Two years later, in the southern mountains of the Goa Kingdom.
At the bottom of a deep valley, so steep it felt like a bottomless abyss, there were no haunting howls from apes nor sharp cries from hawks.
Only the sound of two joyful little feet chasing down a panicked saber-toothed tiger echoed through the gorge.
"Stop right there, damn it!"
Luffy dashed forward, fists pumping. His short legs, unchanged in length over the past two years, pounded against the ground relentlessly. Despite his childlike form, he soared through the air again and again, leaping over rocks and debris.
"Raaaargh!"
Trapped by a stone wall, the saber-toothed tiger roared in despair. The once-majestic predator of the forest was now a pitiful mess, its body covered in blood, its tail severed, and its abdomen caved in as if it could die at any moment.
Seeing it had reached a dead end, Luffy finally slowed his pace.
"I didn't expect you to still be running with injuries like that," he said, wiping dried blood from his face. His tone was cheerful, but his expression was grim.
"Whimper..." The tiger lowered its head and let out a soft, pitiful whine.
"Sorry."
Luffy, having seen this same scene countless times before, didn't hesitate. The moment the tiger bowed its head, he lunged forward and smashed its skull with a single punch.
[Ding! You have slain a regular beast. Gained 55 EXP.]
[Ding! Congratulations, EXP full. Leveling up...]
[Ding! Level up complete. Current level: 12.]
"System, as usual, allocates all free attribute points to Stamina."
[Confirmed. Allocation complete. Current stats:]
Character: Monkey D. Luffy
Level: 12
EXP: 5/2000
HP: 2250
Stamina: 225
Strength: 112
Agility: 111
Mental Power: 195
"Still too weak..."
At some point, leveling up no longer brought the overwhelming sense of growth it once had. Early on, his stats had nearly doubled with every level. Now, the increase was barely a tenth, and would likely shrink even more with future levels.
Worse, most of the beasts on this island that Luffy could fight had already been wiped out. If things kept going this way, his leveling pace would slow to a crawl.
What should he do?
If he set sail early, he could gain EXP faster, but what if doing so meant losing the companions fate had in store for him?
It just didn't feel worth it.
"Forget it." Luffy sighed. He had no grand vendetta, no deep-seated hatred. His current strength was enough to survive in the East Blue, at least for now. That was good enough.
"Guess I'll head home. Been a while anyway."
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Around the same time, an unexpected, yet somehow expected, group arrived in Foosha Village.
At the village's small dock, a massive pirate ship was calmly moored.
Its prow was shaped like a red dragon's head, and the sail bore a large skull with a red slash across its left eye.
The arrival was quiet, but the villagers were not prepared.
The first person to spot the ship shouted in alarm. Soon after, more people noticed and chaos broke out.
The entire village was thrown into a panic. Every household bolted their doors and windows. Inside, people clutched whatever they could use as weapons, bracing for the worst.
If the pirates were kind, they might simply take the offerings left outside, some food and coins, and leave.
But if they were greedy, the villagers were prepared to fight back.
This method of quiet preparation was something they'd learned after dealing with pirates multiple times over the years.
But today, the villagers of Foosha were about to witness something new.
Because the group they were facing was the Red Hair Pirates, one of the rare pirate crews who didn't pillage or bully the innocent.
"Alright, boys. We've arrived. Let's go get a drink."
Onboard the ship, a man with bright red hair and a straw hat smiled and spoke.
"Finally! I want meat!"
"Hey, maybe think about cutting back on the food?"
"Let's move already! Hope this village has enough booze!"
More and more crewmates emerged from below deck, chatting and laughing as they made their way ashore.
"Who are you people?"
The village chief, a respected elder, stepped forward. He looked up at the pirates with fear in his eyes.
The crowd parted as the red-haired young man with the straw hat approached and said warmly:
"Don't worry, old man. We're not bad guys. Just travelers in need of some supplies."
"We've prepared what you need. Take it and leave as quickly as you can," the village chief said, pointing at the food and goods the villagers had laid out.
"You don't have to do that."
The man tipped his straw hat. "We may not be saints, but we won't harm you or your village."
He glanced around, looking for something, or someone, but couldn't find it.
He turned back and bowed slightly to the chief.
"Old man, you must be the village head, right? Could you point me to the local bar? My men need food and drinks. Don't worry, we'll pay in full."
"Looking for the bar?" A young voice suddenly called out from behind the chief.
"Follow me."
Without missing a beat, the voice continued.
"Don't worry, Grandpa Chief. I've got this. I'll take them to the bar."
Luffy's calm, confident tone helped ease the elder's panic. He stepped aside to let the boy pass.
But the pirates didn't move.
They just stood there, staring blankly behind Luffy.
The small child was pulling a rope.
At the other end of the rope... was half a tiger's head. The tail of the tiger was tied to a dead snake, and the snake's head was tied to the corpse of a wolf.
One beast after another, the line continued, all fifteen of them.
Each monster was easily four or five times bigger than Luffy.
Yet the boy dragged them behind him like they were nothing. On his feet were the same ridiculous tiger-faced shoes from before.
"What are you staring at? Didn't you say you wanted a drink? Hurry up and follow me!"
Luffy sounded annoyed as he looked back at their stunned faces.
"Hah... interesting," Shanks muttered, lowering his hat as he took a big stride to follow the boy.
"Hahahahaha! That kid's a riot!"
"Bet he's actually an old man with a Devil Fruit that makes him look young!"
"Tch! If he's old enough to be your grandpa, then he's mine too!"
"I am your grandpa!"
"Get lost!"
"Get lost yourself!"
The Red Hair Pirates bantered and laughed among themselves, as if they hadn't just been shocked speechless moments ago.
Maybe that's what made them pirates, unshakable Mental Powers, strong hearts, and a boundless thirst for freedom.
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