Chapter 4: The First Mate
"I am here to save my nakama. My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I am going to be the King of the Pirates. As for my Devil Fruit... you can call it the Sun God Nika."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I released a focused wave of Conqueror's Haki directly at the Marines.
I didn't want to knock them out; I just wanted to instill pure, unadulterated terror. Suffocated by the sheer weight of my intent, none of the Marines—Morgan included—dared to move a single muscle. They were completely paralyzed.
I looked calmly at Morgan, who, judging by his trembling knees and pale face, was dangerously close to wetting himself.
I pulled my right arm back, the rubber stretching a full seven meters behind me.
"American Bullshit!" I shouted, snapping my arm forward.
The punch buried itself deep into Morgan's iron-jawed stomach. The sheer kinetic force launched the massive captain off his feet, sending him crashing violently through the stone wall behind him in a cloud of dust and debris.
Since I already knew the true nature of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, I refused to stick to the 'Gum-Gum' naming convention. My attack was just a standard Pistol, but 'American Bullshit' had a much better ring to it.
Every single Marine in the yard stared at me with a mix of absolute horror and awe. To them, Captain Morgan was a symbol of absolute fear—a tyrannical monster and one of the strongest men in the East Blue. And I had just swatted him away like a fly. Their evaluation of my threat level skyrocketed.
Still leaking a thin layer of Conqueror's Haki to maintain the pressure, I swept my cold gaze over the trembling platoon.
"Listen closely," I said, my voice echoing in the dead silence. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I am taking Roronoa Zoro with me. If anyone has a problem with that... you can say it to my face."
No one breathed a word.
Satisfied, I looked over my shoulder at Zoro and jerked my head toward the gate. We walked out of the execution plaza without a single Marine daring to raise a rifle.
Coby scampered after us as we made our way into town. I took them to a nearby restaurant and ordered a massive pile of food. While we were eating, a different squad of Marines entered the diner and politely, but firmly, requested that we leave town.
Just like in the original canon, I provoked a small argument to give Coby the perfect excuse to distance himself from us. With tears in his eyes, he stood up to me, securing his chance to join the Marines without being branded a pirate sympathizer.
We left Coby behind and headed to the docks.
When Zoro finally laid eyes on the Flying Raijin, he stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw practically hit the wooden pier. He was completely speechless. He had expected a stolen fishing boat or a rickety caravel, not a massive, futuristic galleon that looked like it belonged to a king.
After letting him stare for a full minute, I grinned. "So. Do you like the ship?"
A fierce, excited smile slowly spread across Zoro's face. "I expected no less," he muttered, marching up the gangplank. He couldn't stop looking around, his hands brushing against the polished white wood and gleaming gold trim.
I followed him aboard and told him to explore while I set our course. Pulling out a Log Pose pointing toward Orange Town, I locked the coordinates into the control room and set us in motion.
A few minutes later, Zoro emerged onto the deck.
"So, you satisfied?" I asked.
"It's a hell of a ship," he admitted. "But I have some questions."
"Alright. Let's sit down and discuss our future," I said, leaning against the railing. "After all, if you want to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, you're going to need a lot of training. You're still way too weak."
A massive vein bulged on Zoro's forehead. His hand instinctively shot to the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji. "What do you mean, weak? I'm not weak. I'll cut you in half right now!"
I didn't flinch. Instead, I calmly extended my right arm toward him. "Alright. Prove it. Try to cut my arm with everything you've got. I won't even move an inch."
Furious that I was looking down on him, Zoro drew his blade. "Don't regret this, you bastard!"
He swung the Wado Ichimonji with incredible speed and power, aiming directly for my forearm.
Just before impact, I coated my arm in dense, black Armament Haki.
CLANG.
The blade sparked against my skin, bouncing off as if it had struck solid steel. Zoro's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. He stared at his pristine blade, then back at my blackened, completely unharmed arm.
Before he could demand answers, I spoke up.
"This is called Armament Haki," I explained, letting the black coating fade. "Every person in this world has a hidden potential—spiritual energy known as Haki. To even be acknowledged as a strong person on the Grand Line or the New World, you have to learn how to use it to a high degree."
We sat down on the deck, and for the next two hours, I broke down the power system of the world. I explained the basics of Observation, the defensive and offensive applications of Armament, and the rare, indomitable will of Conqueror's Haki.
When I finally finished, Zoro had a look of profound realization on his face.
"So... this Haki is the path to becoming the strongest," he murmured, looking at his hands. He then looked up at me, a sharp grin on his face. "And you're saying you're going to help me unlock it?"
"More or less. Shishishi," I laughed. "We still have three days before we reach our next destination. Let's eat, and then we start your training. Hard work never betrays you."
During our conversation, I had also laid out the geography of the world—the Four Blues, the Grand Line, the New World, the Yonko, and the World Government. Knowing just how many absolute monsters were out there in the vast seas made Zoro's blood boil with excitement. His thirst for power had never been stronger. He realized he was just a big fish in the smallest pond, and he was eager to change that.
Seeing his fired-up expression, I went to the high-tech kitchen and quickly prepared lunch.
When we sat down to eat, I decided it was time to deploy a little psychological warfare. I activated a minor System cosmetic skill I called Expression of the Peerless. It didn't provide any combat stats; it simply altered the atmosphere around me. A gentle, dramatic breeze suddenly swirled around us. The lighting shifted, casting me in a mysterious, radiant glow. It made me look like an ancient, unfathomable master. It was completely ridiculous, but highly effective for honey-potting people.
"Listen closely, Zoro," I said, my voice carrying an unnatural, echoing weight. "There are many things I have yet to tell you, but you will learn them in due time. What you must know now is that your training will be brutal. Under normal circumstances, unlocking Haki takes years of intense, life-threatening combat."
Zoro stopped eating, staring at me with wide eyes, completely captivated by the dramatic aura.
"However," I continued smoothly, "I have a solution. I was trained by a supreme, reclusive master. An entity who prefers to remain unknown to this world. He bestowed upon me many mysterious treasures... including this ship."
Zoro swallowed hard, buying my half-truth, half-lie without question.
"Among these treasures," I said, pulling two small vials from my invisible Inventory Ring, "are medicines that forcibly unlock human potential. These pills will awaken your Haki and reinforce your physical body, condensing a year's worth of training into a single moment. Since I need my first mate strong immediately, I am giving them to you."
I slid the Body Strengthening and Haki Awakening pills across the table.
Zoro looked at the pills, then up at me. His fierce grin returned. "Let's see what your master's medicine can do."
He threw both pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry.
Almost immediately, Zoro gasped. He gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white as he felt a massive surge of energy flood his veins. He felt his muscles condense, his senses sharpen, and a latent, heavy power awaken deep within his chest. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily as his body adapted to the sudden evolution.
"Can you feel the energy flowing inside you?" I asked quietly. "If you can, concentrate. Force that flow toward your arm. That is the Armament Haki I showed you."
Zoro gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead as he focused entirely on his right arm. Slowly, a metallic sheen spread across his skin, hardening until his forearm turned pitch black.
He opened his eyes, staring at his darkened limb with a look of pure triumph. "So this is Armament Haki. Heh."
"It'll be hard to maintain at first," I warned him, "but eventually, it'll become as natural as breathing. Now, close your eyes again and reach out with your senses. Try to feel my presence. That's Observation Haki."
Zoro closed his eyes. Observation Haki proved to be much harder for him to grasp than Armament. He stood perfectly still on the deck for ten solid minutes, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Finally, his tense shoulders relaxed, and a small, satisfied smile crept onto his face. He had found the spark.
I stood up, pulling a heavy wooden training club from my Inventory. "So. Are we ready to start training?"
Zoro drew his swords, a burning passion in his eyes. "This is going to be a hell of an adventure. Bring it on, Captain."
We started with Observation Haki. I tied a thick blindfold over Zoro's eyes and told him to dodge.
On the first day, he didn't dodge a single strike. I beat him like a dusty rug, leaving him covered in welts and bruises. But despite the beating, his spirits never wavered. I refused to let him actively train his Armament Haki until he could reliably use Observation.
On the second day, the relentless repetition began to pay off. He managed to tilt his head just enough to dodge one of my downward swings. It was only one dodge out of a hundred hits, but it was progress.
On the third day, the System pills and his own latent talent finally clicked. He began dodging my strikes with increasing frequency, his body moving almost instinctively before the club even swung.
After three solid days of brutal, non-stop training on the open sea, the Flying Raijin finally arrived at Orange Town.
Unlike the canon timeline, I hadn't run into Nami during my departure, nor had Buggy's men blown my boat out of the sky. I wondered if I would still run into her here. If not, I'd just sail directly to Cocoyasi Village; it wouldn't be an issue either way.
Leaving the ship anchored at the docks, Zoro and I walked into the seemingly deserted town. We found a small, quiet restaurant that was still open and sat down, ordering a massive amount of food. We were mid-conversation, discussing his Haki progress, when the bell above the restaurant door chimed.
I looked over my shoulder.
Walking through the doorway was a slender, beautiful girl with bright orange hair, carrying a small, heavy-looking sack over her shoulder.