After Lucius finished explaining, the group had different reactions. Nami, Vivi, and Usopp exchanged skeptical glances, while Luffy was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Training? I want to get stronger!" Luffy shouted, pumping his fists in the air.
"Hold on, Luffy," Nami said, crossing her arms. "We don't even know if we can trust him. For all we know, this could be another trap like Mr. 3's."
"But he doesn't look like a bad guy," Luffy protested. "And look at his mystery dojo!"
"That's exactly what's suspicious," Usopp pointed out, his knees shaking slightly. "That building definitely wasn't here when we passed by earlier. It just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Perhaps we should at least hear what he has to offer," Vivi suggested diplomatically. "We're already searching for Zoro and Sanji on this island. It wouldn't hurt to learn more."
Lucius cleared his throat. "I understand your caution. To be honest, I'm just as confused about this situation as you are. But if you'll follow me inside..."
He led them toward the building, trying to appear more confident than he felt. Even he was surprised when he opened the sliding door. The interior was impossibly vast – at least ten times larger than what the outside dimensions suggested.
"What the..." Usopp's jaw dropped. "It's huge! How is this possible?"
"This is quite unusual," Vivi remarked, looking around at the polished wooden floors and training equipment. "The architecture reminds me of some of Alabasta's ancient training halls."
Nami walked to one of the walls, knocking on it. "It's real enough. But this defies all logic - the inside is way bigger than the outside!"
"Are you a Devil Fruit user too?" Luffy asked excitedly, ignoring the spatial impossibility entirely.
"Devil... fruit?" Lucius asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. First snail-phones, now devil fruits?
Luffy grinned. "Yeah, like this!" He grabbed his own cheeks and stretched them to an impossible length, like rubber bands.
Lucius staggered backward. "What in God's name..." He rubbed his eyes, but the boy's stretched face remained.
"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit! Now I'm a rubber man," Luffy explained cheerfully, letting his cheeks snap back. "But I can't swim anymore. That's the trade-off when you eat a Devil Fruit."
"Devil Fruits are mysterious treasures that give people amazing powers," Nami explained, seeing Lucius's bewildered expression. "But they also curse you to sink like a hammer in water."
After taking a moment to compose himself, Lucius asked, "So... who exactly are you people? You mentioned looking for friends?"
"We're pirates!" Luffy declared proudly.
"Pirates?" Lucius felt another headache coming on. First magical fruits, now pirates?
"I'm the captain!" Luffy continued. "Nami's our navigator - she's the best at reading weather and maps! Usopp's our sniper, he can hit anything with his slingshot! And Vivi is..." he paused, looking at the blue-haired girl.
"I'm just traveling with them for now," Vivi said quickly, shooting Luffy a warning glance. "They're helping me with something important."
"We got separated from our other friends during a storm," Nami explained. "Zoro - he's the one with green hair - and Sanji, the cook with the swirly eyebrow. We're pretty sure they landed on this island too."
Just then, a loud "Quack!" echoed through the dojo.
"A duck?" Lucius turned toward the sound.
Vivi's face lit up. "That must be Karoo! I was wondering where he'd gone."
Through the door waddled what appeared to be a duck... if ducks were the size of horses. The creature was twice as tall as an ostrich, wearing a hat and carrying a small barrel on its back.
[New Potential Student Detected] [Karoo - Potential Rating 3 star]
"Is that... normal here?" Lucius asked weakly, trying to maintain his composure.
"Karoo is a Super Spot-Billed Duck from Alabasta," Vivi explained, patting the giant duck's head. "He's been my companion since childhood."
"I see," Lucius said, pretending this made perfect sense. "Would anyone like some coconuts? I have plenty, and you must be thirsty after searching the island."
"ME!" Luffy's hand shot up instantly. "Is there meat too?"
"Sorry, just coconuts for now," Lucius said, gathering some from his collection. "I have been surviving on fish and coconuts mainly."
They sat in a circle, drinking coconut water, and Lucius found himself relaxing despite the strangeness of it all. There was something genuine about these people, especially the rubber boy's infectious enthusiasm.
"So," Nami said after a while, "you really don't know about Devil Fruits or the Grand Line?"
Lucius shook his head. "Where I'm from..." he tried to explain about Iowa again, but the words caught in his throat. "I mean, everything here is new to me."
"The Grand Line is a strange sea," Vivi said. "It's not unusual for people to get lost here. The magnetic fields are chaotic, the weather changes instantly, and normal navigation tools don't work."
"That's why Nami's so important!" Luffy declared. "She can predict the weather and keep us on course!"
As they talked, Nami and Vivi explained more about this world. They told him about Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King who had conquered the Grand Line and supposedly left the ultimate treasure, One Piece, at its end. His execution had sparked the Great Age of Pirates, with countless crews setting sail to find the treasure.
"So you're searching for this One Piece?" Lucius asked.
"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared with absolute conviction.
"We're still in the first half of the Grand Line," Nami explained. "Paradise, they call it, though it's anything but peaceful. And after this is the New World, which is supposed to be even more dangerous."
The more Lucius learned, the more he realized this wasn't just some remote island – he really was in a completely different world. A world of impossible powers, giant animals, and adventures that made his life teaching agriculture seem mundane in comparison.
"So," he said finally, "would you all be willing to let me train you before you continue your journey? I promise it would be worth your time."
Luffy's hand shot up immediately. "Yes! Make me stronger!"
"But what about Zoro and Sanji?" Usopp asked.
"We've been searching for hours," Nami pointed out. "Those idiots can take care of themselves. And if this training could make us stronger..." She raised her hand as well.
"I suppose some training wouldn't hurt," Vivi said, raising her hand. "Karoo and I could both benefit from it."
"Well, if everyone else is doing it..." Usopp raised his hand reluctantly. "The Great Captain Usopp never backs down from a challenge!"
After their conversation, both sides seemed to have reached an understanding that neither meant harm. The pirates were too straightforward to be deceiving him, and they'd apparently decided he wasn't a threat.
"Okay then," Lucius stood up. "Let's begin our training. Remember, the results will depend on how determined you are."
But as he faced his eager students, a thought struck him – how exactly was he supposed to demonstrate these techniques?
[System Message: To demonstrate techniques to students, simply focus your thoughts on the desired ability. While teaching, the host can temporarily use demonstration power.]
"Right..." Lucius muttered. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the Iron Body technique, trying to imagine his body becoming as hard as steel.
When he opened his eyes, he didn't feel any different. There was only one way to test this.
"Luffy," he said, "would you mind hitting me?"
"Are you sure?" Luffy asked, already pulling back his arm with a grin. "Don't blame me if you get hurt!"
"Just... don't hit too hard," Lucius said, wondering if this was a terrible mistake. He instinctively grabbed his family jewels, preparing for the worst. If he wasn't actually hallucinating, his body should be as hard as iron. If he was hallucinating... well, at least he was protecting the essentials.
"Gum Gum..." Luffy's arm stretched back impossibly far, making Lucius's eyes widen in renewed shock at the sight.
[Demonstration Mode Activated]
"PISTOL!!!"