Chapter 6: A Growing Storm
In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
Satoru had transformed from a helpless infant into a small child who could run and climb with shocking agility. He was a whirlwind of motion—running, jumping, climbing trees, and even diving into the sheltered coves of the coast. For any other three-year-old, these would be impossible feats. For Monkey D. Satoru, they were just how he spent his days.
"That little guy really doesn't have an 'off' switch, does he?" the mayor sighed, sitting by his doorway and puffing on an old pipe. His eyes followed Satoru, who was currently perched on a high tree branch, surveying the village like a tiny, white-haired lookout.
"Isn't that a good thing? Kids are supposed to be full of energy," said a kind voice beside him. It was Makino, the young, brown-haired owner of the Windmill Village bar. She had a gentle beauty that felt out of place in the often-harsh world of pirates.
"But this is too much energy," the mayor insisted, gesturing with his pipe. "Look at him. What three-year-old climbs trees this high, swims out to fish in the sea every day, and comes back without a scratch? I'm starting to think that kid is a little monster."
He spoke with the weary fondness of a man who had raised many children. Satoru was just... different.
Makino laughed softly. "Haha, I suppose you're right. Satoru is especially lively."
Just then, a loud, wailing cry interrupted their conversation. On a small bed nearby, another child—a baby with messy black hair—was scrunching his face and howling at the ceiling.
"Luffy... this little rascal is starting up again. He's exactly like Garp was as a baby," the mayor groaned, a pained expression crossing his face.
A year after Satoru arrived, Garp had shown up again, plopping down another baby. He'd announced this one was his real grandson. At first, the mayor had been skeptical, thinking it was just another pirate-ship orphan. But after a few months, he was convinced. This little bundle of noise truly carried the Monkey D. blood. The sheer volume and persistence were Garp's legacy.
While both boys were a handful, Satoru and Luffy were noisy in completely different ways. Satoru was intensely active but strangely self-sufficient and observant. He spoke little and rarely caused intentional trouble. Luffy, however, was a force of pure, chaotic instinct. He couldn't even walk steadily yet, but the moment he was awake, he was trying to follow people or, in the blink of an eye, would vanish entirely. Half the village had, on more than one occasion, spent hours searching for him with torches in the middle of the night. Even Satoru had been recruited for these frantic searches.
Hearing Luffy's cry, Satoru glanced over from his tree branch. Without hesitation, he leapt from the high limb, landing on the soft grass with a light, perfectly balanced roll. For a normal person—even an adult—such a fall could mean injury. For Satoru, it was nothing.
"Satoru," the mayor said, shaking his head. "If Luffy were even half as self-possessed as you are, my hair wouldn't be this gray."
Makino and the mayor were no longer shocked by such displays. At first, they had been terrified, scolding Satoru severely and forbidding him from climbing. But when he continued, unscathed and unfazed, they eventually accepted it. Maybe Satoru was just born different.
"He's never going to be self-possessed," Satoru stated flatly, his pale blue eyes turning toward the squalling baby. Almost as if sensing that intense gaze, Luffy's cries hitched and quieted to a whimper. Satoru's Six Eyes saw the raw, unfocused energy swirling within the infant—endless potential tied to an utterly simple mind. Right now, Luffy could be cute. Satoru had a feeling that would change.
"Satoru, don't say that!" Makino chided gently. "Luffy is adorable! And you... with such a handsome little face, you always wear such a serious, cold expression. It's a waste of a perfectly good smile!" She looked at him with mock reproach.
When Satoru was smaller and couldn't escape, Makino's favorite pastime had been pinching his cheeks and covering him in kisses. Now that he was mobile, she never got the chance. She could only admire his striking features from a distance and sigh.
Satoru offered no reply. He had lived in this world for three years. Windmill Village was kind and naïve, but he knew the wider world was not. It was filled with vicious pirates. Even the Marines weren't spotless; some collaborated with pirates to oppress civilians. Some pirates planted spies within the Marines. This little village was a beautiful, fragile bubble. He felt a constant, low hum of urgency. He needed to get stronger, fast. Strong enough to protect himself, at the very least, from common threats.
Now was the perfect time to build his foundation. So he trained relentlessly every day, pushing his tiny body to its safe limits.
With the complete mental blueprint of Gojo Satoru's abilities and training methods, he didn't need to experiment. He just had to follow the path laid out in his memories, conditioning his body and spirit. When he reached the right age, the power would manifest. He would become one of the strongest.
In this world of bizarre Devil Fruits, he knew his future power—the Limitless, powered by the Six Eyes—was a near-perfect defense. Very few Devil Fruits could theoretically bypass "infinity," and those were exceptionally rare. Once he matured, the number of people he'd need to be wary of would be small. The real threats would be the subtle, non-physical powers—like the effects of a fruit such as the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. Those were even rarer than Mythical Zoan types.
"Luffy! Grandpa's back to see you! Why aren't you out here welcoming me?!"
A booming, familiar voice suddenly echoed through the entire village. Everyone in Windmill Village knew who owned that voice.
Luffy, who had just settled back into sleep, jolted awake and immediately resumed his ear-splitting wail.
In the next instant, a massive figure seemed to materialize right beside the crib. It was Garp. Before anyone could even blink, he brought a hardened fist down—not with full force, but with enough to make a solid thump—on top of Luffy's small, vulnerable head.
"Stop that crying! A manly man holds it in!" Garp declared.
Satoru, standing a few feet away, felt a genuine jolt of shock. Even with his Six Eyes, he hadn't been able to track Garp's movement. One moment he wasn't there, the next he was. It wasn't teleportation; it was pure, terrifying speed. The gap between a powerhouse like Garp and Satoru's current self was a vast, impassable canyon. He couldn't even perceive the scale of it.
(End of Chapter)
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