The next morning.
The first ray of sunlight shone into the house.
Shen Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
"What a sunny day."
The corners of his mouth curved slightly.
Looking at Nami, who was sleeping soundly in his arms, he gently tucked the quilt around her.
He tiptoed out of the room, adjusted his clothes, and headed outside to begin his morning training.
As Bell-mère walked out toward the orange orchard, she spotted Shen Yuan mid-exercise.
"Xiao Shen Yuan, you're up training again?" she said warmly.
She walked over and handed him a bento box from her backpack.
"Here. You're always so diligent."
"Thanks, sis. Don't push yourself too hard either."
Bell-mère smiled, heart warmed, and skipped off toward the grove.
---
Shen Yuan completed his daily practice tasks, and the system interface flickered before his eyes:
> [Daily Exercise Task Complete!]
[Strength +1 | Endurance +1 | Skill Awakening Progress +2%]
His eyes brightened.
"System... Awakening Skill Tree Progress increased again?"
After getting dressed, he headed up a familiar hill, thoughts lingering on the system's latest feedback.
---
Meanwhile, at Mt. Corvo…
At the Dadan family's hideout, Luffy had already woken up.
Standing on the cliff's edge, he gazed into the distance, hoping to see a familiar figure.
Then, as if summoned by will alone, Shen Yuan's silhouette emerged from the winding path below.
"Brother Shen Yuan! You're up early!"
With a grin, Shen Yuan waved, cheerful and completely unlike his cold demeanor from yesterday.
"Hi! I missed you, so I came to visit!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Come on—let's go!"
Without hesitation, Luffy followed Shen Yuan into the forest.
---
"To train your body, you must first sharpen your focus," Shen Yuan instructed, his voice calm.
He dropped into a horse stance.
"This is the foundation of all strength."
Luffy followed suit, groaning at the strain.
Shen Yuan, stoic, mirrored the same stance. The two trained side by side in silence, letting the forest's sounds accompany their stillness.
Hours passed.
Suddenly, Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.
He turned toward the rustling bushes with a vigilant gaze.
The leaves parted—
POP!
A head popped out.
It was Garp.
Shen Yuan's face froze, speechless.
Luffy, meanwhile, had already forgotten the pain of training and was now happily chewing roasted meat.
"Brother Shen Yuan, your cooking is awesome!"
Shen Yuan stared blankly at Garp, his own venison tasting strangely bland now.
Garp, as if nothing had happened, opened his mouth to speak—
Only to find Ace crying silently in the background.
Moments later, Ace and Luffy joined the barbecue like starved wolves.
Every one of them looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks.
---
Once the impromptu feast ended, Garp stood with arms crossed.
His face turned serious.
"Alright, time to begin today's training. Your mission is simple: survive one full day in this dangerous jungle!"
He paused, then looked to Shen Yuan.
"You—come with me."
Silence followed.
Ace frowned. Even Luffy looked unusually confused.
"Go on!"
BANG! BANG!
Garp sent the two boys flying with a punch each.
He exhaled and turned back toward Shen Yuan with a knowing smirk.
"Follow me."
---
A few minutes later…
Shen Yuan boarded a warship beside Garp.
As they walked across the deck, Garp casually spoke:
"Armament Haki—Busoshoku—is an ability that hardens the body, increasing offense and defense. It's also one of the few ways to hit Logia-type Devil Fruit users."
Shen Yuan nodded silently.
"Everyone has their own path to mastering Haki," Garp continued. "Mine? I kept using it. Again and again. Punching mountains. Crushing steel."
Shen Yuan recalled the tale—Garp had once flattened eight mountains just to master Armament Haki.
"Today, your job is simple. Hunt down any pirates you find. I won't interfere unless absolutely necessary."
"I understand… teacher."
Garp blinked.
"…Teacher?" he muttered, clearly baffled.
---
"Set sail!"
The warship departed and headed toward hostile waters.
The marines on board curiously eyed Shen Yuan.
After all, anyone personally trained by Garp was worth observing.
One of the sailors approached.
"Hey kid, who's your grandpa?"
Shen Yuan's expression darkened.
"Guess."
"...I shouldn't have asked," the marine muttered, slapping his thigh in regret.
---
Time passed.
Suddenly, a lookout shouted:
"Pirate ship approaching! Dead ahead!"
"Combat alert!" someone cried.
Shen Yuan exhaled, then leapt high into the air.
With a thunderous kick, he slammed down toward the enemy vessel.
BOOM!
The shockwave split the pirate deck open.
Seawater surged into the gap as panicked screams rang out.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
Using Geppo (Moon Step), Shen Yuan moved swiftly across the deck.
A punch smashed into a pirate's skull—he collapsed instantly.
Several armed pirates charged at him.
He activated Kami-e (Paper Drawing), his body weaving through attacks like wind.
With a single hand, he grabbed one pirate by the collar.
With the other, he launched a punch like a cannon blast!
CRACK!
He hurled the pirate into the mast, shattering it.
Without pause, he grabbed the broken mast and wielded it like a great club.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike knocked down another enemy.
---
On the warship, Garp looked through his telescope, eyes gleaming.
Bogard approached cautiously.
"Vice Admiral Garp, should we assist?"
Garp waved dismissively.
"He's doing fine."
Shen Yuan continued his rampage, wielding the mast like a reaper's scythe, cutting down pirate after pirate.
Then—
BANG!
A door flew open.
A large man strode out, long sword in hand, glare like ice.
"I'm the captain here!" he barked. "Let's see what you're made of!"
Shen Yuan tossed the mast aside, cracking his knuckles.
"Finally… someone interesting."
Without waiting, he vanished using Soru (Shave), reappearing mid-sprint.
WHAM!
His fist aimed straight at the captain's chin.
CLANG!
The captain's blade slashed across Shen Yuan's chest, blood spilling.
But Shen Yuan didn't flinch.
"You're insane!" the captain panicked.
Before he could recover, Shen Yuan landed a brutal kick, sending him crashing against the wall.
Then—
SHING!
Shen Yuan pointed with two fingers.
Shigan! (Finger Gun)
His fingers drove into the captain's chest, forcing a spurt of blood from his mouth.
Still not done, Shen Yuan grabbed his neck and slammed him through the cabin wall.
At that moment, his right hand shimmered faintly black.
Unnoticed by him—Armament Haki had activated subconsciously.
CRACK!
With a final punch, Shen Yuan caved the man's skull in.
He picked up the pirate's sword and walked back onto the main deck.
One by one, he silenced the wounded pirates still groaning in pain.
---
The battle was over.
Every pirate aboard had been defeated—crushed under Shen Yuan's iron fists.
A system notification quietly chimed in his mind:
> [Skill Awakening: Armament Haki - Initial Comprehension (1%)]
[Rokushiki Combat Proficiency +3]
[New Node Unlocked: Haki Integration Path]
Shen Yuan stood still, blood on his fist, the sea breeze brushing past.
Garp watched from afar, a rare smile forming.
"He might just surpass me someday," he murmured.