After enjoying a hearty rabbit meat dinner, Luffy returned to his room with the dagger Makino had given him.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he unsheathed the dagger.
Just by looking at the handle, he could tell it had some years on it.
But the blade, sharp and gleaming, showed clear signs of frequent maintenance and care.
He sheathed it again, laid back on the warm little bed, and folded his arms behind his head.
"System, show my stats."
A flash of white light appeared.
The status screen materialized before Luffy:
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Name: Monkey D. Luffy
Level: 1
EXP: 6/100
HP: 50
Stamina: 5
Strength: 2
Agility: 4
Mental Power: 85
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Ugh…"
Seeing he'd only gained a single experience point all day, Luffy let out a heavy sigh.
Earlier that morning, before the sun had even risen, he had woken up early.
He rummaged through the bar kitchen and found a knife he was comfortable using, along with some vegetables.
With those supplies, he'd set out toward the forest's edge to build a simple trap and finally begin his path to leveling up.
But maybe because the area was too close to the village, there hadn't been a single sign of animal life.
Frustrated, Luffy ended up squashing a bug with his foot, only to hear the system chime:
[Ding! You killed a regular insect. Gained 0.1 EXP. Total is less than 1 point, not recorded.]
"Are you kidding me?!"
He couldn't help but curse out loud at the absurdity.
Next, he tried a sparrow-sized bird, then a rat, still less than 1 EXP each.
Worse yet, the system wouldn't even stack the points, they were calculated individually per kill!
Left with no other choice, Luffy ventured slightly deeper into the woods.
He dug a small pit, layered it with dry grass, and placed his bait on top. A basic trap.
After waiting for what felt like forever, a wild rabbit finally appeared, lured by the scent.
But Luffy's inexperience in trap-making, and the fact that animals in the One Piece world are a little more… intense than usual, doomed it.
Only half the rabbit fell into the trap.
The moment he saw his prey, Luffy rushed in full speed.
But just as he raised his knife, the rabbit kicked with its hind legs and leapt right out of the pit.
Panicking, Luffy threw the boning knife at it.
But the rabbit dodged with ease, as if it had some sixth sense, hopping to the side.
Then, it smashed straight into a tree stump and knocked itself out.
And that summed up Luffy's entire morning.
At this rate, he had no idea how long it would take to reach 100 EXP.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
That afternoon, after filling his belly, Luffy grabbed his new dagger pouch, strapped it on, adjusted the size to fit his small frame, said goodbye to Makino, and left the bar once more.
Seeing the worried look in Makino's eyes, the bar owner, her father, spoke up while polishing glasses:
"Don't worry. There are only birds and rabbits near the village. As long as he doesn't wander deep into the forest, he'll be fine."
Makino, however, shook her head.
"I just don't understand why this kid's trying so hard. He's still so little…"
She didn't know what Luffy was so desperate for, but Luffy himself knew full well.
He'd been scammed, by the system! Completely screwed over!
What choice did he have but to level up?!
In the original timeline, by the time he met Ace, Luffy's physical abilities were already a bit stronger than the average kid.
Strong genetics had carried his growth.
But now that he had a system, unless he leveled up and unlocked new functions, he was just a regular three-year-old.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Back in the forest, Luffy passed by the failed trap from earlier without even glancing at it. He headed deeper in.
He didn't know how long he walked, but the trees grew taller and denser around him.
Eventually, something, maybe his sky-high Mental Power stat of 85, warned him to stop.
Going any further would be dangerous.
Considering his tiny body, he decided not to take the risk.
He began digging again, this time, wiser from experience.
After much effort, he managed to dig a pit nearly half a meter deep.
If he hadn't worried about being able to climb back out, he might have dug even deeper.
Then, he planted the dagger in the center of the trap, blade up, its cold tip pointed toward the sky.
He camouflaged the hole with twigs and fresh grass.
Then he placed a sparrow-sized bird he had caught earlier right on top as bait.
By then, the sun was already beginning to dip toward the horizon.
Luffy found a nearby tree hollow, used some leaves to cover the entrance, and sat down inside, resting with his eyes closed, half asleep, half alert.
About an hour later, a sharp shriek jolted him awake.
Still groggy, Luffy didn't waste time questioning why he'd fallen asleep.
He grabbed a sturdy branch he'd prepared earlier and rushed toward the trap.
The cover was gone.
Peering down, he saw a wildcat struggling in the brush, the dagger buried deep in its left side.
The moment the cat noticed Luffy, it tried to jump out of the pit despite its injury.
Luffy hurriedly smacked it back down with the stick, keeping it inside and prodding it continuously.
As it flailed and twisted, the dagger scraped the dirt and tore deeper into the wound, blood pouring freely now.
A few minutes later, the cat stopped moving, eyes fluttering shut.
When it showed no further signs of life, Luffy jumped down into the pit.
But the moment he landed, the wildcat lunged up in a final, desperate attack!
Luffy had anticipated this. He thrust his branch straight at the cat's face, stopping its charge.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the dagger and drove it into the cat's throat.
With a sickening "shk!", blood sprayed all over him.
[Ding! You killed a regular wild beast. Gained 3 EXP.]
Hearing the system notification, Luffy finally relaxed and slumped to the ground, breathing heavily.
He had suspected the wildcat might still have some fight left.
But he didn't want it to suffer any longer than necessary, he had no grudge against the animal, and it was only dying because of his desire to grow stronger.
So he gave it a swift, merciful end.
After a short break, Luffy tied the cat's body with a vine, climbed out of the pit, and hauled the carcass up after him.
With a quick cleanup, he began dragging the body back to Foosha Village.
Honestly, animals in the One Piece world were something else, this wildcat, despite its small size, was way heavier than the rabbit from that morning.
And since he'd ventured much deeper this time, it was already nightfall when he returned to the bar.
"First thing I'm doing is taking a bath," Luffy muttered to himself.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
"Luffy, here! Eat up!"
Sitting at the table, Luffy enjoyed another round of Makino's home-cooked dishes. He thanked her, then began gobbling them down like a starving wolf.
Even though his body was now digitized, he still felt hunger and thirst. If he went too long without food, his HP would start dropping.
Good thing he'd stay in this child form for a long while, otherwise, Makino's family probably couldn't afford to feed him.
Seeing him eat so heartily, Makino smiled and returned to the kitchen.
There, her father, the bar owner, stood staring blankly at the wildcat Luffy had brought back.
"What's wrong, Dad?" she asked, curious.
He lifted the cat's paw and replied, "How do I put this…" Then he pulled back the retracted claws one by one. "As expected of Lord Garp's grandson… the kid's incredible."
"Ah!"
Makino covered her mouth, unable to hide her shock.
Seeing the sharp claws and thinking of Luffy's tiny body, both father and daughter fell silent for a long moment.
"Makino-san! Is there any more food? I'm still kinda hungry!"
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