After devouring a feast of rabbit meat, Luffy returned to his room, clutching the dagger Makino had given him.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he drew the dagger from its sheath.
From the handle, it was clear this knife had seen many years. Yet its sharp blade revealed that it had been carefully maintained.
Tucking it away, Luffy rested his arms on the warm little bed and lay down.
System, check Attributes.
A flash of white light appeared with a "swish."
The Attribute panel displayed before him:
Character: Monkey D. Luffy
Level: 1
EXP: 6/100
HP: 50
Stamina: 5
Strength: 2
Agility: 4
Spirit: 85
"Ugh…"
Seeing his EXP rise by only a tiny bit, Luffy sighed in despair.
That morning, before sunrise, Luffy had risen early. He searched the tavern's kitchen, found a handy blade, and gathered some vegetables.
Armed with these, he planned to set a simple trap on the outskirts of the forest and begin his journey of leveling up.
Yet, perhaps because he was near the village, he didn't see a single animal on the forest's edge.
Helpless, Luffy decided to target an insect, stomping it instantly.
[Ding! Host killed a common insect. Gained 0.1 EXP. EXP too low; not counted by the system.]
"Damn it!" Luffy spat in frustration.
Next, he tried a sparrow and a mouse—each yielding barely any EXP.
And these didn't accumulate—each life was calculated separately.
Finally, Luffy ventured further into the forest.
He dug a pit, lined it with grass, and placed bait atop, completing his simple trap.
After waiting for a long while, a wild rabbit finally approached.
But since this was Luffy's first trap, and animal sizes in the pirate world were slightly exaggerated, only half the rabbit's body fell into the trap.
Luffy immediately noticed the prey.
As he ran forward, dagger raised, the rabbit kicked with its hind legs and leapt free.
Seeing his prey escaping, little Luffy panicked and hurled the kitchen's bone-cutting knife.
The rabbit, as if anticipating the attack, leapt left, avoiding the flying blade.
It then collided with a tree stump and passed out.
…
These were Luffy's morning trials.
At this rate, he wondered when he would ever accumulate 100 EXP.
In the afternoon, after filling his stomach, Luffy strapped the dagger pouch to his side. Adjusting the size to fit his small body, he bid Makino farewell and hurried out of the tavern.
The tavern owner, wiping a glass, spoke:
"Don't worry. Near the village, there are only birds and small rabbits. As long as you don't venture deeper, there's no danger."
Makino shook her head. "I just don't understand why this child is so determined to get stronger, and he's so young."
Makino didn't know the real reason—Luffy was clear in his own mind.
The system had trapped him! Trapped him badly!
If he didn't level up, what could he do?
Normally, when Luffy met Ace, his physical abilities had already surpassed a regular child slightly. Strong genes would naturally support his growth.
But with the system in place, if Luffy didn't level up or find ways to unlock new features, he would remain a three-year-old child forever.
In the forest, Luffy passed by the trap he had set that morning without stopping and ventured deeper.
After walking for who knows how long, the trees grew taller and denser.
He finally stopped, sensing danger ahead, likely due to his 85 Spirit points.
Considering his small frame, he decided not to go further.
He dug again, but this time much more carefully, creating a pit nearly half a meter deep.
He planted his new dagger upright at the center, its cold tip pointing straight up, then covered the trap with twigs and grass.
He placed a sparrow about the size of a small crow on top as bait.
By now, the sun had begun to decline.
Luffy found a nearby tree hollow, partially covering its entrance, and rested, half-asleep, waiting.
About an hour later, a shriek woke him.
Snapping awake, he grabbed a sturdy branch and rushed to the trap.
The covering was gone.
Looking down, a feral cat struggled in the scattered twigs, a dagger embedded in its left flank.
The cat, seeing Luffy, tried to leap out despite its injury.
Luffy used the branch to push it back and continuously prodded it.
In the struggle, the dagger fell to the ground, and the wound bled more heavily.
A few minutes later, the cat closed its eyes, no longer moving.
Seeing it still, Luffy jumped into the trap.
The moment he landed, the cat suddenly lunged at him.
Prepared, Luffy jabbed the branch to keep it away.
He quickly grabbed the dagger from the ground and thrust it into the cat's throat.
Fsssh! Blood sprayed over Luffy.
[Ding! Host killed a common beast. Gained 3 EXP.]
Hearing the system alert, Luffy finally relaxed, lying on the ground and catching his breath.
He knew the cat could have fought back.
But seeing that it had no malice and that he needed to kill it to grow stronger, he wanted to give it a quick, merciful death.
After resting, Luffy wrapped the cat with a vine, pulled himself out, and then hauled the cat's body out.
He tidied it up and began dragging the cat back to Windmill Town.
In the world of One Piece, even a small feral cat weighed several times as much as the rabbit he caught earlier.
Entering deeper forest areas that afternoon, by the time Luffy returned to the tavern, night had fallen.
I need to take a bath immediately, he thought.
"Luffy, here, eat quickly."
At the table, Luffy enjoyed Makino's food service, thanked her, and wolfed down the meal.
Even though his body was data-formatted, he still felt hunger and thirst, or his HP would drop over time.
Luckily, he maintained the appearance of a small child; otherwise, Makino's family might not have been able to afford to care for him.
Seeing him eat heartily, Makino returned to the kitchen, smiling.
Makino's father, the tavern owner, stared at the feral cat Luffy had dragged back.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Makino asked, curious.
He picked up one of the cat's paws. "Well…" One by one, he revealed the hidden claws. "No wonder this is Garp's grandson. Incredible!"
"Ah!" Makino covered her mouth, stunned.
Seeing the sharp claws and remembering Luffy's tiny frame, father and daughter fell silent.
"Makino! Is there any more food? I'm still a little hungry!"