The first rays of dawn painted the cold, metallic corridors of Germa 66's floating fortress. For Princess Reiju, the morning routine had acquired a new, almost domestic rhythm. Before sequestering herself in her laboratory, her first stop was the kitchen to gather a mountain of food for her peculiar guest.
As she approached the lab door, a steady, rhythmic sound from within gave her pause. It wasn't the usual cacophony of shattered glass or chemical fizz she half-expected from Luffy. This was the sound of concentrated effort—grunts of exertion and the soft thud of a body moving against the floor.
Curiosity piqued, she slid the door open.
The sight that greeted her made her grip tighten on the food tray. In the center of the room, Luffy was performing one-armed push-ups. Not just with one arm, but with a single finger on each hand. His body, a canvas of brutal injuries just days prior, was now taut and corded with muscle, gleaming with sweat.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Reiju exclaimed, her voice sharper than intended as she rushed to his side. Her hands flew to his shoulders, checking for any sign of his wounds reopening. "Your injuries haven't fully healed! Why are you pushing yourself like this?"
Luffy stopped and looked up, his signature grin spreading across his face before he could even offer a greeting. "Shishishi! Don't worry, Rei! Look, all better!" With a swift, practiced motion, he began tearing the bandages from his torso.
"Idiot! What are you—" Reiju's words died in her throat.
Where severe, purpling bruises and deep gashes should have been, there was only smooth, unblemished skin. The injuries that would have incapacitated a normal man for a month had vanished without a trace in a mere four days.
"But... this is impossible," she whispered, her eyes scanning his body with a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Wounds that severe... How...?"
"Hehehe... I'm amazing, right? So, I can keep training?" Luffy cheered, his attention instantly hijacked by the aroma of the food. He snatched the tray and began devouring its contents with his usual ravenous abandon.
As she watched him eat, Reiju's scientific mind whirred. "But how can you heal so quickly?"
"Dunno," Luffy mumbled through a mouthful of meat. "Always been like this. Got hurt a lot training with Gramps. But after I eat some meat and sleep, I'm all good the next day!"
"To think you were injured so often as a child..." Reiju murmured, a faint pang of something akin to pity echoing in her chest.
"Yep! Gramps wanted me to be a marine. Trained me real hard."
"Wait. Your grandfather wanted you to be a marine?" Reiju's brow furrowed. "Then why do you want to be the Pirate King? Isn't that the complete opposite of his wish?"
"Shishishi! That's his dream! My dream is to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy launched into a spirited tale of his grandfather's 'training' methods: being tied to helium balloons and cast into the sky, thrown into bottomless ravines and ordered to climb out, and pitted against armies of monkeys, crocodiles, and lions.
At first, Reiju listened with horrified fascination. But soon, the sheer absurdity of Luffy and his brothers' stubbornness—their heated arguments over who would become Pirate King, unaware of their furious grandfather looming behind them, leading to chaotic chases through the forest—overwhelmed her. A soft, genuine laugh escaped her lips, something that felt foreign and light.
Wiping a tear from her eye after the story ended, Reiju smiled wryly. "You... are all impossibly stubborn."
"Shishishi!"
"So, did your brothers become pirates too?"
"Hmm... Only me and Ace became pirates. Sabo..." Luffy's expression sobered for a moment, a shadow passing over his features before his grin returned, bright and sure. "I thought he died. But Kevin told me Sabo's alive! He's a revolutionary now!"
"A what?! A revolutionary?!" Reiju's hand flew to cover Luffy's mouth on instinct, her eyes darting around the empty lab. "Luffy, you must never say that name so carelessly! Do you understand? It's too dangerous!"
Luffy nodded, his head bobbing earnestly under her hand. "Okay."
Satisfied, Reiju let out a slow breath. She unfurled a detailed naval map onto the table. "Speaking of your journey... Do you have a preference for which island we drop you off at?"
Luffy stared at the complex chart, its lines of sea currents and trade routes looking like a tangled mess. "Huh?"
"Which island would you like to go to? These are our supply stops." Her finger traced a path marked on the map—a route that would take them to five islands in the Grand Line before cutting back to North Blue through the Calm Belt.
Luffy scrutinized the islands, but none were familiar. "Umm... Is there one that can get me back to East Blue?"
"You can't navigate?" Reiju asked, a little surprised.
"I'm pretty sure I'll die within 30 minutes if I tried navigating the Grand Line," Luffy stated, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.
Reiju sighed, a long-suffering sound. "And you dream of becoming the Pirate King..."
"I'll have my navigator when I set out!" he retorted with unshakable confidence.
"Yeah, yeah..." She shook her head. "Anyway, no. No regular ships are heading from the Grand Line to the East Blue. Maybe a Marine vessel, or if you're lucky, you might find a pirate crew heading that way..."
Luffy's face scrunched up in thought. "Then the closest island to the entrance. I'll figure it out from there."
Reiju frowned, but then a thought occurred to her. "You know... we're heading to South Blue first before returning to North Blue. We have business there. And..." She paused, choosing her words with uncharacteristic care. "It would be much easier to find a merchant ship bound for East Blue from South Blue than from the Grand Line. So..." She met his gaze. "Would you like to come with us to South Blue?"
'Stay,' a quiet voice pleaded inside her. In just four days, his chaotic, honest presence had carved a space of unexpected warmth in her cold world. The journey to South Blue would be far less dreary with him around.
"Sure!" Luffy agreed instantly. To him, it was simple logic—a safer path was a better path. The navigational memories of Arden and Kevin were useless in the face of the Grand Line's madness.
Reiju was taken aback by his immediate trust. "J-Just like that?"
Luffy tilted his head, confused. "Yeah. You said it's a better way, so it's a better way."
'He trusts me so easily...' The thought sent a warm, unfamiliar flutter through her chest. She quickly masked it with a small, pleased smile. "Alright. That means you'll be with us for about three months. But before that, we will be merging with the rest of our fleet."
"NANI?! The ships are gonna combine?! SUGEeeee!!" Luffy's eyes sparkled like a child's on Christmas morning. Even with Kevin's memories, seeing it in person was an entirely different level of awe.
"Yes, the ships will merge to form the kingdom—"
"I know! A Seafaring Kingdom, right?" Luffy interrupted, buzzing with excitement. "But your kingdom is really amazing! Making technology like this! It's like building a moving island that can split apart and join together!"
"I'm surprised you know that."
"Of course! Your kingdom is famous! It's in the comic strips in the newspaper! Kevin also told me how advanced your tech is!"
"Comic strips?" Reiju wrinkled her nose. She never bothered with such trivialities.
"You don't know about the Germa 66 comics?!" Luffy was aghast. He threw himself to the floor in a dramatic sprawl, pounding the ground with his fist. "The comics are the main reason to read the newspaper!"
"Of course they're not, you idiot!" Reiju snapped, delivering a sharp knock on his head.
Rubbing the new bump, Luffy looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "Rei... Do you really have the cool suits like in the comics?"
It took Reiju a moment to understand. "Ah, you mean the Raid Suits? Yes, we have those."
"WOUH!! So cool!! Nee, Rei... Can I try one?"
"No."
"Cheh... Stingy." Luffy pouted.
...
Weeks melted into a new routine within the opulent confines of Reiju's castle. Luffy's days were now structured around the state-of-the-art gym, a paradise of treadmills that could outrun cheetahs and weight machines that could simulate lifting small mountains.
One day, a memory from Wano sparked an idea. He recalled training with Sea Stone cuffs, the debilitating weight forging him into something stronger once they were removed. He decided to replicate it.
Dreams, however, often clash with reality.
The moment the Sea Stone touched his skin, a wave of profound weakness washed over him, sapping his strength and leaving him barely able to stand. Reiju had to free him, her expression a mix of annoyance and concern. The first week was spent simply enduring the sensation, fighting just to take a single step without collapsing.
By the second week, he could move almost normally under its influence and began his gym regimen in earnest.
When he wasn't training, he was with Reiju—in her lab, by the pool, or simply lounging in her chambers. They had become inseparable, a fact that would have shocked the entire Germa court. Their only times apart were the formal meals and meetings Reiju was obligated to attend with her family.
She often visited him in the gym, watching him train or engaging in brief, one-sided spars. Those sessions always ended the same way: Luffy, frustrated, launching a flurry of attacks that Reiju evaded with effortless grace, before she ended the match with a single, precise strike that left him on the floor.
One evening, he lay in his bed, staring at the ornate ceiling. "Damn it... Lost again. I really thought I could put up a fight today."
A cold dread coiled in his gut. 'If I'm still this weak... how can I ever save Ace at Marineford? There are so many monsters there, as strong as Rei, or stronger.'
A grim resolve solidified within him. He had to go further. He had to break his limits.
The next day, he began training until his body screamed in protest, pushing past exhaustion into a realm of pure, dogged will. Reiju's concern turned to alarm. She started intervening, a sedative syringe in hand, when she judged he was crossing the line from training into self-destruction. She didn't understand the demon driving him, but she saw its intensity—and she wouldn't let it consume him.
By the sixth week, Luffy felt a sliver of progress. In their latest spar, he had, entirely by accident, managed to graze Reiju's sleeve. It was a meaningless touch, but to him, it was a beacon.
It also made him realize something crucial. Strength alone wasn't enough. His punches needed more power. He remembered his grandfather's training, the kind that could pulverize mountains with bare fists.
He sprinted to the lab. "Rei! Do you have a big block of iron I can use?"
Reiju looked up from her experiment. "There are some in the storage. Tell the servants outside; they'll bring you one. But what for?"
"For training!" Luffy beamed, already turning to leave. "Thanks, Rei!"
Soon, a massive, dense block of iron sat before him in the gym. He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders.
'Ace... just wait for me.'
He threw his first punch with all his might.
CRACK!
A jarring shockwave reverberated up his arm. A searing, white-hot pain exploded in his knuckles.
"GYAAAAAAHHH!! IT HURTS!!" he yelped, hopping on one foot while desperately blowing on his already-swelling hand.
But as the pain subsided, a fierce light ignited in his eyes. He clenched his other fist, his jaw set.
'Again.'
He swung with his other hand, this time embracing the pain, letting it fuel his determination. Again. And again. The rhythmic, punishing thud of flesh on metal became a desperate mantra.
...
Reiju finished her preparations, five new toxin variants ready for field testing. She headed to the gym to inform Luffy, but the sight that greeted her stole the breath from her lungs.
Luffy stood before the iron block, his fists a bloody, pulpy mess. Yet, he continued to swing, each impact leaving a smeared red print on the unyielding metal.
"Luffy! What in the world are you doing, you fool?!" she cried out, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around him from behind, pulling him away.
Startled, Luffy turned his head, his eyes wide. "What do you mean...? I'm training my punches."
Reiju stared at him, aghast. "No one trains by pulverizing their hands against solid iron!"
Luffy held up his bleeding, mangled hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Ah... This? It'll be fine after I eat some meat and sleep. No big deal."
His nonchalance fanned the flames of her fury. "I don't know what reason drives you to shatter your own body like this, but if you continue, you'll be dead long before you ever reach your goal!!"
Luffy fell silent, the words seeming to penetrate his single-minded focus. A raw, desperate anger surfaced in his voice. "But if I don't push myself now... I won't be strong enough to save someone precious to me..." His voice dropped to a low, haunted whisper. "So please, Rei... let me train. There's someone I have to help. I can't... I can't ever feel that helpless again, watching my brother die in front of me. So I'm begging you..."
Reiju was stunned. In all their time together, Luffy had been a bastion of careless joy. But now, she saw the deep, driving fear that lurked beneath—a shadow she recognized all too well from her own losses. Yet, understanding his pain didn't mean she could condone his self-annihilation.
"I refuse," she said, her voice low and firm. "Why should I agree to a request that will clearly get you killed? You will stop this, now, and come with me to the infirmary."
"Let me go, Rei! I don't need a doctor! This is nothing!" Luffy thrashed in her grasp, but despite his strength, her hold was like iron.
Seeing that he was beyond reason, Reiju didn't hesitate. She pulled a sedative from her pocket and pressed it against his neck. His struggles ceased instantly, his body going limp in her arms. She lifted him effortlessly, her heart a turbulent mix of fear, anger, and a fierce, protective ache.
In the infirmary, the doctor's face grew grim as he examined Luffy. "What happened to this boy? It's as if he's been hammering against battleship armor without a shred of regard for his body. His entire system is on the brink of collapse from overtraining... and his hands..." The doctor shook his head. "It's a miracle he was still standing. The bones in his hands are shattered. He's fortunate to be here, where we have the technology to rebuild them. Anywhere else, he might never have used his hands again."
Reiju listened, a cold dread settling in her stomach. The damage was far worse than she had imagined. He had been pushing himself far beyond this single, bloody session.
"How long until he's fully recovered?" she asked, her voice tight.
The doctor considered it. "By my calculations, it will take at least one month."
"One month..." Reiju murmured, her gaze fixed on Luffy's sleeping, bandage-swaddled form. A deep, resolute sigh escaped her. 'It seems I'll have to keep a much closer eye on you, idiot. I won't let you break your promise before you even have a chance to keep it.'