The Going Merry was filled with rich aromas.
The pot of spicy hot pot in front of Logan was quickly emptied. He leaned back comfortably in his chair, patting his stomach and savoring this rare moment of leisure.
Ignoring Luffy and Usopp's pitiful begging, Sanji hurried back to the galley, uncorked a bottle of red wine, and eagerly brought it over.
Logan took the glass and said with satisfaction,
"Sanji, since you're this sincere, I'll keep my word. I'll teach you Moon Walk right now."
Sanji's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed behind Logan and started massaging his shoulders with great enthusiasm.
"The principle of Moon Walk is actually very simple," Logan said leisurely.
"It's all about extremely rapid foot movement. As long as your kicks are fast enough, your feet can generate temporary resistance against the air. That's how you stay airborne."
"But," he added calmly, "this is a secret technique of CP9 under the World Government. Even if ordinary people understand the theory, they still can't pull it off. Take Usopp, for example—even if you explained it to him a hundred times, he still wouldn't manage."
"As for you," Logan glanced sideways, "with enough practice, you've got a real chance."
Sanji's hands froze mid-massage.
"…That's it?" he asked blankly.
"There's no shortcut," Logan said firmly.
Sanji immediately deflated.
After a moment, Logan continued,
"If there really is a 'secret,' it's nothing more than relentless practice."
"…Yeah. I guess I was hoping for a miracle," Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette and staring up at the sky.
"Body techniques never have shortcuts anyway."
Over the next few days aboard the Going Merry, everyone regularly heard a loud splash.
That was Sanji, falling into the sea while practicing Moon Walk.
On the first day, he couldn't even kick the air once.
By the third day, he could manage five or six steps midair—but with terrible control over direction and distance.
Most of the time, after a few steps, he'd fly straight off the deck and plunge into the ocean.
Fortunately, having grown up at the Baratie, Sanji was an excellent swimmer. After a few laps in the water, he'd climb back up and keep training.
Half a month later, Sanji was still falling into the sea—but now he could kick the air more than ten times in a row.
Eventually, he started practicing directly from the ocean, launching himself back onto the deck with Moon Walk.
On more than one occasion, he landed squarely on Zoro, who had been sleeping, and the two nearly came to blows every time.
That day, the sea was calm as ever.
Luffy sat bored at the bow, gazing into the distance. At some point, his attention drifted to Logan's massive sword. Curious, he wandered over.
"Big bro, your sword is huge," Luffy said.
"And why is it stone? Won't it shatter if you swing it too hard?"
As he spoke, Luffy reached out toward the Zhenhai Sword.
Logan immediately pulled it behind his back.
"Luffy, you can't touch this sword."
"Why not? Big bro, you're so stingy," Luffy pouted.
Logan was about to explain—
But somehow, Luffy had already stretched his arm out and grabbed the sword.
"Hahaha! I got big bro's sword!" Luffy laughed loudly.
"You won't let me touch it, so of course I have to!"
Logan looked at him helplessly and silently began counting in his head.
One… two… three.
The moment he finished—
Luffy's body went limp. He collapsed onto the deck, eyes rolling back, foam bubbling from his mouth.
Zoro and Nami rushed over in alarm.
"What happened to Luffy?!" they asked.
Logan pointed at the sword.
"My Zhenhai Sword is forged entirely from Seastone—a special mineral from the deep sea. Any Devil Fruit user who touches it loses their strength and abilities."
"And this sword isn't ordinary Seastone," he added.
"It's been further refined and tempered."
"So this is the result. Don't worry—he'll recover on his own in a bit."
Nami clicked her tongue.
"Idiot. Serves him right."
She turned away and went back to reading the newspaper.
Zoro, however, grew curious and reached for the sword himself.
Logan didn't stop him, only giving a casual reminder.
"It's… a little heavy."
"No problem," Zoro said confidently, grabbing the sword.
The instant he lifted it, his expression changed drastically.
He had to use both hands just to raise it, staring at Logan as if he were a monster.
"You call this 'a little heavy'?" Zoro snapped.
"This thing weighs close to a hundred kilos!"
Logan burst out laughing.
There weren't many things in the world that could make Zoro suffer like this.
Still, carrying such a massive sword everywhere was inconvenient.
If only the system would reward him with some kind of storage item…
Almost as if responding to his thoughts, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
[Next mission unlocked.]
[Sign-in location: Loguetown — the execution platform.]
[Would you like to teleport now, my lord?]
Logan thought for a moment, then rejected the teleportation.
Since Luffy and the others were heading to Loguetown anyway, he decided to accompany them for one last stretch.
After completing the sign-in there, he would have to leave and find Ace as soon as possible.
Ace… was the real emergency.
Three days later.
From the deck of the Going Merry, Logan could already see an island ahead—dense with buildings, a busy harbor crowded with ships.
Among them were many pirate vessels flying their flags openly.
"System," Logan said quietly, "scan the environment. Can I cultivate the Phantasmal Beast Spirit Tree here?"
[Scanning…]
[Scan failed. Conditions not met for cultivation.]
Logan sighed.
As expected—another failure.
He turned to Luffy and said,
"Little brother, this is where we part ways. After Loguetown, I'll have to go find Ace."
Luffy scratched his head.
"Big bro, after you meet Ace, will you come back? Can't you stay on the Going Merry forever?"
Logan placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder, his expression serious.
"When big bro finishes his dream, I'll come back and sail with you again."
"What's your dream?" Luffy asked brightly.
Logan fell silent.
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.
In his previous life, when he watched Ace die at Marineford, he had been so furious he threw his shoe at the television.
So when he first arrived in this world, there had been only one thought in his mind—
Become stronger. No matter the cost.
And save Ace at the Summit War.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL