Encountering Young Monkey D. Luffy and Ace, the Show is About to Begin

"Ouch!"

A crisp cry of pain rang out in the battered tavern.

That figure, rushing in like a small meatball, slammed headfirst into Karp's thigh—harder than steel—and then bounced off like a rubber ball.

He rolled twice on the ground, landing squarely on his bottom amid a floorful of wood shavings.

It was none other than Monkey D. Luffy, only seven or eight years old, wearing his iconic straw hat.

At this time, the scar on Luffy's face had not yet appeared, and his eyes flickered with the innocence and recklessness unique to a single-celled organism.

Ouch, ouch, ouch...

Luffy clutched his bruised, reddened forehead and raised his head with a grimace.

When he saw Karp standing before him, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, the brat not only wasn't scared, but instead raised his little fist with extreme excitement.

"Gramps! You're back!"

Luffy completely failed to read the hair-trigger tension in the tavern, and completely ignored Karp's blazing glare.

Like a little megaphone, he shouted extremely loudly and with extreme pride something that Karp found utterly treasonous.

"Gramps! I've decided, I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

The air suddenly went quiet in that instant.

It was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping to the floor could be heard.

Makino, hiding in the kitchen, covered her face in despair; she knew little Luffy was about to get a beating.

Sure enough.

Hearing the words "King of the Pirates," Karp—whose temper was already explosive because his rice crackers had been ruined—instantly felt as though a bucket of gasoline had been poured over him!

"You stinky brat! What kind of nonsense are you spouting again?!"

Karp let out a deafening roar.

His fan-like hand suddenly clenched into a fist, forgoing Armament Haki entirely, and delivered an extremely standard, merciless Love Fist straight down onto the top of Luffy's head!

"Bang!"

"Ah—!"

Luffy let out a pig being slaughtered's shriek.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, a huge, bruised bump the size of a fist, wisping with faint wisps of smoke, instantly swelled up on the top of his head.

"So painful! It hurts so much! Gramps, why are you hitting me? I'm a rubber man, how can it hurt?!"

Luffy rolled frantically on the ground in pain, tears streaming wildly.

"My fists are filled with love!"

Karp blew the heat off his fist, glaring fiercely at Luffy on the ground.

"You bastard kid, I'm going to make you the strongest Marine soldier! King of the Pirates? In your dreams!"

Just as Luffy was taking a beating, another boy slowly walked in through the door.

He looked slightly older than Luffy, with a face full of freckles and wearing a dirty vest.

Most eye-catching of all were his eyes, filled with untamed rebellion and fierce, wary vigilance like a lone wolf.

Portgas D. Ace.

The biological son of Pirate King Roger.

Ace looked on coldly at Luffy's miserable beating, arms crossed, leaning against the half-ruined doorframe with eyes full of disdain and indifference.

"Idiot."

He cursed in a low voice, seeming utterly contemptuous of Luffy's suicidal behavior.

Lei En, sitting in the corner of the bar, took in everything before him.

He put down the knife and fork in his hand, watching Luffy roll on the ground, then turned his gaze to Ace posing pretentiously by the door.

The future King of the Pirates and the future 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

This lineup was truly luxurious enough.

Lei En rubbed his chin, a flash of extreme cunning and malice flickering deep within his eyes.

In the original story, these two fellows messed around in Mount Colubo with the mountain bandit Dadan; although they built a decent foundation in physical arts, it was simply squandering natural talent.

Especially Luffy, who relied on plot armor to hack his way through with locked HP, learning even decent Haki only at the eleventh hour.

What if he taught them himself...

The corners of Lei En's mouth hooked into a cruel smile that made even the system feel chilled to the bone.

"Since I've come to the East Blue, how can I let these two good saplings grow crooked?"

"Why not step in personally and train these two fellows into brainless muscle-bound tyrannosaurs who only know how to solve problems with fists and Haki, and can treat admirals like punching bags?"

This cultivation game sounded much more interesting than going to the New World to fight!

Just as Lei En was plotting to himself, Karp didn't seem to have vented his anger yet.

He walked over to Luffy, grabbed Luffy's collar like a little chick, and hoisted him into midair.

"You stinky brat, it seems my previous education wasn't profound enough! Today I'm throwing you into the primeval forest to feed the tigers!"

Karp raised his fist, making a motion to strike again.

Luffy waved his hands and feet in terror, struggling desperately.

"Don't! Gramps, I was wrong! Sister Makino, save me!"

Just as Karp's second Love Fist was about to land—

"Hold on."

A lazy yet unquestionable voice suddenly rang out in the tavern.

Karp's movement paused; he turned his head and looked quizzically at the voice of Lei En.

"What? Did this brat of yours change his mind and decide to come be a Marine with me?"

Karp assumed Lei En had been won over by his imposing posture while disciplining his grandson just now.

"You're overthinking it, old man."

Lei En hopped down from the barstool and sauntered leisurely over to Karp.

He looked at Luffy, dangling in midair, then glanced at Ace, who wore a wary expression at the door, and shook his head with an ambiguous smile.

"I just think, old man Karp, your methods of educating your grandkids are much too crude and inefficient, aren't they?"

Lei En's extremely arrogant words caused Karp's expression to sink.

"What do you know? This is what I call iron-fisted education!"

Karp retorted unconvincingly, "That's how I came up back in the day!"

"Give it a rest. It's just that they have hard lives and weren't beaten to death by you."

Lei En shot back unceremoniously, a crazy glint flashing in his eyes.

He stretched out a single finger and poked Karp in the chest with extreme provocation.

"If you ask me, instead of letting a half-baked old man like you ruin them..."

Lei En paused, the cunning smile at the corner of his mouth blooming fully.

"How about you let me discipline them instead? I guarantee that in three years, I'll return two monsters to you who can tear Sea Kings apart with their bare hands."