One Piece: I'm not Roger

Luffy did not understand all those complicated things, but the thought of being personally taught by the Pirate King still excited him. He turned toward Ace, who still had not recovered his male body, and asked curiously,

"Ace, do you think your father will actually teach us?"

Ace lay lazily on a large rock with a blade of grass hanging from his mouth as he answered casually,

"I don't know. Maybe."

When Ace thought about Roger arriving, a trace of anticipation appeared in his heart.

Over the past two months, thanks to Rouge's constant guidance, he no longer hated Roger like before. Instead, he had slowly begun to accept and understand the relationship between father and son.

Nearly three months had passed since Whitebeard's death. With the support of Rouge, Roger, and the others around him, Ace had already stepped out of the grief that once consumed him.

Ace raised his fair arm and focused slightly. A deep black layer of Armament Haki instantly coated it completely.

In just two months, his Armament Haki had already reached the level of advanced hardening, allowing him to use rapid coating naturally in battle. His physical strength had also grown tremendously during this period. The combination of stronger Haki and improved physique caused his stagnant power to rise at an astonishing speed.

Only now did Ace truly understand what Kaido once meant.

On the seas, Haki reigned supreme.

Once Devil Fruit development slowed down and physical training reached its limits, Haki became the only path left to continue growing stronger.

Especially after witnessing the terrifying power of Advanced Conqueror's Haki used by the top monsters of the world, Ace became even more determined.

Like the Yonko, he possessed the qualities of a king and had awakened Conqueror's Haki long ago. Unfortunately, before Rayleigh left, he bluntly pointed out that Ace's Conqueror's Haki was still far too immature.

Still, Ace was not discouraged.

With so many monsters personally teaching him, mastering it was only a matter of time.

Besides, Rayleigh himself had admitted that Roger possessed one of the strongest Conqueror's Haki in history.

Luffy looked at Ace with visible envy.

He still could not freely coat his body with Armament Haki whenever he wanted, and because of that, he had once again returned to getting beaten up by Ace during their sparring matches.

What made things even stranger for him was Ace temporarily having a female body. No matter how many days passed, Luffy still could not get used to it.

Among the six of them, it was not only Ace who had mastered Armament Haki.

Even Bonney had barely managed to grasp the basics of Armament Haki, although her control was far worse than Luffy's. Still, this made Bonney extremely happy because her physical strength had always lagged behind the others.

As for Yamato, Ulti, and Page One from the Beasts Pirates, all three had already mastered Armament Haki long ago. During this period, their growth mainly came from improving their Devil Fruit abilities, combat skills, and Haki mastery.

Although Rayleigh's one month of training had not included advanced Haki techniques, he had built a solid foundation for them while greatly expanding their understanding of combat.

If Rayleigh ever learned how Aether evaluated teachers in the past, he would definitely scoff in disdain.

A true teacher was someone who built a proper foundation for their students.

Compared to a legendary mentor like himself, Kaido was nothing more than a rough combat instructor.

While everyone continued discussing their training, a strange force suddenly surrounded them.

Luffy's eyes widened.

Not only him, but all six of them slowly floated into the air.

"What's going on?!"

"I'm floating!"

"Is this some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"

Before they could react further, a loud and familiar laugh echoed from the distance.

"Hahahaha! For the next month, all of you little brats belong to me. Being personally trained by me is your honor!"

"Golden Lion?"

"It's Golden Lion Shiki!"

The other five immediately recognized the voice.

Only Luffy remained confused for a moment, but the instant he saw the familiar blond-haired pirate descending from the sky, his expression immediately darkened.

"Golden Lion Shiki! Why are you here?!"

Luffy's understanding of Shiki still remained stuck in the past. To him, Shiki was the pirate who once nearly destroyed the East Blue.

Without hesitation, Luffy activated Gear Second.

Steam burst from his body as his aura rapidly rose.

He clearly intended to strike first.

Fortunately, Ace quickly stopped him before things escalated.

"Luffy, calm down. Stop causing trouble."

Ace sighed before continuing,

"Shiki-senpai is our teacher for the next month. He's also... father's former crewmate."

Luffy froze completely.

Nobody had told him this before.

Three months ago, he had fought against Golden Lion, and now that same legendary pirate was somehow about to become his teacher.

Even someone as simple-minded as Luffy found the situation absurd.

He immediately shook his head furiously.

"I don't want him teaching me! He tried to destroy the East Blue before! Besides, I already beat him!"

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone nearby became silent.

The Navy had never publicly revealed Golden Lion's defeat, so almost nobody on the seas knew about it. Only people with powerful intelligence networks, such as Kaido, had learned the truth.

Everyone stared back and forth between Luffy and Shiki in disbelief.

Golden Lion Shiki, one of the legendary pirates of Roger's era, had actually lost to Luffy?

Ace himself looked stunned.

Only now did he finally understand the strange expression Augustus D. Aether showed when he arranged for Shiki to become their instructor.

Clearly, Aether had already known everything from the beginning.

Which also meant one thing.

Luffy was absolutely doomed for the next month.

Just as everyone expected, Golden Lion slowly descended with a dark expression.

The moment he looked at Luffy, irritation filled his eyes.

Still, Shiki did not try to excuse his defeat.

A loss was a loss.

There was nothing else to say.

Then, suddenly, Shiki grinned.

The smile looked exactly like a cunning old fox preparing to trap its prey.

He slowly leaned toward Luffy and spoke in a low voice,

"You don't want me teaching you?"

"Too bad."

"I insist on teaching you."

"You don't get a choice here, Straw Hat."

Luffy shook his head even harder.

"No! I absolutely refuse!"

Shiki's grin widened further.

"Fine then."

"As long as you can survive five minutes against me, I'll let you leave."

"But if you lose, you'll obediently accept my training."

Luffy clenched his fists without hesitation.

"Fine!"

"If I lose, I'll acknowledge you as my teacher!"

===

Read 100+ chapters ahead on Patreon, with every chapter organized into collections.

Subscribing a membership gives you access to "ALL" fanfictions,

Or you can buy only the collection you want, to gain access to chapters ahead.

P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph.