To pursue his dream, Luffy trained almost every day.
In the afternoon, Luffy continued his daily training routine, which he called "friendly exchanges" with tigers and bears in the mountains.
In the fantastical world of pirates, people's physical abilities vary greatly. Some might achieve superhuman strength through relentless training, while others might remain just strong ordinary individuals no matter how hard they train.
Aside from Luffy, another person, Sabo, was also diligently training.
Every day, he spent several hours in training, never once breaking his routine over the years.
For better training results, Sabo tied a stone weighing over a hundred pounds to himself and leaped into the shallow sea. As he sank, he slowly regulated his breathing, using the water pressure to train his muscles.
When his feet touched the seabed, he began breaking down movements into basic actions—punching, stepping, striking. Each movement was slow and laborious due to the resistance and pressure of the water. Yet, he continued his monotonous practice.
Ten minutes later, he burst out of the water, greedily gulping in air.
He felt like he was suffocating. After years of continuous underwater training, initially lasting only a few seconds, he could now hold out for ten minutes.
His physical condition had vastly improved, surpassing even the fierce beasts of the mountains.
Feeling the strength building within him was addictive, so after a few minutes of rest, he submerged again.
Repeating this cycle for three hours, Sabo finally dragged his exhausted body ashore, wringing out his clothes and gazing at the large figure on the distant sea. He couldn't help but smile.
Although he could easily defeat that creature, it was Luffy's prey, and he wouldn't interfere.
"Sabo!"
Suddenly, an excited voice came from the shore, followed by a pair of arms stretching like rubber, grabbing his shoulder. A figure rapidly approached, propelled by the elasticity of the extended arms.
Slap!
Sabo put up a hand, and the swiftly approaching Luffy crashed face-first into it.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Luffy clutched his face, rolling on the ground in pain.
Seeing Luffy clowning around, Sabo just smiled and then pulled him up.
At night, in a treehouse filled with various collected items, the two sat on the edge, looking at the distant sea.
"Sabo, are you planning to go to sea like Ace?" Luffy asked, munching on the roasted meat Sabo handed him.
"Yeah, according to our promise, I should go find Ace. He's amazing, becoming a supernova in his first year at sea."
Sabo smiled, looking at the various wanted posters of Ace on the treehouse walls.
"Supernova? That's nothing. I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
"Luffy, I'll be the Pirate King. I'll become Pirate King before you and Ace," Sabo said, ruffling Luffy's hair with a smile.
In the year 1517 of the Sea Calendar, after Ace, Sabo also planned to set sail.
In the Goa Kingdom, dozens of soldiers were rushing southwards, led by a man nearly two meters tall, clearly a commanding officer from his attire.
"Captain Klean, are we really going to fight those guys?" A soldier asked nervously.
Sterry Klean, a minor noble of the Goa Kingdom.
Klean silently looked at the soldier and then said, "Speed up. Once we repel those pirates, everyone will be handsomely rewarded."
Hearing about the reward, many soldiers' eyes lit up. Although pirates were tougher than bandits, they didn't think they were much more than that. After all, there were no powerful pirates in the East Blue.
Some soldiers wanted to say more, but a cold glance from Klean made them swallow their words.
As Klean looked south, his expression turned grim. As a minor noble of the Goa Kingdom, he was knowledgeable enough to know that not all pirates were the same.
Weak pirates wouldn't dare attack a kingdom, even one in the East Blue.
Despite knowing the danger, he couldn't run. Everything he had was tied to the Goa Kingdom. If it fell, he would be left with nothing.
People on the streets, awakened by the commotion, peeked out their windows to see squads of soldiers rushing south. Panic set in.
Many couldn't sleep, trying to find out what was happening.
"Boom!"
The rumble of thunder, flickering lights from burning buildings, and the nauseating stench of blood assaulted Klean's senses.
Suffocating fear, screams, and searing pain made his body tremble.
This was a battlefield!
Cannons shattered bodies, staining the ground dark red. Corpses littered every corner, and familiar streets were now a sea of flames. The pirates' maniacal laughter and roars created a hellish symphony.
Everything blurred and twisted in Klean's blood-soaked vision.
On March 17, 1517, in the East Blue, the Goa Kingdom was attacked by pirates who had escaped from Impel Down. Within ten minutes, the kingdom's defenses were completely breached!
Everyone was dead!
"Boom!"
Lightning flashed, thunder roared.
"Boss, there's one still alive here!"
In his bloody vision, Klean heard a surprised voice, followed by the sound of a blade slicing through flesh.
Klean trembled, seeing two figures approach, their weapons dripping with blood. Fear, suffocation, and desperation clouded his mind.
"Wow, he's still alive! Heh heh! Tough luck to survive the first wave of those monsters' attack."
"Finish him off. Once he's dead, we might still find some loot."
"Watch and learn, boss."
The pirate's cold, cruel voice made Klean shiver. He saw the blood-soaked pirate approaching, brandishing a knife.
"No! Please, no!"
Klean's inner voice screamed. He wanted to move, to escape, but his body was too injured from the monsters' attack to respond.
A few steps later, the pirate raised his knife, slashing down hard.
Klean's vision blurred, and with a searing pain, his right arm was severed. The intense pain made him scream in agony.
"Ha ha! What a lovely sound."
The pirate laughed, raising his knife for another blow, this time aiming to further torture Klean before killing him.
"Someone, please save me!" Klean's mind cried out in desperate prayer as the knife came down again.
[AN- damn cliffhanger again}