Chapter 41

He immediately grabbed the drowsy Luffy and hurried to catch up.

They hadn't run long before the two of them were already panting heavily.

Luo En and Kuina had already disappeared from sight long ago.

"This won't do, we have to wake Luffy up, otherwise don't even mention three rounds, we won't even finish one."

Ace said.

Sabo, also gasping for breath, nodded and shouted at Luffy, who was leaning against him: "Luffy, Luffy, wake up!"

"You're useless, you can't wake Luffy up, let me do it."

Ace said, leaning close to Luffy's ear and shouting loudly: "Luffy, Grandpa is here!"

"Grandpa?!"

Luffy jolted awake. "Where's Grandpa? Huh? Where am I?"

"Still sleeping? Don't you remember what we discussed with Luo En yesterday?"

Ace punched him on the head.

"Right, today we have to train together with Luo En."

Luffy rubbed his head, finally coming to his senses.

"Good that you know, hurry up and run on your own, dragging you along is way too tiring."

By the time the three brothers reached the mountaintop, the sun was already high in the sky.

"So hungry."

Luffy lay on the ground, sprawled out, panting with his tongue out.

"I really want to eat meat."

Ace and Sabo were also exhausted, panting and parched.

"You guys are way too slow, I almost fell asleep waiting."

Luo En jumped down from a tree, walked over to the three of them, nudged Luffy with his foot and said: "No lying down, what's coming next should be a training method you'll like, oh, if you win, there's meat to eat."

"Meat?"

Luffy's eyes lit up and he scrambled to his feet in an instant.

"Where's the meat?"

Luo En smiled at the three of them and said: "All three of you come at me together, land one hit on me, and there's meat to eat."

"You better keep your word."

Ace clapped his fists together with a grin.

Luffy's eyes gleamed.

Sabo adjusted his hat.

"Go!"

The result lasted until noon.

The three of them still hadn't managed to land a single hit on Luo En.

Looking at the three brothers sprawled on the ground, panting with their tongues out, Luo En said "That's it for today" and then left.

On the way back to the tavern.

Kuina looked at the smiling Luo En with curiosity and asked:

"You seem to be having quite a good time? Is there anything special about those three?"

"Although those three are very weak right now, they will definitely be very strong in the future."

"How do you know?"

"A feeling."

Luo En said with a smile.

………………

The next few days.

It was a similar scene every day, the three of them followed Luo En in massive amounts of physical training, followed by one-on-three actual combat, and the result was the same.

They couldn't even touch the hem of Luo En's clothes.

However, the fact that the three of them could persevere, this determination to grow stronger, still made Kuina glance at them with a hint of admiration.

One day, inside the tavern behind the house.

Kuina was behind the counter learning to mix drinks from Makino.

Four boys of similar age sat around a nearby table.

"Hey, Luffy, that's my meat."

Ace irritably grabbed Luffy's face and stretched it out to both sides.

"Spit it out right now!"

"No! Whatever's in my mouth is mine!"

Luffy, despite his rubber-man face being stretched long by Ren Ping, absolutely refused to let go, his cheeks bulging as he kept chewing, just like a hamster.

"You little—!"

"Luo En, is that a real sword on you?"

Sabo asked curiously, looking at the Lei Qie Luo En had set aside.

"Of course."

"Awesome! Can I take a look?"

Sabo's eyes lit up, his face full of admiration.

"Sure, but be careful—this blade is very sharp." Luo En, holding a beer glass of fruit beer, smiled at him, then handed the Lei Qie beside him over.

Sabo reached out with both hands, full of reverence and devotion, to take it.

"So heavy… This is a real blade? Luo En, you carry something this heavy around every day?"

"Heavy? I don't really feel it."

"…Only you would. Can I draw it and take a look?"

"Go ahead, just be careful not to cut yourself."

Luo En nodded.

The next second, he threw a punch, sending Luffy—who had stretched out a rubber arm to secretly snatch the roasted chicken in front of him—flying with a single blow.

"So cool."

Sabo stared at the drawn Lei Qie, his eyes shining.

Ace also leaned over, excitedly saying, "What a beautiful blade! Does it have a name?"

"Lei Qie."

"So cool!!"

Ace, Luffy, and Sabo's eyes all shone with bright light.

Behind the counter.

"Like this?"

Following Makino's instructions, Kuina successfully mixed up a glass of bubbling fruit beer.

"Yes, just like that."

Makino glanced over and said.

Then she lifted her gaze toward that noisy table, her eyes full of gentle smiles.

……

33, Luffy: I don't want to be the Pirate King anymore, I want to become a traveler! (2/5)

As time went by.

The relationships between them grew closer and more familiar.

Luo En and Kuina would sometimes pause their sword training to go up the mountain with Ace and the other two to have a good time.

Cliff diving.

Catching rhinoceros beetles.

Competing with monkeys who knew how to box.

Luffy couldn't even beat a single one, but Luo En took down the entire monkey troop by himself, earning plenty of admiring gazes from Ace and the other two.