The tavern fell silent for a moment.
Then Shanks burst out laughing.
"Pirate King, huh… That's quite the grand dream."
He sat back down at the bar and took a sip of his drink.
"But dreams alone aren't enough. Becoming the Pirate King isn't that easy."
"I know."
Luffy clenched his fists.
"That's why I'm going to get stronger! Stronger than anyone else!"
The moment he said that, the damned mechanical voice echoed in his mind again:
[Detected strong desire to grow stronger. The training plan will be upgraded accordingly.]
[From today onward, the "Dream Special Training" module will be activated.]
[During sleep, the host will enter a fully immersive simulated training space for combat practice.]
[Time flow ratio between training space and reality: 10:1 (10 hours in training space = 1 hour in reality).]
Luffy: "???"
He had to train even while sleeping?
And 10:1?!
That meant if he slept for an hour and a half, he'd be training for fifteen hours in his dreams?!
"N-no way…"
Luffy's vision darkened.
Shanks frowned slightly at Luffy's sudden pale expression.
"What's wrong? Not feeling well?"
"N-no, it's nothing…"
Luffy forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"I just suddenly feel like… the road to becoming Pirate King… is really long…"
Shanks laughed heartily.
"Scared already? But…"
His smile faded as he looked at Luffy seriously.
"When you said 'I'm going to get stronger,' your eyes were impressed. I haven't seen that kind of look in a long time."
Luffy blinked.
Shanks stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Do your best, kid. I'm looking forward to the day you set sail."
With that, he left the tavern with his crew.
Luffy watched Shanks' back as he departed and gritted his teeth.
"I'll set sail one day… I definitely will…"
Makino brought over a large plate of grilled meat.
"Eat up. You look starving."
"Thanks, Makino!"
Luffy immediately pounced on the meat and began devouring it.
He ate quickly, barely chewing before swallowing.
Because the system had already prompted:
[The host must finish eating within 10 minutes. Electric resistance training will begin afterward.]
Electric resistance training…
Just thinking about it made Luffy's scalp tingle.
But he didn't dare disobey.
Ten minutes later, Luffy wiped his mouth.
"Makino, I'm going home to sleep!"
He dashed out of the tavern and ran back to his little wooden hut.
After shutting the door, he collapsed onto his bed.
"Finally… I can sleep for an hour and a half…"
He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
Then—
Luffy found himself standing in a pure white space.
There was nothing around him. Just endless white.
"This is… the Dream Special Training space?"
Before he could process it, a figure appeared in front of him.
The man wore a black suit, held dual blades, and had a cold, ruthless gaze.
"Kuro of a Hundred Plans?"
Luffy recognized him.
A pirate he'd seen in the manga!
[Dream Special Training begins.]
[Round 1: Battle against Kuro of a Hundred Plans (Phantom).]
[Objective: Survive 10 minutes.]
[Failure penalty: Dream time extended by 5 hours.]
The phantom Kuro adjusted his glasses and looked at Luffy coldly.
"Boy, ready to die?"
Luffy: "…I'm not ready at all!"
Kuro charged.
His blades sliced through the air, thrusting straight toward Luffy's throat!
Luffy barely managed to roll aside.
"Wait! Let's talk this out—"
Slash!
A blade flashed past, slicing open his shirt across the chest.
Any deeper, and he would've been gutted.
Cold sweat poured down Luffy's back.
This wasn't just a dream.
This was real, life-and-death training!
"Fine! Let's go!"
He gritted his teeth and took a fighting stance.
The next ten minutes were the most brutal battle of his life.
Every move from Kuro's phantom was vicious and lethal. Luffy could only dodge desperately, occasionally throwing a counterattack that did little to no damage.
Ten minutes later—
Luffy lay on the ground, covered in wounds, gasping for breath.
[Survival time: 10 minutes 03 seconds.]
[Round 1 complete.]
Before he could relax, another figure appeared.
Straw hat. Wide grin.
"Another… me?"
Luffy stared at the identical phantom in shock.
[Round 2: Battle against Self-Phantom.]
[Objective: Defeat Self-Phantom.]
[Failure penalty: Dream time extended by 10 hours.]
"Hehehe…"
The self-phantom laughed—and threw a punch!
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Luffy's pupils shrank.
That was his move!
Boom!
Their fists collided.
Luffy was knocked back several steps.
"So strong…"
He shook his numb arm, his expression turning serious.
The fight dragged on for what felt like ages.
Luffy battled one phantom after another in the dream space—
Kuro. Himself. Even several sword-wielding phantoms he didn't recognize, but who were clearly powerful.
Every time he was knocked down, he forced himself back up.
Every time he was injured, he endured the pain and kept fighting.
He didn't know how long it lasted.
Finally—
[Today's Dream Special Training complete.]
[Total training time: 15 hours (1.5 hours in reality).]
[Combat experience significantly increased.]
[Reward: Observation Haki seed activated.]
Darkness swallowed Luffy's vision.
—
When he woke up again, he was lying on his bed in the wooden hut.
Sunlight streamed through the window.
Luffy sat up. His whole body ached, but his mind felt unusually clear.
And vaguely… his senses seemed sharper?
He could hear birds chirping far outside the window. He could smell breakfast being prepared somewhere in the village. He could even sense… someone approaching his hut.
Creak—
The door opened.
Village chief Woop Slap walked in.
"Luffy, time for breakfast—huh?"
He froze upon seeing Luffy.
"Didn't sleep well? Why do you look so pale?"
Luffy touched his face.
"Do I?"
"Yes. And…"
Woop Slap studied him carefully.
"You seem… different."
"Different how?"
"Hard to say. You just look… sharper. There's something in your eyes."
Luffy smiled faintly.
Of course he was different.
After being forced through a full day and night of training—and fifteen hours of combat—how could he not change?
"Let's go eat," Woop Slap said, shaking his head as he turned to leave.
Luffy followed him outside and looked up at the bright sky.
The sunlight was dazzling.
He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists.
"System. What's today's training?"
[Today's Training Plan Updated:]
[1. Basic Physical Conditioning: 6000 punches.]
[2. Endurance Training: 60 km long-distance run.]
[3. Electric resistance training: 40 minutes cumulative.]
[4. Combat Training: Defeat 10 wild beasts in the hills behind Foosha Village.]
[5. Rest Time: Daily sleep must not exceed 1 hour 45 minutes (including dream training time).]
Luffy stared at the list for a few seconds in silence.
Then he took a deep breath.
"Bring it on."
"It's just training, right?"