"Don't tell me… all this talent in my new body is going to be wasted?"
Luffy muttered bitterly.
[Not necessarily.]
[There are items within the system that can allow the body's original potential to be fully utilized.]
Perhaps the tears Luffy had shed had finally moved the cold system, because a chilly, robotic voice offered this silent hint.
"What?! There's a way?"
Luffy immediately perked up. It concerned his future strength, of course he was desperate.
[There is an item in the shop called the "Rapid Growth Capsule." It sacrifices one year of the user's lifespan in exchange for the maximum potential physical growth that year could have provided. Due to its heavy side effects, it's categorized as a mid-level item. The price is affordable, and the maximum usage limit is 18 capsules.]
[Note: There are also items in the shop that can increase lifespan.]
"Rapid Growth Capsule… lifespan… and a chance to get it?"
Luffy sighed. "This is getting complicated…"
Still, knowing he wouldn't have to waste the powerful foundations of this body gave him a sense of relief.
"System, how old am I right now?"
[Current year: 1506 of the Sea Circle Calendar. The host has already passed their third birthday.]
"Only three years old? Garp really is my biological grandpa? He actually left a three-year-old alone in a death trap…"
Luffy glanced at the base of his thumb. Though the system had erased all physical injuries, the pain from grappling with that snake still seemed to linger.
"Wait a minute… that monster snake was strong enough to kill an adult, and I only got five experience points from it. It takes a hundred EXP to reach level two, which means I'd need to kill twenty creatures that strong just to level up once?"
Luffy frowned, mentally crunching the numbers.
"Leveling up gives me 40 total stat points. That's barely stronger than an average person…"
He bit his nails in frustration.
"In this world, even a random bar waiter might be stronger than a regular adult. And it takes 500 points to even unlock Haki. That means someone like Whitebeard probably has stats well over several thousand!"
The more Luffy thought about how little his stats improved per level, the more hopeless he felt.
[Reminder: Gaining stats through leveling is the least effective method of growth. There are other paths to becoming strong. Please explore on your own.]
"Huh? The least?! So there are other ways to grow stronger?"
Hope returned to Luffy's eyes.
"If that's the case, then this is my next best bet!"
He focused his will on the Equipment tab and mentally said Open, but nothing happened.
[The Equipment tab will only unlock after the host purchases their first item from the shop.]
Cold rejection. Again.
"…Shop, then." He shifted his focus to the Shop tab and tried Open, still nothing.
[The shop will only unlock after the host gains a bounty or kills a creature with a bounty worth over 10 million Berries.]
"Pffft!"
Luffy nearly coughed up blood.
They gave him a way to get stronger, but locked it behind requirements that required him to already be strong. It was a cruel catch-22.
[Friendly reminder: The Partner System will be the host's best shortcut to power. Please recruit strong allies as soon as possible.]
[Additional note: Any creature that dies due to damage caused by the host will grant experience.]
"…Huh? That sounds kinda obvious, but wait."
Luffy raised his head, asking cautiously, "So you mean, no matter how much damage someone else deals, as long as I land the killing blow, I get the EXP?"
[Correct. Indirect causes also count, for example, if the host sets a forest on fire or floods a town with seawater, the resulting deaths will all yield EXP proportional to the creatures killed.]
Luffy shivered.
"So… I could become a cold-blooded mass-murdering overlord and level up super fast?"
The horrifying mental image of himself standing atop a pile of corpses made him quickly shake his head.
If I did that to the villagers in Windmill Town…
"No, no way. Ruthless decisions in battle are fine, but slaughtering the innocent? That's completely crossing the line. And besides, it's not necessary."
Right now, leveling up was his only clear path to strength.
But with Grandpa Garp still dragging him around, he had no chance to grind EXP just yet.
There was no need to rush. Garp was a busy Vice Admiral after all. Sooner or later, he'd leave Luffy behind, and when he did, that's when the real grind would begin.
With that in mind, Luffy drifted into an uneasy but hopeful sleep.
Outside, the warship sailed steadily toward its destination.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Who knows how long it had been when the ship finally arrived at a small, unremarkable harbor.
"Luffy! Luffy! Wake up, we're here!"
Garp barged in, grabbed the still-sleeping Luffy, and hauled him out of bed like a sack of rice, ignoring whether the boy was even fully conscious.
A cool sea breeze hit Luffy's face, and he reluctantly opened his eyes.
"Huh? What is this place?"
As he dangled more than a meter above the ground, Luffy struggled to stabilize his wildly swinging body.
"Dammit, Grandpa! Put me down, this is awful!"
He flailed his little arms, trying to escape the iron grip of Garp's hands.
"Ah, good, you're awake! Grandpa's taking you to meet some new friends, hahaha!"
Garp strolled into the village, carrying Luffy like a duffel bag.
Just a few steps in, an old hunched man leaning on a cane hobbled out to greet them.
"Garp? What brings you back here?"
"Oh, it's you, Village Chief."
Garp waved.
"Luffy's grown a bit, but he's still too young to train. Sengoku's always nagging me with work. I need someone to help watch him for a while. I'm counting on him to inherit my position someday, you know?"
He lifted Luffy by the collar like a prize melon and presented him to the chief.
"Ah!" The startled old man hadn't even noticed he was carrying a child. He quickly stepped forward and cradled Luffy in his arms.
"This is your grandson? Doesn't look anything like you… What's his name?"
"Grandpa Village Chief, I'm Luffy! Can you please put me down?"
With that, Luffy jumped out of his arms and landed on the ground.
He had just escaped from Garp's devil claws, no way he'd let someone else coddle him like a toddler. Even if his body was small, his soul was that of a grown man.
And seriously, he's not even a pretty big sister! No reason to get hugged!
"Haha! Chief, I'll leave Luffy in your care. Sengoku's calling me back."
Garp looked down at his grandson one last time, a trace of reluctance in his eyes, before turning to leave.
"Is it because of that Fishman who broke into Mary Geoise?" the Village Chief asked seriously, locking eyes with Garp.
"The paper the seagull brought yesterday said a Fishman named Fisher Tiger rescued a bunch of slaves. Are you going after him?"
"Pfft, as if! I'm just worried Sengoku will find my secret stash of senbei if I don't get back soon," Garp laughed as he waved goodbye. "Anyway, Chief, I'm counting on you. Make sure this little rascal learns some manners!"
"Don't worry. We'll help him grow up quickly," the old chief replied, adjusting his glasses with a hand that wasn't holding his cane.
Uhh… Grandpa Chief, about that wish of yours… Luffy silently groaned.
As Garp's massive figure faded into the distance, Luffy gazed after him with a complicated expression.