The two youngsters' recognition

One year later.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sounds of fighting rang endlessly through the jungle.

"All right, you've both mastered the basics of Observation Haki and Armament Haki. From here on, you're on your own."

Lott sat to one side with a jug of liquor, watching the two fight.

For the first six months, the two had come to Lott's place every day to train for four to six hours.

After that, they simply built a little wooden cabin beside Lott's camp and moved in.

For one thing, they could eat Lott's grilled meat at every meal.

For another, their training left them utterly exhausted every day, with no energy to run back to their old cabin.

For most of the next six months, the two sparred with each other, while Lott found wild beasts for them to fight in actual combat. All the Senzu Beans rewarded by the system were used on the two youngsters as well.

Although their effects fell short of real Senzu Beans, they could still heal injuries quickly and fully restore stamina.

Thanks to that, the previous day's injuries never interfered with their daily training, and their strength naturally improved very quickly.

Lott also benefited considerably from teaching the two youngsters Haki for so long.

Garp did return to the East Blue during that time.

But after Lott's repeated warnings, Luffy and Ace never revealed his existence.

Still, Lott did not trust Luffy's big mouth, so whenever Garp returned, he put an electromagnetic barrier around himself, making his electromagnetic waves mimic those of a large wild boar. As a result, Garp never discovered him.

Of course, at Lott's instruction, the two never displayed their Haki in front of Garp either.

"Hey! Lott, let's fight." Luffy clenched his fists, looking eager to try.

"Sure. Let's test what you've learned."

Lott took a swig of liquor, stood up, and brushed off his backside.

"Are you coming one at a time, or both together?"

"Lott, I can handle you alone." Luffy confidently held his fists in front of his chest.

Looking at Luffy's stance, Lott teased, "I'd advise you to come together. Otherwise, you'll lose awfully fast."

"You're really underestimating me." A white gleam flashed across Luffy's teeth.

"All right, then. Looks like you've forgotten my fists." Lott clenched his fists, making his knuckles crack.

Luffy stretched his right hand backward, gritting his teeth slightly as a faint layer of black gradually coated his fist.

With a cry of "Gum-Gum Bullet!", his faintly black fist shot toward Lott at tremendous speed.

Lott did not dodge. He reached out and caught Luffy's fist with ease.

Bang!

As Lott drew his foot back, Luffy went flying backward.

He landed right in front of Ace.

"Luffy! You little brat, you really don't take me seriously at all, do you? Charging in all by yourself, huh?"

Lott looked at Luffy with amusement.

"Hey, Luffy, are you an idiot?" Ace could not stand watching either. With that, he raised his fists and attacked Lott.

Bang!

Luffy's foot slipped, sending the fist he had aimed at Lott straight into Ace's head.

"Ah! Luffy, whose side are you on?"

"Shut up! My foot just slipped!"

What began as Luffy and Ace fighting Lott eventually turned into a three-way brawl.

Although, throughout it all, Luffy and Ace were simply taking a beating.

Of course, Luffy suffered the worst injuries.

By the time the fight ended, Luffy could not stand up at all.

"That's it? You two still need more practice!"

"Lott, you're only two years older than me, aren't you? When I'm your age, I'll definitely beat you!"

Luffy lay on the ground talking tough, proving that saying true: everything about Luffy was soft except his stubborn mouth.

"Lott, with the two of us in this state, dinner's up to you." Ace sat on the ground with a bruised, swollen face, his tone somewhat teasing.

"As if you two have ever cooked a single meal." Lott curled his lips disdainfully.

"Hehe!" Ace blushed again and rubbed his head.

"Fine. I must have owed you two in a past life." Lott shook his head and flew toward the jungle.

Soon, Lott returned with a very sturdy wild boar.

Before long, the aroma of grilled meat filled the camp.

"I really never get tired of Lott's grilled meat. Hey, Lott, I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King. Why don't you join my ship as the cook?"

Luffy held a leg of meat in his hand, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"I'll pass. I don't plan on becoming one of the Pirates for now," Lott replied, taking a bite of meat.

"That's a real shame. If you change your mind someday, there's always a place for you on my ship." Luffy's eyes shone.

"Oh, well, thank you very much." Lott responded rather dismissively, inwardly grumbling, Why does this feel like that whole 'a mere Emperor' thing with old Jinbe?

"Hey, hey, Luffy, I'm still right here! Are you trying to trick our master into joining your ship right in front of me?"

Hearing Luffy speak so freely, Ace looked at him with some indignation.

"But, Master Lott, your grilled meat is so delicious." Luffy looked at Lott pitifully.

Hearing them unwittingly call him "Master," Lott felt somewhat gratified.

[Ding. Congratulations, host, on completing your choice. Rewards obtained: beginner Conqueror's Haki card ×1, intermediate Six Powers card ×1, 10 million Beli, intermediate martial arts card ×1, system storage upgraded to 9×9, beginner pirate ship Skybreaker, extra-hot Ghost Pepper Noodles ×1 case.]

Hearing the system notification in his head, Lott knew that the two had accepted him as their master from the bottom of their hearts.

*?!*

A pirate ship? Why? Was this fate?

True enough. As someone who had traveled to this world, who wouldn't want to accomplish something here?

Not only was the Navy the Celestial Dragons' puppet, it also had all sorts of restrictions. Naturally, he did not want to join it; the Revolutionary Army was far too sanctimonious, and he did not like how it had to remain in hiding either. It seemed becoming one of the Pirates was his only option.

Presumably, that was what the system intended too.

He shook his head, casting the jumble of thoughts out of his mind.

System, fuse all the cards.

[Ding. Fusion successful!]

An immense aura instantly radiated from Lott.

For a moment, its overwhelming force left the two youngsters unable to open their eyes. It felt as though a gigantic beast had appeared before them.

Only after quite a while did Lott withdraw the aura, allowing the two youngsters to catch their breath.

Ace was inwardly shaken. Master Lott has really been hiding his power! His strength is simply unfathomable!

Feeling the changes in his body, Lott nodded with some satisfaction.

"Since you've called me Master, I'll take you out to sea for some fun tomorrow."

"Really?" At the mention of going to sea, Luffy became extraordinarily excited.

"Wh-who acknowledged you as our master?" Ace wore a look of stubborn pride.

"Didn't you just say I was your master?" Lott looked at Ace with amusement.

"I... I only said it offhand because you've been grilling meat for us for so long."

In the end, Ace was still that stubbornly proud boy.

But Lott did not hold it against him. He knew their personalities.

He could tell that although Luffy and Ace refused to admit it aloud, they probably still respected and accepted him in their hearts.

"All right, it's late. Get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll head out and have a look around." With that, Lott stood and walked toward his "bedroom."

"Oh, yeah! Awesome, awesome! Lott's the best!" Luffy bounced around excitedly. He had never been out to sea before.

An excited smile spread across Ace's face as well.