Raphael: <>
System: []
******
"No... there must be some kind of misunderstanding here..." Luffy muttered in disbelief, his eyes wide as he looked up at Kuma. "Hey, are you sure you're not mistaken? Is this woman really my mother!?"
"No, there is no mistake," Kuma replied with his usual calm demeanor. "Charlotte Estelle, the eldest daughter of Charlotte Linlin, is your mother."
Luffy's grip tightened around the bounty poster as his eyes fixed on the staggering two billion berry bounty. The amount alone was shocking, but what truly terrified him was the face staring back at him from the poster. It wasn't just the face of his mother, no, it was the monstrous silhouette he could imagine standing behind her accompanied by the fact that his grandmother was none other than Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors.
"Fuck!" Luffy cursed under his breath, struggling to process the information. "Does anyone else know about her being my mother?" he asked, his voice taut with anxiety.
"No," Kuma reassured him in a calm voice. "There are only four people in this world who know about the relationship between you and Estelle: your father, Dragon; your mother, Estelle; your grandfather, Garp; and now me. We are the only ones who currently know about your connection to Estelle."
A wave of relief washed over Luffy as he exhaled the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Good," he muttered, more to himself than to Kuma. "Please, keep it that way. If that old hag finds out that I'm her grandson, she'll drag me to Totto Land and make me serve her."
Kuma nodded gravely. "That is indeed true. Charlotte Linlin is known for her short temper and her obsession with gathering her family around her. If she discovered your identity, it would be nearly impossible to escape her grasp."
"Yeah... I have no intention of serving under her," Luffy said, shaking his head resolutely. "So, is there anything else?"
"No," Kuma replied, his tone signaling the end of their conversation. "And I should be going now. I wasn't supposed to interact with you in the first place." He hesitated, then added, "Is there any message you want to pass on to your parents?"
"Well, what kind of message can I even pass on to people I barely know? Hell, I wouldn't even know what they look like if it wasn't for these bounty posters," Luffy said with a bitter smile. While original Luffy never cared much about his lineage, the revelation of his parents stirred something deeper within him. Grey, the one now inhabiting Luffy's body, found the subject more personal, given that he had been abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage. This connection, or lack thereof, hit harder than it ever would have for the original Luffy.
"Anyway, just tell them that despite my personal grievances, they are doing good work, and if I ever become some kind of big shot on the sea, they can count on my help," Luffy added, trying to keep his tone light, though the underlying bitterness was hard to miss.
"Very well, I will keep that in mind," Kuma said with a small smile on his face.
"Kuma, I mean it, you know," Luffy said, more forcefully this time. "If you ever need help, you can count on me."
Kuma stared intently at Luffy for a moment before nodding and then vanishing from the island.
"Well, that was something..." Luffy murmured as he stared at the spot where Kuma had just been standing. If he was honest with himself, he would never have imagined anyone was keeping an eye on him if it hadn't been revealed in the manga a few chapters ago. That's why Luffy had often flared his Observation Haki when he was on his own—to see if Kuma would really appear. Today, his gamble had paid off.
"This timeline just keeps getting more confusing with the existence of Charlotte Estelle," Luffy muttered, staring at the bounty poster in his hand. "Cannon Luffy's mother was never mentioned until now, so I don't know what role you'll play in my life. I just hope you don't bring me more trouble than I'm already expecting by being in the protagonist's body."
He paused, realizing how futile that hope was. "No, forget about that. Knowing Luffy's luck, trouble is always just a couple of blocks away," he said, shaking his head. "The only thing I can do right now is to get stronger and be prepared for whatever's waiting ahead."
With that resolve, Luffy returned to his training, pushing himself harder than ever. He knew that now he had an even bigger target on his back with Estelle being a member of his family and he would need every ounce of strength and skill to navigate the storms laid ahead.
******
The three months that followed Luffy's encounter with Kuma passed without any significant incidents, allowing Luffy and Uta to focus intensely on their training. Both had made substantial progress, finally mastering the basic forms of Armament and Observation Haki. Uta, overjoyed by her accomplishment, couldn't contain her excitement and constantly pestered Luffy about the gift he had promised her as a reward for her hard work.
Meanwhile, Luffy received the long-anticipated achievements from his system after mastering both types of Haki, just as he had predicted when he first awakened them.
[Armament Haki Mastery Ⅰ: The achievement is given to an individual who mastered the basics of Armament Haki.
Reward: 200 points. ]
[Observation Haki Mastery Ⅰ: The achievement is given to an individual who mastered the basics of Observation Haki.
Reward: 200 points. ]
But those weren't the only achievements he received. After months of grueling training, Luffy had finally mastered the Total Concentration Constant, a feat that required him to wake up constantly at night due to the severe pain Raphael would send through his body whenever she detected him not using the Breathing technique. This hard-earned accomplishment earned him another achievement from the system.
[Breath Master: The achievement is given to an individual who mastered the Total Concentration Breathing and Total Concentration Constant.
Reward: 200 points. ]
"Only 600 points for a year's worth of effort? That doesn't seem fair," Luffy muttered, frowning as he stared at the system screen. The rewards felt underwhelming, considering the sheer amount of time and energy he had poured into mastering these techniques.
But after a moment of reflection, he shrugged. "Forget about it. I got more out of mastering these skills than the achievements I received from them," he thought, pushing aside the disappointment, considering these rewards from the system just a bonus for his efforts.
What made it easier for Luffy to shrug off his disappointment was his progress in Petrosapien Mastery, which had now reached 27%, allowing him to unlock his Crystalkinesis ability from the Petrosapien pack.
What softened the blow was his progress in Petrosapien Mastery, which had now reached 27%, unlocking his Crystalkinesis ability from the Petrosapien pack. With Crystalkinesis unlocked, Luffy no longer needed to rely solely on sending rows of spiked crystals at his enemies. He could now freely manipulate the crystals he generated, opening up a wide range of strategies and possibilities in combat. This new level of control made him feel more confident in his growth and potential.
Overall, Luffy was pleased with the progress he had made over the year. Knowing the potential for rapid growth that the original Luffy had shown in the manga gave him hope that this was just the beginning.
Curious to see how many points he had accumulated, Luffy opened his stat screen.
******
Name: Monkey D. Luffy (Grey)
Age: 20
Boons:
Lord of Wisdom: Raphael
Inventory
Perfect Healthy Body
Powers/ Abilities:
Petrosapien - Mastery - 27%
System: Randomizer!
Points: 4523
Titles:
The Boy Who Inherited Will.
The Charismatic Prince.
******
"Ohh, 4523 points! That means I can do four rolls," Luffy said, satisfied with his accumulated points.
Throughout the last year, Luffy had exercised remarkable self-control, resisting the temptation to do a single roll despite having the required number of points. He had two major reasons behind his decision to save up the points until now.
The first reason was strategic. Luffy knew that mastering his existing abilities would take time. Mastering Haki was a long and grueling process, and mastering his Petrosapien abilities was always going to be a long game. Adding Total Concentration Constant into the mix made his schedule even tighter, so he didn't see the point in overwhelming himself with more abilities in case he got any new ones from the rolls, before fully mastering the ones he already had.
The second reason was based on his experience with gacha-type games. Luffy had hoped that saving a large number of points and doing multiple pulls at once might increase his odds of getting better abilities or items, similar to how some games offered bonuses for bulk pulls.
However, this hope was quickly dashed when Raphael informed him that his system didn't operate that way. The Randomizer system was strictly limited to one pull at a time, with no added advantage for doing multiple pulls simultaneously. It was a sobering reminder that his system followed its own rules, not those of a game.
Despite the second reason falling through, the first reason still held, so he continued to let his points accumulate while focusing on mastering his current abilities.
But now, with his training at a satisfactory level, Luffy decided it was finally time to use his points and test his luck with the Randomizer system.
******
A week before Uta and Luffy were set to sail, Luffy found himself sitting alone in his room, once again staring at his stat page. It had become a routine for him to check his stats whenever he had some time to himself. But today, there was a palpable excitement in the air. After months of patience, he was finally going to use his accumulated points to perform some gacha rolls from his gifted system.
"Hey, Raphael, can you predict what I could get from the gacha this time?" Luffy asked, curious if his sentient supercomputer companion could offer any insights.
"Well, it was worth a shot," Luffy shrugged, not too surprised by the answer. He knew Raphael's limitations and wasn't expecting a concrete prediction. "Anyway, since I have enough points for four rolls, I hope I can get something good."
"Well here goes nothing," Luffy said and spent his first 1,000 points and initiated his first roll.
[Congratulations! 4 Decks of Uno cards received!]
"Uno cards?" Luffy said as he retrieved one of the four decks from his Inventory. "I guess this system really can give anything," he muttered, feeling slightly disappointed. The cards were fun but ultimately useless when it truly mattered. "I guess they could be used to pass time during our travels."
He returned the deck of cards to his inventory and moved on to the second roll.
[Congratulations! Enchanted Jett character equipment set received!]
"Wow, this looks like something good," Luffy smirked as he retrieved the set from his inventory. It was a full set of Jett's attire, including a black tank top, a short blue hooded sleeveless jacket, black pants, shoes, long socks, gloves, and a belt holding five of her signature knives.
"This is honestly really cool," Luffy said, admiring the set before returning it to his inventory and checking the enchantments. "Hmm... there are only two enchantments: [Self-Repair], which allows the clothes to repair themselves over time, and [Self-Fitting], which allows the clothes to change their size based on the user. Not bad... not bad at all."
Encouraged by the second roll, Luffy moved on to the third.
[Congratulations! A copy of the Daily Prophet, 19 June 1996 received!]
"This is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed upon seeing the iconic newspaper from the Harry Potter universe. "Oh, this edition is from right after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries."
He admired the newspaper for a few minutes before returning it to his inventory, already imagining how one day he would have a huge house where he could showcase all these valuable collectibles.
Finally, Luffy spent his last 1,000 points and initiated the fourth roll.
[Congratulations! 10,000 Berries received!]
"And there goes my last draw," Luffy sighed, feeling a bit let down. "I really set my hopes high after receiving the Petrosapien ability pack in my first draw. Well, at least Jett's equipment set was quite a decent reward."
Just then, he heard Uta shouting from outside. "Luffy! Come to the living room! I have to show you something!"
"Well, I better go see what got her so excited before she bursts into my room without knocking, like usual," Luffy chuckled to himself as he got up and made his way to the living room.
******
"So, Uta, what happened? Why are you shouting like the house is on fire?" Luffy asked as he entered the living room, joining Rouge, who was already there, watching Uta with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"Luffy, remember a few months ago when I told you I was preparing something for our journey? Well, my preparations are finally complete," Uta grinned, her excitement practically radiating off her. "Wait here, I'll be back in a moment!" she said, skipping off to her room.
A few moments later, Uta returned, and Luffy and Rouge stared at her with wide eyes. "Uta... where the hell did you get that!?" Rouge asked, pointing at the two revolvers and a marksman rifle that Uta had brought along with her.
"I ordered them a year ago with the money I had saved," Uta said proudly, showing off the guns. "Not just the guns, but ammo as well. I ordered in bulk, so it took some time to arrive."
"Uta, I didn't know you wanted to be a marksman," Luffy said, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. This was the first time he'd heard about it.
"I never had a chance to tell you," Uta shrugged. "It's not like we had guns available, so the topic never came up. But I've always loved guns. Back when I was on Shanks' ship, I was often scolded for messing with Benn's or Yasopp's guns. So, I decided that when we set sail, I'll be the marksman of the crew."
"Well, that's good and all, but do you have the aim to back your claim?" Luffy challenged with a playful smirk.
Uta met his gaze with equal confidence. Instead of answering, she slung the rifle over her back, picked up the two revolvers, and walked outside, gesturing for him to follow.
Luffy and Rouge followed her, and once again, they were surprised to see tin cans set up as targets all over their backyard at various distances.
"I knew you'd question my greatness, so I prepared this in the morning," Uta said, rubbing under her nose with a smug grin.
"Where the hell did you get all these tin cans? Did you collect garbage around the village or something?" Luffy asked, glancing at the various targets Uta had set up.
"Haha, Brother, you're really funny. Why don't you become our crew's jester?" Uta sarcastically retorted. "Anyway, Captain! Are you ready to see the beginning of the best markswoman in the world!"
"Very well, Uta. Show me what you've got!" Luffy said, his tone both encouraging and teasing.
With a confident grin, Uta spun the two revolvers in her hands, then pointed them toward the targets. She took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing as she focused, and in a quick succession of shots, she fired at the tin cans.
Each shot Uta fired was precise, hitting the targets dead-on. The cans were either knocked over or pierced straight through, leaving no doubt about her skills. Uta continued firing, smoothly transitioning from one target to the next with impressive speed and accuracy. She downed twelve targets at medium range with her revolvers before quickly switching to her rifle and expertly taking out another six targets at long range. When she finally stopped, all the targets were down, the backyard now filled with the echo of her shots.
Luffy stood there, genuinely shocked by Uta's performance. He couldn't believe how he had never noticed her spectacular aim before. As if answering his unspoken question, Raphael flooded his mind with various memories where Uta had demonstrated her talent, but he had overlooked them. Instances flashed before him—like when Uta would casually throw trash into the dustbin from various distances or when she would perfectly hit him during snowball fights. It was clear now that her skills had always been there; he had just never paid close enough attention.
Realizing that her show was over, Luffy's expression softened into a genuine smile of admiration. "Well, color me impressed, Uta. You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to be the best markswoman," he praised, still in awe.
Rouge, who had been watching silently, nodded in approval, her face lighting up with a kind smile. "You've got real talent, Uta," she said warmly. "With more practice, you could definitely become the best markswoman in the world."
"Thanks!" Uta beamed, clearly pleased with the praise. "I've been practicing in secret for a while now, but I'm glad I finally got to show off a little."
Luffy chuckled, imagining Shanks' reaction. "I can't wait to see Shanks' reaction when he realizes that his daughter idolizes his first mate and sniper of the crew." He walked over to her and retrieved the Enchanted Jett character equipment set from his Inventory. "Here, I told you I'd give you something nice when my Devil Fruit gifted me something suitable for you. Well, here it is. Why don't you go try it on?"
Uta's eyes widened in surprise and excitement as she took in the sleek outfit. "Oh my God! Thank you!" she exclaimed, jumping on Luffy and hugging him tightly. Without wasting a moment, she quickly took the set from his hands and ran inside the house, eager to try it on.
Luffy watched Uta go with a satisfied grin on his face, still marveling at the coincidence. The same day he received the equipment from Jett, a character known for being a go-to choice for snipers in her game, his sister and first mate revealed herself as a markswoman. It was as if fate had aligned, ensuring that the gear wouldn't just collect dust in his inventory. Instead, it found the perfect user in Uta.
Rouge, who had been observing quietly, placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "You two have grown so much," she said softly. "I'm proud of both of you."
"Thanks for your kind words, but we still have a long way to go," Luffy replied, "Right now, we can't even compare to Ace, who's become a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and their 2nd division commander, or Gramps, who could take on multiple Admirals on his own."
"Ace really joined Whitebeard, didn't he," Rouge said, a distant look in her eyes. "Who would have thought that the biological son of Roger would join Whitebeard's crew and become his son," she chuckled, though there was a hint of sadness in her laughter. "I wonder what Roger would have thought if he were alive today."
"I'm sure he would've laughed and then threatened Whitebeard to take good care of his son," Luffy said, pulling her into a side hug. "Now, stop wasting your tears. Ace is doing well for himself. and we don't want you getting dehydrated, do we now?"
"Seriously, Luffy, can't you be serious for a moment?" Rouge rolled her eyes and poked Luffy in the stomach, her mood lightening. Just then, the door to the house opened, and Uta walked out, outfitted in her new attire.
"Oh my God! You look so good!" Rouge exclaimed, her eyes widening in admiration.
"Thanks, Rouge!" Uta beamed as she adjusted the belt holding the five knives around her waist. "Luffy, your Devil Fruit is really amazing if it can give these kinds of gifts!"
"Let me show you something even more amazing," Luffy said, walking toward her. He took out one of the knives from the belt and, to Uta's surprise, slashed her jacket, creating a tear in it.
"Luffy! What the hell are you doing!? Why are you—" Her words halted as she saw the tear in her jacket begin to repair itself before her eyes. "Huh? What? How?"
"These clothes have two features: [Self-Repair] and [Self-Fitting], which means they'll last you for quite a few years."
"Luffy, are you sure this is your Devil Fruit and not some kind of magic?" Rouge asked, her tone filled with wonder.
"Well, it is what it is," Luffy shrugged, quickly trying to steer the conversation away from his powers. He didn't want them dwelling too much on the nature of his abilities. "How about both of you head back inside, and I make a quick trip to the village to get us some desserts?"
"Great idea!" Uta cheered, stars in her eyes as she eagerly grabbed Rouge's arm and started dragging her back to the house.
As they headed inside, Luffy watched them go with a smile. It had just been a year since he inhabited this body but he was damm sure that he was going to miss these interactions with his family.
******
The night before setting sail, Luffy stood on a cliff, staring out at the vast sea. The moon hung high in the sky, its light reflected in the endless expanse of water. The scene was tranquil, but Luffy's mind was anything but. He couldn't help but think about how a year had passed since he died in his old world and found himself transmigrated into Luffy's body. If he was being honest with himself, the year he had spent here felt more fulfilling than his entire life in his previous world.
His thoughts drifted to the numerous differences between this world and the One Piece world he knew from the manga. There were significant changes—Rouge being alive, Uta staying in Foosha Village, his mother being a Charlotte, and undoubtedly many more alterations he wasn't even aware of.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a presence behind him. His senses, sharpened by his training and Haki, alerted him to someone nearby. He turned around, wondering who might be awake at this late hour, only for his eyes to widen in shock.
Standing before him was someone he never expected to see, let alone in Foosha Village.
"Hmm... I believe this is our first meeting, so why do your eyes scream that you already know me, Luffy-chan~?" The figure's voice was seductive and feminine, sending shivers down Luffy's spine and filling him with a terror he hadn't felt in either his past or current life.
And how could he not be terrified? After all, standing before him was none other than the supreme ruler of the World Government, Imu.
To be continued...