Luffy Twin Brother: The Monkey King

"Already at a billion?" Mihawk murmured, seated calmly on his lone ship, eyes scanning the latest bounty posters.

The paper in his hand bore the grinning face of Kong, now worth 1 billion. It was staggering—an astronomical rise in such a short time. Others took years, even decades, to reach such a bounty. Yet Kong had done it in just over a month.

Impressive. But Mihawk's gaze shifted to the other bounties.

Monkey D. Luffy, 100 million.

Roronoa Zoro, 60 million.

A faint smile tugged at Mihawk's lips as his eyes lingered on Zoro's face. A swordsman he had crossed blades with. A talent whose raw yet undeniable. A man who, given time, could one day shake his throne as the world's strongest swordsman.

Kong sat cross-legged in the quiet of the forest, his mind replaying his battle with Mihawk in vivid detail. Every movement, every subtle shift in stance, the way Mihawk seemed to predict his every action—almost as if he could see into the future.

Kong recalled his "training" with the Marines, how he had closed his eyes in the midst of battle, trying to replicate Mihawk's eerie foresight. At times, he felt close—a fleeting grasp on that strange ability—but without a proper teacher, he struggled to truly master it.

"Are you not going to eat with everyone else?" Kong snapped out of his thoughts as Robin approached, setting down a plate of food beside him. Her expression was unreadable, though there was a quiet curiosity in her gaze.

"If I ate until I was full, there'd be no food left for everyone else," Kong said with a small smirk, accepting the plate from Robin. He thanked her before taking a bite, glancing toward the lively celebration happening inside. The crew was enjoying themselves, feasting and laughing. But Kong had chosen to step outside—to think, to train. If he stayed, he knew he'd eat through their entire stock without even meaning to.

Besides, they had gained three new allies—Mont Blanc Cricket and his two companions. Cricket's ancestor was none other than Mont Blanc Noland, a man remembered as Noland the Liar, infamous for his claim of discovering a city of gold. Until his last breath, he swore it had sunk into the sea, though no one ever believed him.

Cricket had spent years searching for the lost city of gold, diving into the depths of the sea, only to find fragments—small pieces of gold that hinted at something greater but weren't enough to prove Noland's story true.

"You know, this is a perfect time for me to start teaching you," Robin said, stepping beside Kong. "Since we're setting off tomorrow, right?"

Kong paused mid-bite, considering her words before giving a nod. Tomorrow, they were going to take on the Knock-Up Stream. A powerful jet of water that would shoot them straight into the sky—toward Skypiea. An insane, reckless plan with an extremely high risk of destroying the ship. But then again, wasn't that just the kind of adventure he and Luffy lived for?

"I'll start by writing some simple characters," Robin said, picking up a stick and carefully drawing symbols in the dirt. "Once you understand them, I'll show you how to combine them into words."

Kong watched intently, his eyes locked on the markings, absorbing every detail. His focus was absolute—until the sudden commotion behind them.

"Guys, we have to hurry!" Luffy's frantic voice cut through the quiet moment as he burst through the door, skidding to a stop in front of them. His face was filled with urgency, his breath coming fast.

The rest of the crew followed close behind, Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou right on their heels. 

Kong's frown deepened as he glanced up at Luffy. "What is it?"

"We need to find the South Bird before morning, or we won't be able to make it south to the Knock-Up Stream," Sanji explained, his tone serious.

Robin and Kong nodded in understanding. The Log Pose didn't function like a normal compass—it pointed toward the nearest island, not in a fixed direction like north or south.

With the Knock-Up Stream expected to erupt tomorrow, they needed to be in the right position—far out in the deep sea, directly south of their current location. The only way to ensure that was by tracking down a South Bird, a creature known for always keeping its head pointed south. Without it, they risked missing their chance entirely.

There was no time to waste. The crew split up into groups, setting off into the dense jungle under the cover of night.

Kong grouped up with Zoro and Robin, the three of them moving together through the darkened forest, eyes sharp for any sign of their elusive target.

"You're a swordsman?" Zoro asked, noticing the way Kong was eyeing his swords.

Kong shook his head. "Nah. I'm using a sword, but it's not my style. I prefer slamming things—fists suit me better. But I can't ignore how useful a sword is," he admitted with a sigh. Truthfully, he wanted to wield a staff, but he hadn't found one that felt right. Every time he imagined his perfect weapon, a staff came to mind.

"The only reason I picked up a sword is because of Mihawk," Kong continued. "If I can surpass him in pure swordsmanship, he'll join my crew." His tone was casual, but there was an unmistakable confidence in his words as he followed Robin, who led the way through the dense jungle.

"I see… WAIT, WHAT?!" Zoro's sudden outburst nearly made Kong's head snap to the side, his ear ringing in pain.

"I'm right next to you, you know," Kong grumbled, rubbing his ear.

Zoro paused for a second before muttering an apology, but the shock was still clear on his face. Robin, too, had turned back to look at Kong with wide eyes.

"Anyway," Kong continued as if nothing had happened, "next time I see Mihawk, I just have to make sure my swordsmanship surpasses his. Once that happens, I'll have one of the strongest men in the world on my crew, which means I'll be one step closer to my goal." His voice was casual, but the weight of his ambition was unmistakable.

"You guys shouldn't talk too much. It might scare off the bird," Robin reminded them, her voice calm yet firm.

Both Kong and Zoro immediately shut their mouths, but just as they did, a large bug dropped from the sky, smacking Zoro right on the head.

"Sorry… I guess thinking about my goals made my willpower spill out," Kong said with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his head.

Robin raised an eyebrow, watching as more insects rained down around them. "So, your willpower just… leaks out whenever you get worked up?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yup," Kong said with a grin.

Robin simply nodded before they resumed their search for the bird. But instead of finding their target, they stumbled into a sea of insects swarming toward them. Naturally, Kong and Zoro cut through them without a second thought—until Robin pointed out how rude that was. After that, they settled for simply knocking the bugs unconscious.

Eventually, they regrouped with Luffy and the others. Robin, however, seemed mildly annoyed by how often Zoro and Kong wandered in the wrong direction when all they had to do was follow her.

"If I knew there were this many bugs here… I would've trained here instead," Kong mused, stretching his arms.

"You would've just gotten lost," Luffy pointed out with a chuckle.

"Shut up," Kong shot back