"I want to find a partner stronger than Shanks!"
That's what Luffy thought when he set sail, but...
In less than three days at sea, he found himself in big trouble!
"Hey..."
Luffy looked at the two shadowy figures who had suddenly appeared on his ship, sounding a bit bewildered as he asked, "Who are you guys!"
In front of him, on his ship, two strange people completely covered in black suddenly emerged from below. After appearing, they started talking as if they were looking for something.
"That kid should be right here..."
"Lord General is very angry."
"That kid who stole the Super Energy Device..."
"Unforgivable."
Luffy looked at them as if to say, "What are you talking about?" then suddenly punched!
"You listen to me properly!"
With two loud thuds, Luffy's fists hit the two shadowy figures like a machine gun. The two seemed surprised that there was someone as strong as Luffy on this pirate ship with only one pirate. Without any resistance, they were immediately knocked off the ship by Luffy's two punches.
"Huh? Maybe I put in too much force..."
Luffy watched them fly away, scratching his cheek.
"Not at all! They're the Shadow Soldier Corps, they're all immortal!"
"Immortal! That's so cool!" Hearing a voice from behind him, Luffy's eyes lit up. But in the next moment, he quickly changed his expression and turned around, "And who are you?!"
He looked with surprise at a boy who appeared behind him. He looked much younger than Luffy. Behind him was a fallen wine barrel, suggesting he had been hiding in it earlier.
Thinking about it, Luffy remembered. He had found a drifting beer barrel on the sea earlier. He thought the barrel was sealed quite well, so he brought it aboard, in case he needed to hide inside during a tsunami later. But he hadn't expected someone else to think of the same thing and act on it first.
"I'm Tian Xiaoban, a fugitive collecting Zoan Devil Fruits!" Tian Xiaoban sounded quite excited when he said the word 'fugitive'. "I just saw you knock down those two Shadow Soldier Corps members with one hit. Did you eat a Zoan Devil Fruit?!"
"Huh?" Luffy, not having much experience dealing with children, saw his shining eyes and quickly said, "No, no, no, I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, I'm a Rubber Human, look..."
As he spoke, he stretched his arm forward, extending it over ten meters. In the next second, he quickly pulled it back and returned it to its original state.
"See, this is rubber, not an animal."
"Some animals can do that too," Tian Xiaoban said. "But never mind, if you are a Zoan type, my Super Energy Device will automatically replicate it. Then we'll know if you have a Zoan Devil Fruit."
"Super Energy Device?" Luffy remembered when the shadowy figures appeared, they had mentioned "the kid who stole the Super Energy Device." He pointed at Tian Xiaoban and said, "Are you a thief?"
"How could I be?!" Tian Xiaoban's eyes widened in disbelief. "I found the Super Energy Device at sea, and I can't take it off... Those shadowy figures earlier were the ones trying to steal the Super Energy Device!"
"So that's how it is," Luffy nodded in realization.
"You trust people too easily!" Tian Xiaoban looked at Luffy in disbelief, then his mood calmed down. "Well, it's fine. I didn't lie, as long as you don't trust those Shadow Soldier Corps anymore."
"What exactly are the Shadow Soldier Corps?"
"They are assassins who obey evil commands, in short, a very dangerous group. They are immortal, so those two are definitely not dead. You've ruined their plans, and they won't let you go."
"It's okay, I'm very strong." Luffy grinned.
"I can see that, easily defeating two Shadow Soldier Corps members. You're not an ordinary pirate," Tian Xiaoban shrugged. At this moment, he touched the watch on his wrist. "Anyway, thank you for your help, but the Shadow Soldier Corps won't let me go, so it's better for us to go our separate ways."
"You're leaving?!" Luffy's eyes widened. "We're in the middle of the sea!"
"Those two took advantage of the Super Energy Device being unusable to ambush me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been chased into the wine barrel by them," Tian Xiaoban giggled. "But it's recovered now. I can use the Super Energy Device to transform and leave."
After saying that, a light emanated from him. The Tian Xiaoban, who was human a moment ago, underwent a massive transformation. He now resembled a giant praying mantis, with two thin cicada wings on his back, and four sharp spike-like structures on his sides, resembling a mantis's forelegs. He had two arms in front.
"Transform!" Luffy's jaw almost dropped. He excitedly looked at Tian Xiaoban, who had transformed into a monster. "Too cool! Xiaoban, stay and be my companion!"
"This is the Gliding Mantis, it can fly at high speed, so I'm not afraid even at sea." Tian Xiaoban's voice changed after transforming. He rejected Luffy's offer at the end. "Luffy, you're very strong, but if I join, you'll also be targeted by stronger Shadow Soldier Corps. The Shadow Soldier Corps is a very powerful force! Even the strongest pirates are no match for them!"
"So what? No matter how many of those shadowy figures come, I'll knock them all down," Luffy picked his nose.
"I told you it's different. Those two earlier were just low-level guys. Anyway, I don't have much time to talk. The Super Energy Device has a usage limit. Alright Luffy, I'll see you again if fate allows!"
After speaking, Tian Xiaoban took flight. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he said again.
"Oh, right, if you really need a companion, you can keep going west. I heard there's a very powerful swordsman there, and he's also alone."
After saying that, he waved goodbye to Luffy and flew off into the distance.
Watching his receding back, Luffy clasped his hands behind his head and grinned, "If I see you again, I'll definitely make you my crewmate!"
He spread his arms wide and shouted, "Alright! I'll go check out that powerful swordsman Xiaoban mentioned!"
With that, he forcefully rowed towards the west.
And at the entrance to the East Blue, a Marine warship was slowly approaching.
"Honestly, that Luffy really went out to sea to become a pirate. I have to teach him a lesson!"
Uta, wearing a Marine uniform, was already a Marine Commodore according to her rank. And the rank of Commodore was not enough to measure Uta's current strength.
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