Chapter 13: Teach Me How to Shoot a Gun!

"There's no danger going to Elegia, so let's just bring the little brat along for now. We'll be roaming the East Blue for a few years anyway—it's not a big deal."

Shanks had settled the issue of Luffy being on board.

He then jokingly said to the pirates, "Boys! Looks like we've got ourselves a secret weapon now. If we run into Garp's dog-head ship, we've got nothing to fear!"

"OOOOHHHHHH!!"The pirates roared with excitement.

Luffy, meanwhile, was completely lost in the glory of pirate cuisine.

Drumstick thicker than his arm, fish stew served in a basin-sized bowl—the mystery seasonings soaked in the broth made Luffy's appetite explode. After scarfing down two bowls of rice, he was so stuffed he couldn't move.

"Damn, that was too good!"

He stared longingly at a massive chunk of tail meat on the table.

That must've been from some kind of sea monster, but Luffy couldn't eat another bite.

Should I eat the Gum-Gum Fruit in the future or not…?

Damn it! If I had the Gum-Gum Fruit, I could stretch my stomach and eat all of this without a problem!

"You're full already? Just a brat after all!"

The pirates laughed and teased him. Uta, with elegant poise, wiped her mouth with a pale pink handkerchief.

"I'm full," she said.

"Uta, take Luffy and help him pick a room," Shanks said."We'll need to stop at an island soon to buy him some clothes too."

Shanks eyed Luffy's filthy shirt and jeans with a sigh. "Seriously, what kind of guardian is Garp…?"

He felt like, as far as raising kids went, he was already way better than that so-called Navy hero.

Shanks' ship was pretty big, though it was still a somewhat old, wooden vessel—not very flashy.

Luffy figured that once Shanks became an Emperor of the Sea later on, he'd definitely upgrade to a ship that better fit his status.

Uta arranged for Luffy's room right next to hers. Inside, there were some adult clothes—much cleaner and newer than what Luffy had on, but none quite his size.

"Luffy, wear these for now. Just throw out those filthy ones!"

Uta handed him the new clothes while grabbing scissors to alter them.

"So stinky… I can't believe you slept in my bed last night like that!"

She pinched her nose in disgust.

"You're right. I want to take a bath too—Uta, where's the bathroom?"

…

After a flurry of cleaning up, Luffy was freshly scrubbed and back in high spirits, running around the ship for his daily training.

Since he was on Shanks' ship, of course he wanted to learn from these legendary pirates.

While jogging on deck, he spotted Benn Beckman relaxing with nothing to do.

Beckman, first mate of the Red-Haired Pirates, was a sharpshooter who once made Marine Admiral Kizaru freeze with both hands raised.

He was a firearms expert.

Luffy ran up to him.

Beckman was always a gentleman, with a flintlock-style weapon hanging from his hip.

"Beckman, I have a question. What kind of weapon is the best?"

"Cold weapons like swords, or guns like yours?"

Luffy pointed to Beckman's gun.

In Luffy's mind, swords seemed like the obvious answer.

After all, there was a World's Greatest Swordsman, but he'd never heard of a World's Greatest Gunner.

Guns in the One Piece world had a weird reputation: they appeared often, but rarely did anything useful.

Only guys like Beckman gave firearms any dignity.

"Why do you care, kid?" Beckman asked, though with a friendly tone. In the original story, he was always kind to young Luffy—he even wanted to avenge him when mountain bandits beat him up.

"I'm seven already. It's time I picked a weapon. I just want something cool," Luffy said.

"No contest—it's gotta be a sword! Just think about how cool the title of 'swordsman' sounds!"

One pirate clapped Luffy on the back with a knowing look. He had a sword hanging from his waist.

"No, no. Guns are way cooler! And way easier to learn, too—perfect for a kid like Luffy."

Another pirate with a pistol chimed in.

"What did you say!?"

Just like the eternal battle between pineapple pizza lovers and haters, Luffy had unintentionally sparked a war between sword fans and gun fans.

Men love arguing about power and weapons, and this debate quickly escalated.

"Let's settle this with a duel!"

"Bring it on!"

They drew their weapons, ready to take their fight from words to steel.

As chaos erupted, First Mate Beckman lit a cigar, reached for his lighter… and then changed his mind.

"For a beginner who wants fast damage, I'd recommend guns."

"There are way too many people training with swords, and progress is slow. Flying slash attacks and stuff? That takes years. With us? Flying slashes are the starting point."

Yep, Beckman was definitely Team Gun.

He also offered his view on why guns had a bad rep lately:"In the future, guns will rule the battlefield. But too many gun users rely only on their weapons and neglect physical training. That's why swordsmen often outmatch half-assed gunners."

"In the end, a weapon is just a tool. Your own strength matters most," he said earnestly to Luffy.

It was true that guns packed more raw power than blades, but their track record made Luffy suspicious—was Beckman trying to steer him wrong?

Gun or sword?

Luffy fell into thought.

Then he remembered his Conqueror's Haki. Yeah, for early combat, a gun seemed perfect.

He could knock enemies unconscious with his Haki, then finish them from a distance. Later, he could switch to melee weapons.

As long as he was strong, the weapon didn't matter. Garp took over the world with just his fists, after all.

"Beckman, teach me how to shoot a gun!" Luffy said with determined eyes.

The sharpshooter's face lit up with pride.

Garp's grandson… maybe he really can make a name for guns someday.

"Come with me, kid. Let me show you my shooting room!"

With booming confidence, Beckman picked Luffy up and brought him into a room on the ship.

It was filled with bullets and pistols strewn all around.

Beckman casually tossed a handgun to Luffy. "Try this one. First, learn how it works."

Click.

Round black bullets were loaded into the chamber.

Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Boys love firepower. Luffy was captivated by the weapons designed to destroy.

As he held the gun, he felt something deep inside stir—his warrior spirit was waking up.

Ahh… I really wanna unleash my Conqueror's Haki right now…

He aimed at a target about 20 meters away and fired without hesitation.

Three shots—three misses.

Luffy was adjusting to the gun's barely noticeable recoil.

People in the One Piece world were insanely strong.

In the original, seven-year-old Luffy could already brawl evenly with gorillas, though not quite beat adult mountain bandits.

By the Alabasta arc, pirates could cut down entire buildings or lift wooden houses with their bare hands.

Luffy figured his own arm strength must already be in the tonnage range. A little flintlock's recoil? Barely noticeable.

(End of Chapter)