Chapter 3: Principles are meant to be broken.
After stuffing himself full, Luffy leaned back in his chair, his round belly sticking out proudly as he let out a satisfied sigh. His face was glowing with pure happiness.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten this much meat.
This… this was living!
Kyle watched him quietly, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.
Now that Luffy was full, it was time to move on to the main point.
At this age, Luffy's thinking was incredibly simple. Whoever fed him was a good person — and anyone who gave him meat was basically family. Convincing him didn't require clever schemes or flowery words.
Food alone was enough.
"Hey, Luffy."
"Hmm?"
Luffy turned his head, still half-slumped in his chair, eyes bright and curious.
Kyle bent slightly so he was at eye level with him, smiling in a way that was unmistakably meant for children.
"Wouldn't it be great," Kyle said casually, "if you could eat food like this every day?"
Luffy's ears practically perked up.
"Not just barbecue either. All kinds of meat. Sweets. Drinks. As much as you want."
Kyle raised his hand and pointed toward the long row of cafeteria windows.
"Take a look."
Luffy followed his gaze — and instantly froze.
Beyond the windows were piles of food: steaming meat dishes, bread stacked high, desserts gleaming with sugar, drinks lined up in neat rows. The smell alone was enough to make his mouth water.
Even though he'd just eaten, drool immediately began to drip from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes sparkled.
"I want that!" Luffy shouted. "I want it all!!"
Kyle chuckled softly.
"Then it's simple. Join the Navy."
"The Navy has food every day — and it's free. You don't need a single Beli."
He paused, watching Luffy carefully.
"So? Tempted?"
There was no hesitation at all.
Luffy nodded so hard his straw hat nearly slipped off. Then he suddenly bent his knees, leapt onto the table, and raised his fist high in the air.
"I wanna join the Navy!!" he yelled.
"I wanna eat meat every single day!!!"
The sudden shout echoed through the cafeteria.
For a moment, the surrounding marines froze — then laughter erupted everywhere.
But it wasn't mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! Whose kid is that? He's got spirit!"
"Way better than my brat back home!"
"Kid, if you've got guts like that, you'll definitely make it!"
"The Navy could always use energetic monsters like you!"
Encouraging voices rang out one after another, loud and sincere.
Luffy blinked, stunned — then grinned wider than ever.
If he had shouted something like this in a pirate bar, the response would've been very different.
You? A pirate? Don't make me laugh.
Go home and drink milk first.
You'd cry the moment you saw blood.
That kind of ridicule was exactly what pushed Luffy, in the original timeline, to shout back:
"I'll become a pirate! And I'll be the Pirate King!!"
A perfect spark for rebellion.
A perfect way to create another pirate.
But Kyle was here now.
And that future… simply wouldn't happen.
As Luffy basked in the attention, a strange warmth welled up inside his chest.
At five years old, praise and acknowledgment were the strongest rewards in the world. Being told he was good — that he was capable — made him feel like he was doing the right thing.
Kyle watched quietly, his smile deepening.
Just as expected.
At this age, Luffy was still incredibly easy to guide.
…Guide, not deceive.
Why become a pirate, constantly hunted and bleeding for survival, when he could be a Navy officer — eating well, sleeping well, and punching bad guys openly?
That was obviously the better path.
Even so, Kyle didn't receive any system notification.
Which meant Luffy hadn't officially joined yet.
That was fine.
Formalities could be handled tomorrow.
Kyle leaned back, watching Luffy animatedly chatting atop the table with the marines.
Looks like life was finally going to get interesting.
The Next Day
Time passed quickly.
Kyle wasn't the type to drag things out. After breakfast the next morning, he took Luffy straight to the Navy recruitment office.
Inside, a middle-aged man wearing a warrant officer's insignia rubbed his temples as he stared down at the two children in front of him.
"…You want to join the Navy?"
"Yes," Kyle replied calmly. "Is there a problem?"
Dawson absolutely had a problem.
One of them looked about six. The other was barely five.
Since when did the Navy start recruiting toddlers?
If this were any other pair of kids, he would've kicked them out immediately.
After a brief silence, Dawson chose his words carefully.
"In principle," he said, "the Navy does not recruit child soldiers."
Kyle nodded thoughtfully — then responded as if he'd heard something completely different.
"You said in principle. Principles can be bent sometimes. That's not unusual."
"…This—"
Dawson hesitated.
Kyle didn't change his expression.
"We're here with Vice Admiral Garp's approval," he said evenly.
"If you refuse, then I'll have no choice but to report the matter to him directly."
Kyle turned as if to leave.
"Wait!"
Dawson shot to his feet.
"…You mean Vice Admiral Garp personally approved this?"
"Yes."
Kyle nodded without the slightest pause.
"Hahaha!"
Dawson burst out laughing, slapping his thigh.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?! If it's Garp, then everything makes sense!"
"If Vice Admiral Garp approved it, then of course we'll handle it!"
He immediately got to work.
Not long after, Dawson returned with two neatly folded Navy uniforms.
"Here you go," he said cheerfully. "Welcome to the Navy!"
At the same moment, a mechanical voice echoed in Kyle's mind.
[Congratulations, Host! Recruitment successful: Monkey D. Luffy.]
[Rewards have been delivered to system storage.]
Kyle's pupils contracted slightly.
Excitement surged through him, impossible to suppress.
Six years.
After six long years, he'd finally succeeded.
In this vast, vibrant world, he now had a real foothold — real potential.
Potential wasn't strength.
But with time, it would become exactly that.
With a system backing him…
How could he possibly live an ordinary life?
Dawson stepped forward, separating the uniforms and handing one to Kyle — and the other to Luffy.
Luffy stared at the clothes in his hands, eyes shining.
"Hey, Kyle," he asked excitedly, "does this mean I get meat every day now?"
Kyle smiled.
"…Yes."
And that was more than enough.