybe… it overwrites or blocks chakra entirely."
Makino looked thoughtful. "So he can't do any of your techniques?"
"Probably not," Haruki replied aloud. But inwardly…
No. It's not just Luffy. No one here seems to have chakra.
Makino, Woop Slap… even the land itself feels different.
The air's energy doesn't flow the same.
This… isn't just a remote country.
This is another world entirely.
And if chakra doesn't exist here… then something else must.
He folded his arms, eyes narrowing slightly.
There has to be another kind of energy in this world.
Maybe that's what fuels Devil Fruits.
I need to find out if I can tap into it… or blend it with my chakra and Sharingan. Then maybe, just maybe I can awaken my Mangekyo Sharingan.
Back on the grass, Luffy had started rolling in circles.
"Since I can't do the chakra thing, can I still learn ninja flips? Or throw smoke bombs? Or wear those cool black masks?!"
Haruki rubbed his temples. "Luffy… this isn't a costume party."
"Can I get a sword?"
"Absolutely not."
‟Then Kunai?"
‟I will think about it."
Makino giggled from the side. "At least he's enthusiastic."
Woop Slap shook his head. "He's going to be the death of that poor ninja."
Haruki stared at the boy who now had both legs twisted in a knot and was attempting to "stealth crawl" across the grass.
"…Yup," he muttered. "Death by secondhand embarrassment."
But somewhere, beneath the laughter and chaos, Haruki's mind was racing.
`If chakra doesn't exist here… then I may be the last person who can use it.
 But if this world has its own power… maybe I can learn to use that too.
And if I do… who knows how far I could go?´
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The Next Day – Training Luffy?
The sun had barely risen when Haruki stepped onto the open clearing behind the clinic again, barefoot, loose-shirted, and focused. The dew on the grass still clung to his soles as he rolled his shoulders and looked across the space at his… student.
Luffy stood about ten meters away, stretching his rubber limbs in every ridiculous direction, shirt open, hat askew, and grinning like a kid who just found a candy island.
"Are you sure you're awake?" Haruki asked, dryly.
"Yeah! I've been awake for hours!" Luffy shouted, both arms extending to slap the ground behind him and then bounce forward into a full-body flip. "I'm ready to ninja the heck out of this!"
Haruki sighed. "This isn't dress-up. I'm not teaching you ninjutsu."
Luffy blinked. "What then?"
Haruki smiled faintly and crouched into a ready stance. "Taijutsu. Hand-to-hand combat. Leaf Village style."
He flicked a stone from the grass toward Luffy. "This will improve your base reflexes, agility, coordination, and decision-making mid-fight."
Luffy caught the stone easily. "But I already punch good!"
"Exactly. You punch. I want to teach you how to fight. You've got power, but no polish."
Luffy grinned. "Let's go, then!"
Haruki raised a hand. "One rule: you're not allowed to stretch."
Luffy paused. "...WHAT?"
"If I let you rely on that ability, you'll never actually learn anything. You need to feel the footwork, the angles, the timing. You'll thank me later."
Luffy groaned and flopped forward. "But that's, like, half my thing!"
"Then make the other half technique."
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Round One – Wake-Up Call
Haruki vanished.
Luffy blinked—then ducked as a foot sliced past his head. "WHOAAAA!"
He rolled back, just as Haruki reappeared with a follow-up elbow aimed at his chest. Luffy blocked clumsily with both arms and skidded backward, barely staying upright.
Haruki didn't let up.
He advanced with clean, precise strikes, no wasted movement—his hits were fast, sharp, and timed for pressure points and balance disruption. He struck with the ball of his foot, pivoted on his heel, feinted high, then came low with a sweep.
Luffy tumbled into the grass.
"Okay—ow—that was awesome!"
"Luffy, You're too open when you dodge. You lean with your face."
Luffy rolled up and grinned. "Teach me how to do that disappearing thing!"
"In time. First, keep your feet under you."
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Round Two – Learning to Think Mid-Fight
After several more knockdowns and a lot of grass stains, Haruki called a brief break, letting Luffy gulp water and roll around in dramatic agony.
"You're too reactive," Haruki said as he crouched beside him. "You've got instinct, but you don't read your opponent. That'll get you killed against someone who knows what they're doing."
Luffy blinked. "So I should think more?"
"Not overthink. Just… anticipate."
He stood again and tossed a kunai—not to hit Luffy, but to make a point. Luffy swerved, surprised, and nearly tripped.
"See?" Haruki said. "You moved, but you didn't control your movement. You reacted to what already happened, not what was coming."
"Hmm…" Luffy sat up, rubbing his chin in exaggerated concentration.
Haruki smirked. "Round three. Let's see what you learned."
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Round Three – Substitution Surprise
This time, Haruki didn't move forward immediately. He circled Luffy, staying just at the edge of his peripheral vision. He wanted to force him to track multiple directions, to wait for movement and respond with sharp intuition.
Luffy held still… and then lunged.
Haruki grinned. The kid was learning.
But Haruki was faster. He ducked under Luffy's swing and appeared behind him—and in a sudden poof of smoke, replaced himself with a log from the nearby woodpile.
Luffy crashed forward and skidded into the grass.
"HUH?! A LOG?!"
Haruki reappeared behind a tree, arms folded. "That's called the Substitution Technique."
Luffy's jaw hung open. "You had that ready? Like—pre-loaded?!"
Haruki smirked. "I never start training without setting my battlefield."
Luffy cackled. "THAT'S SO COOL! I WANNA DO THE LOG THING!"
"You need chakra control first."
"Awwww man!"
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After Training – Real Progress?
An hour passed. Then two.
By the end, Luffy was winded, sore, dirt-streaked, and grinning from ear to ear. Haruki leaned against the porch with a towel around his neck, breathing only slightly heavier.
"You've got potential," Haruki admitted. "Rough, but moldeble. You've got fast instincts and zero fear. Once we refine those reactions… you'll be something else."
Luffy was already lying flat on the grass again. "Can't move…"
Makino stepped outside with a tray of water and fruit slices, setting them down between the two.
"He lasted longer than I expected," she said, amused.
Haruki nodded. "His recovery's insane. Like he's built from rubber on the inside too."
Then he paused—eyes drifting toward the sea again.
`Still no sign of chakra in him.
 No sign of it in this land, either.
 But I can still use my chakra techniques, so the energy exists… just differently.
Maybe it's something tied to the sea. Maybe Devil Fruits are this world's version of kekkei genkai.
Whatever it is… I have to understand it.
If I can master this world's energy… and combine it with chakra…´
His Sharingan flared faintly for a heartbeat.
`I could become something entirely new.´
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