The little sailboat cut through the waves, a tiny, insignificant speck on the vast canvas of the East Blue. For the first time since my chaotic arrival, I had a moment to breathe, to truly process the sheer, mind-bending insanity of my new reality. The sun was warm, the sea spray was cool, and sitting across from me, picking his nose with the same casual air as before, was the future King of the Pirates.
Coby, looking utterly exhausted from the emotional whiplash of defying a pirate captain and escaping with his life, was diligently manning the tiller, his small map laid out beside him.
"Man, I'm hungry!" Luffy suddenly announced, breaking the comfortable silence. He patted his stomach, which let out a growl that seemed to vibrate through the boat's hull. "Kai, you got any food?"
I smirked. Of course, that would be his first priority. "Yeah, I grabbed a crate from the galley before we left." I shifted my weight and pulled a small wooden crate from under a tarp. Inside were some hardtack biscuits, dried meat, and a few apples. It wasn't much, but it was survival.
Luffy's eyes lit up as if I'd just unveiled a king's feast. "MEAT!" he cheered, grabbing a piece of jerky and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth.
As he chewed happily, I took a biscuit for myself. It was dry and tasted like cardboard, but it was real. I could feel the texture, the bland taste on my tongue. It grounded me. This wasn't a dream.
"So, Kai," Luffy said, his mouth still full. "Where you from?"
It was a simple question, but for me, it was a landmine. I couldn't very well say, 'A different dimension where your entire life is a best-selling manga.' I had to create a new past.
"A small island, far from here," I said, keeping it vague. "It was quiet. Didn't get many visitors. Definitely no pirates."
"So how'd you get so strong?" he asked, his curiosity genuine.
I paused, considering my answer. The truth was, I wasn't strong before. I was an average 18-year-old student. But now… now I could feel the power latent in my limbs. The Essence was a constant, low-level hum in the background of my senses.
"I trained," I said, which wasn't a complete lie. I was going to train. "My home was peaceful, and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way. I wanted to be strong enough to protect it." It echoed the dream I'd stated earlier, giving it a foundation.
Luffy swallowed his meat with a gulp. "I get it! Like Shanks! He's strong, and he protects his friends!" he said, his eyes sparkling at the mention of his hero and idol. "That's a good reason! Shishishi!"
He accepted it without a single shred of doubt. That was Luffy. He judged people on their spirit, not their history. It was a relief.
As the days passed, a simple routine formed. Coby would navigate, his confidence growing with every nautical mile we covered. Luffy would alternate between napping, eating, and trying to catch seagulls with his stretching hands. And I… I began to explore what it meant to have a broken limiter.
On the second day, while Luffy was asleep and Coby was focused on the horizon, I started with something simple. A push-up. The movement was effortless. I did another. And another. I kept going, counting in my head. Fifty. One hundred. Five hundred.
A thousand.
I felt nothing. No burn in my muscles, no strain on my joints, no fatigue in my lungs. It was as easy as breathing. I pushed faster, my arms a blur. I could feel the microscopic fibers in my muscles contracting and relaxing. But instead of tearing and breaking down as they should have, I could feel a warm, internal energy flowing through them, reinforcing them with every single repetition. They weren't getting tired; they were getting denser, stronger, more efficient in real-time.
My mind was just as clear. I began to analyze my own physiology, the mechanics of my movement, the optimal distribution of force. My brain was processing information at a rate that would have been impossible before. I could feel the passive growth of the Essence, a gentle tide raising my base level of power, but this—this active training—was an exponential surge.
"Whoa, Kai!"
I stopped, realizing Luffy was awake and watching me, his head propped up on his hands. He wasn't looking at me with suspicion, but with wide-eyed admiration.
"You're really training hard!" he grinned. "That's so cool!"
I pushed myself up, not even breathing heavily. "Can't get strong by sitting around."
( Yeah right)
"You're right!" he agreed. "When we get a bigger ship, we should get some big weights!"
The simple acceptance, the shared desire for strength, it felt… good. It felt like the start of a real camaraderie.
On the evening of the third day, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, Coby spoke up, his voice tight with nervousness.
"We should be seeing Shells Town by morning," he said, folding his map carefully. "Luffy-san… Kai-san… there's something you should know about the Marine base there."
Luffy was trying to balance an apple on his nose. "Hm? What's that?"
"It's under the command of a Marine Captain named Morgan," Coby said, his voice dropping. "They call him 'Axe-Hand' Morgan. He's a tyrant who rules the town through fear. Everyone is terrified of him, even his own men."
Luffy finally managed to balance the apple. "An axe for a hand? Weird! Does he eat with it?"
Coby ignored him, his face pale. "That's not all. There's a reason I know about this base. It's been all over the news. They've… they've captured a man there. A notorious pirate hunter."
My attention sharpened. Here it comes.
"A pirate hunter?" Luffy asked, the apple wobbling on his nose. "Why would Marines capture a pirate hunter?"
"Because he's a monster!" Coby squeaked, his fear palpable. "He's like a demon in human form! He roams the seas, hunting down pirates for bounties, cutting them down without mercy! They say he's the greatest swordsman in the East Blue. His name is… Roronoa Zoro!"
The apple fell off Luffy's nose and plopped into the water. He didn't seem to notice. His usual goofy expression was gone, replaced by one of intense, focused interest.
"A demon… the greatest swordsman…" Luffy murmured, a slow grin spreading across his face. "He sounds interesting."
Coby stared at him, aghast. "Interesting?! Luffy-san, he's a terrifying beast! We should stay as far away from him as possible! If Captain Morgan caught him, imagine how powerful Morgan must be!"
"Hmm," Luffy mused, tapping his chin. He then looked at me, his eyes gleaming with an idea. An idea I knew was coming, but it still sent a thrill through me.
"I've decided," Luffy declared, pointing dramatically towards the horizon. "If he's that cool, I'm gonna ask him to join my crew!"
Coby looked like he might faint. "JOIN…?! LUFFY-SAN, DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?! HE'S AN EVIL, BLOODTHIRSTY DEMON! A MONSTER!"
"But you haven't met him, have you?" I interjected calmly.
Coby turned to me, sputtering. "W-Well, no! But the rumors… the stories…!"
"Stories get exaggerated," I said, shrugging. I looked at Luffy, offering my support. "Besides, you're a pretty good judge of character, aren't you, Captain?"
Luffy beamed at my use of the title. "Exactly! I'll decide for myself if he's a bad guy or not! If he is, we'll leave him alone. But if he's a good guy, he's joining us!"
Coby could only groan and slump against the tiller, defeated by our combined insanity.
The rest of the night passed quietly. I spent it meditating, focusing on the Essence within. I could feel it coursing through me, a river of limitless potential. With every breath, every heartbeat, I was getting stronger. I was still leagues away from the monsters of the Grand Line, but the gap was closing, second by second. I wasn't just growing; I was evolving as well.
When dawn broke, a silhouette appeared on the horizon. An island. As we drew closer, the details became sharper. A bustling town, and at its center, a massive, imposing tower, stark and gray. The Jolly Roger of the Marines flew from its peak, but the tower itself had a different emblem on it: a grotesque jawbone, a symbol not of justice, but of one man's ego.
Shells Town.
"There it is…" Coby whispered, his hands trembling slightly on the tiller.
Luffy stood at the prow of our little boat, his straw hat casting a shadow over his eyes. His body was thrumming with excitement.
"Alright!" he shouted, his voice filled with joyous anticipation. "Land! Meat! And a new crewmate!"
I stood beside him, the sea breeze whipping through my hair. This was the first real stop. The first official recruitment. The first test of the Straw Hat Pirates. My power felt like a coiled spring inside me, stronger than it was just a few days ago, ready to be unleashed.
Zoro was here. And so was Axe-Hand Morgan. Things were about to get interesting.