Shanks stood up and walked over to the counter, sitting down beside Luffy.
"Kid, what were you up to this morning?"
Luffy's mouth was stuffed with meat as he mumbled,
"Training… and fighting wolves…"
"Fighting wolves?"
Shanks raised an eyebrow.
"By yourself?"
"Mm."
Luffy nodded and swallowed.
"Ten of them. Knocked them all down."
He said it calmly, without the slightest hint of bragging—like he was stating something completely ordinary.
A flicker of surprise passed through Shanks' eyes.
He knew about the wolves in the hills behind Foosha Village. They weren't especially strong, but against a seventeen-year-old boy, they were more than enough.
Ten?
Even trained Marine recruits might struggle with that.
"You only started training yesterday, right?" Shanks asked.
Luffy paused slightly.
"Ah… yeah."
He lowered his head and kept eating.
Shanks studied Luffy's profile for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Interesting."
He patted Luffy on the shoulder.
"After you finish eating, want to take a walk with me?"
Luffy looked up and blinked.
"Where to?"
"The shore."
Shanks stood up.
"I want to see just how far you've come."
Luffy's eyes lit up.
"You want to fight me?"
"Fight?" Shanks burst out laughing.
"No, no. Just… take a look."
He turned toward the door.
"Come find me when you're done. I'll be at the usual spot."
With that, he pushed the door open and left.
Luffy stared at Shanks' back, his heartbeat suddenly quickening.
Shanks wanted to "take a look" at his strength?
What did that mean?
Was he going to test him?
Or—
[Temporary mission triggered: Demonstrate potential in front of Shanks.]
[Mission requirement: Obtain an evaluation of "Not bad" or higher from Shanks.]
[Mission reward: Today's sleep time increased by 30 minutes.]
[Failure penalty: All training volume doubled today.]
Luffy: "..."
Again?!
He took a deep breath, stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.
Then he jumped off the stool and dashed for the door.
"Makino! Put it on my tab!"
"Wait, Luffy! You haven't paid—"
The door had already slammed shut.
Makino stared at the empty doorway and shook her head helplessly.
"That child…"
—
At the shore, beside the familiar reef.
Shanks stood facing the sea.
The ocean wind lifted his red hair, his coat fluttering behind him.
Luffy ran over and stopped a few steps behind him.
"Shanks!"
Shanks turned around.
"You're here?"
"Yeah."
Luffy nodded, nervously rubbing his hands together.
"How do you want to do this?"
Shanks smiled and gestured toward the sand.
"Simple. Use your strongest move and punch me."
Luffy blinked.
"Punch you?"
"That's right."
Shanks slipped his hands into his pockets and stood there casually, completely unguarded.
"With everything you've got."
Luffy frowned.
"But… you might get hurt."
He knew he'd gotten a little stronger—but Shanks was a great pirate!
How could he possibly hurt him?
Shanks laughed loudly.
"Relax. You won't."
Luffy clenched his teeth.
"Then… here I come!"
He stepped back a few paces and took his stance.
His right fist drew back. His body lowered slightly.
He steadied his breathing.
In his mind, he replayed the feeling from yesterday's and today's training.
Muscles tightened. Joints aligned. Power flowed from the soles of his feet to his waist, then surged into his arm—
"Gum-Gum—"
His fist shot forward like a cannonball!
"Pistol!"
Bang!
The punch landed squarely on Shanks' abdomen.
And then—
Nothing.
Shanks didn't even sway.
Luffy felt like his fist had struck a mountain.
No—
Harder than a mountain.