Shimotsuki Village

But Locke eventually came to terms with it. Whoever it was, becoming stronger was what mattered most to him right now. As for the world's main storyline, it was still far too early for him.

With that in mind, Locke returned directly to his room and began practicing the ability he had just acquired. After lunch, he would continue practicing his swordsmanship at the bow.

A month passed just like that. Only after spending several days aboard the ship did Locke understand that this world was reality. It was nothing like the anime, where one could encounter an island every few days or reach a destination in just a few days. That was simply impossible.

To reach an island, one had to sail for a long time. Spending one or two months at sea on each voyage was perfectly normal. On this vast ocean, time seemed to lose all meaning. Every day, all they saw was blue skies, white clouds, and the endless sea. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, one would eventually grow tired of it.

Another new day arrived, and Carmen stood on the deck boredly watching Locke practice his swordsmanship.

"I'm so bored!"

"I..." Locke stopped practicing, just about to say something, when a black shadow appeared on the distant sea.

In the distance, a ship no smaller than their merchant vessel was sailing straight toward them.

Locke's pupils contracted, and his expression gradually changed.

The ship's mast stood tall, its sails billowing. At the very top, a broad black flag fluttered high in the wind!

"A pirate ship..."

Looking at the faint white skull on the black flag from afar, how could Locke not know what they had encountered? He instinctively pulled Carmen behind him, his face turning grim.

"Pirates!" Just as Locke was about to shout a warning to everyone aboard, the sailor in the crow's nest noticed the situation as well and immediately sounded the alarm.

Hearing the sailor's warning, the sailors who had been lazily sunning themselves instantly became alert. They jumped to their feet and drew their weapons, ready for battle.

Although Locke had enjoyed the anime One Piece in his previous life, now that he was in reality, he naturally understood that pirates like Luffy were a minority. Most pirates could only be described as scum. While roaming the seas, arson, murder, plunder, and looting treasure were what they loved to do most.

For ordinary people living peaceful lives, the very word pirate was a symbol of evil and disaster. Forget approaching them—even hearing that some great pirate had risen to fame, or that a new pirate crew had appeared nearby, would leave them fearful for quite some time.

Take the old steward, for example. Whenever he mentioned his pirate son in front of Locke, he would quickly change the subject. In the five years Locke had lived with him, he had never once heard the old man voluntarily mention his son's name. That alone showed just how terrible pirates appeared in the eyes of ordinary people.

Thinking this, Locke slowly picked up the Tang sword he had set aside earlier.

The imposing pirate ship was gradually closing the distance with the merchant vessel. Everyone aboard was prepared for battle.

As the ship drew closer, its appearance became clearer. Only then did Locke and the others see what it looked like. Its deck was covered in holes, pirates lay sprawled everywhere, and even the once-imposing sails were riddled with damage.

"Look! There's another ship behind it!"

Everyone looked toward the rear of the pirate ship.

A Navy warship appeared behind it. Most strikingly, the front of the warship was shaped like a dog's head, looking rather adorable.

"What? It's Garp!" Seeing that dog-headed warship, Locke immediately guessed who was aboard.

Navy Hero Vice Admiral Garp—the man who could chase the Pirate King across the world. He was also one of the strongest people in this world. Fortunately, Locke was not currently opposed to the Navy.

Wait!

Locke seemed to realize something and turned to look at Dragon, who had just come up onto the deck. He really wanted to see what would happen if this father and son came face-to-face. After all, the anime had never shown the two of them appearing together!

By then, the pirates heading toward the merchant ship were already very close. But at that moment, they abruptly changed course and slid past the side of the merchant vessel, sailing farther away.

The merchant ship's sailors, who had thought a fierce battle was inevitable, all breathed sighs of relief as they watched the pirate ship depart.

The Navy that had just arrived paid no attention to those aboard the merchant ship and continued chasing the pirate vessel. However, as the warship passed them, Locke clearly saw an old man in a cloak of justice standing at the bow. The old man gave this side a deep look, sighed, then turned his head away.

Watching the pirates and Navy grow more distant, Locke actually felt a slight sense of disappointment. After all, if they had fought, it would definitely have been a spectacular show.

Unfortunately, the show ended before it even began. Watching the sailors put away their weapons now that the danger had passed, Locke also sheathed his weapon. The Devil Fruit ability he had gathered in his hand dissipated, and he pulled Carmen back into the cabin.

On the way back, Locke glanced toward where Dragon had been standing and found that he had already disappeared.

After the pirate ship incident, peace returned to the vessel. Other than occasionally hearing Carmen complain that she was not allowed to use the ship's kitchen, and John often coming to chat with Locke about everyday matters, nothing else happened. As for Dragon of the Revolutionary Army, Locke did not see him again during that time.

Soon, half a month passed, and they arrived at Shimotsuki Village. Locke and Carmen packed their luggage, bid John farewell, disembarked, and passed through the village toward the dojo.

However, when the two arrived at the dojo entrance, they found that someone was already there. Dragon stood there with an extremely tall man.

Locke guessed that man was Bartholomew Kuma. After all, while there were quite a few tall people in One Piece, someone so huge in the Revolutionary Army and following Dragon at this point in time could only be him.

Locke had no idea what they were doing here, but he still approached with Carmen, since this was his destination as well.

At the entrance, Locke nodded to Dragon. After telling the student standing at the gate that he had come to learn here, he stood outside with Dragon and the others, waiting for the student to enter the dojo and inform the master.

When Dragon saw Locke and Carmen approach, he did not say anything first. They merely nodded to one another in greeting.