At the entrance of Makino's tavern, a crowd had gathered. People were staring at Luffy's prey, including several experienced hunters.
"Did that little Luffy really bring this back?"
"This is incredible!"
"How old is he anyway?"
The onlookers surrounded the forest wolf's corpse, expressing constant amazement at Luffy's accomplishment.
Living in the East Blue, none of them could fathom how a child of only a few years could achieve this. Even the most seasoned hunters in town would struggle to kill a beast of this size alone.
Few would even consider using poison—adults are large, hard to conceal, and carry their own scent.
Then there was Luffy's signature technique: holding his breath, emitting no sound, so the beast wouldn't sense him at all.
With his data-form body, Luffy felt no discomfort from oxygen deprivation. While prolonged periods caused HP to slowly decrease, his Stamina still provided some recovery.
This meant that over time, his HP would gradually replenish. Eventually, with high enough Stamina, he could fight in zero-oxygen environments.
After a short while, the crowd dispersed, leaving only Makino and her father.
The father-daughter pair exchanged glances, having watched Luffy grow bit by bit.
From bringing back small or vegetarian prey at first, to now a full-sized wild beast, all in just two months.
Makino had been worried at first—Luffy hadn't physically grown much. A child's development is rapid; daily changes are common. She had cooked elaborate meals every day, often leaving the tavern with less food for customers.
Still, Luffy's appearance hadn't changed much, and she hadn't known how to explain this to Garp.
Makino's father began processing the forest wolf in the kitchen. Its fur, claws, teeth, and even the tail had medicinal and practical value—high-quality resources.
That evening, Luffy ate a meal exceeding his own body weight and returned to his room contentedly.
Lying on the large bed, he felt a rush of strength in his left arm under his head, his right hand clenched toward the ceiling.
"Maybe punching the stars isn't far off," he thought, chuckling to himself.
Night fell quietly in Luffy's imagination.
At dawn, Windmill Town awakened with life.
Every household opened doors and windows, preparing for the day.
Dressed and ready, Luffy strolled into the forest, returning to the site of his first rabbit kill.
Because he had been hunting deeper in the forest to maximize EXP, he hadn't visited this spot in a long time.
But today was different.
Drawing the dagger from his waist, Luffy scanned the surroundings.
Soon, the grass rustled.
Without hesitation, Luffy stepped toward the sound, spotting a gray figure darting across the clearing—a gray rabbit.
The rabbit noticed him and bolted, but Level 2 Luffy was no longer the same. He covered ground in just a few strides and struck the rabbit's neck with a single swing.
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 1 EXP.]
"Piece of cake!"
Feeling as though he had slain a mighty foe, Luffy twirled his dagger in hand and sheathed it, then strode forward under the blazing sun.
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 2 EXP.]
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 1 EXP.]
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 3 EXP.]
…
Luffy pressed onward, hunting relentlessly through the forest. EXP surged, reaching 25 in no time.
Remember, Level 1 Luffy sometimes spent an entire day for a tiny bit of EXP.
He knew that as he leveled, his rate of growth would only accelerate.
Gradually, he entered the dangerous zone of the forest, where ferocious beasts often roamed.
Luffy advanced carefully, one step at a time.
Last month, he had encountered a lion here—three meters long—which had terrified him into fleeing.
Today, that same lion became his target.
He wasn't sure if the lion remembered him.
He prowled the area for a long while without spotting the beast but didn't give up.
The unusual silence of the forest told him something: a strong master resided here.
Half an hour later, he found a trail of blood and followed it to the entrance of a cave.
Entering a cave recklessly is foolish, but Luffy stepped inside anyway.
Perhaps his newfound strength inflated his confidence, or maybe he wanted to test his limits.
Crouched low, he crept forward, right hand on the dagger, ready to strike instantly.
As he ventured deeper, darkness slowly swallowed the light.
Just as he thought he might enter pitch black, he spotted his target.
Not all beasts favored darkness—or perhaps the master of this cave did not.
The cave's owner, a dark purple lion, was gnawing slowly on the carcass of a freshly killed antelope.
Luffy picked up a small stone from the ground. Thwack! He struck the lion's back and bolted toward the cave entrance.
"Roar—roar!"
The provoked lion growled, charging after Luffy out of the cave.
Luffy, already outside, paused near the entrance, listening carefully.
As the lion was about to emerge fully, Luffy grabbed his special poisoned bone spear and thrust it into the charging figure.
"Roar!"
The purple lion, struck in the rear, swung its paw at Luffy.
But Luffy anticipated this. He ducked, swinging the dagger at the raised paw, slicing sharply downward. Pulling back, the dagger freed itself.
Half of the lion's forepaw had been severed, leaving only some flesh and skin hanging.
"Pff…"
The poison took effect. The lion's hindquarters went completely numb, collapsing weakly to the ground.
Only the one paw remained, clawing feebly at the dirt, trying to retreat.
Luffy walked slowly toward it, knowing he had won. Tools aside, he had slain the forest's apex predator.
Sensing Luffy approach, the lion lifted its head, eyes brimming with tears, letting out low whines—seemingly begging for mercy.
A beast grown to this level of intelligence could even roughly understand human intent through tone.
Luffy raised the dagger silently and stabbed it firmly into the lion's eye, twisting slightly.
"Sorry… I have to do this to grow stronger."
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 15 EXP.]