Luffy grinned brightly. "My name is—"
Sandy cut him off. "Monkey D. Luffy, right? Who doesn't know that? Anyway, hurry up, I'm starving."
Luffy blinked in surprise before laughing. "You're really funny. Come on, I'll treat you to a feast!"
Sandy's eyes lit up. "You're such a good person."
"Hahaha, don't mention it! Oh, right—what was your name again?"
"Sandy. San from sand, dy from dynamic," he said proudly.
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh? Not very clear."
Sandy sighed and pointed toward the nearby beach. "San from sand. Dy like... uh, I don't know—just remember it!"
Luffy smacked his fist into his palm. "Got it! What a weird name. Did everyone in your family name you that?"
Now Sandy was confused. "Why would you ask that?"
"Well," Luffy said innocently, "everyone named the bear in the forest Kuma, right? Kuma and dog, San and Dy, same thing?"
Sandy's face darkened, black lines forming on his forehead. Was this idiot making fun of me?
As the two walked deeper into the woods, Sandy finally noticed something was off. "Hey, Luffy, this path doesn't go to the village. Where's the restaurant?"
"Restaurant?" Luffy asked innocently. "We're going to the forest."
Sandy froze. "Wait… You don't mean your idea of 'treating me to a feast' is going hunting, do you?"
Luffy didn't even notice his tone. "Of course! Restaurant food is expensive and not filling. There's tons of meat in the forest! Let me tell you, the wild boars here are—ow! Why'd you hit me!?"
After a while, Luffy asked, "Hey, Sandy, are you also my grandpa's grandson?"
Sandy smirked. "Yeah, so that means you should call me big brother."
Luffy frowned. "Why?"
"I'm nineteen. How old are you?"
"I'm sixteen."
"Then there you go."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Ohhh! That makes sense!"
As they walked, Sandy brought up Luffy's system panel:
Monkey D. Luffy – Protagonist of the Pirate World
Strength: 1600
Agility: 150
Stamina: 3000
Devil Fruit: Gum-Gum Fruit (Mythical Zoan Type: Human-Human Fruit, Model Nika)
Special Traits: Protagonist's Luck, Limitless Potential, Grows Stronger Against Stronger Opponents, Turns Misfortune into Fortune
Sandy's jaw dropped. Good god! No wonder he's the main character.
Then he looked at his own stats and sighed.
Depressing.
After walking for a while, the forest suddenly went quiet. A deep growl echoed through the trees as a massive bear emerged.
Luffy's expression turned serious. "This guy looks strong. Stay back, Sandy—I'll handle it!"
He pulled his arm back. "Gum-Gum… Bullet!"
The bear roared and charged forward.
BOOM!
Luffy's punch landed, but the beast barely flinched. "Damn it! This guy's tough—but I won't lose! Gum-Gum—!"
Before he could finish, Sandy's eyes glowed. A wave of pressure erupted from him, sweeping across the clearing.
The bear froze mid-charge, trembling under the weight of the Conqueror's Haki. Sweat poured from its fur before it rolled its eyes back and collapsed.
Luffy, caught in the edge of Sandy's aura, staggered back with wide eyes.
"This… this feels like Shanks' and Grandpa's aura!" he gasped. "Sugoi! Hey, Sandy, how did you do that? Teach me!"
Sandy waved him off. "Quiet down. The most important thing now is…"
He kicked the unconscious bear. "That's what you get for scaring people! You think you're scary? Huh?!"
Luffy sweat-dropped. "What are you doing, Sandy…"
A moment later, smoke rose from the forest. The smell of grilled meat filled the air.
After eating, Sandy slumped back, frowning. "You ate all the good parts! What about the next meal?"
Luffy shrugged. "Because it was delicious."
"That's not the point! Didn't it occur to you to save some? Are we going to live meal to meal like savages!?"
"Hehehe, don't worry. There's always food around!"
Sandy groaned, banging his head against a tree. "I can't take this anymore!"
"Hey, hey, don't do anything rash!" Luffy grabbed him by the shoulders.
Days passed like this.
Brought to Windmill Village's forest by Garp, Sandy lived alongside Luffy. He got used to the routine — hunting by day, sleeping by night — though he still complained nonstop.
No electricity. No computer. No cola. No livestream girls.
Just trees, beasts, and this rubber-brained moron.
One morning, as usual, the two set off from Dadan's cabin toward the forest.
"Today, the sky is clear, the breeze gentle, the mountains majestic, and the sea—uh…" Sandy scratched his head, blanking on the rest.
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Sugoi! That sounds so cool! What happens next?"
Sandy squinted. "You don't even understand it."
Luffy grinned. "Yeah, but it sounds amazing!"
Sandy rolled his eyes, then asked, "Luffy, you've been here for years. Any pretty girls nearby?"
Luffy tilted his head. "Pretty girls? I think Dadan's a woman?"
Sandy's face went blank. "...Don't say another word."
With Sandy's help, hunting became much easier. After their meal, they lay under a tree, gazing at the sky.
"Hey, Sandy," Luffy said suddenly, "I'm going out to sea next year. What about you?"
Sandy shrugged. "Me? I'll go with the flow. Why are you leaving anyway? Not enough food here?"
"I made a promise," Luffy said seriously. "I'll go out to sea, become the Pirate King, and return this hat to him. Hey, Sandy! Come with me! Adventures are fun!"
Sandy raised a brow. "Go out with you? Only if I'm the captain."
Luffy immediately shook his head. "No way! I'm the captain!"
"Then what am I?"
"My crewmate, of course!"
Sandy smirked. "Fine, then I'll be Vice-Captain."
Luffy's grin widened. "Vice-Captain it is! Hehehe, Ace already set out to sea, and soon I will too. I can't believe I already have a crewmate before leaving! I wish time would move faster…"
Sandy snorted. "Careful what you wish for, rookie. With your luck, you'll either starve or drown before reaching the Grand Line."
"I won't die!" Luffy said firmly. "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sandy teased. "I'm the King of the Pirates and the Sea."
"Hey!" Luffy grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "Teach me that move that knocked out the bear!"
Sandy smiled faintly. "That's called Haki. There are three types. The first is Conqueror's Haki — what I just used. You felt that, right?"
"The second is Observation Haki — it lets you predict the enemy's movements."
"The third is Armament Haki — it coats your body or weapons with invisible armor, boosting attack and defense."
"When someone hits you and it hurts? That's Armament Haki."
Luffy's eyes gleamed. "Sugoi! So when can I learn it?"
Sandy shrugged. "Not sure. It usually awakens when your body's strong enough or during a crisis. But enough theory — let's spar."
Luffy grinned. "You're on!"
They faced off.
"Space Field!" Sandy activated his ability.
A thin translucent dome enveloped them. Luffy's guard shot up — he'd been tricked by this before.
No matter how prepared he was, he couldn't match Sandy's teleporting speed.
Seconds later—
WHACK!
Luffy went flying out of the clearing.
"Damn it!" he shouted. "One day I'll beat you!"
"Yahahaha," Sandy laughed. "When I fully master my Space Fruit, you won't even touch me."
"I will!" Luffy declared. "I'm the man who'll become the Pirate King!"
"Yeah, yeah, big deal," Sandy said. "Idiot Pirate King."
"Idiot Space Fruit!"
"What'd you say!?"
"Idiot Space!"
"I'll hit you—!"
Days turned into weeks.
Sandy began a daily training routine — sit-ups, squats, frog jumps.
Luffy watched curiously. "Can that really make you stronger?"
Sandy raised a brow. "Of course! This is the secret scientific method to becoming stronger, Mr. Pirate King."
"I'll do it too!" Luffy grinned. "But I'll do more than you!"
Afterward, Sandy drew a silver-white sword from his space backpack — simple, sharp, and perfectly balanced.
He stared at it for a moment. "I'll call you… High Wind."
It wasn't the most creative name, but it'd do.
Luffy's eyes widened. "Whoa! Where'd that sword come from!?"
Sandy grinned. "Space Fruit. I can store stuff in a personal dimension."
"Can you put me in there?"
"No."
"What!? Trash fruit!"
Sandy smirked. "Trash, huh? Watch this."
"Space Field!"
A shimmering film spread out, enclosing a huge tree.
"One-Sword Style—Cake Cut!"
A white flash sliced the tree clean in half.
Sandy smirked. "Well?"
"Su—Sugoi! Do it again!" Luffy shouted, eyes sparkling.
Sandy chuckled. "You'll see more soon enough."
(Author's Note: The Space Fruit isn't the Ope-Ope no Mi. While both can cut, the Space Fruit manipulates pure space, not surgery fields. Its development will depend on the protagonist's growth — not random power-ups. Early chapters are comedy-focused, and the ability's full potential will unfold gradually!)