"I'm off, Dadan. Please look after the villagers."
"Please be careful, Luffy."
At Fusha Village's harbor, ten years had passed since the Red Hair Pirates had set sail.
At the harbor stood Luffy before a small ship; behind him were Dadan, Makino, the village chief, and the other villagers.
"I warned you so much, and now you want to become a pirate... Luffy, you're the shame of this village!"
"Ye-yeah~ I'll be back safely."
"Please, Chief, stop it. Of all days, you choose today to be mad."
"Quiet, Dadan! You ex-bandit, stay out of this!"
"They both have high blood pressure and you're yelling again."
"Makino! Please take care of those two elders."
"Alright, Luffy. Don't worry and go on your way."
"By the way, Dadan... where did Dogura and Magura go? Why aren't they here?"
"Oh, they said a huge school of fish showed up nearby, so they took the boat and went."
"They're going fishing on the day of my first voyage?"
"They said they'd be quick... oh, they're coming from over there."
Luffy looked to where Dadan was pointing; there a boat about ten meters long floated on the sea.
On the boat, a large, bearded man waved at Luffy, while a shorter man with a headscarf cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to Luffy.
"Luffy~ I'm on my way!"
"Dogura! You two just have to show up on a day like this... ha, never mind."
"Working hard catching fish is better than banditry... huh?"
Luffy saw the boat violently shake from afar.
The shaking grew stronger and more rapid.
Pewong!
In that instant, something massive burst out from around the boat carrying Dogura and Magura.
"Kyaaaaaa!!!"
"Th-That's the Master of the Near Sea!"
"Uwaaaaa!!!"
It was the Sea King that bit off Shanks's arm ten years ago: the Master of the Near Sea.
Dogura and Magura shrieked in terror at the sight of the Sea King, and the villagers at the harbor did the same.
"T-This is bad. Those two are going to get eaten by the Master of the Near Sea!"
"It hasn't been seen around recently...!"
"...It's been a while."
Luffy stared at the reappeared Master of the Near Sea.
At the sight of the Sea King's crocodile-like snout and serpentine body, Luffy recalled a memory.
Under the blood-red sky, surrounded by raging flames on all sides, Luffy looked up at the heavens, recalling...
"Urororo... your gaze is alive, Garp's grandson."
Its appearance was similar to the Master of the Near Sea, but it flew in the sky wrapped in swirling clouds.
Its body, covered in blue scales, bore limbs, and from its head stretched four long, slightly curved horns.
From its head and down along its back to its tail grew a black mane.
"It was worth coming all this way."
It was undoubtedly a dragon.
"Dadan, take the villagers and head off."
"Luffy! What the... All right, got it."
"Makino! Load the Chief onto my back!"
"Ah, okay, Dadan!"
Meeting Luffy's gaze, Dadan hoisted the Chief onto her back and ran toward the opposite end of the harbor, with Makino and the villagers following behind.
After turning back to look at the villagers, Luffy's body was briefly enveloped in a golden aura before it vanished.
At that moment, Luffy leapt into the air and flew straight toward the boat carrying Dogura and Magura.
'It never appeared when I was looking for it... and now it jumps out on my first voyage... is this fate?'
"Both of you, hold on to something!"
"Ah, got it, Luffy!"
"Please save me!"
"Eel... you're not going home peacefully today!"
Luffy shouted this with a smirk, and glared fiercely at the Sea King.
[Armament Haki]
As Luffy's right hand blackened, his body shot vertically toward the Sea King.
'Once you become strong enough, you can use the power known as [Haki].'
'And thanks to the [Gum-Gum Fruit], I can use Haki more diversely. I call that [Ki Gong].'
'Among all those, the technique I specifically reserved for wiping out scum reptiles like you and other powerful opponents is... [Dragon Slayer Qigong].'
'If meeting you was truly fate...'
The blackened fist gleamed in the sunlight as it was drawn back, its tip shrouded in a golden aura shaped like a drill.
'Let's finish this today!'
"[Dragon Spear Assault]!"
Wham!
Just as the boat carrying Dogura and Magura slammed into the end of the harbor, Luffy drove his fist into the Sea King's face.
From the shockwave, Dogura and Magura were hurled face-first into the sandy shore.
"Kyeeeeeeeek!!!"
"Pfuhk! I-I'm alive!"
"Thanks, Luffy!"
"It's not over yet, so both of you get clear of the harbor."
"Ah, got it!"
After seeing the two dodge, Luffy looked at the fallen Sea King on the shore.
The Sea King lay on the sand, its face grotesquely mangled yet still writhing. Luffy raised his right hand and spread his palm.
In his palm, a golden aura gathered into a spherical shape,
'The one just now was payback for trying to eat me ten years ago.'
'But the price you'll pay this time... is Shanks's arm that you swallowed.'
The sphere launched toward the Sea King's mouth.
Pewong!
The Sea King, having swallowed the sphere, had its head ripped from its body.
As soon as the head was severed, the serpentine body writhed violently once, then fell still.
"Luffy... how strong have you become?"
"Magura, I've been pounding the cliffs of Mount Corvo for over a year."
"So I should at least handle something like this."
After saying this to Magura, Luffy moved onto a small boat docked in the corner of the harbor.
Then, as he pulled up the anchor, he raised the flag and shouted.
"As for that thing, gut it and roast it or smoke it—eat it however you like!"
"I'm off!"
At Luffy's words, Dogura, Magura, and the villagers cheered and waved their hands at him.
"We're having Sea King meat today!"
"Luffy! When did you get so strong!"
As the villagers happily watched Luffy sail away, tears welled in Dadan's eyes among them.
"Are you alright, Dadan?"
"I'm fine, Makino... Ace, and now Luffy, when did they both grow up so dependable..."
Dadan watched Luffy's ship sail away and shed tears.
As Dadan wept, Luffy rowed his boat and thought:
'Recalling memories of a past life, the fact that this world is like a manga realm—none of it is truly important.'
'That doesn't mean that the seventeen years I lived without remembering my past life vanish.'
'That I'm my grandfather's grandson, that Dadan raised me as my substitute parent, or that I met Ace and became sworn brothers—none of that differs from the original story.'
'That Shanks saved me... yeah, that too matches the original. I shouldn't have said I'd become the Pirate King.'
"Gather crewmates and form a pirate crew—and I'll find the One Piece too!"
"And that way, I'll become the Pirate King!"
'They talk about how great freedom is, but when I was younger, I didn't know that freedom brings responsibility.'
'Anyway, I have to find the One Piece too. If some weird guy finds it before me, the world could go to hell.'
'If I do that, I'll also naturally keep my promise to become Pirate King, and I have to return the hat to Shanks.'
'On the way, if I take care of some other pirates, I won't get bored; rather, I'll have too much to do.'
While thinking this, Luffy lifted the straw hat from his head and held it in his hand.
He aligned his fingertips with the brim of the hat, then began to spin it on his finger.
'If it's something I have to do anyway, I might as well enjoy it.'
'A new adventure.'
After placing the straw hat back on his head, Luffy sat down and began to row.
'My name is Monkey D. Luffy.'
'I'm a pirate who wants to live free, if possible.'
And so, the reincarnator born with the name Monkey D. Luffy set off on his adventure, steering a small ship.