"There's no danger on our way to Elegia," Shanks said, handling Luffy's situation with a smile. "So, for now, we'll keep this little rascal with us. We're going to be wandering around the East Blue for a few years anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal."
Shanks then jokingly turned to his crew, "Alright, boys, we've got ourselves an ace in the hole! With Garp's grandson on board, no need to fear if we run into his Dog-Head ship!"
"Oooh!" The pirates cheered, rallying at the thought.
Meanwhile, Luffy was fully immersed in the mountain of pirate food before him. Massive drumsticks, huge bowls of fish soup, and various spices and sauces had his stomach roaring. He devoured two whole bowls of rice before finally tapping out, leaning back and groaning in satisfaction.
"Dang it… It's too good!" Luffy said, eyeing a large slab of tail meat on the table.
It seemed to be the tail of some massive sea monster, but Luffy had no room left to even think about eating it. Should I even eat the Gum-Gum Fruit? If I did, I could stretch my stomach and eat all this food without a second thought!
"Oh, full already? Guess you're still just a kid!" the pirates laughed as Uta wiped her mouth with a light pink handkerchief.
"I'm full too," she said, standing up with grace.
"Uta, go ahead and show Luffy to an empty room," Shanks said, glancing at Luffy's ragged shirt and pants. "And we'll need to pick up some clothes for him on the next island. Garp sure has an interesting way of raising his grandson…"
The ship was large but rough around the edges, just a wooden ship that had seen better days. Luffy guessed Shanks would probably get a more imposing ship once he became an Emperor.
Uta led Luffy to the room next to hers. It had some adult clothes that, while in better condition than what he wore, didn't quite fit.
"Luffy, change into these and throw out that old shirt of yours," Uta said, holding up a set of clothes and grabbing scissors to adjust them to his size. "You stink! I can't believe you were lying on my bed with those on!"
"Now that you mention it, I'd love to take a bath. Where's the washroom, Uta?"
…
After washing up, Luffy, now refreshed and in clean clothes, began to explore the ship, looking for ways to train. Running along the deck, he spotted Beckman.
Beckman, Shanks' right-hand man and the notorious marksman who once forced an admiral to freeze with his hands up, was leaning against the railing, a flintlock gun on his hip.
"Beckman, I have a question. What's the best kind of weapon—cold steel or guns?" Luffy asked, pointing to the firearm at Beckman's waist.
In Luffy's mind, swords held a certain charm. After all, the world had a famous "Greatest Swordsman." There was no "Greatest Marksman" in this world. Guns, in the world of One Piece, had an odd role: ever-present but rarely impressive. Only a few, like Beckman, kept firearms respectable.
"And why are you interested in that, kid?" Beckman asked, amused by Luffy's curiosity.
"I'm seven already; it's time I picked a weapon, and I want something cool," Luffy said with a grin.
"No question about it—a sword is the way to go!" a nearby pirate chimed in, slapping Luffy's shoulder. "Nothing beats the title of 'Swordmaster' when you're looking for cool points!"
"Nah, nah, guns are way cooler! Besides, they're way easier for a kid to learn," said another pirate, brandishing a pistol from his belt.
"Oh, you wanna argue?" The sword-wielding pirate turned to his rival, sparking a debate that quickly escalated.
Like rivals in any endless debate, the pirates formed into two camps: gun lovers and sword lovers. Before long, the arguing pirates drew their weapons and were on the verge of an all-out scuffle, while Beckman simply watched with an amused expression, lighting a cigar.
"For beginners, a gun's your best bet if you want quick results," Beckman finally said, ignoring the brawling pirates behind him. "Swords take ages to master—flying slashes and all that take years. But guns? They're straightforward."
Beckman spoke with confidence, clearly on the side of firearms. "Guns are the future. But too many shooters neglect their own strength, so swordsmen often end up outclassing them."
"A weapon is just that—a weapon. The real strength lies in the person wielding it," he said, looking at Luffy with serious eyes.
Luffy pondered his words, considering the pros and cons of guns and swords. For now, a gun sounds good, he thought. He could stun enemies with his Conqueror's Haki from afar, then shoot them down. Later, he could switch to a close-range weapon if needed.
As long as he was strong, it didn't really matter what weapon he used—after all, his grandpa Garp had conquered the seas with his bare fists.
"Teach me to shoot, Beckman!" Luffy finally decided, staring at the man with determined eyes.
Beckman's face lit up with a proud smile. "I like that attitude, kid. Garp's grandson, learning to shoot—maybe you'll make a real name for guns one day."
He scooped Luffy up with a chuckle. "Come on, I'll show you my shooting range!"
He brought Luffy to a ship room stacked with boxes of bullets and various firearms, each more intriguing than the last. Beckman grabbed a pistol and tossed it to Luffy. "Start with this. First things first, learn how the weapon works."
Luffy's eyes shone as he loaded the small, black bullets, feeling the weight of the weapon.
Men, no matter the world, always had a fascination for power and weaponry, and Luffy was no exception. As he felt the cool metal of the gun, it stirred something warrior-like in him. Ah, I just want to unleash my Haki…
Luffy pointed the gun at a distant target about twenty meters away and fired three shots. All missed.
His aim was off, but he quickly got used to the gun's slight recoil.
In the One Piece world, people had naturally immense strength. Even at seven, Luffy had wrestled a gorilla to a draw, though he still couldn't beat an adult bandit. But he had the arm streng
th, potentially measured in tons, to handle a flintlock's recoil with ease.