The beach of Foosha Village was dyed a warm golden hue by the setting sun.
Waves crashed rhythmically against the shore, and a few seagulls circled lazily overhead.
"Hehehe…"
Seventeen-year-old Monkey D. Luffy walked barefoot across the damp sand, rubbing his growling stomach as he went.
"I'm so hungry… Makino said there's grilled meat tonight. How much longer until evening?"
He looked up at the sky. The sun was still hanging high above.
"Sigh…"
Luffy kicked a seashell on the beach.
The shell flew far away, landing among a pile of debris washed ashore by the tide.
He was about to walk over when, from the corner of his eye, he caught a strange glint of reflected light.
"Hm?"
He stopped and tilted his head.
In the pile were torn fishing nets, a broken barrel, a few empty bottles—and something… shiny?
Curious, Luffy walked over and crouched down, pushing the junk aside.
Beneath the torn net lay a pendant.
It was dark silver, about the size of a thumb, shaped like a twisted vortex. Its surface was covered in dense, intricate engravings that shimmered faintly with an almost imperceptible dark-gold sheen under the sunset.
Strangest of all, it had no chain.
It simply lay there alone in the sand, as if someone had deliberately left it behind.
"What's this?"
Luffy reached out and picked it up.
It felt icy cold in his hand—and heavier than he expected.
"Can I trade this for meat?"
He held the pendant up and examined it carefully.
The more he looked at the engravings, the more complex they seemed. Stare too long, and it even made him slightly dizzy.
"Whatever. I'll just keep it for now."
He casually stuffed the pendant into his pocket and continued toward the village.
He had taken only three steps.
Buzz—
A strange vibration suddenly came from his pocket.
The next instant, a powerful electric current surged through his entire body!
"AAAAAAH—!"
Luffy froze on the spot. His hair stood on end, his eyes bulged wide, and his mouth hung open.
The current lasted only one second.
But in that second, Luffy felt like he had been struck by lightning ten times over.
Thud.
He fell stiffly onto the sand, his body twitching, black smoke rising from his mouth.
"Wh—what was that…"
He struggled to get up, only to realize his body wouldn't obey him at all.
At that moment, a cold, mechanical, emotionless voice echoed directly in his mind:
[Detecting host vital signs… Conditions suitable for binding…]
[Scanning host aptitude…]
[Scan complete.]
[Host: Monkey D. Luffy.]
[Age: 17.]
[Physique: D (Ordinary human level; Gum-Gum Fruit abilities not fully developed).]
[Willpower: S (Extremely strong).]
[Potential: SSS (Unknown upper limit).]
[Meets requirements for binding to the "Pirate King Training System."]
[Binding in progress… 10%… 50%… 100%.]
[Binding successful.]
Luffy lay on the ground, utterly dumbfounded.
"Wh-what system? Who's talking?"
He looked around. The beach was completely empty.
The mechanical voice sounded again:
[The Pirate King Training System is designed to cultivate the host into the strongest Pirate King in this world.]
[The system will formulate an exclusive training plan based on the host's current strength.]
[The host must strictly follow the plan. No slacking. No evasion.]
[Violations will result in corresponding punishment.]
Luffy finally recovered enough to move and sprang to his feet in a single motion.
"Hey! What are you?! Show yourself!"
He shouted at the empty air.
No response.
But the next second, a translucent blue screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Several lines of text were displayed on it:
[Today's Training Plan (Mandatory):]
[1. Basic Physical Conditioning: 5000 punches (0/5000)]
[2. Endurance Training: 50 km long-distance run (0/50)]
[3. Willpower Training: Electric resistance training (accumulated 30 minutes)]
[4. Rest Time: Daily sleep must not exceed 1 hour.]
[Host is to begin training immediately.]
[Countdown: 10 minutes.]
[Failure to begin when countdown ends will result in Level 1 electric punishment.]
Luffy stared at the screen, his mouth hanging wider and wider.
"Five thousand punches? Fifty kilometers? One hour of sleep?"
He rubbed his eyes hard and pinched himself.
"Ow!"
Not a dream.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Luffy jumped up in outrage.
"I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King! I want to go on adventures freely! Who wants to follow your stupid training plan?!"
He yanked the pendant from his pocket and hurled it into the sea.
"I don't want this thing—huh?"
The moment it left his hand, it vanished with a whoosh.
In the next instant, it reappeared in his other palm.
Luffy: "..."
[The system has bound to the host's soul. It cannot be removed.]
The mechanical voice remained flat.
Refusing to believe it, Luffy threw the pendant again.
It vanished—and reappeared in his hand.
After tossing it seven or eight times, Luffy stood there panting, glaring at the pendant in his palm, practically breathing fire.
"You…"
[Countdown: 3 minutes.]
Luffy gritted his teeth.
"I'm not listening to you!"
He plopped down on the sand, crossed his arms, and struck a pose that clearly said, Let's see what you can do about it.
The countdown ticked away second by second.
[Countdown: 10 seconds.]
[9 seconds.]
[8 seconds.]
Luffy started to feel uneasy.
He remembered that electric shock from earlier.
[3 seconds.]
[2 seconds.]
[1 second.]
[Countdown complete.]
[Host detected engaging in passive resistance. Executing Level 1 electric punishment.]
"Wait! I—"
CRACKLE—!!!
An electric current ten times stronger than before surged through his body instantly!
"AAAAAAAH—!!!"
Luffy was blasted off the sand, then slammed back down heavily.
This time, the current lasted a full five seconds.
When it finally ended, Luffy lay sprawled on the sand, smoke rising from his body. His skin was slightly charred, and tiny sparks popped from his mouth.
"I—I'm gonna die…"
he groaned weakly.
[Punishment complete.]
[Host is to begin training immediately.]
[If no action is taken within 30 seconds, Level 2 electric punishment will be executed (intensity three times that of Level 1).]
Luffy trembled violently.
Level 2?
Wouldn't that just turn him into charcoal?!
"I—I'll do it! I'll do it, okay?!"
Luffy wailed, struggling to his feet.
He looked at the task list on the screen, then at his still-shaking hands.
"Five thousand punches…"
Taking a deep breath, he assumed a punching stance.
He threw one punch.
The number on the screen changed: (1/5000)
"Four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine to go…"
Luffy wanted to cry.
But he was even more afraid of getting electrocuted.
And so, beneath the setting sun on the beach, there appeared a boy frantically throwing punches while crying.
"One! Two! Three!…"
At first, Luffy could maintain proper form.
But after more than three hundred punches, his arms began to ache.
At five hundred punches, his arms felt as heavy as if filled with lead.
At eight hundred punches, each swing felt like lifting a massive boulder.
"Nine hundred ninety-seven… nine hundred ninety-eight… nine hundred ninety-nine…"
Luffy panted heavily, sweat pouring down like a waterfall.
It felt like his arms no longer belonged to him.