Luffy's Advance

The Goa Kingdom is renowned as the most beautiful nation in the East Blue, a place that has birthed many figures who shook the world: the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, the Marine Hero Garp, and others.

Within a small village in the Goa Kingdom, the legendary Marine, Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine Hero, has entrusted his grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, to a local family to be raised.

Luffy is now seven years old. As the descendant of high-ranking Marine officials, he is a textbook "second-generation official." However, due to Garp's personality, he was left in his hometown of Foosha Village to be raised by the villagers. Consequently, the young boy possesses the innocent and carefree nature of an ordinary child, filled with curiosity for everything fresh and interesting.

One morning, while Luffy was playing around the village as usual, he suddenly saw a crowd of adults gathered around something at the market. Instantly intrigued, he ran over to join the excitement.

He saw a man dressed in samurai attire, wearing a conical hat, lying lazily on a lounge chair. Before him hung three unfurled scrolls, each as tall as a person, depicting a blue sky, brown earth, and a figure with a blurred face, respectively.

Beside him stood a sign that read: "Pass the trial of the three paintings to receive a mysterious grand prize. Only one prize is available; once claimed, the offer ends."

People were already lining up to try. The first person stood before the first painting and, following the rules, stated his name.

"Ben Borgot."

Immediately, Ben stared straight into the blue sky depicted in the painting, and the technique inscribed within it activated.

Borgot felt as though he had forgotten everything, finding himself in a magnificent, golden palace. He sat upon a throne, surrounded by beauties, with fine food and wine at his fingertips. As he sat enthroned with the masses bowing beneath him, he felt like a king!

Just as he was lost in the beauty of the illusion, a swordsman charged into the palace, dispatched the guards in a few swift moves, and pointed his blade directly at Borgot, shouting sternly, "You despicable wretch, Borgot! Posing as a king and slaughtering the innocent—you deserve to die!"

Borgot scrambled to dodge, shouting loudly, "Someone, kill this assassin!"

However, the soldiers had already been wiped out. Borgot could only cower and flee, crying out, "Spare me, spare me! I really am the king! I didn't kill anyone!" But the swordsman was relentless, and after toying with Borgot for a while, he decapitated him with a single strike.

Borgot awoke from the environment within the scroll to find the onlookers staring at him with a mix of envy and contempt. The villagers whispered among themselves.

"How amazing, what is this? A dream?"

"He's so clumsy, he couldn't even run away."

"It seems the trial is about escaping an assassination?"

Borgot looked at the first scroll, where the image was frozen on the scene of him being decapitated by the assassin. Only then did he realize that his performance had been clearly visible to everyone through this magical scroll. His face flushed red, and he shouted, "That doesn't count! I want to try again!"

"Get lost! There are people waiting behind you!"

The people in line were already itching for their turn. In a town so devoid of entertainment, who wouldn't want to try such a novel experience? As for how the man did it or what his purpose was, the sea was full of magical things; who had the time to worry about that?

Little Luffy observed for a long while and discovered that the vast majority of people failed at the first stage, and the scenarios within the first scroll were different for everyone.

Some became kings with absolute power only to be assassinated; some became wealthy merchants only to be plundered and killed by pirates; others became great nobles only to be framed and die.

In short, they all faced disasters while lost in beautiful fantasies, leading to their failure. Luffy paced back and forth in the queue, anxious and waiting, wishing it were his turn immediately, but the line only grew longer.

It is worth mentioning that a group of mountain bandits tried to cause trouble midway, but they were sent flying by the mysterious stall owner, which made everyone behave and line up obediently, no longer daring to shout at the owner. Finally, when it was Luffy's turn, it was nearly noon. After waiting for so long, Luffy could finally try this magical "game"!

Yes, to his young mind, this was just a game—a fun game.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy said to the scroll, imitating the villagers before him.

Minato, disguised as the mysterious stall owner, woke from his nap and stretched lazily. The main event is here, he thought, suppressing his slight excitement as he observed Luffy's performance.

Inside the illusion, little Luffy arrived at a massive banquet hall. A long table was laden with all sorts of delicacies, especially various fragrant, freshly cooked meats, which made Luffy's eyes instantly transform into the shape of two large bones! He transformed into a ravenous beast, charging into the pile of food and beginning to feast...

"Haha, little Luffy's temptation is food! Truly a member of the Monkey family!"

The onlookers, based on previous performances, had concluded after heated discussion that the first stage was about maintaining one's original intent and overcoming the trial despite facing temptation.

"I wonder what little Luffy's trial is?"

Just as little Luffy was devouring the food in the illusion, a tall figure in a black suit with an inverted-triangle physique walked toward him step by step.

"Heh heh heh, Luffy~ It seems you've forgotten your grandfather's training."

The person who appeared was the one little Luffy feared most—his grandfather, the Marine Hero Garp. Garp spoke, clenching his fists together, his knuckles popping with a series of "crackling" sounds.

Hearing the familiar voice, Luffy turned toward the source as if by instinct.

"Grandpa!"

The half-eaten bone dropped from his mouth onto the table. "Grandpa, no!" Luffy abandoned the table full of food and scrambled to flee.

But the "fist of love" from Grandpa Garp had long been deeply etched into the depths of Luffy's soul.

"Bang!" A fist, half a size larger than little Luffy's head, landed "firmly" on his forehead, and an exaggerated bump instantly rose on Luffy's noggin.

"It hurts, it hurts so much!" Little Luffy clutched his head, rolling on the ground.

Yet "Garp" showed no signs of stopping, intending to continue beating little Luffy.

After rolling on the ground twice, Luffy nimbly scrambled up, a thoughtful expression on his dirty little face. "You're not Grandpa! Grandpa's fist doesn't feel like this!"

Outside the illusion, Minato, who was controlling everything, was stunned. He hadn't expected that while he intended to go easy, the child would see through the flaw directly. What astonishing intuition!

Inside the illusion, "Garp" walked toward Luffy step by step, "grinning" as he said, "You brat, you really need a lesson!" He then continued to swing his fists at Luffy.

But Luffy had already begun to realize that this was a "game" and that this person resembling "Grandpa" was fake. Therefore, no matter how he was beaten, he refused to give in. Moreover, as his inner resolve grew firmer, the power of "Garp's" fists gradually weakened...

Finally, "Garp" stopped his movements, nodded at Luffy with a smile, and said loudly, "Congratulations, Monkey D. Luffy, you have passed the first trial!"

The illusion began to collapse slowly: all the food and the palace gradually twisted and turned into nothingness. "Garp" stood before little Luffy, nodded at him with a smile, and then slowly vanished.

The illusion disappeared, and little Luffy stood in the middle of the field, looking blank. The surrounding crowd let out a gasp, "He passed!"

"Well done, Luffy!"

Just as Luffy stood there, bewildered and at a loss, the scroll before him suddenly rolled itself up. Looking closely, he saw the mysterious stall owner had stood up, tucked away the first painting, and placed the second one in front of Luffy. Extending a single hand, the man asked, "Would this customer like to proceed directly to the second trial?"

"You bet I would!" Little Luffy replied, full of confidence. He was certain he could pass the test and claim his reward!

However, the second trial was not so simple.

Minato had set up three trials primarily to draw a crowd, so the first round only required participants to state their names; he would judge the truth of their claims himself.

He had originally planned to increase the difficulty if he encountered someone who wasn't his target, and if they still managed to pass, he would simply hand over some minor item.

Fortunately, he had managed to corner the protagonist on the very first day, so whether he bothered to set up the stall in the following days was irrelevant. As he thought this, Minato activated the illusion embedded in the second scroll—the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!

In truth, the illusions set for the first two trials were both this technique, which could draw out the deepest fears hidden within a person's heart! The difference was that the version in the first trial had been modified by Minato to weaken the fear and incorporate the subject's hidden desires; thus, the trial required one to overcome their desires and break through their fear.

The second Hell Viewing, however, pushed the aspect of fear to the absolute limit! There were no twists or turns; the challenger simply had to face the great terror within their own heart!

For young Luffy, what was the most profound terror in his few short years of memory? He soon found out.

Mist swirled through the canyon. At the very peak, on the edge of a precipice, little Luffy opened his eyes... Garp's "kindly" face came into view.

"Luffy, wake up! Today we're doing extreme wilderness survival training," Garp said, hoisting little Luffy up and walking to the cliff's edge.

"Grandpa, no!" Luffy's mind seemed to snap into focus, and he realized exactly what his grandfather was about to do.

Garp held Luffy out over the void with one hand, dangling him above a bottomless abyss that made one dizzy just to look at.

"Luffy, a true man can survive in any situation. Grandpa believes in you!"

Garp flashed his signature grin, then simply let go of Luffy's right hand. With a scream echoing through the canyon, Luffy plummeted in a freefall...

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! You old geezer, you jerk!" Little Luffy wailed, tears and snot flying everywhere.

Am I going to be smashed into a meat patty? Come to think of it, meat patties are delicious! Ptooey, ptooey! Grandpa wouldn't let me die, would he? Huh? Why am I so sure of that? This scene felt strangely familiar. Memories flashed through Luffy's mind of times his grandfather had trained him:

The same bottomless cliff, the same being thrown off. The difference was that in his memory, he had fallen into a lake, suffering heavy injuries from the impact, and only survived by struggling through the wilderness of the valley!

So what was happening now? Why was he being thrown off the cliff "again"? A spark of realization flashed in little Luffy's mind, and he shouted, "I'm not scared at all! This is just a game!" His firm voice echoed throughout the entire valley...

As he fell at high speed, Luffy felt the world spin, and then his feet landed firmly on solid ground. The illusion of the valley gradually dissipated.

"Congratulations, you have passed the second trial."

A gentle voice reached Luffy's ears. He looked around to find the surroundings had returned to the familiar street; he was still at the market stall.

"Hehehe," little Luffy chuckled triumphantly.

Afterward, little Luffy gathered his courage for the third illusion, where he faced a phantom of himself. He fought unyieldingly for two hours, refusing to give up, and eventually defeated himself. But when he proudly stepped out of the illusion, he heard the crowd sighing.

"Sigh, what a pity. He was only one stage away."

"If it were me, I could definitely beat that kid."

"Get lost. It's obviously a fight against oneself; what kind of skill is it to beat a child?"

Little Luffy was confused. Didn't I win? Why is everyone saying I failed? Just as he was about to argue, a hand tapped his head three times, not too hard and not too soft, knocking his intended words right back into his stomach.

After tapping Luffy, the mysterious stall owner turned to the crowd, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you all for your support. Business is closed for today. Please continue to support me tomorrow if you are interested."

A puff of smoke exploded. When it cleared, the stall was gone, and aside from a bewildered little Luffy, the owner and all his props had vanished into thin air.

"Where did he go? That was amazing."

"He's just like a ninja from the stories!"

The crowd chattered away, and Luffy held back the words he had been about to shout. What does this mean? That old guy? Little Luffy returned to his lodgings, deeply puzzled.

"Hey, Luffy's back!" his foster mother, the mountain bandit Dadan, called out while smoking.

Luffy only gave a listless reply, then walked to his room with his head down, as if deep in thought.

"What happened to this brat today?" Dadan put down her newspaper and asked one of her subordinates.

"I heard there was a mysterious merchant at the market with three trials, and whoever passed could get a big prize. The trials involved looking at three paintings that cause hallucinations. Luffy failed at the last stage today," a thin subordinate explained.

"Haha, the kid's competitive streak," Dadan paused. "You're usually so lazy, how come you're so well-informed today?"

The thin man scratched his head sheepishly. "Heh heh, I was just watching from the sidelines."

In the middle of the night, Luffy quietly climbed out of bed, carefully avoiding the thunderous snoring of Dadan and the others. He stepped out and, with his short legs, ventured into the deep night.

At the market, the night was quiet. A figure wearing a conical hat stood under the bright moonlight, as if waiting for something.

Seeing the figure, little Luffy smiled triumphantly. "Hehehehe, old guy, I knew that's what you meant~ waiting for me at this time."

Minato looked at little Luffy's proud expression and smiled. "There were too many eyes during the day, so I wanted to give you your reward in private. This is our little secret, okay?"

"Hurry up and give it to me, old guy! Hahaha, I won this with my own skills!" Luffy rubbed his nose, unable to contain his excitement.

Minato pulled out a scroll and formed hand seals with both hands. "Seal, release!" After a small puff of smoke, a mysterious purple fruit shaped like a pineapple appeared on the scroll!

This was none other than the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit—the Gum-Gum Fruit!