One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Hey, Sabo, he found out our secret! If we let him go, he'll definitely spill it!"

"That's why I told you to stay here! You got caught because you keep going back and forth for your training!"

Ace and Sabo glared at Luffy, who was tied to a tree. The clueless kid was still shouting, "Huh? Are you Ace's friend? Can you be my friend too?"

"…" Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance.

"Let's get rid of him!"

"Alright, let's do it!"

"…You do it. I've never killed anyone before, so I don't know how!"

"Don't be stupid! I haven't killed anyone either!"

"Ahhh! You're going to kill me! How terrifying! I don't want to die yet!"

"Shut up, Luffy!"

…

After some arguing, neither of the two could go through with it—they were just kids, after all, and Luffy was three years younger than them… not to mention, a big crybaby.

Eventually, Luffy stopped yelling, and the two released him, but he kept bawling.

"Stop crying! I hate crybabies the most!" Ace snapped angrily. To his surprise, Luffy immediately shut his mouth, though he still looked like he was about to cry.

"Pfft, hahahaha!" Sabo burst out laughing. It was rare to see Ace so flustered.

"I've heard about you, Luffy," Sabo said, watching Ace turn away in a huff. "Why do you keep saying you want to be friends with Ace?"

"Because Grandpa left me at Dadan's place, and I'm all alone!" Luffy wiped his nose.

"I hate bandits… but I can't go back to the village. Ace is the only one I can rely on!"

"…Don't you have parents?" Ace turned back to face him.

"I only have Grandpa!" Luffy sniffled, looking at Ace with hopeful eyes.

"If I'm here, you won't be sad anymore? If I'm gone, you'll be really sad?"

"Do you… want me to be alive?"

"Of course!"

…

Watching the three kids finally bond, Wright smiled and nodded in approval from his vantage point above. This move is a win.

The next day, without much resistance from Ace, Luffy was allowed to tag along to their meeting spot.

"Sabo!" The three kids gathered, and Ace asked, "What's today's target?"

"There is one…" Sabo sighed. "But it could be dangerous with Luffy tagging along…"

"Hey! I won't be a burden! I'm going to become a great pirate!" Luffy declared with an odd, unfounded confidence.

"A great pirate, huh? That won't do at all, Luffy. Vice Admiral Garp wants you all to become outstanding Marines, after all…"

A calm voice chuckled as Wright stepped out from behind a nearby tree.

"Who's there?!" Ace and Sabo jumped, glaring at the source of the voice.

"Oh! It's Uncle Wright!" Luffy shouted, pouting. "I don't want to be a Marine!"

Ace recognized Wright as the man who had accompanied his grandfather when dropping Luffy off at Dadan's.

"Luffy, you know this guy?" Sabo whispered. "Who is he?"

"Sabo, this is Uncle Wright! He's Grandpa's subordinate. He can make wounds stop hurting—it's amazing!" Luffy explained enthusiastically. "Uncle Wright came with Grandpa to drop me off at Dadan's place!"

"I've seen him before too," Ace muttered. "He's definitely with Grandpa… but I don't know his name." Then he raised his voice. "So your name's Wright? What are you doing here?"

Seeing their wary looks, Wright scratched his head and pointed at Luffy. "Luffy, you need to learn from these two. Even if you know me, you shouldn't trust people so easily."

"Ace? And this is Sabo?" Wright found a spot to sit. "Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Wright, and under Vice Admiral Garp's orders, I'll be your instructor for the next few months to guide your training."

"Wright… I feel like I've heard that name before…" Sabo murmured before speaking up. "Instructor? We're doing fine on our own; we don't need guidance!"

"That's right!" Ace added loudly. "We have our own way of surviving and don't need anyone's help!"

Luffy looked confused, glancing between Ace and Sabo, not understanding their resistance.

"Well," Wright said, nodding, "I'll admit you've got good foundations. For kids your age, your abilities are exceptional. You've got potential."

He picked up a nearby rock the size of his fist. "See this?"

"?" The three stared at him curiously.

Wright clasped the rock with both hands and rubbed it together. In an instant, the solid stone crumbled into fine dust. A gentle breeze carried the powder away.

"…" The three kids were dumbstruck. Breaking a rock required tools, but turning it into dust…

"Setting aside the matter of pirates and Marines, if you want to set sail one day, you'll need skills to survive on the Grand Line." Wright unsheathed his sword, Ashes, its blade glowing with golden light, dazzling the kids.

"Watch this."

He swung the sword, unleashing a massive golden slash. The ground quaked as a distant peak was split cleanly in two.

"…" The kids gaped, their jaws nearly hitting the floor. They had never seen such destructive power.

"At my level, I'd barely rank in the middle of the pack out at sea—not even first-rate. So if you three really want to accomplish something out there, rather than heading off to die, you'd better take Vice Admiral Garp's offer and let me train you." Wright sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

"You've got a day to decide. If you're willing to train with me, meet me by the lake in the center of the forest tomorrow morning."

With that, Wright disappeared into the woods. For a long time, the three kids stood frozen in shock.

"Wow! Uncle Wright is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping with excitement. "He's amazing! And his sword is so awesome!"

"Incredible…" Unlike the younger Luffy, the ten-year-old Ace was sweating. "If what he said is true, and this isn't even first-rate… how strong are the real monsters out there?"

"So strong…" Sabo murmured. "If we had even a fraction of that power, we wouldn't have to fear anyone!"

Sharing a look, the three finally agreed on something for the first time: to get stronger through training.

The next morning, Wright arrived at the lake to find the kids already waiting, surrounded by the bodies of wild beasts. They were scratched up and bruised, clearly having struggled in the forest's center.

"Yo! Everyone's here, huh?" Wright smiled, waving a hand. A golden light washed over the kids, instantly healing their wounds, even old ones.

"Whoa! Uncle Wright is amazing!" Luffy cheered, while Ace and Sabo, seeing Wright's abilities for the first time, were speechless.

"Since you've come, that means you've accepted my training. For the next few months, we'll be working hard!"

"Yes, Uncle Wright!"

"…"

Uncle… Wright thought, sighing internally. Luffy, you little brat!

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