The rewards for completing a progression task were directly tied to the character who triggered it.
Receiving an upgrade to his Armament Haki from Garp was well within Lucas Moore's expectations.
Improvements to Armament and Observation Haki didn't manifest as outward pressure or aura.
Only Lucas himself could feel the change.
Garp had no clue that Lucas had just grown significantly stronger.
After that
Lucas promptly kicked Garp off his ship.
Grumbling and unwilling, Garp returned to his little boat, watching as Lucas continued to sail onward.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to follow anyway, still uneasy about leaving him alone.
By dusk, the two had returned to Baratie, one after the other.
Lucas had brought back a fish over three meters long.
He'd originally wanted to bring back a Sea King.
Unfortunately
Even the smallest one could capsize his boat.
So he had no choice but to give up.
Baratie's employee lodging was limited.
Most rooms were shared by three or four people.
So Zeff arranged for Lucas to stay in the same room as Sanji.
That night
Sanji, sticking to his word, met up with Lucas on the second-deck back patio.
Faint moonlight shone down on them.
Barely able to contain his excitement, Sanji blurted out, "Lucas, I'm ready! Let's start!"
Lucas looked at him calmly.
At this point, Sanji was still far too scrawny.
Compared to the solidly built Zoro, he didn't even come close.
If they jumped straight into strength training, Sanji's frail body probably wouldn't hold up.
Lucas said directly, "Starting now, tie a two-kilogram weight to each of your ankles. Whether you're eating, working, or sleeping, don't take them off. Once you've adjusted, increase the weight."
"Huh?" Sanji exclaimed in surprise. "So this is to strengthen my legs?"
Lucas gave him a faint nod.
"Then what?" Sanji asked eagerly. "Do I need to train my accuracy too, like aiming my kicks?"
"Don't rush," Lucas said. "The first step is building strength in your ankles. You can train other techniques later."
Then, after a pause, he added, "If you really feel like you've got nothing else to do, study anatomy."
Sanji was caught off guard. He mumbled, "What's there to study in that...?"
Lucas replied flatly, "Strength without technique is just a pile of sand."
With that, he said no more, brushed past Sanji, and returned to the room to rest.
Sanji stood frozen on the deck, turning Lucas's words over and over in his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
Lucas's point was probably that he needed to master skillful strength but what exactly did "technique" mean?
Could it have something to do with the anatomy he was told to study?
Scratching his head, Sanji puzzled over it all night, but still came up empty.
The next morning.
Lucas ordered breakfast at the restaurant.
Dressed in his usual plain clothes, Garp just like yesterday sat at the table next to him and ordered the exact same meal.
"Drinking this early in the day, huh? Not even that old, and already a drunk," Garp said with a grin, eyeing Lucas, who was eating and drinking at the same time.
Lucas ignored him and kept eating.
He really didn't get it
Garp had already accepted his refusal to join the Navy yesterday.
So why was he still hanging around?
Grinning, Garp asked, "Back in Foosha Village, did you happen to know a kid named Luffy? He's my grandson."
Lucas replied coolly, "Never met him."
He'd only stayed in Foosha Village for about ten days, and during that time, Luffy hadn't shown up at the tavern. So they never crossed paths.
"That's a shame," Garp said, propping up his chin with one hand and sighing. "I thought you two might be friends. What about Ace? Do you know Ace?"
Lucas shot him an exasperated glance.
What's this old fox getting at with these random names?
"Nope," Lucas said flatly.
Garp burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! That's fine. You'll meet them eventually. When you do, it's not too late to become friends, hahaha!"
Right at that moment
The restaurant's front doors were kicked open with a loud bang.
A burly man with a vicious look and a face full of scars barged in with a group of rough-looking men behind him, all radiating hostility.
"Hand over the blond punk!" the man shouted.
"Huh? Aren't those Krieg's men?"
"Krieg? You mean that pirate causing all the chaos in the East Blue lately? What are his men doing at Baratie?"
"No idea. Is the blond kid he's looking for the one who served us earlier?"
"Oh man, that kid's done for..."
The diners began whispering among themselves.
Some, out of fear, didn't dare say a word.
Lucas continued to eat his breakfast, unfazed.
Garp glanced over at the gang of thugs. He stared at them for a while but couldn't recall who Krieg was. "Krieg? A pirate? Doesn't ring a bell."
A customer nearby leaned over and whispered, "Krieg's the pirate who's been making waves in the East Blue lately. He's done all sorts of terrible things. They say he's got fifteen pirate ships under his command."
"Fifteen ships, huh?" Garp rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then glanced over at Lucas and suddenly chuckled. "Funny thing is, just this morning I told my men to take the warship and leave. What do you think I should do now, Lucas?"
Lucas shot him a blank look. "Do whatever you want."
At that moment, Patty came down from upstairs carrying a tray of food.
When he saw the crowd by the entrance, he quickly delivered the dishes to the right table, then walked over with a smile and rubbing his hands. "Welcome, gentlemen! Here for a meal?"
The thug leader grabbed Patty by the collar and growled, "Hand over the blond punk!"
"The blond punk?" Patty smiled politely. "So, you're here looking for someone not to eat?"
"Huh? You hard of hearing or something?" The man's eyes widened as he threw a punch straight at Patty's face.
Patty's expression changed in a flash. He caught the man's fist mid-air, and his entire demeanor shifted.
"If you're not here to eat, then get the hell out!"
As he shouted, he raised his leg for a powerful kick.
But the man quickly drew a pistol from his waist and pressed it against Patty's forehead.
Patty froze immediately, cold sweat breaking out on his brow.
Just then
Sanji slowly came down the stairs with a tray in hand.
His movements were stiff thanks to the weights tied to his ankles.
When he saw Patty with a gun to his head, he froze in fear.
"There he is, Boss! That's the blond kid!" one of the thugs yelled, pointing at Sanji on the spiral staircase.
"Tch!" the leader scoffed. He turned his gun and aimed at Sanji. "Kid, you messed with our boss's woman. That's your last mistake die!"
He pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore through the air, flying straight across the restaurant toward the frozen Sanji.
In that instant, only one thought filled Sanji's mind:
Well, I'm screwed.