Luffy Charges In

The Goa Kingdom was known as the most beautiful country in the East Blue. Many figures who had made a name for themselves across the seas had come from there, including the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the Marine hero Garp.

In a small village within the Goa Kingdom, the legendary Marine, Vice Admiral Garp the Hero, had entrusted his grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, to a family to raise.

Luffy was seven years old. As the descendant of a high-ranking Marine, he was a textbook "nepo baby." But because of his grandfather Garp's personality, he had been left in his hometown of Foosha Village to be raised by the villagers. As a result, the young boy was completely carefree and innocent, an ordinary child filled with curiosity about anything new and interesting.

That morning, Luffy was playing all over the village as usual. At the village market, he suddenly spotted a crowd of adults gathered around something up ahead. His interest was piqued, and he hurried over to join the fun.

A person dressed in a samurai outfit and wearing a conical hat was lounging in a chair. Three unfolded paintings, each as tall as a person, hung horizontally in front of him. They depicted a blue sky, brown earth, and a figure with a blurred face.

A sign stood nearby. It read, "Pass the trials depicted in the three paintings and win a mysterious grand prize. There is only one prize; the offer ends once it's given away."

Several people were already lined up to try. The first person stepped in front of the first painting and stated his name as instructed.

"Ben Bolgott."

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

Bolgott felt as though he had forgotten everything. He found himself in a magnificent palace, sitting on a throne surrounded by beautiful women, with all kinds of food and fine wine at his disposal. He sat regally on the throne, while people knelt before him. At that moment, he was the king!

Just as he was losing himself in the delights of the illusion, a swordsman charged straight into the palace, swiftly slaughtered the guards, then pointed his blade at Bolgott and shouted, "You vile Bolgott! You disguised yourself as the king and slaughtered innocent people. You deserve to die!"

Bolgott scrambled to dodge and shouted, "Guards! Kill this assassin!"

But the soldiers had already been cut down. Bolgott could only run around with his hands over his head, crying, "Spare me! Spare me! I really am the king! I didn't kill anyone!" The swordsman came at him relentlessly. After toying with Bolgott for a while, he cut off his head with a single stroke...

Bolgott awoke from the scene inside the painting and found the onlookers looking at him with a mixture of envy and disdain. The villagers began to chatter.

"How amazing! What is this? A dream?"

"He's so hopeless. He couldn't even run away!"

"Looks like the trial is about escaping an assassination attempt?"

Bolgott looked at the first painting. The image was frozen at the moment the assassin had cut off his head. Only then did he understand that everyone had watched his performance through the miraculous painting. Realizing this, his face flushed red, and he shouted, "It doesn't count! It doesn't count! I want to try again!"

"Get out of the way! There are people waiting!"

The people in line had been itching to give it a try. In a little town with so few forms of entertainment, who wouldn't want to experience something so novel? As for how the man had done it or what his purpose was, there were plenty of strange things out on the sea. Who had the time to worry about that?

Little Luffy watched for a while and noticed that most people failed at the first trial, and that each person saw something different in the first painting.

One became a king who ruled the world, only to be assassinated. Another became a merchant rich beyond measure, only to be robbed and killed by pirates. Yet another became a great noble, only to be framed and killed...

In short, they all faced some kind of disaster amid pleasant fantasies and failed. Little Luffy waited anxiously in line, scratching his head and wishing his turn would come right away, but the line kept getting longer.

One notable incident occurred when a group of bandits showed up to cause trouble. The mysterious stallholder sent them flying, and the crowd immediately fell into line, no longer daring to shout at him. By the time Luffy finally got his turn, it was nearly noon. After waiting for ages, he could finally try this miraculous "game"!

Yes, to him, at his young age, it was just a fun game.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy said to the painting, copying the villagers before him.

Minato, disguised as the mysterious stallholder, woke from his doze and stretched luxuriously... The real star has arrived. Suppressing his excitement, he watched Luffy closely.

In the illusion, little Luffy found himself in a huge banquet hall. The long table was piled high with all kinds of food, especially delicious-looking meat that seemed to have just been cooked and smelled wonderful. Luffy's eyes instantly turned into two giant slabs of meat! He transformed into a ravenous beast and charged into the feast, devouring everything in sight...

"Haha, little Luffy's temptation is food! That's the Monkey Family for you!"

After heated discussion and taking the earlier contestants' performances into account, the villagers had reached a general consensus: the first trial was about resisting temptation and overcoming the test without losing sight of yourself.

"Wonder what little Luffy's trial is?"

Just as little Luffy was wolfing down the food in the illusion, a tall figure in a black suit, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, began walking toward him.

"Heh heh heh, Luffy~ Looks like you've forgotten Grandpa's training."

The newcomer was none other than the person little Luffy feared most—his grandfather, the Marine hero Garp. Garp pressed his fists together, and the knuckles of his fingers cracked loudly.

Hearing the familiar voice, Luffy instinctively looked toward it.

"Grandpa!"

The half-eaten drumstick in his mouth fell onto the table. "Grandpa, no!" Luffy abandoned the feast and hurriedly ran away.

But Old Man Garp's loving Iron Fist had long been etched deep into Luffy's soul.

"Thwack!" A fist a little bigger than Luffy's head landed "heavily" on his forehead. A comically huge bump instantly sprang up.

"Ow! That hurts!" Little Luffy clutched his head and rolled around.

But "Garp" still wasn't done. He wanted to keep beating little Luffy.

After rolling twice on the ground, Luffy nimbly scrambled to his feet. His grubby little face took on a thoughtful look. "You're not Grandpa. Grandpa's fist doesn't feel like that!"

Minato, who was controlling everything from outside the illusion, froze. He hadn't expected that, just as he'd been about to ease up, the child would spot the flaw. What incredible instincts!

In the illusion, "Garp" walked toward Luffy step by step, "grinning menacingly." "You little brat, you really are asking for a beating!" He continued swinging his fists at Luffy.

But Luffy had gradually realized that he was in a "game" and that this person who looked like "Grandpa" was fake. So no matter how badly he was beaten, he refused to give in. As his conviction grew stronger, the force behind "Garp's" punches gradually weakened...

At last, "Garp" stopped and smiled at Luffy, nodding. He shouted, "Congratulations, Monkey D. Luffy! You've passed the first trial!"

The illusion slowly began to collapse. All the food and the palace twisted, gradually fading into nothingness. "Garp" stood in front of little Luffy, smiling and nodding at him, then slowly disappeared.

The illusion vanished. Little Luffy stood there, looking confused, as the people around him exclaimed in surprise.

"He passed!"

"Well done, Luffy!"

While Luffy stood there, bewildered, the scroll in front of him suddenly rolled itself up. Looking closer, he saw that the mysterious stallholder had stood up and rolled away the first painting. Then he placed the second painting in front of Luffy and extended one hand. "Would you like to proceed directly to the second trial, young customer?"

"Of course!" Little Luffy was full of confidence. He was sure he could pass the trial and win the prize!

However, the second trial wasn't so easy.

Minato had set up three trials mainly to draw a crowd, so contestants had to give their names before the first one. He would be able to tell whether they were real or not.

He had planned to make the trials harder for anyone who wasn't his target. If they still passed, he would just give them some item or other.

Luckily, he'd found the main character on the very first day. That meant he didn't need to bother setting up his stall over the following days. As he thought this, Minato activated the illusion in the second painting: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!

In truth, the illusions used in the first two trials were both this technique. It could dredge up the deepest fear hidden in a person's heart! The difference was that Minato had modified the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique in the first trial, weakening the fear and adding a person's hidden desires. The challenge was to overcome one's desires and break free of the fear.

The second Hell Viewing trial, on the other hand, heightened fear to the extreme! There were no other tricks or complications. The contestant only needed to face the greatest terror in their heart!

For young Luffy, what was the most terrifying thing in the short span of his life? He soon saw it.

Mist spread through a canyon. At the edge of a cliff on the canyon's summit, little Luffy opened his eyes... Old Man Garp's "kindly" face appeared before him.

"Luffy, wake up. Today we're doing some wilderness survival training." As he spoke, Garp picked up little Luffy and carried him to the edge of the cliff.

"Grandpa, no!" Luffy's mind seemed to clear in an instant. He understood what his grandfather was about to do.

"Garp" held Luffy out over the edge with one hand. Below him was a bottomless abyss that made anyone who looked down feel dizzy.

"Luffy, a real man can survive under any circumstances. Grandpa believes in you!"

"Garp" flashed his signature grin, then gently released his grip on Luffy's right hand. A scream echoed through the canyon as Luffy plummeted straight down...

"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! You old bastard!" Little Luffy screamed, tears and snot flying everywhere.

Was he going to be smashed into a meat patty? Come to think of it, meat patties were really tasty! No, no, no! Grandpa wouldn't let him die! Huh? Why was he so sure? This scene seemed familiar. Images of his grandfather's past training flashed through Luffy's mind:

The same bottomless cliff. He'd been thrown down the same way. The difference was that in his memory, he had landed in a lake, though the impact had left him badly injured. Then he'd survived by fending for himself in the valley!

So what was going on now? Why had Grandpa thrown him off a cliff "again"? A flash of insight struck little Luffy, and he shouted, "I'm not scared at all! This is just a game!" His resolute voice echoed through the entire valley...

As Luffy plummeted, the world spun around him. Then both his feet landed firmly on solid ground. The valley-like illusion gradually faded away...

"Congratulations. You've passed the second trial."

A gentle voice came from beside Luffy. He looked around, and the familiar streets came into view. He was still at the market stall.

"Hehehe!" Little Luffy laughed triumphantly.

Afterward, little Luffy charged into the third illusion without hesitation. There, he faced an image of himself and fought it fiercely and stubbornly for two hours before finally defeating it. But when he proudly emerged from the illusion, he heard the crowd sighing.

"Ah, what a shame. He was so close to the last trial."

"If it were me, I'd definitely have beaten that kid."

"Get out of here. He was obviously fighting himself. What's the point in fighting a child?"

Little Luffy was confused. Hadn't he won? Why was everyone saying he'd failed? He was just about to argue when a hand lightly tapped him three times on the back of his head, cutting off everything he was about to say.

After patting Luffy, the mysterious stallholder turned to face the crowd and bowed slightly. "Thank you all for your support. That's all for today. If you're interested, please come back tomorrow."

A cloud of smoke burst into the air. When it cleared, the stallholder and all the props he'd set up had vanished from the stall, leaving only a bewildered little Luffy.

"Where'd he go? Amazing!"

"He's like a ninja in a story!"

The crowd chattered among themselves, and Luffy once again swallowed the words he'd been about to say. What did that mean? That man... Little Luffy returned to where he was staying, full of questions.

"Hey, Luffy's back!" His adoptive mother, the bandit Dadan, called out to him through her cigarette smoke.

Luffy only managed a listless reply, then lowered his head as if lost in thought and went back to his room.

"What happened to the kid today?" Dadan put down the newspaper in her hand and asked one of her underlings.

"I heard there was a mysterious merchant at the market, setting up three trials. Anyone who passed could win a mysterious grand prize. The trials involved facing three paintings that made people hallucinate. Luffy failed the last one today," a skinny underling explained.

"Haha, what a competitive little brat." Dadan paused. "You're usually useless. How come you've got all the details today?"

The skinny man rubbed his head sheepishly. "Hehe, I was there watching."

In the middle of the night, Luffy quietly climbed out of bed. Carefully avoiding the Dadan Family, whose snores thundered through the house, he stepped outside and trotted off on his little legs into the deep darkness...

The village market was silent at night. A figure wearing a conical hat stood beneath the bright moon, as if waiting for someone.

Little Luffy saw him and grinned proudly. "Hehehe! Uncle, I knew this was what you meant~ You'd be waiting for me at this time."

Minato looked at little Luffy's proud expression and smiled warmly. "There were too many people around during the day, so I wanted to give you your prize in private. This is our little secret~"

"Come on, give it to me, Uncle! Hahaha, I won this fair and square!" Luffy said impatiently, rubbing his nose.

Minato took out a scroll and formed Hand Seals with both hands. "Sealing, release!" A small puff of smoke burst from the scroll on the ground, revealing a mysterious purple fruit shaped like a pineapple!

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