The ignored Luffy immediately complained, "Hey! Can you guys let me spar with Sandy first?"
Sandy chuckled. "Alright, just attack. Same as last time."
Luffy grinned confidently. "Then you better be careful. This time, I'm different from last time."
He crouched low, one hand pressing against the ground.
"Second Gear…"
In an instant, Luffy's skin flushed red, steam rising from his body like a boiling kettle.
Ace tilted his head, curious. "What kind of move is this? Looks pretty strong."
Chopper exclaimed, "Luffy used this move once on Drum Island, but it wasn't that impressive!"
That was true. Back then, Chopper hadn't even been able to follow Luffy's movements.
He only remembered the steam and then… nothing. His eyes simply couldn't keep up with Luffy's speed.
Now, Luffy clenched one fist at his waist while extending the other hand toward Sandy, aiming like a cannon.
"Better be ready, Sandy," Luffy warned.
Sandy nodded calmly. "Come at me with everything you've got."
The moment the words left his mouth, Luffy disappeared from where he stood and reappeared diagonally above Sandy.
"Jet Pistol!!"
Sandy shifted his stance just slightly. A split second later, the sand beside his foot exploded inward as if struck by a bullet.
And Luffy didn't stop there.
"Jet Pistol!"
"Rocket Launcher!"
His body flickered like lightning, creating countless afterimages around Sandy. Each missed attack left a deep dent in the sand.
Sanji and Zoro's eyes struggled to follow his movements. Ace managed to keep up, but barely. The rest of the crew was completely lost.
Chopper tilted his head, confused. "Huh? Why are there so many Luffys in the sky? What's going on? Why are dents suddenly appearing all around Sandy?"
Usopp clutched his head. "They're monsters… they're seriously turning into monsters!"
Sanji and Zoro exchanged a glance, both feeling that quiet pressure. Do we really have to grow this fast too?
Meanwhile, Nami and Vivi were stunned.
Is this even a friendly spar? One punch from Luffy at this level was terrifying. The holes in the ground said it all.
Ace let out a low whistle. "I didn't expect this idiot Luffy to have gotten so strong."
Luffy, moving at top speed, was getting frustrated. Damn it, this Observation Haki is so annoying!
After several attempts, he finally stopped and deactivated Second Gear, panting slightly. "Sandy… my speed has improved so much. Why can't I hit you?"
Sandy rolled his eyes. "Because I'm faster than you. If you meet an opponent who can use Observation Haki to foresee the future, you'll be crushed. So train harder."
Ace blinked. "Observation Haki can foresee the future too?"
Sandy raised a brow. "Didn't your crewmates tell you that?"
Then he smirked. "Oh right, you're too proud to ask. But let me tell you something—if you want to get stronger, you have to learn and innovate. Sticking to the same tricks will get you killed."
His words made everyone thoughtful. Ace, in particular, gave Sandy a long, meaningful look.
Catching someone's special move is the first step to being worthy of competing… learning and evolving is the real key to survival in this world.
Ace could already tell—Sandy would be no ordinary pirate in the future.
Luffy rubbed his stomach. "I'm starving. Can we eat now?"
Sanji rolled his eyes. "Wait a moment. I'll prepare the food."
By the time dinner was ready, the desert night had already fallen. The temperature plummeted to below freezing.
Sandy walked over to Ace with a cocky grin. "Ace, that erguotou we drank last night? I can chug the whole bottle in one go."
Ace twitched. This bastard's showing off again? He hit me with a stick earlier, and it still hurts.
He snorted. "I can drink a bottle and a half."
Sandy raised an eyebrow. "Two bottles."
Ace smirked. "Three."
"Four."
"Five!"
…
Zoro watched them and sighed. "What the hell are they doing?"
Sanji guessed, "They're… competing over how much they can drink?"
Chopper tilted his head. "But they're not even drinking!"
Nami slapped her forehead. "Are they children?"
Meanwhile, Usopp hugged Chopper. "Chopper, you're so warm."
Chopper growled, "Are you looking down on reindeer?"
"Chopper, change back," Zoro muttered. "It's gonna get cold again."
Luffy then jumped and hugged Chopper too.
Usopp asked, "Luffy, aren't you gonna stop those two?"
Luffy just grinned. "Their relationship's good. Let them be."
Good? They were about to fight again.
Sure enough, over on the other side…
Ace crossed his arms. "The Flame-Flame Fruit isn't just a Logia-type. Its destructive power is insane. Way more practical than your Space Fruit."
Sandy raised a brow. "Still wanna compare, huh? Fine."
He leaned forward smugly. "The Space Fruit creates a Space Field. Inside it, I'm untouchable. Your flames are useless against someone with stronger Haki. Practical? Please."
Ace shot back, "Your lame Space Fruit needs a field with such a tiny range. If I punched you directly, you wouldn't even dodge in time. Invincible my ass!"
Sandy's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"
Ace growled back, "Wanna fight?"
They glared at each other, tension crackling—until both suddenly sensed something.
"Hidden weapons," they said in unison.
Bang! Bang!
Cooking utensils flew at their heads—Nami's work.
She stood there, hands on her hips, fury blazing. "Honestly! Can you two idiots let people sleep or not?!"
Chopper shrank back. "So scary! Nami just took down two monsters at once!"
Usopp couldn't help but brag. "Chopper, did you see the stars?"
Chopper nodded, eyes shining. "Yeah. It's my first time seeing them. They're so beautiful."
Zoro frowned. "Your first time?"
Chopper nodded. "It's always snowing on Drum Island. I've never seen the stars before."
Usopp puffed his chest. "Not surprised. These stars appeared after I shot down the sun with my slingshot."
Chopper and Luffy gasped, "Really, Usopp?!"
Zoro rolled his eyes. "Let's just sleep already…"
…
Author's Note:
The fanfic One Piece: My Flirtatious System Adventure is first half completed.
The entire story has been uploaded on Patreon as a dedicated collection:
📚 One Piece (Chapters 1–362)
Carefully organized into multiple posts, with several chapters per post for smooth and easy binge reading.
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continuous support and love for this journey 💙