Inside a quiet, out-of-the-way storage room aboard the hijacked merchant ship, a pink-haired boy with thick glasses struggled to push a large oak barrel. He looked timid and frail, clearly out of place among the pirates who now roamed the ship unchecked.
Before he could get far, three pirate lackeys — one skinny, one fat, one dark-skinned — blocked his way.
"Well, look what we have here," the skinny one sneered. "Little coward Koby actually found something useful for once. I'm feeling kinda thirsty…"
"Th-This barrel is part of the pirate haul! If Miss Alvida finds out you touched it, she'll kill us!" Koby stammered, voice shaking.
"She won't find out if you don't open your mouth," the dark-skinned pirate said with a grin full of menace.
"R-Right! You're absolutely right!" Koby quickly agreed, bowing and smiling in fear.
The fat pirate cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.
"Then let me crack this thing open!"
BANG!
Before his fist even landed, two powerful fists burst out from inside the barrel — WHAM! — smashing directly into the fat pirate's chin and sending him flying. He hit the wall with a thud and slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"Ahhh! That was the best nap ever!!!" a voice shouted from within.
A boy with a straw hat leapt out of the barrel, stretching his arms and grinning from ear to ear.
"Who the hell?!" the other two pirates shouted, shocked and furious.
"Huh?" The straw hat boy looked at the collapsed fat pirate on the ground, blinking. "He'll catch a cold sleeping like that…"
"Don't play dumb!" the dark-skinned pirate growled, drawing a blade. "You little brat! You knew we were pirates and came looking for trouble?"
"I'm starving. Got any meat?" the straw hat boy asked, ignoring them completely. He turned to Koby with wide, hopeful eyes.
"LISTEN WHEN PEOPLE TALK!" the skinny pirate roared, his veins bulging.
"That's it! You're dead, brat!" the dark-skinned pirate lunged forward with his blade raised.
"Hm?"
The boy tilted his head, ready to counter — but before he could move...
BOOM!
A thunderous impact echoed through the room. The dark-skinned pirate went flying, bones crunching as he slammed into the wall. He didn't get back up.
"You… you…" The last pirate stared, trembling, as a young man with sharp features stepped into the room.
Koby froze.
Just one punch — barehanded — and that pirate was done for. Koby could still hear the bones snapping.
Even Alvida, with her massive iron club, wasn't that terrifying.
"Who are you?" the straw hat boy asked, flashing a grin. "You're strong. Why'd you help me?"
"Name's Lu En. I was a passenger on this ship before the pirates took over," Lu En replied, his gaze steady. "Now I'm cleaning up the trash."
He glanced at the boy with the straw hat.
Monkey D. Luffy. Alive and grinning.
Then he turned toward the trembling pink-haired boy curled up in the corner.
Found him.
Lu En's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Lu En, huh? I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Nice to meet ya!" Luffy grinned and stuck out his hand.
"Pleasure's mine," Lu En replied with a nod.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
The last remaining pirate screamed in terror, grabbed his unconscious comrades, and bolted from the room.
"N-Not good! If he gets backup, they'll kill you both!" Koby shouted in panic.
"I'm still hungry," Luffy muttered, rubbing his stomach.
"I figured you might be," Lu En said, reaching into his bag. "Brought some leftovers from the party. You like meat?"
"MEAT!!!" Luffy's eyes sparkled like a child seeing treasure. He immediately dove into the food, devouring it with loud, satisfied chomps.
"You're a good guy, Lu En," Luffy said through a mouthful of meat, smiling wide.
Lu En chuckled quietly.
Koby? Earn Luffy's trust? In what world?
As Luffy ate, Lu En narrowed his eyes and focused.
"Access Traits."
A golden light flared.
—Trait (Monkey D. Luffy): Superhuman Physique [Deep Purple]
—Trait: Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened) [Light Gold]
—Trait: Powerful Connections [Special]
—Trait: Sun God [Ultra Gold]
—Trait: Gum-Gum Fruit (Disguised) [Deep Purple]
—True Form: Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan – Nika Form (Unawakened) [Ultra Gold]
Superhuman Physique [Deep Purple]: A body that exceeds human limits. Rapid nutrient absorption, extreme stamina, and the fuel needed to unleash Devil Fruit powers. (Upgrades with user's physical growth.)
Conqueror's Haki (Unawakened) [Light Gold]: The rare will of a king. One in a million possess it. Can cause weaker foes to faint with sheer presence. Further mastery leads to Haki Coating [Deep Gold] and, eventually, Full Conqueror's Coating [Ultra Gold].
Powerful Connections [Special]: One of the most potent ties in the world. In life-or-death situations, fate may call in…
—Ace, the Fire Fist
—Garp, the Marine Hero
—Dragon, the Revolutionary Leader
—Shanks and his full Yonko crew
(Special Traits cannot be upgraded.)
Sun God [Ultra Gold]: The warrior of hope. As long as people's hope endures, the bearer can always rise again—stronger, brighter, and unstoppable.
Gum-Gum Fruit [Deep Purple]: Classified as a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
True Form — Human-Human Fruit: Mythical Zoan, Nika Form [Ultra Gold](Unawakened)
Legendary Gold.
Lu En's eyes sparkled with hunger — and awe.
This was beyond stacked.
Even though he'd read the manga and knew what to expect, seeing the actual trait list of Luffy in person made his breath catch.
The Sun God trait?
So that's how Luffy kept getting back up during the Kaido fight. As long as someone had hope… Luffy would rise again.
It was a cheat. A literal cheat.
But it was the Powerful Connections [Special] trait that really made Lu En's scalp tingle.
His first time seeing a special trait.
"Seriously… this guy's not just the chosen one. He's got four savior routes baked into his fate."
If you pushed Luffy into a corner, there was a chance Ace, Garp, Dragon, or Shanks himself would appear. Hell, all of Shanks' crew might show up.
Even Whitebeard in his prime might hesitate if that triggered.
Still… Lu En wasn't here for Luffy.
His target was someone else.
He turned toward the quivering mess of a boy cowering in the corner.
"You," Lu En said coldly. "You're part of the Alvida Pirates, aren't you?"
Koby gulped, trembling like a leaf.
He didn't know it yet, but his role in this story was about to change—drastically.
Author's Note:
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