“Luffy…”
In the past, Makino would have smiled and shaken her head, then gone to serve Luffy a bowl of seafood fried rice, also keeping track of the bill. But today, she just didn’t have the energy…
The drowsy Luffy also sensed that something was amiss, but his attention wasn’t on Makino, it was on the room full of dishes that made his mouth water.
“Wow! Grandpa Slap, how could you throw a feast and not invite me?!”
The young man who had just been half-dead immediately jumped up. His legs seemed boneless as he compressed them, and then he sprang up more than three meters high like a spring, bypassing a group of people to reach the counter. He grabbed a large plate of grilled meat, already half-eaten, and poured it directly into his mouth!
Yes, poured! His mouth opened wider than an adult’s waist, and he poured more than half of the plate of grilled meat into his mouth! He didn’t even chew. His neck extended and retracted, and with a “Gū Lū” sound, the grilled meat disappeared into his stomach.
“Hey! He’s back to life!” Someone commented from the back.
Luffy patted his belly with a foolish grin on his face, grabbing a chicken leg from a table several meters away with his hand covered in grease. He turned around strangely and asked, “Grandpa Slap, why aren’t you eating? It’s so delicious!”
Mayor Slap responded with a wry smile, not saying a word.
At this moment, Vice Admiral Momonga’s expression changed as he looked at Luffy.
Such a carefree and uninhibited demeanor.
Wearing a round straw hat at all times.
Having consumed the Rubber-Rubber Fruit.
“You’re Monkey D. Luffy, right?” Vice Admiral Momonga took a step forward, carefully observing for a moment before asking with certainty.
“Huh? Yeah, that’s me!”
Luffy raised his head in confusion, using his greasy palm to scratch the back of his head. “Who are you? Are you a Marine?”
Although he was only 15 years old this year and hadn’t set sail yet, under the constant “instruction through words and deeds” from his grandfather, even someone as carefree as Luffy had a deep impression of the Marines.
It could be said that the Marine uniform, after the pirate flag and the straw hat, was the next most important thing in Luffy’s somewhat quirky mind.
“Yes, I’m your grandfather’s… colleague.”
Upon hearing that the other party was indeed the target this time, Vice Admiral Momonga smiled. “Your grandfather couldn’t come back, so he asked me to come and check on you. I believe he’ll be very happy to know that you’re in such high spirits.”
More than just “high spirits”!
In the short time he had been speaking, at least a third of the food on the tables around them had entered Luffy’s stomach.
If he weren’t in such “high spirits,” what were the rest of them?
A bunch of sickly kids?
“Tch, it’s that old geezer again!”
Luffy’s expression suddenly darkened. As he said this, he mimicked Garp’s gesture of picking his nose with his finger, just like how Garp did it. “It’s better if he doesn’t come back! Once he’s back, he’ll definitely make me join the Marines! If I don’t obey, he’ll just beat me up. Who cares if he comes back…”
“What’s wrong with being a Marine? Look at us, we’re Marines. Even those Battleships outside are ours. Isn’t that cool?”
Vice Admiral Momonga had seen many young rascals like Luffy. Although he was reluctant to admit it, there were definitely more young people dreaming of becoming Pirate Kings than those hoping to join the Marines.
So he didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he smiled warmly and twirled his purple mustache, using the majesty of the Battleships to catch Luffy’s attention.
“Wow! So that’s not a mountain?”
As expected, Luffy’s eyes widened in an instant, as if there were golden lights flickering in them.
He had noticed earlier that the harbor was densely packed with what looked like a mountain, but he was too hungry to pay much attention. Now that he heard it was a ship, he was ecstatic!
“That’s right, that’s our Marine’s largest Battleship, the War Behemoth!”
Vice Admiral Momonga proudly declared, “Once you become a Marine, you’ll have the opportunity to manage your own Battleship. Do you want to go up and take a look?”
If it were a curious little guy with a strong sense of wonder, Vice Admiral Momonga might have succeeded. However, he was facing Luffy, who was known for not following the script.
Upon hearing Vice Admiral Momonga’s words, the golden lights in Luffy’s eyes dissipated visibly… You could really see it. From being full of anticipation to completely ignoring it!
“I don’t want to! That’s a Battleship and only Marines ride on Battleships!”
Saying this, Luffy raised his fist, his eyes filled with longing.
Mayor Slap knew exactly what Luffy was about to say when he saw that familiar gesture. He wanted to step forward and stop him, but suddenly felt a tremendous killing intent, and had to freeze in place.
“I’m a man who’s going to become the Pirate King!”
“Someday, I’ll build a ship even bigger than your Battleships, take my crew, and become the Pirate King!”
At this time, Luffy had no clear understanding of what the Grand Line or the Marines were. He just wanted to become the Pirate King, and he did everything according to that idea.
Listening to Luffy’s resounding shouts, Mayor Slap’s eyes turned lifeless.
He had identified the source of the killing intent, the man who had wiped out Ace’s Spade Pirates.
However, to his surprise, the expected anger didn’t surface. Rowen just calmly watched Luffy, then said to Vice Admiral Momonga, “Vice Admiral Momonga, it’s time to leave.”
No one could change Luffy’s determination. This had nothing to do with his destined role as the protagonist. In the world, there were just some people who, once they set a goal, wouldn’t give up even if it meant facing death.
To a certain extent, Rowen was the same way.
However, Rowen didn’t share Luffy’s lofty and elusive goal of becoming the “Pirate King.”
The title of “Pirate King” was broad and encompassing, and even if someone like Roger were to be resurrected and traverse the Grand Line again, they wouldn’t know what would happen. Everything stemmed from the unknown, full of surprises waiting to be uncovered.
Rowen’s goals, on the other hand, were short-term and narrowly defined, something visible and tangible. He simply wanted to challenge himself. Anything he couldn’t currently do fell within the scope of Rowen’s challenges.
Luffy lived for the sake of his seemingly unattainable dream, existing on the path to pursue his dream. Rowen, on the other hand, lived because he was alive. Every day was dull and numb for him, and only new challenges could infuse his ordinary life with excitement.
This was also the second reason why Rowen hadn’t become a pirate. To dreamers, lofty dreams were romantic, but in Rowen’s eyes, dreams were nothing more than fleeting illusions, like a mirage. Rather than the romance of pursuing dreams, he preferred to think about what he could do in the present, living a very practical life.
Naturally, both of them fundamentally had no difference; both were a sublimation of self-belief and conviction. Once they had set their goals, neither could be influenced by outsiders. Even if someone like Zephyr were to ask Rowen to give up his goal in the future, Rowen would simply dismiss it.
So, Vice Admiral Momonga’s attempt to change Luffy’s mindset was something Rowen couldn’t take seriously.
…
On the way back to the Battleship, Vice Admiral Momonga frowned.
“Rowen, do you know why so many people want to become the Pirate King?”
In the past, due to the strength of the pirates and the influence of Pirate King Roger in the Pirate Era, it was understandable that young people aspired to become Pirate Kings. Fame, wealth, power – becoming the Pirate King meant having everything, which was a tremendous temptation for young people.
But nowadays, life for pirates is getting tougher day by day. In the East Blue, pirates like Alvida had to hide even to have a feast. The Marines had already changed a lot of things.
Vice Admiral Momonga couldn’t understand why some people were so unwavering in their dream of becoming the Pirate King.
“Of course, it’s because of the World Government, isn’t it?”
Rowen didn’t say this but gave a different answer, “Probably because of boredom!”
“Boredom?!”
“Indeed! I heard that Vice Admiral Momonga here also grew up on a small, ordinary island, right? Living on a limited island, as a child, didn’t you ever look at the endless sea and wonder what was in the depths? What kind of scenery could you encounter?”
“Even if you knew that the sea was full of pirates, man-eating monsters, and deadly storms that could take lives, did you ever feel afraid and hesitant, suppressing this idea but never forgetting it?”
Vice Admiral Momonga fell silent. In his view, that wasn’t boredom; it was a dream.
However, he understood what Rowen meant. No matter how much the Marines changed the current situation, it only affected something called “the big picture.” And that “big picture” had little to do with ordinary people.
Moreover, it was only an influence, not a complete overturning of the status quo. The structure of the Pirate Era was so firmly established that unless they could establish a new “Sea Era,” no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn’t affect the thoughts and considerations of ordinary people.
You’ll never know how exciting the world can be until you step out of your comfort zone.
What Luffy yearned for wasn’t the glory and power of becoming the Pirate King; it was simply the vast, boundless sea, full of anticipation and adventure.
Just like his old self.
“I’ve checked Windmill Village; I didn’t find any mutated fierce beasts. But the Goa Kingdom is quite large, so let the soldiers get moving… Huh?”
Before he could finish speaking, Rowen suddenly made a curious sound and looked back.
Vice Admiral Momonga’s Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) wasn’t as wide-ranging as Rowen’s, but the other party didn’t hide their whereabouts at all. Instead, they advanced in an almost reckless manner, and the sounds of their footsteps were so chaotic it was unbearable. They were coming towards them like they were flying.
The newcomer was none other than Luffy, who had half a piece of grilled meat in his mouth.
Zii Zii Zi!
He slammed the brakes with his heels, leaving two skid marks on the ground. Luffy swallowed the grilled meat in one gulp and looked at Rowen with eagerness.
“Hey, mister over there!”
“I heard you killed Ace’s Nakama, right?!”
“That… seems to be right.” Rowen looked at him with amusement, raising an eyebrow. “Do you want to avenge your older brother?”
To Rowen’s surprise, Luffy hardly hesitated as he spoke. “No way! He was a pirate too, my rival on the path to becoming the Pirate King. I won’t help my rival get revenge!”
As he said this, Luffy’s face displayed an “I’m very clever and won’t be fooled” expression. Then he shrunk his neck and muttered softly.
“Besides, Ace wouldn’t want me to avenge him…”
Rowen: “…”
“But since you were able to defeat him, it means you’re strong, right?!”
Suddenly, Luffy exclaimed loudly, his silly face showing no hint of fear. He locked eyes with Rowen, spread his legs, and used his palms to support his knee joints.
“Let’s duel!”
“As long as I defeat you, I can prove that I’m better than Ace! Then I can set sail this year!”
Rowen: “…”
Vice Admiral Momonga: “…Pū Chī!”
(End of this chapter)
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