"Have you ever seen a seventeen-year-old with this kind of perseverance—and this rate of growth?"
"And his eyes…"
Beckman paused.
"That's the gaze of a true powerhouse."
"Pure. Steadfast. Without a single trace of impurity."
Shanks nodded.
He felt the same way.
Luffy's eyes were too clean.
So clean it made people envious.
"Alright. Time to go."
Shanks gave Luffy one last look, then turned and walked down the mountain.
Beckman followed behind him.
Neither of them spoke again.
Some things didn't need to be said out loud.
—
9:00 a.m.
Luffy finished his seven thousand punches.
He collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Sweat had completely soaked his clothes. His hair clung to his forehead. He looked like he had just been dragged out of the sea.
But there was a smile on his face.
Because the light screen displayed:
[Task 1 complete.]
[Detected: Punch quality has reached "Excellent" standard.]
[Reward: Today's long-distance run reduced by 10 kilometers.]
Luffy's eyes lit up.
Ten kilometers less!
That meant he only had to run sixty kilometers instead of seventy!
"That's awesome…"
Luffy lay on his back, staring at the sky, grinning foolishly.
Still exhausted—but at least there was hope.
After ten minutes of rest, he got up and began running.
Sixty kilometers around the back mountain.
By now, Luffy had figured out the most energy-efficient way to run:
Breathing rhythm.
Stride length.
Center of gravity.
He had adjusted everything to its optimal state.
It was still exhausting—but no longer like the first day, when he nearly collapsed.
—
Halfway through the run, Luffy passed near the edge of the village.
From the hillside, he saw it—
The Red-Haired Pirates' ship had already set sail.
The skull flag fluttered in the wind as the ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
Luffy stopped.
He stood there quietly, watching.
His chest felt strangely empty.
Shanks had left.
Who knew when they would meet again?
"Just wait, Shanks," Luffy muttered, clenching his fist.
"When I set sail… I'll make you regret underestimating me."
He turned and resumed running.
His steps were firmer now.
—
By noon, Luffy finished his run.
When he returned to the village, something felt off.
Villagers stood in small groups, whispering among themselves.
As Luffy walked past, he overheard:
"Did you hear? Some mountain bandits came this morning."
"Bandits? What for?"
"No idea. They stopped by the tavern for drinks."
"Is Makino alright?"
"She's fine. They left after drinking."
Luffy's heart tightened.
Bandits?
Foosha Village was usually peaceful. Bandits rarely came here.
Why now?
He hurried toward the tavern.
Pushing open the door, he saw Makino wiping down a table.
"Makino! Are you okay?!"
He rushed over.
Makino looked up and smiled reassuringly.
"I'm fine, Luffy."
"What about the bandits?"
"They've already left."
She set down her clothes and sighed.
"There were more than a dozen of them. Their leader's name was Higuma."
"They drank, made some noise, but didn't do anything too excessive."
Luffy let out a breath of relief.
But then he frowned.
"Why would they come here?"
"I'm not sure," Makino said softly. "Probably just passing through."
Luffy didn't feel right about it.
Something was wrong.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Forget it. They are gone now.
"Makino, I'm starving," Luffy said, rubbing his stomach.
"I'll make something right away."
She headed into the kitchen.
Luffy sat at the counter, still thinking about the bandits.
Then suddenly—
He remembered the original storyline.
In the original story, shortly after Shanks left, the bandit Higuma would come back to the tavern to cause trouble and then—
Luffy's pupils shrank.
Oh no.