The sapphire sky was a sight for sore eyes, with a few white clouds drifting lazily across the expanse.
Upon the rolling surface of the sea, golden glints of light danced like lively spirits.
Occasionally, seagulls appearing from nowhere would skim the water, leaving a few crisp cries before vanishing into the horizon with a flutter of wings.
In the middle of this vast ocean, a figure was currently cutting through the waves, leaving a long white trail in his wake.
This person was none other than Goku.
After being spat out by a Sea King, he had no idea where he was, so he simply picked a direction that felt right and started swimming.
Unfortunately, despite swimming for two or three hours, he had yet to spot a single island.
"Did I go the wrong way? Is the island where Grandpa Garp and the others are in this direction?"
Having found no sign of land after quite some time, Goku stopped. His short legs treaded water while his head bobbed above the surface, turning this way and that in an attempt to find his bearings.
But after staring for a long while, not only did he fail to find the right way, the endless expanse of blue actually made him feel a bit dizzy.
"Whatever. I already told Grandpa Garp that I was going to head out on my own. I might as well just start looking for Master Roshi and Krillin now!"
He quickly made up his mind, no longer thinking about returning to the previous island.
"So, which way should I swim?"
"Hmm... I'll just keep going straight. I refuse to believe I won't hit an island eventually!"
He muttered to himself, nodding as if to confirm the brilliance of his own logic.
....
Another two hours quickly slipped by.
After swimming for four or five hours straight, Goku finally caught sight of an island's silhouette in the distance. His eyes lit up with joy, and he put even more effort into his strokes.
However, as the old saying goes, a destination can look close enough to touch, yet remain miles away.
Although the island was clearly in view, it still took Goku another half hour to reach it.
Upon reaching the shore, Goku first placed the Power Pole he always carried on the ground. Then, he stripped himself bare, wrung his clothes dry, and laid them out in the sun.
Finally, he flopped onto the ground to take a short break.
A moment later, a loud growl erupted from his stomach.
"I'm so hungry. Better go find something to eat in the sea."
He rubbed his hollow belly, talking to himself.
Just then, several faint, intermittent lines of a song drifted from the interior of the island, causing him to instinctively prick up his ears.
"The island sun is so warm and bright--"
"The island birds chirp with all their might--"
"Feeling good, feeling great, life is such a wonderful state--"
"Wait a sec?" Goku blinked, his eyes suddenly exploding with excitement.
"That voice?!"
"It's Krillin!!"
Whoosh!!!
In an instant, his whole body trembled. Without a second thought for his clothes or the Power Pole on the ground, he charged into the island's interior completely naked.
...
At this moment, the future Straw Hat Boy, Luffy, who had yet to set sail, was in a clearing in the forest, tending to a wild boar that was sizzling over a fire.
As he turned the spit, he hummed a little tune he had made up, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Suddenly, he noticed a commotion in the forest. A cloud of dust rose at the edge of the clearing, accompanied by an excited shout: "Krillin!!"
"Huh?"
Luffy stopped singing and tilted his head curiously, wondering who could be showing up here.
A few seconds later, he saw a completely naked child burst from the forest. With a sharp skid, the boy came to a halt right in front of him.
Then, the newcomer started looking around with a confused expression.
"Huh? Where's Krillin? I definitely heard his voice right here."
Goku scratched his head in confusion, completely ignoring Luffy's presence.
Luffy casually tore a large leg off the roasted boar, took a bite, and spoke up.
"Hey, who are you looking for?"
Snap!!
Goku snapped his head toward him. After scrutinizing the boy for a few seconds, his eyes went wide with shock.
"You're Krillin?! Krillin, how did you end up looking like this?!"
Luffy stared back with a look of utter confusion.
'What is he talking about? I don't understand a word of it.'
"My name is Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy," he introduced himself.
Goku's eyes widened again. "Luffy? You mean you're not Krillin?"
Luffy shook his head and repeated, "I'm not any Krillin. I'm Luffy."
Finally confirming the person before him wasn't his friend, Goku slumped slightly. "But your voice sounds so much like his. I really thought you were Krillin."
He had thought he'd finally found his best friend, only for reality to pour cold water on his hopes.
Luffy had already finished the meat on the leg and proceeded to tear off the other one. He watched Goku silently while he ate.
As he tore the meat, the savory aroma wafted straight into Goku's nose.
Goku's nose twitched. Recovering from his disappointment, his eyes began to sparkle at the sight of the fragrant roasted pig, and he started drooling.
"Um, can I have some? I'm starving to death over here."
Luffy stared at him expressionlessly for a long moment before suddenly splitting his face into a wide grin. "Sure!"
However, just as Goku was about to pounce on the boar, Luffy pointed at Goku's body. "By the way, don't you feel like you're missing something?"
While Luffy wasn't one for formalities, even he couldn't ignore a naked person running around in front of him.
Goku paused, looked down at himself, and yelped. "Argh! I forgot to grab my clothes and the Power Pole!"
He instinctively turned to run back, but after two steps, he stopped and clutched his stomach weakly. "No... I can't do it. I'm too hungry to move."
It had been seven or eight hours since he last ate in the morning.
He hadn't eaten a thing since, yet he had searched the island, saved people from the sea, and swam for hours. It was only natural that his body was running on empty.
Seeing how famished he was, Luffy looked toward the direction Goku had come from. "Hey, your stuff is over there, right?"
Goku nodded.
With a snap, Luffy's arm stretched out and grabbed a tree branch. Using the recoil, he launched himself high into the air.
"Let's see... Oh! There it is."
While airborne, he held onto his straw hat with one hand and squinted into the distance, quickly spotting the items on the shore.
He wound his arm back and then whipped it forward. It stretched out like a lightning bolt, wrapping around the targets two hundred meters away before snapping back.
Moments later, he landed back on the ground and handed the items to Goku with a smile. "Here, your stuff."
Goku was already staring with his mouth agape. He pointed at Luffy in shock. "You... you... how did your arm get so long?"
Luffy rubbed his nose and flashed a wide, toothy grin. "Oh, this? I'm a Rubber Human who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. I can stretch any part of my body."
He pulled his cheek out to a ridiculous length to demonstrate.
"Devil Fruit?"
Goku blinked blankly, then realization dawned. "Oh, so you ate a Devil Fruit."
He had heard about them back when Tsuru was teaching him.
Initially, he was quite interested in these fruits that granted special powers.
But after learning that eating one turned you into a hammer that couldn't swim, he had instantly lost all interest.
He never expected to run into a Devil Fruit user here.
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