One week on that cursed island felt like a lifetime.
Days were long, hot, and filled with constant battles against bugs, wild animals, and even our own hunger.
Dragon and I became experts at dodging snakes, catching fish with bare hands (well, mostly Dragon), and building shelters that didn't collapse after five minutes.
But the nights?
They were a whole different story.
The full moon didn't shine every night — sometimes it was just a sliver, sometimes nothing at all.
And my powers? They fluctuated with the moon's shape like some twisted lunar roller coaster.
On nights close to the new moon, I was basically a weak, whiny baby who couldn't even crack a coconut.
Dragon teased me mercilessly, calling me "the useless moon baby."
But when the moon was full or nearly full, I turned into a mini powerhouse.
My eyes glowed, my strength surged, and I could wrestle even the biggest island beasts.
One night, we barely escaped a pack of wild wolves thanks to my burst of moon power. Another night, we were forced to sleep huddled together for warmth because the cold was brutal.
Dad—yes, Garp—never came back during that whole week.
I imagined him standing on his ship, probably flexing his muscles and laughing like a maniac.
By the end of the week, Dragon and I had become inseparable.
We laughed at our terrible situation, learned to hunt and cook with whatever we could find, and even made a little 'fort' out of fallen branches.
I started to understand something about my power, too — it wasn't just strength.
It was a connection to the moon itself, a strange force that made me stronger or weaker depending on its phase.
Maybe that's why Dad left us here — to teach us how to survive and unlock our true potential.
Or maybe he just really hated babysitting.
Either way, I was ready for whatever came next.
Because now, I was no longer just Monkey D. Iron, baby pirate abandoned on a wild island.
I was a moon-powered warrior in training.
And next time, I'd make sure Dad remembers who's boss.