After some thought, Luffy decided to go through with his escape plan.
At this moment, Rayleigh was away—it was the perfect time to run.
"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed aloud.
"I must be an idiot!"
"To think I'd try to run after becoming Luffy!"
"I'm really disgracing his name here."
"But what choice do I have?"
"I'm not Luffy."
"I'm just a nobody."
"I believe life is priceless."
"So… I'm done with training!"
"Time to make my escape!"
Luffy carefully observed his surroundings.
"Hmm!" He nodded—there was definitely no one around.
It made sense; after all, Rayleigh trusted Luffy deeply. He wasn't constantly monitoring him but instead allowed him to train on his own. Rayleigh had only provided him with some initial guidance and a brief demonstration.
Because…
Luffy's aptitude was undeniable.
Rayleigh probably thought there was no need to oversee him closely. And this, precisely, was the opportunity Luffy had been waiting for.
"There's not a soul in sight!" Luffy confirmed.
At least… there was no one in the immediate area; only the faint sound of birds in the distance broke the silence.
Of course, deep in the forest, there were many fearsome beasts—the very targets of Luffy's training.
Back in his past life, anyone who watched the anime knew this.
Luffy quickly jogged to the seaside.
"Damn it!" he cursed.
"No boat!"
He was getting anxious, worried that Rayleigh could show up any minute and ruin his chance to escape.
"Wait!" An idea struck him. "I can swim!"
"After all, Luffy has such a strong body!"
Without further hesitation… he leapt into the water.
The next second,
"Ahhhh!" Luffy screamed.
"Damn it!"
"I forgot about Luffy's Devil Fruit weakness!"
It dawned on him that the powers of the Devil Fruit conflicted with seawater.
"I'm gonna drown!" Luffy flailed helplessly as the water swallowed him.
"Just my luck!"
"I barely even crossed over, and I'm about to die already!"
Luffy felt deeply regretful, realizing his cowardice might lead to his untimely end.
"Oh well," he sighed, "I guess this is it."
"I'm just an ordinary guy!"
"Even if I became Luffy, I'm still useless."
"Maybe if I drown, I'll get a second chance to cross over!"
"Next time, I'll become someone strong!"
He tried to console himself.
Suddenly, a shadow shot over at lightning speed. Luffy was already losing consciousness, but just before he blacked out, he vaguely saw a figure racing toward him from afar.
Then… he was pulled out of the water.
About ten minutes later, Luffy slowly opened his eyes.
"Huh?"
The face before him was that of an older man, weathered by countless trials. It was clear that, in his younger days, he'd been a rugged and handsome man.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy murmured.
Yes, the man before him was none other than Rayleigh, the Dark King and right-hand man to the Pirate King.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Luffy spluttered, unable to hold back the seawater as he coughed it up.
Rayleigh furrowed his brow and asked,
"Luffy!~"
"What were you doing?"
"Hmm?"
"You're a Devil Fruit user—why did you go into the sea?"
"Were you trying to die?"
Luffy wanted to say he'd tried to run away, but he held his tongue.
Because…
There was no way Rayleigh would believe something like that.
Nor would he believe Luffy had been replaced by someone else.
Luffy replied,
"Rayleigh-sensei!"
"I just wanted to catch a fish to eat. Then… my foot slipped, and I fell into the sea."
Luffy's excuse was flimsy at best.
Rayleigh was at a loss for words.
He said,
"Luffy."
"You're one of the Supernovas, after all; how could you do something so foolish?"
Then, after thinking it over, Rayleigh figured it might be because Luffy had been training too hard recently.
Moreover…
The death of Ace had dealt a heavy blow to Luffy, likely causing him to be distracted and unsettled, which had led to his fall.
"Everything will be okay," Rayleigh said, trying to comfort him.
Luffy said nothing and slowly got up.
Then, suddenly, he asked,
"Rayleigh-sensei!"
"Hypothetically… I mean, just as a hypothetical…"
Rayleigh nodded, signaling him to continue.
Luffy asked,
"If I were a complete failure, would you be disappointed?"
His question was blunt and straightforward.
Rayleigh was taken aback, not understanding why Luffy would say such a thing.
"A failure?" Rayleigh replied.
"You're joking, right?"
"If you were a failure, then… I'd be one too."
"There probably wouldn't be anyone truly exceptional in this world."
"Hahaha!" Rayleigh laughed, thinking Luffy was just being self-deprecating or venting.
Then…
Rayleigh said,
"Luffy, I understand what you're going through."
"Ace was a good man."
"I'm saddened too."
"But… you have to look forward."
Rayleigh's words were heartfelt and full of meaning.
Luffy felt like crying but held back.
After some thought, Luffy said,
"Rayleigh-sensei!"
"I'd like some time alone."
Rayleigh nodded, slowly turning to leave.
Luffy just wanted Rayleigh gone.
After all…
Nothing he could say to Rayleigh would make any difference.
In Rayleigh's eyes, Luffy was exceptionally gifted, the man destined to succeed the Pirate King.
In fact, he believed Luffy would surpass even Roger himself, achieving the dream Roger had left unfulfilled.
For some reason, Luffy felt a deep sadness.
He felt that his current, unimpressive self would severely disappoint everyone who expected so much from him.
"Sigh." Luffy shook his head, feeling helpless.
Escaping was out of the question.
Rayleigh was always nearby, watching over him—or perhaps simply protecting him.
Either way, any attempt to run would be impossible.
But…
If he forced himself to train, he knew he'd fail.
He wasn't truly Luffy; he was just a counterfeit.
"Luffy," he muttered to himself, "is your spirit here?"
"Can you take over and help me with this training?"
After speaking, Luffy felt ridiculous.
If the real Luffy were still here, how could he have been replaced?
"That'd be a paradox," he muttered with a sigh.
Suddenly…
Ding!
A crisp sound echoed!
Then…
A voice resonated in Luffy's mind.
[Congratulations! You have been bound to the Haki Training System!]
[Status Panel:-
Name: Monkey D. Luffy
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Abilities: Observation Haki, Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki
Fruit: Nika (Not Yet Awakened)]
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T/N:
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