Superhuman

Luffy swung his unstretched right arm around before using the spinning force to stretch his arm to its limits.

Shanks looked on in surprise. 'Has Luffy created an attack already?' He thought in his mind. Luffy took a step forward while having a grin on his face.

"Gomu Gomu no..."

Luffy then threw his stretched arm forward. The arm started zooming towards one of the bandits.

"PISTOL!!!!"

*BAAANG!!!!!*

The fist crashed into one of the bandit's faces. The bandit's nose bled and he fell back onto the ground unconscious.

After his stretched arm retracted back, Luffy started rushing towards the bandits alone with his cutlass in hand.

The bandits started charging at him too. Luffy threw his left hand far behind him while running. "Gomu Gomu no....."

He stopped right in front of a bandit who had a machete in hand.

"BULLET!!!!"

*BAAAM!!!!*

He snapped his arm back and delivered a short-distance, one-fisted powerful blow to the bandit's solar plexus.

He then sheathed his cutlass back into its sheath. He looked at a bandit who was charging at him while raising his machete up high.

He took a step forward and waited until the bandit got close enough. One he did, Luffy struck.

*SHING!!!*

*PSSSH!!!!*

Luffy used his Quickdraw technique and cut open the bandit's unguarded chest. The bandit quickly fell down on the ground. Luffy saw another one coming towards him.

He noticed the bandit's chest was unguarded once again. Luffy narrowed his eyes and waited for the bandit to come closer.

"Ahh—

*PSSH!!!!*

Luffy raised his cutlass and sliced his chest open diagonally. He then looked at another one and charged towards him.

The bandit he was charging towards pointed a flintlock towards him. Luffy didn't care about that as bullets bounce off his rubbery body.

*BANG!!!*

The bandit fired the flintlock, the bullet bounced off Luffy's body as expected. He then raised his cutlass and sliced down, cutting open the bandit's chest.

There were about half of Higuma's bandits left. Higuma was watching while seething angrily.

Luffy was dealing with the Higuma bandits on his own. Shanks watch with a smirk on his face. Compared to two weeks ago, Luffy's attacks were barbaric and done instinctually.

Now, Luffy's attacks still have that barbaric side in it but now it's more focused and controlled.

After Luffy was done with the last member Higuma bandits, he looked around to see that the boss, Higuma wasn't around.

Then he heard the click of a revolver and turned back and was horrified to see Higuma taking Makino hostage by pointing his revolver at her head.

Makino was shaking in fear while looking at Luffy who was angered. "You fucking baboon! Let her go right now!" He shouted. Higuma grinned savagely at him.

"No." He replied simply and put his finger on the trigger. He was about to fire it, making Luffy widen his eyes.

Luffy threw his right arm holding his cutlass back. "Gomu Gomu no..."

"JAVELIN!!!!!"

He shot his arm forward with all of his strength. The arm holding the cutlass zoomed towards Higuma who looked at the attack with surprise etched on his face.

*SHIK!!!*

The cutlass stabbed right through his heart. Higuma staggered back while blood started flowing down his mouth.

The arm retracted, the cutlass was pulled out of his stab wound. Higuma dropped down to the ground, dead.

Luffy's arm was back into place he looked at him bloodied cutlass and looked at Higuma who was not moving.

It felt different, the bandits were still breathing but Higuma was not. His eyes were wide and they didn't show any signs of blinking at all.

Luffy realized what he did. He had just killed someone. That made his stomach twist and turn. Luffy suddenly dropped his cutlass and covered his mouth. He ran to the side of the street where there was grass.

*Insert puking sound effects*

Makino and Wood Slap gasped as they saw Luffy puking his guts out on the sidewalks. Shanks went over and knelt beside the puking Luffy.

"Shanks, did I just kill someone?" Luffy asked weakly. Shanks nodded.

"I know it's not what you want to hear, but you did the right thing Luffy. Higuma was a killer, he killed 56 people and was about to add Makino, your loved one to his list of victims. Killing is not right, but in this case you did Dawn Island a favor. You would have to close your heart and get over it. " Shanks muttered and patted his back. Luffy looked back at the puddle of vomit silently.

.

.

Luffy was sitting on his bed silently while Makino was sitting beside him patting his back. Luffy was silent, which was never like him.

He had just killed someone and he needed time to process what he had just done. Makino knows that, but she couldn't believe he had to kill someone at that age.

She knew that him being a pirate meant that he would be witnessing a lot of death and destruction in the future. But it was too soon for a 7 year old.

She saw Shanks entering the room with a large sack in his right hand. He put it on Luffy's nightstand.

"What is it?" Luffy asked, his usual energetic tone gone.

"This is the reward we got for handing Higuma into the authorities. They detracted 30% of a bounty though because we handed in a dead body as they favor subjecting criminals to prison sentences and/or formal executions. " Shanks explained. He knelt down and looked at Makino.

" Makino. Can I talk to Luffy for a while? I think it's time he has to know the reality of being a Pirate and a Marine. " Shanks explained. Makino although reluctant, agreed anyway because it seemed very important to Shanks.

"Alright, Luffy. Let's go." Shanks patted him on the shoulder. Luffy looked at Makino and smiled at her.

"I'll see you at dinner time okay?" Luffy asked. Makino smiled back and nodded.

" Mm! Okay Luffy. "

.

.

Shanks and Luffy were walking around the village while the sun was setting behind them.

"When I was an apprentice in Captain Roger's ship. I saw a lot of death and destruction. Mostly caused by Captain and the Vice Captain, Rayleigh. I saw them kill so many people. I also saw them save a lot of people. But the truth is, we weren't heroes at all. We're pirates." Shanks muttered, Luffy listened attentively.

" When I was 8, I killed an enemy pirate because he tried to attack a friend of mine. I had the same reaction as you did after I realized what I did. " Luffy widened his eyes, this was the first time he heard Shanks be so vulnerable.

" Captain Roger consoled me. He told me that death is a natural thing. There are ones who deserve it and ones who don't. There are deaths that happened too soon and deaths that happened at the perfect time. He told me that if I want to be a pirate captain, I should harden up. And that's what you should do too. " Shanks turned towards Luffy.

" To protect your loved ones, you would need to make sacrifices, like it or not. That is one of the responsibilities of a captain. A captain has to be caring and courageous. You're the person that keeps the crew going. If there's no captain, then the crew is no use. " He added. Luffy looked at him with a determined and fiery look.

" Shanks! I swear I'll take these words to heart!! I'll become the Pirate King and find the One Piece!! I'll turn the world upside down!!!" Luffy declared with tears in his eyes. Shanks smirked and put his hand on his straw hat.

" Then take this. This hat was passed down from Captain Roger to me. And now I give this to you, in the hopes that you will become the King Of The Pirates and find the One Piece. And when you accomplish those dreams, return this straw hat to me. " Shanks smiled and put the straw hat on Luffy's head. Luffy couldn't handle it anymore and wailed loudly.

" Shanks!!! Thank you for believing in me!! I promise, I'll become the Pirate King and find the One Piece!!!! I'll give this hat back to you one day!!!" Luffy sobbed and started hugging him. Shanks smiled down at him and hugged him back.

"There there, Luffy. I never know you have a crybaby side. Dahahahahahaha....."

To be continued.....