Show me your motivation....
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POWAAA....
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'Sigh'. I think the Syrup village arc is taking too much time. It should have been finished almost a week ago, but here we are.
I am really tired right now. I've been awake for almost 27 hours, and my body is swaying here and there like a leaf in a wind.
This chapter should've been uploaded at the reset time (Which was yesterday for me, at 9:30 P.M. India-time), but I was at my friend's house, wasting our precious time playing Pragmata. God damn Diana is such a sweetheart.
You know, before I was thinking of writing this fanfic, I was busy on another one, 'Doom Slayer in Elden Ring'. I even wrote eight chapters of it. But now, I am already busy with this story. Maybe after finishing this one, I'll upload that one too.
Now, important stuff. It looks like majority of you do not like the idea of Yuji not having the cursed energy in One-Piece. As by your own words, "What's the meaning of Yuji being in One-Piece world if he doesn't even have his unique trait!!". So, here's what I'm going to do. Yuji will still not have any cursed energy in him, BUT... he will have something similar to that. Something which will make sense in One-Piece world and does not break the individual world rule.
Do not worry, I'll not nerf him. He will only get more powerful from this.
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Here's your chapter.
Attendance Please:
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NEXT DAY, EARLY MORNING (4:00 A.M.) —
It was the quiet time just before dawn. A few stars were still visible, like tiny lights scattered across the dark sky. The air was cold enough to see your breath, but it felt clean and fresh.
Yuji's eyes slowly opened. His internal clock had never failed him. He swung his legs off the bed, placed his bare feet on the cold wooden floor, and let the chill fully awaken him.
'Four o'clock. Right on time,' he thought.
He washed up quickly and stepped out of the room Usopp had given them. He walked into the living room and saw Zoro sleeping on the sofa, his three swords cradled in his arms like treasures, breathing slowly and steadily.
Zoro's eyes opened the moment Yuji's hand touched his shoulder.
"Training," Yuji said quietly.
Zoro gave a lazy nod and stood up.
Yuji then went to Usopp's room. The sniper was curled into a tight ball under his blanket, mumbling something about giant sea monsters in his sleep. When Yuji shook him, Usopp jumped like a frightened cat.
"Wha—what happened?! Are the monsters attacking?"
Seeing this, Yuji simply shook his head.
"Relax. It's four in the morning, training time."
Usopp stared at him with the expression of someone who had just discovered that sleep was a lie. "Four," he said flatly. "In the morning."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You'll thank me later."
Then he went to the second guest room, where Luffy was sleeping. Yuji opened the door and saw that the captain had turned into a tangled mess of rubber limbs during the night. His mouth was open, and he was making a noise somewhere between a snore and a purr. Yuji grabbed him by the ankle and pulled.
Luffy did not move.
He clung to the bed frame like a man unwilling to leave a warm bed.
Yuji pulled harder. The bed creaked. Luffy's rubber arm stretched—and then snapped back like a rubber band, nearly hitting Yuji in the head.
"Waaahh… I'm still sleepy… let me go…" Luffy mumbled, half asleep.
Yuji grabbed both of Luffy's ankles, planted his feet firmly, and pulled hard. The rubber-bodied captain came loose with a popping sound and collapsed onto the floor in a tangled mess of limbs and blankets. His straw hat rolled across the wooden planks.
"Now, now, don't be like that," Yuji said, folding his arms. "Don't you want to be the King of the Pirates?"
Luffy gave a slow, lazy nod, his eyes still closed.
"Then you need to be strong to reach your goal. And to be strong, you need to train."
Luffy sagged onto the floor like a deflated balloon. He pouted, which looked ridiculous but somehow suited him perfectly. "But can't we do this another time? Does it have to be this early?"
Yuji shook his head and sighed. "Early morning is the best time. People say that if you meditate, study, or train at this hour, you achieve better results than at any other time of day. It's quiet and peaceful, allowing you to focus more."
"He's right," said Zoro, rolling his shoulder in a slow circle. "Even my dojo sensei taught at this hour. He always said the time from 4 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. is called the 'Creator's Hour.' Like Yuji said, it's good for meditation, yoga, study, and spiritual work because the mind is calm and the air is pure."
Yuji snapped his fingers and pointed at Zoro. "Exactly."
"That's pretty deep," muttered Usopp, rubbing his eyes. "But why include me? I'm not that great of a fighter!"
"It's not about being a great fighter, Usopp. It's about being in tune with yourself. It can help keep your mind calm and your body refreshed all day."
Usopp sighed and nodded. "Fine."
Yuji then looked at Luffy with a raised eyebrow. "Captain?"
Luffy shrank under his gaze, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
Finally, Luffy muttered, "Okay."
"Good." Yuji clapped his hands once. "Now, before we start training, let's do a warm-up run—"
Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp waited patiently.
"—around the whole village—"
"What?"
"—at least five times."
Luffy's eyes went wide. Zoro grunted, and Usopp made a sound like a kettle about to boil over.
"H-hey, that's not a warm-up; that's a full workout!" Usopp cried.
Yuji blinked, confused. "Dude, your village isn't that big. Running around it five times is nothing."
"Yeah, so stop being a wimp and be a man," teased Zoro with a smirk.
"Hey, I'm not a wimp," Usopp said, puffing out his chest like a startled bird. "You should know I can easily run 100 kilometers—no, 200 kilometers—while carrying a 10-ton hammer on my back."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say... God of Hammer."
Zoro's tone was so dry that it could have tanned leather.
Usopp sputtered, "I—you—that's—shut up!"
Zoro ignored him and turned to Luffy and Yuji. "Shall we begin?"
Yuji gave a thumbs-up. Luffy, still looking as if he were attending his own funeral, reluctantly nodded.
They stepped out into the darkness.
Syrup Village lay sleeping all around them. The houses were dark and silent. The only light came from the stars. A dog barked somewhere in the distance, then fell silent.
Yuji took the lead at a steady pace, his feet making soft pat-pat-pat sounds on the dirt path. Beside him, Zoro ran silently. Once Luffy got moving, he seemed to wake up, his long, rubbery legs covering the ground with ease. Usopp followed behind.
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After just two laps around the village, Usopp appeared as if he were about to collapse.
He was breathing in ragged gasps. Sweat poured off him, soaking his shirt and plastering his hair to his face. His legs moved on their own, stumbling and jerky, and his face had turned a shade close to purple.
"Huff… huff… how are you three not tired yet?!"
None of them answered, not because they were ignoring him, but because none of them were even breathing heavily.
Luffy was practically skipping with joy.
Then Usopp's legs gave way.
One moment, he was running; the next, his knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the dirt path in a heap of shaking limbs and heavy breathing. He lay on his back, staring at the fading stars, wondering if this was what dying felt like.
The trio stopped, turned, and looked back at the fallen sniper.
"Damn, he's way weaker than I thought!" said Zoro, raising an eyebrow.
Luffy slapped the back of Zoro's head with a sharp sound. "Don't say that! We should help him instead of criticizing him!"
Zoro rubbed his head and clicked his tongue. "Whatever you say, Captain."
He walked over to Usopp, bent down, and lifted him onto his back with a grunt. Usopp was lighter than he appeared, composed of gangly limbs and nervous energy.
"Y-you… d-don't… need to… I c-can still walk!"
The words came out between wheezes.
Yuji gently patted Usopp's back. "It's okay, Usopp. You don't have to be brave all the time. We're here for you."
"Shishishishishi… yup," Luffy grinned widely. "Now, let's go—three more rounds left."
"Now he's excited about the run?" Zoro asked ironically.
Yuji simply raised his hands and smiled faintly.
Zoro muttered something under his breath, something about an idiotic, rubber-brained captain and fell into step beside Yuji, with a now-silent Usopp on his back like a tired, sweaty sack of potatoes.
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By the time they finished the fifth round, the sky had shifted from black to a deep purple. The stars were fading, retreating one by one as the first light crept over the horizon.
The group stood in a clearing just outside the village—a wide, flat, grassy area bordered by trees on three sides and a cliff overlooking the sea on the fourth. The grass was wet with dew, and the air carried the scent of earth and salt.
Luffy and Zoro were now sweating from the run, their shirts damp and their hair stuck to their foreheads. However, they weren't very tired. Even Zoro, who had carried Usopp for three laps, was barely winded. Any trace of sleep had long since vanished.
Yuji, annoyingly, appeared completely fine. His breathing was steady, and his posture was relaxed. Five laps around Syrup Village were nothing to him.
Zoro dropped Usopp onto the ground without ceremony, simply opening his arms and letting him fall the last foot and a half onto the grass.
"Oww… hey, be gentler!" Usopp muttered, rubbing his butt. Then he slowly stood up, winced, and cracked his back with a few satisfying pops.
Zoro only huffed. "You should work on your stamina; you're really weak."
Usopp opened his mouth, probably to say something grand about his legendary endurance, but then he paused. His mouth closed, his shoulders sagged, and he mumbled, "Yeah, you're right."
Then Luffy gave his usual sunny grin. "Shishishishishi… Don't worry, Usopp. I believe in you."
Usopp sighed quietly.
"Well," Yuji said, clapping his hands together, "now that the warm-up run is done, let's do some stretches to relax our muscles before the real training begins."
With that, Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp followed Yuji through a series of stretches: lunges, seated twists, and butterfly stretch that made Usopp groan and complain about his 'old man hips' despite being only seventeen. They also did chest openers and hamstring stretches that reminded everyone how inflexible they were—except for Luffy, of course.
Then, the cobra pose.
They lay on their stomachs on the damp grass, palms flat beneath their shoulders, and slowly pressed their chests upward. The stretch extended through their stomachs and lower backs. Usopp made a sound like a creaking door. Luffy, being made of rubber, simply flattened himself into a position that should have been impossible.
Each pose was held for fifteen to thirty seconds—just long enough to feel the stretch and the stiffness of sleep leave the joints.
After ten minutes, they all stood up.
They took a deep breath through their noses, filling their lungs completely, held it for a moment, then released it in one smooth exhale through their mouths.
"Man, I feel refreshed!" Usopp said, breathing in the cool air. His voice no longer wheezed, and his color had returned. He looked almost human.
"Now…" Yuji stepped forward, his shadow stretching across the grass in the growing light. "Let's begin."
He clapped his hands again and pointed toward Luffy and Zoro.
"You two will fight each other, but with a twist," he paused. "Luffy will be blindfolded and try to dodge Zoro's attacks. Then Zoro will be blindfolded and try to dodge Luffy's attacks."
Zoro's eyebrow shot up. "Huh? What kind of training is that?"
"This is Haki training—more specifically, Observation Haki," Yuji said, adopting a teacher-like tone. "The blindfolded person tries to sense and dodge attacks from the other person. This helps you detect dangers you can't see with your eyes. It's the most basic way to train Observation Haki."
He looked around. "Any questions?"
Usopp shot his hand up.
"Yes, Usopp?"
"Ahem… what is Observation Haki?"
Yuji smiled. "Good question, Usopp. I'll explain in a few minutes." He then turned back to Luffy and Zoro. "So, are you ready?"
Zoro grunted. He untied his bandana from his left arm and tossed it to Luffy. "Here. Use this."
Then he walked to the edge of the clearing, picked up a sturdy branch about the length of a sword, and gave it a few test swings. He nodded in approval.
Luffy tied the bandana around his eyes. No cheating allowed.
Yuji walked in front of the blindfolded Luffy and held up two fingers. "How many fingers do you see, Luffy?"
Luffy tilted his head. "Sixteen," he said.
A pause.
"…There are two fingers, Luffy," muttered Usopp.
"Oh."
"So he can't see anything," Yuji confirmed, then walked back to stand beside Usopp. He looked at Zoro and gave a sharp nod.
Zoro nodded in return.
Then he swung the branch at Luffy's head.
THUNK.
"WAAAA… Hey…!!!" Luffy howled, clutching his head with both hands. Even through his rubber body, it stung. He rubbed the spot furiously. "What was that for?!"
"Come on, Luffy." Yuji's voice was calm and steady. "Try to sense the attack. Take a deep breath and calm your mind. Don't think about anything, not the One Piece, not meat, not becoming Pirate King. Just focus on your surroundings. Don't force it, just let your body move on its own."
Luffy's pout disappeared.
He took a slow, deep breath. His chest rose, and his shoulders relaxed. He held the breath for a moment, then exhaled. His stance softened, his arms dropped to his sides, and his head tilted slightly.
Zoro watched him carefully. Then he gripped the branch, adjusted his stance, and swung again—this time from the side, aiming at Luffy's right ribs.
Halfway through the swing, he changed direction.
The branch swept upward toward Luffy's chin.
Luffy, focused, sensed a shift in the air to his right. He tried to dodge by leaning back, but the sudden movement caught him off guard. The branch struck his chin.
THUNK.
He grunted and dropped back into a ready stance.
Zoro swung repeatedly—again and again.
Most of the swings connected—thunk, thunk, thunk—but every now and then, Luffy would shift at just the right moment or tilt his head slightly, and the branch would whistle through empty air. Not because he had suddenly developed Observation Haki, but because he could feel the air rushing past him. He was using the air around him as a guide to sense Zoro's attacks.
Yuji watched, nodding slowly.
Then he turned to Usopp, who was standing beside him with his mouth slightly open, watching in disbelief.
"Ahem," Yuji cleared his throat softly.
Usopp was startled and looked at him.
"So?" Yuji asked. "What do you think?"
"I… I've never seen or heard of a training method like this," Usopp said quietly. "This is insane."
Yuji chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Come with me. Let me tell you what Haki is."
They walked along the edge of the village, close enough to hear Luffy and Zoro but far enough away to talk without distracting them. The sky had lightened to a pale gray-blue, and the first rays of sunlight were breaking over the horizon, painting the clouds in shades of pink and gold.
As they walked, Yuji explained the three types of Haki—Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's. He described how they manifested, how they were trained, and how they could mean the difference between life and death in the Grand Line. He spoke of people who could see seconds into the future, harden their bodies like armor, or bend the will of others simply by existing.
Usopp listened silently.
When Yuji finished speaking, Usopp took a few more steps, deep in thought. Then he asked, "Do you think my dad has Haki too?"
Yuji hummed and nodded. "Yup. I'm one hundred percent sure Yasopp has both Armament and Observation Haki. After all, he's the best sniper in the world—or something like that."
Usopp paused, a mix of emotions crossing his face before settling into an unreadable expression. "Do you think I can awaken Haki?"
Yuji looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, considering who your father is, you should already have some kind of sensing ability, maybe not full Observation Haki, but early signs of keen perception, the kind that helps with aiming."
Usopp hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he scanned the ground.
Then he bent down and picked up two pebbles.
He tossed them up and down in each hand, testing their weight.
Then, without looking, he tossed a pebble from his right hand backward over his shoulder.
At the same time, he tossed the other pebble from his left hand toward a nearby tree.
The pebble struck the tree with a sharp tick, rebounded, changed direction, and flew through the air in a perfect arc.
Tick.
The second pebble struck the first one in midair.
Both stones fell onto the grass with soft pat-pats, landing by side.
Yuji's eyes widened. He let out a low, impressed whistle. "Damn, that's some aim, Usopp."
Usopp grinned, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Hehehe… that was nothing."
"No, really, Usopp. That was something else," Yuji said earnestly. "That's exactly what I meant—early signs of sharp perception. If you can already do this, you have a natural talent for Observation Haki. You just need proper guidance, and you'll be able to do the incredible things your dad can do."
Usopp's grin widened in response to the praise.
Then, something tightened in his chest.
His grin faded slowly, like a light dimming, until nothing remained but a flat, tired line.
Yuji blinked, caught off guard. "What happened? Is something wrong?"
Usopp was silent for a long moment. The only sounds were the distant thunk-thunk-thunk of Zoro's branch against Luffy's striking and the soft whisper of the morning breeze.
Then Usopp let out a long, tired sigh. "It's just… whenever I think of my dad and how cool he is, a thought always comes to mind."
He paused, staring at the pebbles on the ground.
"What would have happened if Dad had never left? Would Mom still be alive? Could we have been a happy family?"
His voice was quiet and flat.
"These thoughts sometimes make me think my dad isn't actually that cool." He clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. "He's just a selfish man who left his sick wife and his three-month-old son to chase his dreams—dreams he thought were more important than his own family."
Something flickered in his eyes. It seemed as though he might cry at any moment, but he held it back.
"He never even thought of writing a single letter to us." His voice cracked slightly on the word letter. "Does he even know Mom is gone? Does he know how I've been living, all alone in that empty house?"
Another sigh, heavier this time.
"You know… if I ever get a chance to meet him again, even just once, I won't ask about his adventures. I won't ask about the seas he's sailed or the battles he's fought." He looked up at Yuji, and for a brief moment, the mask of the so-called brave warrior fell away. Beneath it was just a boy—a hurt, lonely boy who had grown up too fast and waited too long. "I'll look him in the eyes and ask him one thing: 'What is the most important thing you care about?'"
The question hung in the air between them, both fragile and weighty.
Yuji remained silent.
He looked up at the morning sky, which was brightening as the early sun painted the world in shades of gold and amber. The stars had all disappeared. The horizon was ablaze with pink, orange, and soft purple hues.
He looked back at Usopp, this boy who told lies about great warriors because he desperately wanted to be one, this boy who bore the weight of an absent father, a deceased mother, and a house that had never felt like home.
Yuji reached out and firmly patted Usopp's shoulder.
He said nothing.
Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words ever can.
And in that silence, as the sun rose over Syrup Village and the world awakened to a new day, Usopp allowed himself to feel the weight of the hand on his shoulder—the warmth of it, and the simple, unspoken promise: I'm here. You're not alone.
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Like the chapter, then please share your powerstones with me.
See you in next chapter....