Pirate King, I'm destined to be!

"Captain!"

Yasopp and the others in the distance were stunned by this sudden turn of events! Who could have imagined that a spontaneous battle would result in Shanks losing an arm?

"Trust our captain!"

As his right-hand man, he held back the crew members who were preparing to intervene, then flicked away the cigar that had long since gone out without him noticing, and said softly, "He won't fall in a place like this."

Returning to the battlefield, the moment Shanks' arm was severed, his aura suddenly stalled. The Haki that had been growing thin suddenly surged with violence, and an unprecedented golden Haki erupted from within Shanks, coating his entire body in a faint golden sheen!

Minato, transformed into a streak of light, charged forward relentlessly, but the collision ended with Minato being sent flying hundreds of meters, landing in a heap. As he hit the ground, a mist of blood exploded from his body!

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood surged up his throat and spilled out.

Minato knelt on one knee; he was at the end of his rope. His body was already under immense strain from maintaining Sage Fox Super-Combat Mode for so long, and on top of that, he had used the Flying Thunder God repeatedly!

One must know that as a space-time ninjutsu, every jump placed a massive burden on the user's body. Minato had used the Flying Thunder God over a hundred times during this fight; his chakra pathways were damaged in multiple places, his muscles were torn, and several bones had been fractured by the impact.

Minato's long hair slowly receded, and the chakra on his skin gradually shed the natural energy, regressing into the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. Kurama also shouted from within him, "Minato Namikaze, you brat, you're covered in heavy wounds—run for your life! If you die, I don't even know if I'll be able to return to the Ninja World."

"Don't worry, I won't die," Minato replied in his mind.

When his arm was severed, Shanks had been filled with rage and shock, but he soon discovered that the injury and the high-intensity combat seemed to have triggered a breakthrough in his strength, allowing him to recover a portion of his power. He coated his right fist in his peerless golden Haki and slammed it toward Minato with the force of a thunderbolt.

At the critical moment, Minato forced himself to use the Flying Thunder God one last time, returning to the location of his Shadow Clone.

Only a few breaths later, Shanks stood before the heavily wounded Minato with a cold expression.

Minato had already exited the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and returned to his normal state, sitting cross-legged as he faced the imposing Shanks.

Despite having his left arm severed, Shanks remained unmoved. The pain of a lost limb, which would be unbearable for an ordinary person, seemed trivial to him. He looked at Minato, who was now too severely injured to fight, and said, "You took my arm, so you shall pay with both of yours!"

Even though Minato was critically wounded, Shanks was not magnanimous enough to simply forgive the grudge of a severed limb.

"Don't you dare touch Uncle Minato!"

Little Luffy stood firmly in front of Minato, his face full of determination.

"Is this the child?"

Shanks scrutinized Luffy carefully, his aura softening slightly. "Kid, what's your name?"

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the man who's going to defeat you!"

"Hahaha, the man who's going to defeat me? That's something even the man behind you couldn't manage!" Red-Haired felt a spark of admiration for the boy's spirit.

"I'll definitely do it, no matter how long it takes!"

Luffy's face was resolute. "Gum-Gum... Pistol!" Little Luffy's right arm retracted like a spring, then, using the tension, flew toward Shanks' face like a bullet from a chamber.

Shanks tilted his head slightly and reached out to grab Luffy's right arm. The arm, which Luffy hadn't yet managed to retract, hung uselessly like limp rubber.

Shanks smiled slightly. "To have such strength and spirit at your age is truly rare. You are worthy of the name Monkey D.!"

Shanks let go, allowing Luffy's arm to snap back. After that single strike, the boy had exhausted his strength, yet he still stood stubbornly in front of Minato.

Seeing Luffy's unyielding stance, Shanks was momentarily dazed, as the young face before him seemed to gradually overlap with a familiar face from his memories... Red-Haired Shanks was lost in thought for a moment.

Minato, moved by little Luffy's bravery, decided that no matter what, he would not let the boy come to harm because of him! He spoke up, interrupting Shanks' contemplation.

"Shanks, let this child go. He only accepted that fruit passively."

Shanks snapped back to reality. He did not agree with Minato's assessment and sighed softly.

"It was the fruit that chose him. Perhaps this is all the work of fate!"

Shanks withdrew his oppressive aura, took off his Straw Hat with his remaining hand, walked over to Luffy, and placed it on the boy's head.

"Luffy, I'm leaving this Straw Hat with you. Take good care of it. I'll be waiting for you to stand before me and defeat me one day!"

Little Luffy, face stubborn and fists clenched tight, said forcefully, "I will definitely defeat you! And I'll definitely settle this score for Uncle Minato!"

"Hahaha!" Shanks laughed heartily, his hesitation and concerns seemingly dissipated. Without further explanation, he turned and walked away.

"Minato Namikaze, I acknowledge your strength this time. As for that arm... I'll leave it in your care for now!"

Hearing this, Minato felt a weight lift from his heart and gave a wry smile. "He's really holding a grudge. It's just an arm; there are plenty of ways to recover it."

However, Minato was speaking from the perspective of a Reincarnator; after all, the Main God Space could fully restore lost limbs and heal shattered meridians.

Thinking of this, and hearing the "Main Quest Two Completed" notification in his mind, Minato could no longer mask his profound exhaustion and collapsed...

"Uncle Minato!"

Minato's Shadow Clone used its remaining chakra to transport the main body and Luffy back to Foosha Village before dissipating. By the time Minato woke up, it was already late at night.

He lay in bed, wrapped like a mummy, while little Luffy slept soundly beside him, clearly having not rested well either. With only a few hours left on the countdown to his return, Minato reflected on the events of the mission, tidied up his affairs, and returned to the Main God Space.

When Luffy opened his eyes the next day, the bed was empty. Only a letter and a special Kunai remained.

Young Luffy rushed to the Foosha Village tavern and handed the letter to the tavern owner, Makino.

"Auntie Makino!" Luffy ran into the tavern in a rush, clutching a letter.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me big sister," Makino said, setting down her work and sighing helplessly at little Luffy.

"Got it, Auntie Makino."

Little Luffy replied, "Anyway, never mind that! Quickly, help me see what this letter Uncle Minato left behind says."

"Minato? Oh, you mean that mysterious stall owner?" Makino took the letter from Luffy's hand with curiosity and read it aloud softly:

"Luffy: Seeing these words is like seeing me. I have already left Foosha Village. You needn't worry about my injuries; I have ways to heal them.

I am glad to have met you during these days in Foosha Village. You are a very gifted child, but talent alone does not guarantee success. I am heartened that your effort and willpower are just as outstanding. As long as you persist, you will surely become someone remarkable!

You once said your greatest dream is to pursue freedom. Perhaps the freest person on this vast ocean is the Pirate King. Bravely pursue your dream, and no matter what path you choose, never forget your original intent!

When you become that freest person of all, we will certainly meet again!

— Minato Namikaze"

"Luffy, keep it up!"

"Luffy, give it another push!"

"Luffy, stand up!"

"Luffy..."

Every little moment of the brief time he spent with Minato flooded into little Luffy's heart. With tears welling up in his eyes, he nodded repeatedly. Feeling the texture of the Kunai in his hand, Luffy gently straightened his Straw Hat and declared with unprecedented firmness, "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"