A few days later in the forest, Lynn frowned and muttered with disdain, "It's really hard to describe how awful it is eating barbecue with no seasoning every day."
Luffy smiled happily. "You think it's so delicious it's hard to describe? I told you—meat is the best!"
Lynn choked. "That's not what I meant! Anyway, why are you so obsessed with becoming Pirate King? Is it just because of that promise?"
Luffy shook his head firmly. "A promise is a promise. But it's also my own dream. Ace and I agreed—we'll be the freest people on this sea!"
The freest person…?
Lynn couldn't help but sigh. Everything in this world is a balance of opposites—so where does absolute freedom come from?
[Flirty System]: Ding! Congratulations to the host for realizing a philosophical truth. Conqueror's Haki has been upgraded by one level!
Despite the boost, Lynn didn't feel particularly happy. Eating unseasoned barbecue every day was making him sick to his stomach.
But soon, an idea sparked in his mind.
"Hey Luffy, wanna eat something really delicious?"
Luffy instantly perked up like a puppy hearing the word meat. "Of course!"
"Then come with me to the other side of the garbage dump. There's a feast waiting over there."
Luffy tilted his head. "But stuff over there is expensive. Do you have any Berry?"
Lynn shot him a disdainful look. "Did you forget what my ability is?"
Luffy gasped. "Lynn! I didn't expect you to be that kind of person!"
Soon, the two of them strolled arm in arm toward the other side of the garbage dump—toward the noble district.
Compared to Windmill Village, this side was like a different world. Grand shops, luxurious decorations, well-dressed passersby… Most of the people here were nobles.
Lynn didn't feel the slightest guilt about "borrowing" from them.
Before long, an angry shout rang out behind them. "You two bastards! Stop right there!"
Luffy, holding a hunk of meat in each hand—stolen straight from someone else's table—looked back while running and yelled, "Who wants to listen to you, idiot!"
Lynn sprinted beside him and shouted ahead, "Move! Get out of the way unless you want to get trampled!"
Bystanders, startled, turned to ask the furious shopkeeper chasing them, "What happened?!"
The man bellowed, "Those two damn brats ate and drank for free! Stop them!"
Luffy yelled back, "When I become Pirate King and find the One Piece, I'll definitely pay you back!"
Lynn echoed, "That's right! I'll pay you back ten times—no, a hundred times!"
The shopkeeper roared, "You think I'm stupid?! Stop right now and pay me!"
Lynn shouted over his shoulder, "You dare disrespect the future Pirate King? You've got guts!"
Luffy grinned, "Yeah, you're really brave, hahaha…"
…
Bang bang bang! Lynn and Luffy returned home with food and knocked on Dadan's door.
A string of curses came from inside. "Which bastard is bothering me now?!"
When Dadan opened the door and saw the two boys, her face filled with suspicion. "What are you brats up to?"
Before Luffy could answer, Lynn cut in with a blank stare. "It's nearly dark and you're still sleeping? Whatever—here, we brought something delicious."
Dadan's eyes widened. "Wait—you two didn't—"
Lynn handed over the bag of food and gave her a meaningful look. "Just eat it. We're leaving."
Luffy laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Dadan, we got this from the nobles' kitchens—!"
Lynn immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away. "Didn't you promise not to tell anyone?!"
Luffy: "Mmmm!"
Lynn growled, "If you keep this up, I won't take you there again."
Luffy: "Mmmmm!"
Dadan stood there, black lines forming on her forehead. How the hell did Lynn understand that muffled babble? And more importantly—did they just rob nobles… and bring back this much food?!
Dadan glanced outside, then quickly shut the door.
"Forget it. Time to eat. Eat it all before anyone sees…"
…
The next day, somewhere in the forest.
After sparring for a while, Lynn sat down, panting slightly. Even though he couldn't beat Luffy without using his abilities, his combat techniques were clearly superior.
After all, he was a time traveler who'd watched the entire One Piece anime and had insights from the 21st century. Luffy was just a musclehead with raw strength and zero theory.
"Luffy," Lynn said, "you waste too much energy when you fight. You've gotta use your head. You're made of rubber, remember? Use that to your advantage. Also, we've been training forever—don't you have any special moves?"
Luffy tilted his head. "Special Moves?"
Lynn facepalmed. "A trump card. A finisher! Something to use when your life's on the line. Don't you have anything?"
Luffy shook his head.
Lynn groaned. "Then what about escaping? Surely you've thought about moves to run away when things get bad?"
Another head shake.
Lynn silently took off his slipper, walked up to the confused Luffy, and slapped it hard across his face.
"You don't know a thing, and you talk about being Pirate King every day? I oughta smack some sense into you, you stinky straw hat!"
"H-Hateful..."
And so, day by day, Lynn and Luffy sparred and trained—growing stronger in body and spirit, gradually preparing for the journey they'd take next year...
Garp could never have imagined that when he sent someone to keep his grandson company… he'd end up bringing home such a troublesome guy. One that would make him both distressed and proud in the days to come.
-End Chapter-
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