One Piece:I am King Luffy!

In this world, there are several paths to strength.

There's the "cheat" path, where one consumes a Devil Fruit and instantly gains power worth millions. Then, there's the "gradual growth" path, where one learns techniques from a mentor and strengthens through disciplined training, like most Marines do. Finally, there's the "born powerful" path, where some people possess immense strength from birth, without any extra effort.

For someone like Zephyr, a high-ranking figure in the Marines, pirates aren't usually an issue unless they're either naturally powerful or lucky enough to have a Devil Fruit. Most pirates who grow stronger over time are well-known figures who are carefully monitored. They don't go looking for trouble with the Marines, and Zephyr won't seek them out either.

The chances of something going wrong are one in ten thousand—nothing to worry about.

After briefly touching on the topic, Luffy changed the subject.

"Grandpa, I want to learn the next Six Powers technique," Luffy said.

"It's too early for that. You're progressing too quickly, and you're still growing. Focus on mastering what you've learned before moving on," Garp advised after thinking it over. He decided to wait another year before teaching Luffy more.

For an average Marine, learning the Six Powers usually takes at least a decade of grueling training. If he taught everything right away, Sengoku might not be too pleased—especially since Luffy isn't officially in the Marines yet. Besides, he was still in his growth phase.

"You're so stingy, Grandpa!"

"You brat… If you were here, I'd clobber you!" Garp clenched his fists, though he felt a sense of pride. His grandson was not only hardworking but had incredible talent—it was almost unbelievable.

Someday, he would become the most powerful Marine in history.

Luffy, meanwhile, held the transponder snail in one hand, idly splashing water with the other, occasionally tracing his fingers over his abs, marveling at their firm lines and strength.

One thing Garp got wrong: for Luffy, it wasn't really about effort. He had an excellent schedule that allowed him ample time for fun, for hanging out with his friends, and for simply relaxing.

But the truth was, things just got boring.

With his body often on autopilot, his brain was constantly in "vacation mode"—reading books, comics, sketching, or anything else to pass the time.

Before long, Luffy began feeling sleepy, and finally, he drifted off.

Hearing his grandson's peaceful snoring through the transponder snail, Garp smiled fondly and hung up. Then, he enthusiastically called his old friend.

"Hey, Sengoku—my grandson just took down Arlong's crew!"

"Another mess for me to deal with…" Sengoku sighed.

"What's the big deal? Luffy isn't officially a Marine, so we can skip around the regulations. Even if we told the truth, it wouldn't matter," Garp laughed.

Rules written on paper are easily bent by the strength of the players involved.

"Luffy can already handle unique races? You've trained him well…" Sengoku thought aloud, starting to jot down a report as he munched on a snack he pulled from his drawer.

"Of course, that's my grandson we're talking about!" Garp's voice was full of pride.

"Oh, by the way—do you know how Fish-Man Karate is practiced?" Garp asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sengoku shook his head. He had no knowledge of it, nor did he see the need to learn.

"Luffy wants to learn it. Apparently, they can launch water blasts with it," Garp said.

"Not sticking to the Six Powers, then?" Sengoku sounded a bit surprised.

"I'll teach him those later. He already knows Rankyaku, so next I'll go over Soru and Geppo with him—they're all similar techniques…" Garp started mapping out his grandson's training plan.

"That's not what I meant…" Sengoku snapped his pen in half.

"Oh, and by the way, the Marines in the East Blue are slacking. The 16th Division didn't report anything about the pirates showing up…"

"Take it easy on them. Remember, we're talking about the Warlords here, and a particularly tricky Fish-Man, at that…" Sengoku replied.

The inclusion of Jinbei as a Warlord carried significant political implications. His presence helped ease the long-standing racial tensions and even prompted him to abandon his efforts to free slaves. Although the World Government looked down on the Fish-Men, they didn't want to go to war with them.

Or maybe… they were worried about something else.

"Praise the head of the 77th Division, and order the demotion of the 16th Division's commander to a regular Marine for negligence. Arlong and his core crew will be punished, but the remaining Fish-Men will 'escape' during transport," Sengoku decided, effectively closing the case.

"Fine, do what you want. I'm heading out to do a little research on some Fish-Man pirates," Garp said.

"Don't go too far; the Reverie's coming up. We'll need you to escort the kings…" Sengoku reminded him.

…

Bellemere, noticing how long Luffy had been in the bath, knocked on the door. "Luffy?"

…

"Luffy, I'm coming in," Bellemere gently cracked open the door, only to find the boy fast asleep, head back and mouth slightly open. The transponder snail was carefully crawling along his bare arm, trying to avoid falling into the water.

"Figures," Bellemere murmured. She took a towel and gently draped it over Luffy, then lifted him out of the tub, dried him off, and laid him on his bed.

Luffy woke up the next day, recalling the hazy memory of falling asleep mid-bath. As for who carried him out, it didn't matter.

After putting on fresh clothes and doing a few sets of exercises, he saw Marines approaching with a suitcase.

"Master Luffy, here's the bounty you earned for taking down the Fish-Man pirates."

One of the Marines opened the suitcase, revealing neat stacks of Berries.

"So… much… money!"

Nami had never seen so much money before. Even 10,000 Berries was a big deal to her.

"There are over fifty million Berries in this case—a combination of Arlong's bounty, his officers' bounties, and some smaller amounts combined," the Marines explained.

Nami, Bellemere, and Nojiko were all stunned. Over fifty million Berries—enough to buy the whole island.

"Luffy, that's a lot of money!" Nami's eyes sparkled with the gleam of Berries as she looked at him.

"Heh…" Luffy chuckled, closing the case and tossing it to Nami.

"Huh…?"

Nami caught the case, looking at Luffy in shock.

"You hold onto it. Don't sneak any out, though," he warned with a grin. "You can keep tabs on what I owe you."

Some people treat money deposits like negative balances, forcing the institution to find ways to attract them back for services. Of course, in some cases, people deposit large sums and the institution runs off, leaving clients in tears.

"Are… are you serious?" Nami's voice shook as she hugged the suitcase, barely able to believe it.

"Luffy, that's way too much…" Bellemere added, equally astonished.

"It's fine. Nami's going to be my navigator, after all. Don't worry, Bellemere—I don't need this money, but it's meaningful to give it to Nami."

"This is… this is too much. I want in! I'll learn to cook, and I want a salary too!" Nojiko said, unable to resist raising her hand.

"Luffy, you're the best!" Nami shouted, throwing herself onto

him, making him stagger back.

Uta filmed the scene with a video camera, her laughter echoing through the orange grove.

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