Three years later.
That is, in the year 1520 of the Chronology of One Piece.
East Sea.
"Hey——!!!!!"
A shout brimming with boundless energy and excitement broke the silence of the sea.
The boy named Monkey D. Luffy, wearing that iconic straw hat, a red vest, and blue shorts, launched himself like a rubber cannonball from the shore.
He landed precisely in the center of a makeshift arrangement of broken planks that barely qualified as a "small boat," stirring up a spray of water.
"Finally! Finally, the day has come!"
Standing on the swaying little boat, Luffy steadied his straw hat with one hand and grinned at the rising sun, exposing a brilliantly radiant smile:
"Pirate King! I will definitely become one!"
It's really not easy!
He's waited far, far too long for this day.
Ever since Shanks entrusted him with the straw hat, ever since he made the agreement with Ace and Sabo to set sail, ever since his grandpa began his hellish special training for him...
Every single day and night, he prepared for this moment.
And now, finally, at seventeen years old, he could leave his hometown, head to the Grand Line, and pursue that dream of becoming the Pirate King!
It's strange.
His grandpa used to be very strict when the special training started.
He couldn't mention his dream of being the Pirate King, couldn't say ONEPIECE, and wasn't allowed a single moment of slackness during training.
But starting two years ago, his grandpa suddenly seemed like a different person.
He became easygoing, became kind and affable, and didn't mind anymore when Luffy shouted daily that he wanted to be the Pirate King.
Training and such were no longer enforced; he adopted an attitude that he couldn't care less whether Luffy trained or not.
Later.
His grandpa directly left him and went off on a leisurely vacation, not having returned to this day.
In this way, it actually suited Luffy's inclinations more.
One should set out to sea alone, to explore freely and adventurously!
"Setting off! Grand Line, I'm coming!"
He shouted with great spirit, sitting in the middle of the small boat, strongly rowing with a pair of makeshift wooden oars.
The small boat wobbled as it sailed towards the open sea.
According to Luffy's plan, he first needed to find a somewhat decent pirate ship nearby.
This one here was not enough; it needed to be able to withstand the waves and host banquet parties at least!
However.
Reality quickly threw him its first surprise.
After rowing the entire morning, with the scorching sun overhead, Luffy's stomach was rumbling like thunder.
Yet when he scanned the horizon, he saw nothing but the occasional jumping fish and seabirds, not even a shadow of a ship.
"Really strange."
Luffy scratched his head.
He remembered hearing from Shanks long ago that this area wasn't very isolated, so why couldn't he see any ships?
"Meat, want meat, so hungry..."
Optimism was gradually eroded by hunger, and Luffy sprawled on the small boat, weakly paddling, staring hopefully at the horizon in anticipation of something appearing.
If there were no passenger ships or merchant ships, it'd be fine if a pirate ship showed up.
Just then.
"Woo————!!!"
A long and loud whistle abruptly echoed from the distant sea!
"Hmm?"
Luffy sat up straight, staring wide-eyed.
Just to see on the right side of the horizon, a white wave line was rapidly stretching towards his direction, moving at an astonishing speed.
Next, a series of... No, that wasn't a ship!
It was clearly a long dragon formed by connecting multiple carriages, entirely white, speeding along the track on the sea surface!
"Huh? What... what is that?!"
Luffy gawked, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit a watermelon.
Having stayed in dense forests for so long, in his understanding, seafaring transportation should only be ships.
Yet this thing ahead had no sails, no oars, yet was moving faster and more steadily than any ship he had ever seen!
The sunlight reflected on the streamlined body, shining brightly, also illuminating the conspicuous words "Harmony Train."
"Train?"
While Luffy was in a daze, the train began to decelerate gradually, eventually stopping nearby at a simple sea platform.
All things considered, let's go and take a look!
Unable to resist his curiosity, Luffy extended his rubber arms, grasping the platform's railing, and flung himself over like a slingshot.
He landed lightly on the platform, curiously examining the train.
The car doors opened, and several passengers alighted, taking out their Radio Snail from their pockets. After pressing a button, a pale blue light screen appeared immediately.
The passengers held this screen up to a large iron box on the platform, and after two beeps, a few capsules fell from the bottom of the iron box.
Some were red, some were blue.
Two passengers who were clearly sisters took the blue capsules, gently pressed the button on top, and tossed them to the open ground beside.
Bang!
A puff of smoke cleared away, and in the next moment, a cool hoverbike appeared on the ground. The sisters laughed and chatted as they donned helmets, mounted the bike, and left the platform, heading for the distance.
"Huh?"
This, this... what sort of thing is this??
Luffy was dumbfounded.
And just then, another middle-aged passenger picked up a red capsule and threw it onto a table.
Bang!
Similarly, smoke burst open.
Following that, a deliciously aromatic, well-packaged burger appeared on the table, along with some fried chicken and icy cola.
"Meat!!! It's meat!!!"
Luffy's stomach roared louder than the whistle, and his saliva gushed out. He entirely forgot his earlier curiosity about the white train, all his attention now captivated by the mouthwatering hamburger.