Mount Colubo.
In a dense forest, Sephiroth withdrew his shota-shaped Bat Clone, looking at the three brothers still lying on the ground. He sighed, shaking his head slightly.
"Well~! To be fair, you guys really don't know how to fight..."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't be so weak!"
Hearing that, Ace immediately retorted indignantly, "How can we not know how to fight? We're really strong! Even the thugs in the Central Town can't beat us!"
"Exactly! Because you fight with thugs all day, all you've learned are low-level street brawling techniques, which has buried your own talent and potential! If you received systematic and professional training, your combat power could at least double or triple!"
Sabo took a moment to recover, wiped the shoe print off his face, stood up, and patted his clothes. He muttered softly, "But nobody ever taught us these things normally..."
"Therefore, aren't I here to help train you now?" Sephiroth said with a chuckle.
Luffy scratched his head and tentatively said, "Sephiroth, is your training plan to throw us into a thousand-fathom abyss, or tie us to balloons and send us into the sky...?"
"I wouldn't do something so nonsensical, alright!" Sephiroth retorted, feeling a bit helpless.
"But Grandpa trained me like that before..."
"..." Hearing this, Ace and Sabo immediately cast sympathetic glances at Luffy.
Is Luffy really Garp's biological grandson?
Are you sure he's not the son of an enemy...?!
Sephiroth covered his forehead with his hand, saying with utter helplessness, "I only plan to teach you fighting techniques. Of course, if you're willing to accept systematic physical training, I'll also tailor it for you. After all, fighting techniques only maximize your existing strength; systematic training can improve your physical fitness. However, whether you do the training is up to your self-discipline. I won't be so bored as to watch you all day. I basically have important things to do every day..."
Hearing this, the resistance in the three brothers' hearts instantly lessened significantly. They weren't against learning fighting techniques and physical training.
To be able to sail out to sea and become Pirates in the future, they had always been engaged in various fights, either hunting beasts or fighting with thugs in the towns of the Goa Kingdom.
If Sephiroth's teaching content was useful, they would be very happy to learn.
In fact, what they were originally afraid of was the kind of brutal domestic violence disguised as teaching and training, like Garp's!
Anyone who's been hit by Garp's fist knows how damn painful it is!
"How about it? If you don't like the teaching method I proposed, I can also beat you up like Mr. Garp."
Sephiroth showed a benevolent smile, raising his fist to his chest and cracking his knuckles with a "crack!" sound.
Gulp!
In that instant, the three brothers remembered the fear of being dominated by Garp's fist.
Sabo said, "I want to try your training!"
Ace replied, "Since Sabo said so, then whatever you say goes!"
Luffy chimed in, "That's right! That's right!"
"Hmm! Good that you're sensible. Don't worry! I guarantee you won't regret your choice today... Especially Luffy, I will make your Devil Fruit ability develop more powerfully and be more suitable for combat!"
"Really? That's great!"
Luffy stood up, brushed off his clothes, raised his hands, and laughed. "If that's the case, I'll definitely be able to become an excellent Pirate in the future!"
The next moment.
Bang!
Luffy's head made intimate contact with Sephiroth's right fist.
Luffy squatted on the ground, holding the large bump on his head, and cried, tears streaming down his face. "It hurts! It hurts!... Why did you suddenly hit me!"
Sephiroth raised the fist that had just struck Luffy, blew off non-existent dust, and said casually, "Well~! Your grandpa instructed me to train you to be the Marine King... not some Pirate King! Therefore, don't say such nonsensical things in front of me from now on. Otherwise, if old man Garp thinks I misled you in the future and comes to fight me, I'll be very troubled!"
Finally, he added, "From now on, if you dare to say such words in front of me again... I'll hit you every time you say it!"
"Tch!"
Hearing this, Luffy immediately pouted and turned his head away, indicating he didn't want to talk to him.
"Alright! The important matters are discussed. Tonight, why don't we just eat roasted bear and roasted wild boar!" Sephiroth said with a chuckle.
As soon as he heard 'meat', Luffy immediately threw all his recent unhappiness to the back of his mind. He quickly urged, "Quick, quick, quick! I can't wait!"
Under the expectant gazes of the three brothers, Sephiroth opened his spatial pocket and took out various seasonings and cooking tools one after another, and began to process the grizzly bear and wild boar.
Before long, under Sephiroth's superb and exquisite knife skills, the grizzly bear and wild boar were quickly placed on a fire pit using wooden frames, and began to roast.
While waiting for dinner, the four chatted idly.
"Sephiroth, what's your full name?" Sabo asked casually.
"Karl D. Sephiroth."
"D?"
Hearing this, Sabo was slightly startled and said with a hint of surprise, "Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, why do all three of your names have D...?"
"Ah! That's true!" Luffy scratched his head, looking confused.
"You're talking about D?!"
Sephiroth smiled and turned to look at Ace, who was sitting by the fire pit, poking the fire with a branch. His tone was somewhat ethereal and inexplicable. "Ace, do you know the meaning of D?"
"Does this symbol have any special meaning? I feel like even if I remove the D from my name, it wouldn't affect me..." Ace said with a puzzled look.
"Yes! The Will of D... it has long been severed in the transmission from generation to generation.
Most of the people who bear the name of D now do not know its meaning; they are just empty names..."
As Sephiroth spoke, he picked up a brush and applied a layer of seasoning to the surface of the wild boar on the fire frame.
"Then do you know what the meaning of D is...?" Sabo asked curiously.
"D... If the Will of D means your father wants you to become a nobleman who can marry into royalty, are you willing to carry it out?"
"If the Will of D means your father wants you to bear his name and reach the peak, are you willing to carry it out?"
"If the Will of D means your grandpa wants you to become the strongest Marine, are you willing to carry it out?"
Sephiroth looked at Sabo, Ace, and Luffy, and asked the three questions in turn.
Hearing this, the three brothers immediately showed expressions of extreme disgust and said in unison:
"I don't want to!"
"Then that's it! For you, D is just D, nothing special, nothing big deal. Anyone can be a D. Even if you have D, it doesn't mean you will be stronger or better than others. Ordinary people are still ordinary, and excellent people are still excellent..."
Finally, Sephiroth concluded:
"You just need to follow your heart and pursue freedom and dreams!"
Hearing this, Luffy immediately stood up, raised his hands, and shouted towards the sky:
"I understand! I will definitely become the Pirate King in the future and find ONE PIECE!"
The next moment.
Bang—!
"It hurts! It hurts!... It hurts!"
Luffy squatted on the ground, holding his head, tears streaming down his face.
Sephiroth blew on the right fist that had just hit Luffy's head, saying with a calm expression:
"I mean what I say... Every time you say that, I'll hit you!"
"Damn it!"
Luffy reached out and touched the large bump that had swelled up on his head again, wincing in pain for a while.
...
Night fell, the bright moon hung high, and the stars were brilliant.
Windmill Village, Party's Bar.
Machino's bar closed early today, and even the side room was dark, leaving the villagers who had originally wanted to have a drink at the bar to return home disappointed.
Sephiroth stood at the door of the bar's side room, took out a key, and gently opened the locked door.
In the dim room, Machino lay quietly on the bed, facing the wall, with her back to the door.
Faintly, her low sobs could be heard from the room.
Sephiroth didn't turn on the light. He locked the door behind him, walked to the bed, took off his shoes and socks, lay down on the bed, and gently held Machino's delicate body in his arms.
After a long while, Sephiroth, who was usually eloquent and skilled in all kinds of sweet talk, finally just softly uttered six words:
"I'm sorry, I love you!"
Hearing this, Machino's delicate body trembled slightly. She was silent, silent, as if thinking, or as if brewing something.
After a long time, she gently turned around. Through the faint light filtering into the room from the curtains, she looked at the man holding her, her eyes red and swollen.
While Sephiroth was delivering clothes to the three brothers, Machino thought carefully about many things.
However...
No matter how sad she was, the fact that Sephiroth had other women was an undeniable truth!
She'd considered letting go, but she couldn't let go of the love in her heart.
In the end, Machino could only choose to forgive Sephiroth and calmly accept this fact, as long as he still loved her and didn't leave her...
"I love you too!"
After saying that, Machino actively kissed Sephiroth, and the two embraced tightly...