One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

The rewards from completing mission progress seem to be related to the characters involved.

Getting an upgrade in Armament Haki from Garp was something Takumi had fully anticipated.

The increase in Armament and Observation Haki doesn't release any outward aura, so only Takumi could feel the change in his strength.

Garp had no clue that Takumi's power had just surged.

Afterward, Takumi kicked Garp off his boat.

Reluctantly, Garp returned to his own small boat, watching as Takumi continued sailing forward.

But after some thought, Garp still didn't feel at ease, so he followed after him.

It wasn't until evening that the two finally returned to Baratie.

Takumi brought back a fish over three meters long.

He had wanted to bring back a Sea King, but unfortunately, even the smallest one could have capsized his boat, so he had to give up on that idea.

Baratie's crew quarters were limited, usually housing three or four people per room.

Zeff decided to put Takumi in the same room as Sanji.

That night, Sanji met up with Takumi at the aft deck on the second floor, just as they had agreed.

The faint moonlight shone on them as Sanji, unable to contain his excitement, said, "Takumi, I'm ready! Let's get started!"

Takumi looked at him calmly.

Right now, Sanji was too scrawny, nowhere near as strong and muscular as Zoro.

Jumping straight into strength training might overwhelm Sanji's frail body.

Takumi stated directly, "From now on, tie two-kilogram weights around your ankles. Whether you're eating, working, or sleeping, don't take them off until you've fully adjusted. Once you're used to it, add more weight."

"What?" Sanji was surprised. "Is this to train the strength in my legs?"

Takumi gave a slight nod.

"And then?" Sanji asked eagerly. "What else do I need to do? Maybe practice the precision of my kicks or something?"

"Don't rush it," Takumi advised. "First, focus on building strength in your ankles. If you feel like you're not doing enough, study the structure of living beings."

Sanji was puzzled and muttered, "What's there to study about that…"

Takumi responded coolly, "Power without technique is just a pile of sand."

With that, Takumi didn't say anything more and headed back to his room to rest.

Sanji stood on the deck, pondering Takumi's words over and over.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

Takumi must have meant that he should master a technique to control his strength, but what technique? Could it be related to the study of living beings that Takumi mentioned?

Sanji scratched his head, thinking about it all night, but still couldn't figure it out.

The next morning, Takumi ordered breakfast at the restaurant.

Garp, dressed casually like the day before, sat down at the table next to him, ordering the exact same breakfast.

"Drinking in the morning, huh? You're young, but you've got the makings of a real alcoholic," Garp said with a grin, watching Takumi eat and drink.

Takumi ignored him and continued with his breakfast.

He couldn't understand it. Garp had seemed to accept his refusal to join the Marines yesterday, so why was he still hanging around?

Garp grinned and asked, "When you were in Foosha Village, did you happen to meet a kid named Luffy? That's my grandson."

"I don't know him," Takumi replied flatly.

He had only stayed in Foosha Village for about ten days, and during that time, Luffy hadn't come to the tavern, so they had never met.

"That's a shame," Garp said, resting his face in one hand, looking disappointed. "I thought you two might be friends. What about Ace? Do you know Ace?"

Takumi shot Garp a look of exasperation.

What was this old fox up to now, bringing up all these random names?

"No," Takumi replied with a sigh.

Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha, no worries. You'll meet them eventually, and when you do, it won't be too late to become friends, hahaha."

At that moment, the restaurant doors were suddenly kicked open.

A burly man with a vicious expression, followed by a group of thugs, stormed into the restaurant.

"Hand over the blonde kid!" the leader shouted.

"Hey, isn't that one of Don Krieg's men?" someone in the restaurant murmured.

"Don Krieg? You mean the pirate who's been causing all that trouble in the East Blue recently? What's his crew doing here at Baratie?"

"No idea. But the blonde kid, that must be the one who served us earlier, right?"

"Man, that kid's in trouble…"

The restaurant's patrons began to murmur among themselves.

Some of them, afraid, remained silent.

Takumi continued eating his breakfast without a care.

Garp, however, glanced curiously at the goons who had barged in. He scratched his head, trying to remember who Don Krieg was, but nothing came to mind: "Don Krieg? A pirate? Why don't I remember him?"

One of the diners at a nearby table leaned over and whispered, "Don Krieg's a pirate who's been making waves in the East Blue recently. He's got a fleet of fifteen ships under his command."

"Fifteen ships, huh," Garp mused, stroking his chin. His eyes drifted over to Takumi, and a grin spread across his face. "What a coincidence. I just sent the warship away this morning. Takumi, what do you think I should do next?"

Takumi gave him an annoyed glance. "Do whatever you want."

Patty came down the stairs carrying dishes.

Seeing the group at the door, he quickly delivered the food to the right tables, then rubbed his hands together and greeted them with a smile, "Welcome! Are you here to dine with us?"

The leader grabbed Patty by the collar and snarled, "Hand over the blonde kid!"

"The blonde kid?" Patty asked with a smile. "So, you're not here to eat, you're here to find someone?"

"What? Are you deaf?" The man's eyes widened in anger as he swung a fist at Patty's face.

Patty's expression hardened. He caught the man's fist mid-swing, his demeanor suddenly shifting to something far more intimidating: "If you're not here to eat, then get the hell out!"

With that, Patty kicked at the man.

But the man quickly drew a gun from his waist and pressed it against Patty's forehead.

Patty froze, sweat forming on his brow.

At that moment, Sanji came down the stairs, moving slowly because of the weights tied around his ankles.

When he saw Patty being held at gunpoint, he hesitated in fear and stopped in his tracks.

"Boss, there's the blonde kid!" one of the thugs shouted, pointing at Sanji on the spiral staircase.

"Humph!" The leader grunted, turning his gun toward Sanji. "Kid, you shouldn't have messed with our boss's woman. Time to die!"

With that, the man pulled the trigger.

A bullet whizzed through the restaurant, aimed straight at the frozen Sanji.

In that moment, only one thought filled Sanji's mind: "I'm done for!"

*******

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