One Piece:I am King Luffy!

The sea was calm, and a pirate ship drifted along the tranquil waters.

This pirate ship bore a peculiar flag—its skull design was that of a cat, making it look eerily unsettling.

"An orange tree, a straw hat..."

From the crow's nest, a pirate peered through a telescope. He spotted a few girls playing games on deck and a boy sitting at the bow, cradling a sword. Suddenly, the boy looked up, as if sensing the pirate's gaze.

"That guy..."

The pirate, remembering recent rumors, dropped his telescope in fear, scrambling down from the lookout post in a panic.

"Captain! Bad news—real trouble!"

He yelled frantically as he burst into the captain's quarters.

"What's the matter? Don't be so rushed. Has my bounty gone up again?" the captain, wearing glasses, asked coolly, adjusting his spectacles with the heel of his hand.

"Captain, I... I saw him! The executioner!"

The pirate, trembling, forced himself to calm down as he faced his captain.

"It's him—the one they say is the grandson of Garp! The 'Straw Hat Executioner' who doesn't leave a single pirate alive!"

"Garp having a grandson? That's nonsense." The captain scoffed at the notion.

"Even if he did, they'd have sent him straight to the Navy Academy. They wouldn't let a kid drift around the ocean. Use some logic. Don't just believe any wild rumor."

"But it's said that a young swordsman has appeared in the East Blue, leaving no pirates alive in his wake. They call him the Executioner of Pirates, a hero to the common folk."

A man in a blue top hat and heart-shaped glasses chimed in.

"The grandson part might just be exaggerated hearsay, but there's no doubting his strength. Several powerful pirate crews have already had their bounties rescinded."

"Just another hound… a strong bounty hunter who's sniffed out his prey." The captain sneered.

"One after another… ever since my bounty was raised, these money-hungry hunters have constantly interrupted my peace. It's enough—I can't let the Navy keep raising my bounty. I need a plan..."

"Fire the cannons, disrupt their ship, and get us out of this archipelago at full speed," the captain ordered.

"That straw hat ship doesn't have cannons, which further proves he's not Garp's grandson."

"But, Captain, we're still a thousand meters away, and we can't aim precisely from this distance..." the pirate pointed out.

"That's why I said 'disrupt' them, you fool. Stir up the sea currents. Don't you understand?!"

The captain shot an impatient glare at the pirate.

"Y-Yes, Captain! I'll deliver the orders right away!"

Under his captain's stern gaze, the pirate quickly ran out.

…

Several black cannonballs splashed into the sea, creating towering waves. The Navy ship remained steady, but the Sea Cow beneath it poked its head up in confusion.

"It's pirates. Looks like they spotted us," Bellemere said, eyeing the straw hat flag flapping above. "Pirates these days see this flag and open fire right away?"

"Well, Luffy's made the papers a few times now. Most pirates in the East Blue recognize him," Nojiko replied.

"Guess there's no point trying to stay inconspicuous. Let's raise the Navy flag alongside it," Bellemere said, crossing her arms and watching the splashes on the horizon.

The girls left the straw hat flag up, hoisting the Navy's seagull emblem on the second mast.

"This should do it, right, Bellemere? Why not just fly both?" they asked.

"Hm, that works."

"Bellemere, I'll take care of these pirates," Luffy said, standing at the bow with his sword in hand.

"Are you sure? There's still some distance, and that's a bombardment zone," Bellemere warned.

"It's fine. I want to see if I can run on these rolling waves. And if not, I can dive under—I did learn how to swim from Nami."

"Do as you please, but be careful."

Bellemere nodded, not quite sure how to gauge Luffy's power, but she trusted him. After all, he hadn't been injured even once.

"Alright…" Luffy leaped barefoot into the sea, his foot touching the water, causing ripples to spray in all directions.

He stood atop the water, letting the current carry him forward.

"This feels so strange."

The sensation of the water shifting beneath his feet felt odd, yet exhilarating.

Looking toward the distant bombardment zone, Luffy took a deep breath and dashed forward. Despite the waves pushing back, he sped onward.

Before long, he approached the Black Cat Pirates' ship. The pirates hadn't noticed him running across the water, hidden as he was by the rolling waves and cannon fire.

Luffy jumped high into the air, placing his hand on his sword.

Click!

With his left thumb, he pushed the hilt of his sword forward, angling it down as he drew the blade with his right hand.

In one swift motion, he slashed down, cutting clean through the cannon along with the person manning it.

He flourished his sword, grinning.

"Good afternoon, pirates. A pleasure to meet you…"

"The Executioner—it's the Executioner! He's here!"

The pirates were terrified at the sight of Luffy.

They knew exactly who he was.

The young boy in the straw hat and red coat.

Known for both his youth and his lethal reputation, he was a figure that the newspapers had sensationalized. In pirate circles, he was infamous—any ship unfortunate enough to meet him left no survivors, only wreckage sinking into the sea.

"Executioner? Come on, can't you guys think of a nicer title?" Luffy tilted his head at them, slashing his sword downward, cleaving through both man and weapon.

No fancy techniques were needed—just the raw power of his strikes was proof enough of his skill.

"Enough already!" A pair of pirates, one heavyset and the other lean, lunged forward, only to be skewered by Luffy's blade before he kicked them off.

"Incredible strength… no wonder they call him the Executioner."

A man in a black top hat and another dressed in a pirate coat emerged to face Luffy.

The remaining pirates rallied around their captain, seeking security in his presence.

"Captain, this kid is too strong. We're no match for him!" they shouted.

"I'm aware."

The pirate captain, hands clad in gloves with long, sharp claws attached, adjusted his stance.

"That sword is a fine blade. Ordinary weapons can't stand against it."

"Are the Nyaban Brothers down as well?" The man in the top hat glanced at the bodies of the fallen pirates in regret.

"Pierced straight through the chest… ruthless," he muttered, drawing a circular saw.

The saw was connected to a long wire, dangling at his side.

Just then, a sound broke the silence—a snail transponder began ringing.

The pirates instinctively raised their weapons, aiming at Luffy.

"Excuse me…" Luffy pulled out the transponder snail and opened the receiver.

"Hello, this is Luffy."

"Luffy-sama, we've successfully eliminated the Kumashu Pirates," came the spirited voice of Lieutenant Commander Pudding Pudding on the other end.

"In this joint Navy operation, I also learned there are a few notorious pirate upstarts in your waters. Please be careful. The closest is the Black Cat Pirates—their captain, Kuro, is rumored to have such speed that most can't track his movements, and there's his first mate, Jango…"

Luffy glanced at the drifting cat skull flag.

"Yeah, I know. I'm on their ship now, but I'll call you back—I'm a bit busy…"

"Understood, my apologies for the interruption…"

Click!

Luffy put the transponder snail back in his coat pocket.

Kuro adjusted his glasses again, visibly unsettled.

"So, you really are close with the Navy… they even call you 'Lord' or 'Sir'..."

"Are you really…?"

"Yep. I'm Garp's grandson." Luffy gave his sword a playful flourish.

"But that's a secret you'll be taking to the grave."

"What? You've been declaring that secret all over the place! It's all anyone talks about in the papers!" Jango interjected.

"Well, I can't just stand around making small talk to comfort the average townsfolk. Just saying 'My grandpa is Garp' solves a lot of issues," Luffy replied.

"That way, I don't have to waste my breath. It's a pretty efficient solution, right?"

"I see… just by saying your grandpa is Garp, the fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness that the common folk feel toward pirates… it all vanishes, replaced by a powerful sense of security. That's the power of a Navy hero—no need for any long explanations," Kuro murmured, his face darkening.

He trembled slightly as his arms hung at his sides.

Could it be true? Was he really Garp's grandson?

If I kill him, Garp would come after me… I'd be hunted down like Roger…

"Just leave. I have no reason to kill you," Kuro finally said.

"You have a remarkable grandfather. Killing you would be far too much trouble. I can overlook the damage you've caused me." Kuro added.

"Yeah, killing me would certainly be troublesome," Jango agreed, nodding solemnly.

"Haha..." Luffy held his sword, King's Blade, upright, examining the patterns along its edge.

"You two are quite amusing, aren't you? So confident," he remarked with a smirk.

"Don't push me to kill you. Didn't that Navy officer warn you in that phone call?" Kuro's voice trembled with frustration. He was caught in a dilemma—this kid really was Garp's grandson. If only he hadn't known, he could have killed him with peace of mind.

"Enough small talk," Luffy said, his expression serious as he held King's Blade at an angle. "Let's put an end to this."

"It seems there's no way around it," Jango muttered, spinning his circular saw.

"Why do you force me to this…" Kuro closed his eyes, pained.

"Alright, everyone! Let me hypnotize you all. Focus here, and I'll unlock the full strength within you!" Jango started, but then… his heart was pierced by five sharp claws, his body suspended in midair as blood dripped down.

"Why…" Jango gasped, turning in shock toward Kuro.

"I'll kill every last one of you and make it look like we went down together," Kuro explained coldly. "This way, I can slip away from this life at sea, and Garp won't come after a mere footnote like me."

Jango's eyes widened in understanding. "So… that's your plan…" He shut his eyes as his saw clattered to the deck.

"Captain!!" the remaining pirates cried out in horror as they looked at Kuro.

"I'm going to unleash my ultimate technique… and kill you all!" Kuro said, his hands dropping to his sides, his body swaying with a deadly rhythm.

"Captain, please don't use that move! We'd do anything for you!" The pirates wailed, backing away in terror. At this moment, they feared their captain more than they feared Luffy.

Several of the crew had already broken down, desperately scrambling toward the sea to abandon ship.

Kuro moved faster. In an instant, he vanished from sight, his clawed path leaving deep gouges across the wooden deck. The pirates who had neared the sea fell, their bodies sliced cleanly.

Such speed…

Luffy observed, tracking Kuro's movements.

"There it is… 'Shakushi'! That's Captain Kuro's ultimate move," one of the remaining pirates screamed, terror-stricken. "It's an attack so fast that even the user doesn't know who they're striking!"

"It's a slaughter! Captain will kill us all!" Another crew member exclaimed, just before he felt his body grow weightless. Looking down, he saw his torso separated from his legs, thrown into the air.

Even before Luffy had a chance to strike, Kuro had already slaughtered every last one of his own crew members on the ship, leaving their blood to coat his claws.

Kuro turned to face Luffy directly.

"It's done. The entire crew has been wiped out," he stated, adjusting his glasses with the heel of his palm. "Let's make a deal. Let me go, and we'll say the Black Cat Pirates were defeated by you. I'll disappear and live under a new identity."

Kuro's proposal hung in the air.

"So… you're not going to kill me?" Luffy looked around at the bloody remains scattered across the deck. "You really are an odd one, a fool with quite the amusing act."

"It would just bring unnecessary trouble. I hate complications as much as you do," Kuro replied. "All I ever wanted was enough wealth to live peacefully, far from this pirate mess… So let's part ways. We'll both get what we want."

"You're quite the amusing clown, but I refuse your offer," Luffy replied, his hand gripping King's Blade firmly, aiming it at Kuro.

A vein th

robbed on Kuro's forehead. "Why do you force me into this? Does justice really mean that much to you?"

Luffy laughed. "You think… I kill pirates for the sake of justice?" He chuckled dismissively.

"That's a dull reason. It's far from that!"

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!