**Chapter 2: The Forging of a Prodigy**
**Windmill Village, 1505, Haiyuan Calendar.**
Three years had washed over Windmill Village like a gentle tide, leaving it largely unchanged. The same windmills turned against the same blue sky, and the same smell of salt and baking bread filled the air. But for the small boy with a shock of black hair and eyes that held a depth far beyond his years, every sunrise marked another day in a relentless, self-imposed crucible.
Monkey D. Luffy, age three, was a study in contradiction. To the villagers, he was a precocious, oddly intense child, often seen shadowboxing on the beach or trying to lift stones too heavy for his frame. They'd chuckle and attribute it to the infamous Garp bloodline. They had no idea that the focus burning in his eyes was that of a soul twice-born, a mind chafing against the limitations of a toddler's body.
He stood in the grassy clearing behind his grandfather's house, his small chest heaving. The status panel, a constant companion only he could see, hovered in his mind's eye, a stark reminder of his starting point.
**[Status Panel]**
**Designation:** Monkey D. Luffy
**Biological Age:** 3
**Designation:** Fulcrum
**Latent Abilities:**
* **Kenbunshoku Haki:** Dormant
* **Busoshoku Haki:** Dormant
* **Haoshoku Haki:** Dormant
**Physical Condition:**
* **Capability:** Infantile Baseline
* **Form:** Untrained
* **Resilience:** Negligible
* **Endurance:** Minimal
* **Combat Arts:** Null
**Abnormal Physiology:** [Empty]
**Alteration Points:** 0
---
It was a source of profound frustration. He'd been eating four massive meals a day since he could chew solid food, fueling a metabolism that already burned at a frightening rate. "Grandpa!" he yelled, his voice still high with youth but carrying a thread of unmistakable impatience. "If I eat any more, I'll be too round to move! When do we start *real* training? Not just lifting logs!"
From the porch, a booming laugh answered him. Monkey D. Garp, the Marine Hero, sat contentedly munching on a rice cracker, watching his grandson with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. The boy's drive was… unusual. "A tree can't grow tall without deep roots, boy!" Garp bellowed, his voice like rolling thunder. "Strength isn't just muscles! It's in the bones, the blood, the very spirit! You build the foundation first! A strong foundation means a strong fortress later! Now, stop your yapping and eat! You'll need the energy!"
"I *have* energy!" Luffy insisted, stomping his foot. "I've digested breakfast, lunch, and second lunch! My foundation feels… itchy!" It was the only word he could use to describe the restless, cooped-up power of his spirit straining against his physical form.
Garp stopped chewing, his eyes narrowing slightly. The kid wasn't just energetic; he was genuinely, physically ready. There was a density to his small frame that defied his age. With a sigh that was more for show than anything, Garp stood up, his massive frame casting a shadow over the clearing. "Alright, you little monster. Let's see what that foundation of yours is made of. Put everything you have into it. Come on, punch your old grandpa right here." He tapped a finger against the center of his rock-hard abdomen, a confident grin on his face.
Luffy's entire being focused. This was it. The first real test. He knew he couldn't hurt Garp; the man was a mountain. But he could *show* him. He could show the determination that was screaming to get out. He sank into a stance that was clumsy but held the ghost of proper form, his right fist cocked back. He focused not just his muscle, but every ounce of his will, every bit of the frustration of three long years of waiting.
He shot forward, a tiny bolt of focused energy. His fist connected with Garp's stomach with a sound like a mallet hitting an ancient oak. *Thwump.*
Pain flared up Luffy's arm. It was exactly like punching a cliff face. But he didn't pull back. He gritted his teeth, his small body trembling with the strain. He pushed, his feet digging into the soft earth. He poured every iota of his strength into that single point of contact, a raw, wordless scream of effort escaping his lips. He pushed until his vision spotted, until his muscles burned.
And then, impossibly, Garp's boot slid backward in the grass. Just an inch. A fraction of an inch. But it was movement.
The grin vanished from Garp's face, replaced by a look of stunned disbelief. He hadn't braced himself; he hadn't needed to. The boy's punch shouldn't have had the force of a gentle breeze. Yet… he'd felt it. A spark. Not of power, but of sheer, unadulterated *will*.
A moment of silence hung in the air, broken only by Luffy's ragged panting.
Then, a new sound erupted from Garp. It wasn't his usual boisterous laugh. It was a deeper, richer sound of pure, unadulterated astonishment and pride. "HA! HAHAHAHA! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!" he roared, the sound shaking the leaves on the trees. "You've got the spirit, boy! The spirit of a Marine! Fine! No more waiting! From today, your training begins! I'll forge you into the finest soldier the Navy has ever seen!"
Luffy, still catching his breath, felt a thrill of victory. He'd done it. He'd taken the first step.
"Listen close, Luffy," Garp said, his voice turning serious, the voice of Vice Admiral Garp, not Grandpa Garp. "The body is your anchor. You train it to its absolute limit, and then you push past it. That's when you learn to touch the power that lies beyond muscle. The Marines have a system for this. It's called Rokushiki—The Six Powers. Master these, and you'll have a foundation so strong that even the mysteries of Haki will be easier to grasp."
Luffy tilted his head, feigning ignorance perfectly. "Roku… shiki? Haki? What are those, Grandpa?"
Garp's eyes gleamed. He loved this part. "The Six Powers are techniques that allow a warrior to perform superhuman feats. They are the pinnacle of physical mastery." He began to count them off on his fingers:
"**Tekkai (Iron Mass):** You harden your muscles to the density of iron, becoming a living fortress against blows.
**Soru (Shave):** You kick off the ground ten times in the blink of an eye. To your enemy, it will seem you've vanished, only to reappear behind them.
**Kami-e (Paper Drawing):** You become like paper in the wind. You don't fight the current of your enemy's attack; you flow with it, evading without effort.
**Geppo (Moon Step):** You kick the air itself with such force that you can walk upon it, taking the fight into the skies.
**Rankyaku (Storm Leg):** A kick so swift and powerful it doesn't just strike the enemy; it cuts the very air, sending a blade of wind to slice them from a distance.
**Shigan (Finger Gun):** You focus all your power into a single fingertip, making it sharper and harder than a steel bullet. It can pierce stone and flesh with ease."
Luffy's eyes were wide with a genuine awe he didn't have to fake. To hear it described, out loud, in this world, by this man… it was electrifying.
"As for Haki…" Garp's tone became graver. "That is a power that sleeps in all living things. The power of ambition, of will, of spirit itself. But that is a lesson for another day, when your body and mind are ready to hold it. For now… your task is to run! Run around this entire island before sunset! Move!"
As Garp's command echoed, another voice, cool and precise, spoke directly into Luffy's mind.
*"Ding. System analysis complete. Host has acquired foundational knowledge of Rokushiki, a significant deviation from the original passive growth trajectory. Calculating Alteration Point reward… +100 Points awarded."*
Luffy's heart leaped. *One hundred!*
*"In recognition of the Host's first major divergence, a Novice Gift Package is being allocated. For a period of one year, the Host's physical conditioning and aptitude for learning Rokushiki will be accelerated by a factor of one hundred. Furthermore, Alteration Points may be allocated to further increase training speed for Rokushiki and, upon awakening, Haki proficiencies. Exchange rate: 10 Points for a 100% speed increase, valid for one year. Commence your journey, Fulcrum."*
The cheat code was active. The 100x multiplier was a tidal wave of potential. He wasn't just going to train. He was going to *evolve*.
And so began a routine of sublime, brutal monotony. Day after day, season after season, Luffy trained. The 100x multiplier didn't make the work easier; it made every single repetition, every drop of sweat, every aching muscle one hundred times more *effective*. He ran until his legs were numb, practiced Soru until his feet were bloody, hammered at Tekkai until his body was a mosaic of bruises. He wasn't just learning the techniques; he was absorbing them, making them a part of his very DNA.
Half a year later, his body, forged in this incredible crucible, finally met the monstrous physical requirements to properly channel the Six Powers. Another six months of obsessive, hyper-accelerated practice, and he had achieved the impossible.
He stood in the same clearing, his four-year-old frame now corded with lean, powerful muscle, his gaze sharp and focused. His panel told the story of his silent revolution.
---
**[Status Panel]**
**Designation:** Monkey D. Luffy
**Biological Age:** 4
**Designation:** Fulcrum
**Latent Abilities:**
* **Kenbunshoku Haki:** Awakened (Novice - 10% Proficiency)
* **Busoshoku Haki:** Dormant
* **Haoshoku Haki:** Dormant
**Physical Condition:**
* **Capability:** Peak Human Child (Conditioned)
* **Form:** Expert (Rokushiki Foundation)
* **Resilience:** Remarkable (Tekkai Influence)
* **Endurance:** Exceptional
* **Combat Arts:** Rokushiki
* **Tekkai:** 88% Mastery
* **Soru:** 99% Mastery
* **Kami-e:** 65% Mastery
* **Geppo:** 99% Mastery
* **Rankyaku:** 87% Mastery
* **Shigan:** 75% Mastery
**Abnormal Physiology:** [Empty]
**Alteration Points:** 100
---
When Garp returned to Windmill Village in the year 1506, he expected to find a boy who was strong for his age, perhaps showing a knack for one of the basics. He was not prepared for the reality.
He watched, his jaw genuinely slack, as Luffy demonstrated. One moment the boy was there, the next he was gone—**Soru**. A kick sliced through the air with a sound like a whip-crack, and a nearby sapling was neatly sheared in half—**Rankyaku**. Luffy stood still as Garp casually tossed a rock at him; it struck the boy's stomach and shattered as if hitting iron—**Tekkai**.
Garp's brain refused to process it. The newspaper he was holding crumpled in his tightening fist. "Impossible," he whispered, the word utterly inadequate. Then his voice rose to a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the house. "IMPOSSIBLE! ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE! A YEAR! IT'S ONLY BEEN A BLOODY YEAR! How in the name of the deep blue sea did you… This… this is the work of a decade for a prodigy! Your body… it shouldn't be able to handle this! Are you even human, boy?!"
Luffy just blinked, a picture of innocent exertion. "But Grandpa, you said to build a strong foundation. It feels really strong." The statement, delivered with such simple honesty, was the most Versailles-thing Garp had ever heard.
Garp stared, his mind racing. At this age, with this level of skill… "There's never been a four-year-old… anywhere… who could do this." He ran a hand over his face, a slow grin spreading beneath his fingers. It was a grin of pure, unadulterated excitement. The kind he hadn't felt since chasing Roger across the Grand Line.
The air around Garp seemed to crackle. He cracked the knuckles of his massive hands, one by one, the sound like popping gunshots.
"Alright, you little monster," Garp said, his voice dropping into a low, thrilling rumble. "Lesson time is over. Welcome to your first real sparring match. Let's see how that paper drawing handles a real fist."
The ground seemed to tremble as he took a step forward. The real training was about to begin.