Ryoma's fingertip rested on Dawn Island on the sea chart, the territory of the Goa Kingdom, which was hailed as the most beautiful country in the East Blue.
Now that the money was in hand and the next target was clear, Ryoma didn't delay any longer. He put down the sea chart, adjusted the boat's course, and headed at full speed toward the direction marked on the chart.
His purpose for this trip was clear: to meet the future protagonist of the One Piece world, Monkey D. Luffy.
The feeling was a bit strange, like a time-traveling tourist visiting a figure who had not yet become famous.
He knew very well that he couldn't stay in this world for over a decade to wait for Luffy to set sail, so he took this opportunity to catch a glimpse of the legendary protagonist.
If he didn't see him now, once he entered the Grand Line, there would likely be no chance to return to the East Blue.
Furthermore, he needed to head to the Grand Line as soon as possible to experience a wider world and seek ways to become stronger.
After several days of sailing, the silhouette of a massive island finally emerged on the horizon.
The Goa Kingdom had arrived.
Ryoma didn't stop at the main port, instead choosing a remote shore to land.
He first went to the kingdom's commercial street, spent money on a more detailed nautical chart, and then headed straight toward Foosha Village.
The scenery along the way was no different from his memory: clean streets, peaceful villages, and that iconic giant windmill turning slowly in the sea breeze.
This was the hometown of the Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp, and also Luffy's birthplace.
Ryoma didn't linger in the village. He just took a look from afar and then turned into the vast mountain forest behind the village.
Mt. Colubo.
According to the timeline he knew, nine-year-old Luffy should still be here, thrown by Garp to be raised by the Dadan Family of mountain bandits.
Ryoma's goal was simple: he wanted to see if he could "chance upon" the future protagonist here.
The forest was dimly lit, with towering trees blocking most of the sunlight, leaving only scattered patches of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves. The air was filled with the scent of damp earth mixed with rotting leaves.
He didn't know if his luck was too good or if this mountain range was naturally this lively.
Not long after Ryoma stepped into the outer area of Mt. Colubo, a burst of noisy shouting and the roars of wild beasts came from not far away.
He pushed aside the bushes in front of him and looked toward the sound, the scene before him making him chuckle.
A small figure wearing a straw hat was scrambling through the forest on all fours, followed by a menacing herd of wild boars with bared tusks.
That brat was Monkey D. Luffy.
"Waaaaah! Why are there so many wild boars?!"
Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs while running, his speed surprisingly fast.
He even had the strength to look back, his face covered in snot and tears.
"This is too much! Fight me one-on-one if you have the guts!"
The response was even angrier grunts from the wild boars. They charged ahead with their heads down, clearly not taking his shouting to heart.
Ryoma trailed far behind, found a sturdy branch to sit on, and watched the scene with great interest.
For a nine-year-old Luffy to be able to outrun a herd of wild boars...
His body hardly seemed human.
Ryoma marveled inwardly, but on second thought, if his physicality wasn't good, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand his Marine hero grandfather's "Fist of Love."
While Ryoma was thinking, he saw the fleeing Luffy suddenly stop. He let out a roar and grabbed two distant tree trunks with both hands. His arms stretched dramatically in a way that defied physical common sense, his body pulled taut like a fully drawn bow.
"Gum-Gum—"
"Bazooka!"
Luffy roared, using the immense recoil generated by the rubber's contraction to turn himself into a human cannonball, slamming violently into the lead wild boar.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the wild boar that took the direct hit let out a cry of pain, its massive body rolling back several times before crashing heavily to the ground.
However, the wild boar was thick-skinned and fleshy, so that seemingly powerful blow dealt quite limited damage.
A few seconds later, the wild boar shook its dizzy head and stood up again, its blood-red eyes staring fixedly at Luffy.
At the same time, the other wild boars took the opportunity to swarm forward, instantly surrounding Luffy.
Luffy's desperate counterattack had instead caused him to lose any chance of escape.
Seeing the tusks approaching from all directions and hearing the malicious grunts, the courage Luffy had just mustered vanished instantly.
He let out a "Waaah" and burst into loud wailing on the spot.
"Waaaah! Ace, where are you? Come save me!"
Watching from the tree in the distance, Ryoma couldn't help but sigh.
This poor kid.
He was running just fine, but he just had to turn back and fight. Now look, he's been cornered.
Although he knew that with Luffy's MC status he certainly wouldn't die, he couldn't just watch the future Pirate King get gored by a pack of wild boars, that scene would be too painful to watch.
Well, consider it a daily good deed.
Ryoma's figure flickered slightly, and an almost imperceptible ice flower bloomed beneath his feet and shattered instantly.
In the next instant, his figure vanished from the spot without a trace.
Swish!
Ryoma appeared beside Luffy without warning, the slight breeze fluttering the straw hat on Luffy's head.
The wailing Luffy was startled by this sudden turn of events, his crying cutting off abruptly.
A moment of confusion also flashed in the eyes of the wild boars surrounding them.
They didn't understand how this stranger had appeared, but that didn't stop them from categorizing him as prey as well.
The herd of wild boars became restless again, closing in on the center and tightening the circle.
Ryoma was just about to deal with these nuisances when he suddenly noticed that the aggressive wild boars' movements froze.
Then, as if they had encountered a terrifying natural predator, the large herd of wild boars let out panicked screams, scrambled to turn around, and fled into the depths of the dense forest in terror, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Hmm?
Ryoma found it strange. He hadn't even released his aura yet, so how could they be so frightened?
Was there an even more intimidating presence in this forest? He hadn't felt anything.