That afternoon, just before sunset, little Luffy eagerly ran up the mountain alone. He still couldn't forget about catching wild boars.
"I must catch one tonight!"
An hour later, Luffy returned covered in dirt, dragging a massive wild boar behind him. His face was filled with joy, his grin as wide as ever.
"Hehehe!"
He rushed back to the Marine base, looking around for a certain someone. Spotting him, Luffy called out excitedly.
"Instructor Sakazuki! Please use your fire to roast it for me!"
Akainu scowled. "No!"
What a ridiculous request. The Magma-Magma Fruit, one of the most powerful attack-based Devil Fruits, was not meant for roasting wild boar!
Absolutely not.
But Luffy was persistent.
Half an hour later, the smell of roasted meat wafted through the beach.
"It smells so good!"
(Original) Akainu: "You... How can you use your Devil Fruit power for something so ridiculous?! This is disgraceful!"
(Current) Akainu: "Don't worry about it. I'm willing!"
(Former) Coby: "Isn't the Akainu from the other world too gentle and easygoing? I think I prefer that kind of Admiral Sakazuki..."
(Original) Akainu: "Who just posted that? ... Coby? What squad are you in? Who is your commanding officer?"
(Original) Coby: "Oh no! I let my true thoughts slip! I'm so sorry, Admiral Sakazuki!"
The realization sent chills down Coby's spine. He had accidentally revealed his honest thoughts, and now Admiral Akainu had noticed him.
It was too easy to let your guard down while sending messages on the public screen.
---
Luffy's Offering
Luffy happily carried a large bundle of roasted wild boar meat. His destination was clear—Ron's warship.
The ship was brightly lit at night. The Marine soldiers on duty recognized Luffy and let him pass without question.
"Here you go!" Luffy cheerfully placed half of the roasted meat in front of Ron.
Ron, who had been studying a map, looked up in surprise.
"Oh? For me?"
"Mhm! It's delicious! Thanks for letting Lava Man teach me that Marine Five Styles thing!"
"It's Six Styles," Momousagi corrected.
Luffy might seem a little dumb at times, but he was actually quite sharp. He knew that Akainu held a high position in the Marines, and under normal circumstances, someone like him wouldn't just offer to train a kid.
Which meant someone must have ordered him to do it.
That "someone" had to be this Marine brother in front of him.
Ron smiled. This little Luffy was amusing.
"Alright, I'll take it."
Luffy nodded happily before hopping off the ship.
Watching him leave, Momousagi chuckled.
"I can't tell if he's stupid or smart. Maybe he's clueless about small things but surprisingly sharp when it comes to the big picture."
"Exactly," Ron agreed. "Here, take this meat and share it with the night patrol team."
Momousagi's heart warmed at Ron's generosity. Among all the senior Marines, he was the only one who always thought about the ordinary soldiers.
She admired him.
---
Paying Back a Debt
Meanwhile, Luffy still wasn't done for the night.
With the rest of the roasted meat in one hand and a piece stuffed in his mouth, he headed straight to Makino's tavern.
He hadn't forgotten.
Earlier that day, he had eaten here without paying.
That wasn't right.
The Marine boss had told him that a proper Marine never takes from the people without giving back.
"Makino!" Luffy called out as he entered.
"Luffy? What are you doing here?"
"This is for the lunch I had!"
With a loud thud, nearly 100 kilograms of roasted wild boar landed on the counter.
Makino's jaw dropped. "This… This is way too much!"
"It's not enough for what I ate."
Luffy didn't care if he was overpaying. He just wanted to make things right.
---
Whitebeard's Whereabouts
As Luffy sat down, swinging his little feet, he suddenly asked:
"Makino, do you know where Whitebeard is?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I'm going to catch Whitebeard!"
"You? Now?"
"No, tomorrow!"
Makino nearly dropped the plate she was holding.
What in the world had gotten into this boy?!
He wanted to capture the Whitebeard?! The Strongest Man in the World?!
This had to be a joke!
Seeing how serious Luffy was, she panicked. She had to stop him from getting himself killed.
"I don't know where Whitebeard is," she said truthfully. "But even if I did, you wouldn't stand a chance against him."
---
A Harsh Reality Check
The next morning, Luffy packed his things and prepared to set sail.
His goal was clear—capture Whitebeard.
Unfortunately for him, he ran into the Sea King almost immediately.
And got beaten up.
Hard.
He returned to shore crying.
"Marine Six Styles is too weak!" Luffy sniffled.
If he wanted to take down Whitebeard, he needed to become stronger.
"I need to keep training!"
And so, he stayed behind.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why is there another one today?!"
Akainu glared at the two brats standing before him—Luffy and Sabo.
He hated babysitting kids.
Especially these ones.
"Can I learn from you too?" Sabo asked politely, saluting like a proper soldier.
Akainu's annoyance softened slightly.
At least this kid had manners.
"Fine."
"Then let's continue learning the Marine Six Styles today."
Luffy immediately protested.
"No! I don't want to learn that again. I already know it! Teach me something else!"
Akainu's patience thinned.
"Then I'll teach you how to use your Devil Fruit." He turned to Sabo. "As for you, you seem more suited to hand-to-hand combat. You'll continue training in the Six Styles."
And so, the two boys trained from morning until night.
Time flew by.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Sabo finally mastered the Marine Six Styles.
Luffy learned some basic techniques for using his Devil Fruit.
Then, one morning, Sabo made a decision.
"I'm going back home."
At the same time, something huge happened in the Kingdom of Goa.
The Celestial Dragons had arrived to collect their Heavenly Tribute.
---
A Shocking Revelation
(Original) Sengoku: "Garp, look at how well-behaved Luffy is! He even insists on paying for his meals. Compare that to the other Luffy, Ace, and Sabo in the parallel world. They're still running around stealing food."
(Former) Garp: "See? My grandson has always been a good kid. He must have been corrupted by Roger's brat!"
(Former) Roger: "Nonsense, Garp! You threw them into a den of mountain bandits! What did you expect?! If anything, they should have been raised by Pirates!"
Roger then added one more line.
"I've been revived, and I'm on my way to Marineford. Just wait for me!"
Garp stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"Wait, what?!"
---
To be continued…
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