In the forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Goku dragged the massive Lord of the Coast along, leaving a trail of scattered leaves and causing insects and beasts to flee.
"Hey, Goku! Join my crew and be a pirate with me!"
"My plan is to find ten crewmates. If you join, you'll be my very first one!"
Luffy followed along beside Goku, swinging through the trees and rambling incessantly.
He would be thrilled beyond words if he could find a crewmate before setting out to sea.
So, no matter what, he wanted Goku to be his partner.
"I already told you, I don't want to be a pirate. I have things to do, so stop asking me."
Goku's head throbbed from the constant noise as he spoke with some impatience.
"Oh? What do you have to do?"
Hearing another rejection, Luffy's eyes lit up instead of showing disappointment.
'If he has something to do, that's great! If I help him finish it, he'll surely agree to join me!'
"I'm looking for two people."
"Looking for two people? Oh—you mean that guy, Krill-whatever, right?"
"His name is Krillin, and he's my best friend. The other is an old man named Master Roshi."
As they talked, they unknowingly arrived back where they first met.
Goku let go of the Lord of the Coast, put his clothes back on, and slung the Power Pole across his back. Then, he gave Luffy a respectful bow.
"Thanks for the food earlier. You can have the rest of this big fish. I have to go now."
With that, he turned to leave.
But Luffy jumped down from a tree to block his path, hands on his hips as he grinned. "Hey, if I help you find Krill-whatever and that Roshi guy, will you agree to be my crewmate then?"
Goku thought about it seriously but shook his head again. "No. After I find Krillin and Master Roshi, I have to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament. And after that, I have to find my grandpa's keepsake."
Luffy lost his cool, clutching his head in frustration. "How do you have so many things to do?!"
"That's why I can't be a pirate with you. Besides, I promised someone I wouldn't become one, and I have to keep my word."
Goku spoke with absolute sincerity.
Seeing the determination in Goku's eyes, Luffy realized that no matter how much he insisted, Goku wouldn't budge. He had no choice but to give up.
After all, he wanted crewmates who truly wanted to sail the seas with him, not someone he had to force.
"Fine, I won't force you," he said, equally serious.
He continued with a serious expression.
"But—"
"If you ever change your mind, you're always welcome in my crew!"
He grinned and extended his right hand.
Goku looked at the hand, blinked, and then shook it with a bright smile.
"I don't think that day will come, but I'm glad I met you. I think we're friends now!"
...
Foosha Village was a small village on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom and the place where Luffy had grown up.
Luffy led Goku into the village and headed straight for a tavern called Party's Bar.
Before even entering, he shouted, "Makino! Makino!"
Inside, Makino was wiping down glasses behind the bar. She turned around and gave Luffy a gentle smile. "Back so early today, Luffy?"
She knew he trained in the forest every day.
Usually, he wouldn't be back at this hour, so she was quite surprised.
However, right after asking, she noticed a child following behind him. She quickly set down her glass and walked out from behind the bar.
"What a cute child! Where did he come from?"
"His name is Goku! He's a friend I just made! As for where he's from... uh, I don't actually know."
Luffy turned to look at Goku. "Hey, Goku, where are you from?"
Goku scratched his head. "Me? I swam over from another island."
"Oh, what island?" the dense Luffy asked casually.
A second later, the realization hit, and both he and Makino stared with wide eyes.
"You... you swam here?!"
After Goku explained how he went looking for something in the sea, got lost in strange waters, and swam for over five hours to get here, Makino hugged him, her heart aching for him.
"What a poor, brave child. To be in the ocean for so long all by yourself... I'm so glad you survived."
Makino wiped a tear from her eye and stood up. "You must be starving. Wait here, I'll go prepare some food for you."
Snapping out of his shock over Goku's feat, Luffy quickly grabbed her hand. "No need, Makino! He already ate the wild boar I roasted."
"And don't underestimate him; he even took down the Lord of the Coast!"
"Besides, I brought him here to help him find someone. You meet a lot of people, Makino, so maybe you've seen the folks he's looking for."
Makino turned back in shock, unable to believe her ears. "What? You're saying he defeated the Lord of the Coast?"
Luffy patted his stomach and grinned. "Yeah! He caught it and gave it to me. Now it's all in my belly."
Hard as it was to believe, Makino trusted Luffy unconditionally.
After all, she had watched him grow up. To her, Luffy was like her own child, and who wouldn't believe their own child?
Dropping the subject, she looked at Goku. "Little one, you said you're looking for someone. But since you came from another island, wouldn't they be back there?"
Goku shook his head. "I already checked that island. They aren't there."
Makino paused for a moment. "Then who are you looking for?"
Goku described the names and appearances of Master Roshi and Krillin.
Makino frowned, searching her memory carefully before shaking her head. "I've never seen anyone matching those descriptions. As far as I know, they aren't in any of the nearby villages either."
Goku nodded. "Then do you know where the World Martial Arts Tournament is held?"
"The World Martial Arts Tournament?"
This time, Makino shook her head even faster.
"I've never heard of such an event, let alone where it's held."
"I see. Thanks anyway," Goku replied politely, despite not getting any useful information.
Seeing how well-behaved he was, Makino grew even fonder of the cute child. "Our village is quite remote. If you want useful information, you might want to try asking in the cities of the Goa Kingdom."
"However, it's not easy to get in there," she added, her brow furrowing again.
To concentrate the best resources in one place, the Goa Kingdom had walled off its only city, forbidding outsiders from entering.
Inside the city, everything was magnificent and spotless, perfectly managed.
Outside the city, however, the area was ignored and treated as a dumping ground for the city's trash.
Ironically, because of the city's beauty, the Goa Kingdom was hailed as the most beautiful nation in the East Blue.
Simply because of the splendor within those walls.
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