Nine years later
Two years had passed since Luffy's older brother, Ace, left the island to pursue his dream of becoming a pirate, and Luffy now found himself in the same place where he had said goodbye, preparing to embark on his own journey for the next year. Well, a little less than a year. As he gazed at the sight, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The waters of the sea were a vibrant blue, reflecting the sun and the clouds in the sky. It was the perfect day to begin his voyage.
The thought reminded her of her brother's departure. It had been a colder day, but just as beautiful.
"Goodbye Ace!" Luffy shouted from the shore as he watched his brother's ship leave the harbor.
"Goodbye, Luffy! Come find me when you set sail! I'm sure I'll be a super-great pirate by then! You'll have a lot to prove as my little brother!" Ace shouted in response, as his ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
The memory filled the teenager's mind fondly as he prepared on the dock for the start of his journey. No, not his pirate voyage, but his journey through the East Blue! Luffy knew that as soon as he turned seventeen, he would set sail, assemble a crew, and enter the Grand Line, the largest expanse of ocean of all. So, before that, he wanted to see the East Blue and gain experience in the waters surrounding his home, because, whether he liked it or not, he had never left the island.
In the past nine years, Luffy had grown considerably. He was no longer the helpless little boy of seven. The teenager stood at five feet five inches tall and certainly still had room to grow. His face was slightly round, with a scar just below his left eye, and his eyes and hair were a deep, dark black. Most would probably say he looked plain, but that was largely due to his age. After all, he was still young. In time, Luffy would become the center of attention. The boy's body was rather small, but incredibly agile and muscular, like a coiled viper ready to strike.
A pair of blue denim shorts and an open red vest were his signature outfit at that time, along with his hat and sandals. His treasure was visible on his head; the yellow of the straw glittered in the sunlight and contrasted beautifully with the red band adorning the brim of his hat. The last thing that stood out about Luffy was a beautiful brown cord around his neck.
The cord was braided from several strands of leather into a loop. The loop was so tight around Luffy's neck that he couldn't slip it over his head, but not so tight that it would strangle him. It was… comfortable. Over the years, no matter how much he grew, the cord always seemed to fit perfectly. However, he had never paid much attention to it. The final detail of the necklace was a vibrant violet jewel that seemed almost woven into the leather through the stem of whatever the stone represented. There were no other embellishments to enhance the jewel; nothing more was needed. The brilliant purple gem was beautiful on its own.
At sixteen, the boy had mastered what he called hand-to-hand combat. This was due to the amount of time he spent with his brothers. While his brothers used flutes as their preferred weapon, Luffy used his fists. They would fight a hundred times a day and hunt large animals in the local mountain forest. Ace and Luffy continued even after the death of their last brother, Sabo.
The death of their late brother was sudden and affected the two boys more than anything else in their lives. During that time, their spirits were deeply shaken, and there were moments when they both felt that continuing without him would be pointless, moments when the guilt of feeling so powerless overwhelmed them. However, they persevered because that was what Sabo would have wanted.
The basics of Haki that Luffy learned at the tender age of seven ended up leaning more towards Conqueror's Haki. He discovered he had quite an affinity for it, according to Shanks. However, because of this, his learning of Weapon Enhancement was somewhat rushed. Most of his training came after Shanks left the island. With little to draw upon, the boy had to learn on his own, relying on intuition and instinct, though Luffy liked to think everything had turned out alright.
Now he could enhance his entire body at once. However, as he trained over the years, Luffy noticed that extending his enhancement throughout his body exhausted him more than using it on a single body part or a smaller area. Furthermore, Shanks hadn't explicitly mentioned how to use the black form of Haki, but he had said that new forms of Haki were extremely difficult to unlock without a situation that pushed the user to their limits or beyond—situations Luffy had rarely encountered over the years. Therefore, even though his Haki was strong, he most likely wouldn't unlock the hardening until he left the island.
Conqueror's Haki was different, as it developed with its user. Luffy rarely used it due to his promise to Shanks; however, it had continued to grow over the years as the boy grew, and even in its dormancy, it had become much stronger.
Luffy put his fingers to his mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle toward the sea. The water began to ripple in response. The ripples grew larger and larger as they approached the pier. The closer they got, the darker the water seemed to become, almost as if the silhouette of a sea monster were emerging from it.
That's exactly what happened.
The Lord of the Coast's head burst through the surface of the blue liquid, spraying water in all directions as its red eyes met Luffy's black ones. Silence fell as the beast moved, drawing ever closer to the docks. By the time it stopped, the two were so close that Luffy could have touched the sea monster. To no one's surprise, that's exactly what he did. Reaching out toward the beast's enormous head, the boy gently stroked its snout and received a pat in return. "Ready, Levi?" he asked the creature.
The great sea beast named Levi nodded his head eagerly, ready to begin his journey with his master.
Turning to look at the island he was about to leave, Luffy spoke again. "Look at it closely, Levi. We won't be back here for a while," he told his companion with a smile. This was his home; he would return sooner or later. Where else was his pirate adventure supposed to begin? "Alright!" he exclaimed. "Remember, Levi, you won't help me unless it's absolutely necessary. I need to get stronger, and that's why we're doing this."