An Unnamed Island in the New World
The Red Force rested quietly on the shore, but there was no one aboard.
Inside a cave on the island, the Red-Haired Pirates were having a lively banquet. Shanks, with his signature red hair, boldly downed three bottles of sake, his face flushed from the alcohol.
"Hahaha! Come on, drink up!"
Shanks laughed heartily. "Luffy's making a name for himself again! This time, he even took down Kizaru. He truly is the one who inherited that straw hat!"
Yasopp puffed out his chest with pride. "My son is incredible too! He's now the Tengu Sniper King, with a bounty of 50 million berries. When I was his age, I was just playing in the mud back in Syrup Village. He really is my son—way stronger than me!"
Nearby, Lucky Roux chomped on a huge piece of meat while speaking with concern. "Boss, with all this trouble Luffy's causing, aren't you worried the Marines will go after him with full force?"
Shanks paused for a moment but then shook his head.
"Pirates getting hunted by the Marines? That's just how it is." He grinned. "Besides, I believe in Luffy. He'll be fine. One day, he'll meet us again—wearing that straw hat, alongside his crew!"
Looking at Luffy's smiling face on the latest bounty poster, Shanks' expression softened with nostalgia.
It had already been ten years since he entrusted the straw hat to Luffy. Ten years... Time really flies. And it had been twenty-two years since their captain's passing.
Ben Beckman tapped his pipe, pulling Shanks out of his thoughts.
"Captain, we can deal with Luffy later. Whitebeard's situation is more urgent."
"Yeah, I have to step in."
Shanks took another swig of sake. "Send someone to deliver a letter to Whitebeard. Let's hope he'll give me some face."
Back on the Going Merry
Early in the morning, the Straw Hat Crew had already started their daily training.
Mr. 9 and Vivi, still waking up, watched them in surprise.
Vivi, in particular, was astonished. As a princess who had gone undercover among pirates, she had her own understanding of their lifestyle.
In her experience, most pirates were lazy, and very few took training seriously. But the Straw Hats were different.
On most pirate ships, structured training is rare. And morning exercises like the Straw Hats'? Even rarer.
Could this be the secret behind their incredible strength?
Early in the morning, Carl had already taken on the role of a strict instructor, assigning a series of grueling training tasks. On Tashigi's side, things were no easier.
She followed the same basic physical training as Nami, with the added challenge of 5,000 sword swings.
For someone as physically weak as Tashigi, this was extremely difficult. But she didn't complain—not even once. She simply threw herself into the training.
That said, keeping up was another matter entirely. She struggled, falling behind more times than she could count, and Carl scolded her mercilessly each time.
Tashigi felt frustrated but gritted her teeth and pushed forward.
Meanwhile, Sanji, practicing Moonwalk high above, watched the scene unfold. His heart ached for Tashigi, and he silently cursed Carl for being heartless, having no sympathy at all.
At the same time, a different thought crossed Sanji's mind—he was jealous. He believed that by supervising Nami and Tashigi's training, Carl had a free pass to admire the two beauties up close.
If Carl had known what was going through Sanji's head, he would've drawn Obsidian and hacked away at him on the spot.
"I'm a professional instructor, not a perverted gentleman like you!"
Zoro, in the middle of his intense sword training, glanced at Tashigi. Her face—so familiar yet equally stubborn—gave him a strange sense of reassurance.
Yeah... That face is meant to have this kind of unyielding spirit.
By the end of the session, Tashigi was completely spent. She lay on the ground like she had just been pulled out of the ocean, her body drenched in sweat, her breathing ragged.
Carl stood over her. "Your physical endurance is far too weak. You need to keep up with basic training every day."
"My methods may be different from Marine training, but I've taken inspiration from Marine Headquarters."
"If you stick with it, you'll get stronger. Of course..." Carl smirked slightly. "If you want to give up, I won't stop you."
"I'll never give up! I will become stronger!"
Tashigi shouted without hesitation, completely unaware that Carl had intentionally provoked her into saying it.
But Carl wasn't doing it just to tease her—his intentions were good. Training wasn't just about the body; it was about the mind. A strong spirit was just as important as strong muscles. Without it, motivation would crumble.
That's why shouting during training mattered—it helped fire up the spirit, keeping the mind sharp and determined.
As for Carl's knowledge of Marine Headquarters' training methods? That came from Garp himself.
Back when Carl first met Garp, the old Marine hero didn't know much about Carl's true strength. But he was confident in his own.
So, they made a bet.
And in the end? Carl tricked Garp.
Carl's bet had earned him the Marines' training methods.
Of course, this wasn't some top-secret technique—many pirates had already figured it out. That's why Garp had no issue sharing it with Carl.
Carl had tricked him, sure, but only for reference. After all, if he wanted to train Luffy, he needed a proper system. And the Marines' training system was undeniably excellent.
Having a structured system to compare with made training far more efficient.
"Alright, let's eat first. Formal sword training starts after breakfast!" Carl said casually, as if it were nothing.
Tashigi, still collapsed on the ground, could barely lift a finger. More training?! This was beyond cruel.
But to Carl, this was completely normal.
Whether you can move isn't just about the body—it's about the heart.
The strong push themselves forward even when their bodies refuse to move. In life-or-death moments, hesitation means death—for you, or worse, for your crew.
Even when you can't move, you have to move!
Meanwhile, Mr. 9 and Vivi, who had been watching, were completely numb.
The Straw Hats' training was beyond anything they had ever imagined. It was so extreme that they couldn't even put their shock into words. But now, they understood.
This was why the Straw Hats were so ridiculously strong.
If this was just their morning training, then how could they not be powerful?
In the kitchen...
Sanji, dragging his exhausted body, began preparing breakfast.
Meanwhile, Luffy called out to the sea. Moments later, Momoo emerged from the water, handing over fresh prey. Luffy took the haul and carried it into the kitchen.
The two "workhorse" beasts had been put to good use.
Carl wondered if, in the future, there would be a spot for Chopper on the crew as well.
Back on deck...
Zoro, wiping the sweat from his forehead, stole a glance at Tashigi, still sprawled on the ground.
Her chest rose and fell as she panted heavily.
For a brief moment, Zoro was reminded of Kuina—specifically, the way she had once clutched her chest and declared, "I'm a girl."
His face reddened involuntarily.
Carl caught the whole thing.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
Zoro immediately sensed danger. Without hesitation, he changed the subject.
"Ahem! Mr. Carl, you push us through brutal training every day, but doesn't that delay your own training?"
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