Aboard the Going Merry.
Luffy lay sprawled across the ram figurehead, looking glum.
They'd left Syrup Village, picked up a new crewmate—a sniper—and even gotten the Merry as a gift from Mr. Merry. At last they didn't have to travel like at the very beginning, when their dinghy capsized and they hid in a barrel.
Two happy things stacked together.
Yet something still felt missing.
Right—too boring.
Why boring?
Before reaching Usopp's village,
he'd thumped a fat woman with a spiked club, quickly fought a Marine with an axe, then ran into a red-nosed pirate—finally a real clash between pirates.
None of it had satisfied him.
Grandpa even said that when he got back, he had to keep training before he'd be worthy of becoming an excellent Marine… I'm the man who's going to be Pirate King!
Thinking of his grandpa's fists, Luffy shivered.
"Luffy!"
Smack.
Ow!
I ate a Devil Fruit and became a rubber man—why does that still hurt?
His scalp burned, stars danced in his eyes. When he snapped back, he found an orange-haired girl with puffed cheeks yanking his mouth toward her.
"Luffy, where's the dessert I put in the icebox?! It was you again, wasn't it! You alone are about to eat through our food stores for days, and you didn't even spare my last dessert!"
Nami fumed.
She thought, if you won't spare a dessert, are you going to blow through the treasure I've hidden, too?
Nami needed money—desperately.
Otherwise she wouldn't be a pirate at all.
"It wasn't me. Usopp ate it." Luffy glanced left and whistled.
"Ahahaha, someone call me?"
Not far away, a long-nosed guy looked freshly awake, rubbing his eyes. "I fell asleep while practicing with the cannon last night."
Nami gave Luffy a very friendly smile.
Does this guy not know how obvious he is?
"Then why can't it have been Zoro?!" Luffy shouted.
Then he remembered—aside from when he slept, Zoro was always training on deck.
Same pirates.
Why such a big difference!
At first glance, people might even think that moss-head was the captain of this ship.
Smack.
Nami let go. "Forget the dessert. In light of your many misdeeds, I unilaterally ban you from entering the storeroom!"
"I should be fine to go, right? We're not running into Marines or pirates right now, but a ship needs guns and firepower," Usopp sidled up. "I'm going to give the Going Merry a major overhaul!"
"No." Nami refused flatly.
"Why?!" Usopp protested.
"The storeroom holds valuables," Nami said. "And my finished sea charts. Those are treasures money can't buy!"
…
Luffy wasn't interested in their argument and stared out at the endless blue ahead.
Days without seeing a soul at sea was normal.
But they really should gather the whole crew first.
Most important—a cook!
Otherwise, before they reached land, there'd be nothing fun to kill time with.
Zoro was a training maniac. Luffy seemed to see his younger self, put through hell by his grandpa.
The difference was one trained by choice, the other by force.
He'd finally started his own adventure—no way he was going back to that!
"I'm already strong enough."
He still hadn't met anyone who forced him to go all out.
He'd set sail to become Pirate King—the freest man in the world!
Like Shanks.
Everyone would give him face.
"Swordsman, navigator, sniper—found."
"A big step forward toward gathering ten people!"
"When do we reach the next island? Empty, lonely, cold—don't think about it. Thinking of that makes me remember Grandpa's training plan. Not even three hours of sleep a day!"
…
His expression hardened, as if he'd once lost something.
"Psst, psst."
Luffy glanced over. It was Usopp, beckoning sneakily.
Looked like something fun?
After lying on the ram's head for hours like he'd been drained by a night succubus, his face suddenly lit with life.
Luffy's interest spiked.
"Nami's sunbathing on deck. Let's go treasure-hunting in the storeroom," Usopp said.
"She just said we're not allowed in."
"Did you agree?"
"No."
"Me neither." Usopp patted his shoulder. "Besides, you're the captain, aren't you?"
True.
No wonder he valued this sniper—smart guy.
I'm the captain!
The captain goes wherever he wants.
Usopp really just wanted someone to share the blame. Luffy was perfect.
"Let's go treasure-hunting!" Luffy grinned.
There was Buggy's treasure in the storeroom, and that guy who used even more swords than Zoro.
Nothing thrills a pirate like treasure-hunting!
The storeroom was locked.
Luffy's method was to give it a good yank and "accidentally" pop the door open.
Usopp stopped him. This was obviously a job for lockpicks.
Inside, Nami had everything arranged neatly and in order.
Usopp's target was all kinds of gear. Luffy rummaged beside him, excited at first, but aside from Berries and some jewels, he found nothing else.
This wasn't the kind of adventure he wanted.
"I'm heading out."
Luffy spoke, bored.
His imagined adventure was like a treasure chest turning into a monster, whisking them to some unknown island where they'd discover a great pirate's hidden hoard.
"Don't, don't! If you go, what about me?" Usopp was still gathering what he wanted. If Luffy went out and brought Nami in, he'd be doomed.
His eye fell on a pendant in a box. He tossed it to Luffy.
In a grave tone, Usopp said, "This is a relic left by a great pirate. They say it hides clues to treasure!"
Really?
Luffy began studying the pendant.
It felt cold to the touch.
Its surface looked like a deep, starry nebula; the broken edge was covered in symbols.
Luffy figured Usopp had turned back into Usopp the Liar—why would a pendant have anything to do with treasure?
"What's your dream?"
A voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
"I'm the man who's going to be Pirate King!"
Luffy answered on reflex.
Wait—who said that?
He glanced down at the pendant in his hand. Luffy's eyes lit up. When Usopp asked what he'd said, Luffy looked left, whistled, and said, "Nothing."
He was going to find the treasure in secret and amaze everyone!
That night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Luffy held the pendant in the moonlight, turning it over and over.
This sea was the most magical—nothing was surprising anymore. He often dreamed of a talking reindeer and a yo-ho-ho skeleton.
How had that voice come out before?
Luffy scratched his hair. His interests rose fast and faded fast.
He was already tired today.
Whatever it was, he'd deal with it tomorrow!
Half-asleep, he seemed to hear something.
[ Pirate King Training Plan initiated! ]
[ Day One! ]
[ Sea Circle Calendar 1520, May 10. Sleep time: 1 hour. Please get up at 1:00 to train. Throw 1,000 punches, ten sets. ]
"Huh?"
[ 4:00–12:00. Eat breakfast, replenish your strength, then do physical training and sword training with your crewmate Roronoa Zoro. ]
"Zoro does get up at four a.m.… What's that got to do with me?"
[ 12:00–16:00. Lunchtime, and study navigation theory with your crewmate Nami. Learn shooting and cannon aiming with your crewmate Usopp. ]
"Let's make lunch four hours long."
[ 16:00–24:00. Develop your Devil Fruit ability and awaken deeper power. If you want to become Pirate King, you must use every day wisely! Effort is indispensable to realize your dream. I will supervise you! ]
"Makes sense, but I'm probably dreaming." Luffy ignored it.
He'd dreamed of becoming Pirate King more than once.
Train hard?
He absolutely would not. He'd finally escaped Grandpa's hell training.
His free, joyful adventure had only just begun!
Also—only one hour of sleep.
What are you, something even more hellish than Grandpa?
One a.m.
In his dream, Luffy gnawed a giant meat leg. That familiar voice sounded again.
[ Warning: Training time has arrived. Begin immediately, or the first-stage electric punishment will be administered—10,000 volts. ]
"Electric… punishment?"
Even dream-Luffy froze for a second, then ignored it.
Go ahead and zap me. I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit—I'm rubber.
Chomp.
Luffy took a big bite.
[ Warning: Begin immediately, or the punishment will increase: 100,000 volts! ]
[ Warning: Begin immediately. Punishment escalating: 500,000 volts! ]
…
In the men's quarters, Zoro's eyes snapped open. He saw fire beside him, eyes going wide—he almost drew a blade to slash.
Where'd this little flame demon come from?
"What the hell?!"
Crackling snapped over Luffy's body. Azure bolts danced as his bed burst into flames. He hadn't felt the electricity at all, but the fire singed him awake in an instant.
"Eh—AAAAAH?!"
Luffy bolted up, and then the ship was on fire.
Going Merry: "Maybe you should've left me to rot in the dock?"
"What are you people doing up in the middle of the night?"
Nami was jolted awake, furious, one hand covering her curvy chest.
She knew how unreliable this whole bunch was. What kind of nonsense were they pulling now?
Then she saw Luffy herded onto the deck. Usopp and Zoro stood like they'd seen a ghost, weapons trained on him.
What was happening?
Another pirate betrayal drama?
She'd thought the people on this ship might be different from other pirates.
"Nami."
Luffy gave her a pitiful look and walked toward her.
Wherever he stepped, the deck flared; arcs of blue lightning danced across him now and then.
"Ah!"
Nami screamed, high and sharp.
Who wouldn't be scared of that?
"Don't you come any closer!" Nami's voice quavered with a hint of sobbing.