A forest full of trees stretched as far as the eye could see. In the middle of it all, there was a perfectly round clearing, as if someone had shaped it on purpose. There stood Garp and Luffy, locked in a sparring match.
"Pistoooool! Aaaahhh!"
Luffy shouted, stretching his arm as if it were made of rubber. He extended it so far that his fist got tangled in a tree branch. When he tried to pull it back, the recoil flung him straight into the trunk, leaving him hanging in the air with his arm still stretched out.
"Mmmh… I can't deal with you."
Garp sighed, calmly sitting on a rock. Then he stood up and walked toward his grandson.
"Grandpa, can I tell you a secret?"
"Oh yeah? Tell me."
Garp stopped in front of Luffy, adjusting the straw hat that covered half his head. He lifted it slightly, revealing the boy's mischievous smile.
"Well… I'm not gonna be a Marine."
"Hahaha! Finally, you get it."
Garp grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him side to side, excited.
"I'll be better than any pirate! I'll be the King of the Pirates, hehehe!" said Luffy, grinning brightly.
Garp's face hardened instantly, his expression turning deadly.
"It's that red-haired bastard's fault! Come here! I'll train that nonsense out of you by force!"
"Grandpa!" Luffy yelled, struggling to break free.
"King of the Pirates, you say!? Take this!"
Garp kicked the boy, sending him rolling across the ground, yelling in pain—though not actually hurt.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from afar, followed by a voice singing an elegant and strangely pleasant melody.
"Yo ho ho ho, let's deliver Binks' sake.
What we're going to deliver.
Neither the wind nor the tide can stop us.
Evening falls upon the sea.
And in the sky, you'll hear.
The song of the little birds as they fly.
From my hometown I will go.
With pride I set sail today.
That song is the strength to navigate."
X sang, moving both hands as if playing an invisible instrument. His steps echoed calmly until he stopped right between them.
"Did you hear it?" he asked with a gentle smile. "It symbolizes the celebration of life, adventure, and the spirit of never giving up in the face of hardship... and even the idea of honoring those who have been left behind, encouraging us to keep living and telling their stories."
Declared X, his tone light and amused, while in his mind the melody of "Binks' Sake" still echoed — his favorite song ever since he'd heard Shanks' crew sing it with such passion.
"Eh?"
Both asked at once, seeing how X suddenly appeared singing as if nothing had happened.
"That song... it's a tribute to the crewmates who were left behind or died along the way. It also represents the pirate's life as a voyage full of joy and sorrow. Where did you hear it, boy?"
Garp asked, raising an eyebrow, intrigued by his disciple's answer. He had been training X for a week now, and from the very first day he knew this kid wasn't ordinary. His strength and mastery in hand-to-hand combat made that clear.
"I heard it from the red-haired guy," X replied simply.
Suddenly, Garp lunged at him, visibly irritated. The vice admiral's fist sliced through the air with such force that X barely managed to lean aside, feeling the punch graze his cheek.
BOOM!
The impact sent up a cloud of dust and left a huge crater in the ground. Garp kept his fist buried in the earth, smiling with a furrowed brow. His eyes, shadowed by the sunlight filtering through the clearing, gleamed with a mix of fury and amusement.
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
"So… you want to be a pirate too?" Garp asked, giving him a challenging look.
"Not at all. I don't plan to join the Marines either. All I want is to change destiny… to create a world of peace. A place where anyone can go anywhere, with the trust and safety of knowing that nothing bad will happen to them."
He raised his index finger, pointing straight at the vice admiral.
"That sounds like an interesting dream," said Garp, somewhat surprised by his determination.
"It's not just a dream," X murmured with a faint smile, narrowing his eyes. "I'll make it real."
The two stared at each other seriously for a moment, until their lips slowly curved into wide smiles.
"Hey! Don't leave me out!" Luffy shouted.
"Hahahahaha!"
Both burst into laughter. Garp's was loud and mocking, while X's was calmer and softer. The white-haired boy placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder, giving him a few friendly pats.
"Luffy, sing after me," said X.
"What?"
"Yo ho ho ho, let's deliver Binks' sake.
What we're going to deliver.
Neither the wind nor the tide can stop us.
Evening falls upon the sea.
And in the sky, you'll hear.
The song of the little birds as they fly.
From my hometown I will go.
With pride I set sail today.
That song is the strength to navigate."
"This is a very special song for pirates. And if you want to be one, you'll have to learn it when you have your own crew… people you can trust with your life and your back."
"Alright, that's enough. Let's start today's training," Garp said, a bit annoyed, though deep down he couldn't help but feel some fondness for X's words. "Show me that ability of yours!"
"Well, looks like break time's over… time to work."
With a snap of his fingers, a golden flash enveloped X's body. His appearance changed completely: his clothes transformed into a perfectly fitted white formal suit, detailed with golden trims that reflected the sunlight. His once messy hair was now slicked back neatly, giving him an imposing presence. Over his eyes appeared amber-tinted glasses that shone with a confident and powerful gleam.
"I also want you to show me that ability of yours," X replied to Garp's previous comment.
"You mean… Haki?" murmured Garp, slightly surprised. He hadn't expected X to notice that so soon. In certain exchanges, the boy had perceived something most people took years to realize.
Meanwhile, in X's mind: "That strange power this guy uses… just like Shanks' crew. It seems to temporarily nullify my abilities. If there are more people with this kind of technique… it could be a problem."
Suddenly, a flash.
Garp appeared in front of him in a fraction of a second. X barely managed to predict his movement a few milliseconds before, and with a snap, he vanished just as the strike landed. The vice admiral's punch hit nothing but air, generating a powerful gust of wind.
"Wow, X! That ability of yours is awesome!" shouted Luffy, his eyes shining with excitement.
In an instant, X reappeared above Garp with his hands in his pockets. He spun midair and launched a downward kick. Garp raised his forearm to block, and the impact created another gust of wind, smaller but just as sharp.
"Not bad," commented the vice admiral with an approving smile. "Your combat analysis skills are impressive. In just a week, you managed to identify the patterns I usually use."
"It's not just that," whispered X, grabbing Garp by the arm and twisting it. The vice admiral lost his balance for an instant but quickly recovered with incredible agility, increasing his speed in a heartbeat.
His fist shot forward with brutal power. X barely had time to cross his arms in front of him before the punch landed, sending him flying through the air. His body slammed into a tree, causing it to lean under the impact.
X let out a small cough, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. Then he stood up calmly, straightening his posture.
"Wow… you surprised me. I've never seen a fighting style that does that."
Garp watched him with interest as X slightly lowered his head.
"That's because it comes from my previous world," he thought, adjusting his glasses with two fingers. The sunlight glinted off the lenses, hiding the intensity in his eyes, while a soft breeze stirred the dust around him.