Fusha Village had been unusually quiet that evening, which was odd—very odd. Inside Makino's cozy little bar, a faint smell of cake mixed with the ever-present aroma of roasted meat. Luffy pushed the door open, oblivious to the trap waiting for him.
"Surprise!!!"
The shout was deafening. Luffy froze mid-step, eyes bulging as every familiar face in the bar turned toward him. Makino was grinning from ear to ear. The mayor, several villagers, a handful of bandits… and, of course, Dadan—arms crossed, frowning like the world had personally offended her.
"Happy… seventeenth birthday?" Luffy stammered, blinking, clearly not expecting this.
"You bet it is!" Makino said, holding up a cake that looked like it had survived a small explosion of sprinkles and candles.
Dadan's cheeks faintly pinked, though she quickly masked it with a scowl. "I… I only came because Makino begged me to… so don't think I care, brat," she muttered, glaring at him.
Luffy's grin stretched impossibly wide. "Wow! Thanks, everyone! This is… amazing!!"
The cake was pushed toward him, candles flickering mischievously. Luffy leaned in—then, in a move that shocked everyone, he swallowed the entire cake whole. Not a bite. Not a crumb. Just gone.
Silence.
Then—SMACK!
Dadan's hand landed squarely on his shoulder. "IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Luffy blinked, crumbs stuck to his chin. "Hehe… it's my birthday!" he said cheerfully, like that explained everything.
The bar erupted into laughter, some villagers doubling over, others clapping wildly. Makino threw her hands in the air. "Typical Luffy… only you could eat a cake that fast!"
But Luffy was just getting started. Plates of food vanished at lightning speed. Drinks disappeared like magic. Anyone who tried to hand him a snack got a fistful of crumbs in the face. Bandits were cheering, villagers were gasping, and Dadan… well, Dadan had torn a bit of her hair out in frustration while muttering, "I hate this brat…"
Hours passed in what could only be described as pure, chaotic joy. Luffy was still going strong—half a cow here, a loaf of bread there, and probably a whole barrel of something he shouldn't have touched.
One by one, the partygoers left, exhausted from watching the spectacle. Eventually, only two remained: Luffy, sprawled across the floor like a very satisfied, very messy king, and Makino, cleaning up the aftermath of Luffy-level destruction.
"You… think you'll ever slow down?" she muttered, shaking her head.
Luffy groaned, cake smeared over his face, crumbs in his hair, and a satisfied burp that echoed through the empty bar. "Nah… why would I?"
Makino sighed, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "Somebody stop him before he eats the whole village…"
But she knew it was useless. It was Luffy. It always had been—and it always would be.
Luffy was lying sprawled across the floor, completely stuffed, when a sudden ding! echoed in the quiet bar.
"Eh? What now?" he mumbled, sitting up.
A bright, translucent pop-up appeared right in front of him, floating in midair. Bold letters blinked insistently:
[Do you want to become King of the Pirates?]
[Yes] [No]
Luffy blinked. "Huh? What the heck is this?"
He looked around at Makino, who was wiping the floor, and asked, "Makino, do you… see this weird thing floating here?"
Makino squinted. "What? I don't see anything, Luffy. Are you feeling okay?"
Luffy furrowed his brow. "No… it's right here! Look!" He waved his hands frantically at the pop-up.
Makino shook her head. "I don't see a thing."
Luffy scratched his head. "Huh… guess only I can see it…"
The question seemed absurdly obvious. "Of course I wanna be King of the Pirates!" he thought, grinning from ear to ear. Yes!
He focused his mind. Yes.
Instantly, the pop-up reacted.
[Initializing System…]
1%… 10%… 30%… 56%… 89%… 99%… 100%
[Savage Pirate System] [Dormant]
Luffy tilted his head. "Uh… what?"
Another screen flickered to life, listing numbers and stats:
[Status Window]
Host: Monkey D. Luffy
Age: 17
Level: 1
SP: 0
Titles: None
Strength: 130
Speed: 80
Agility: 90
Stamina: 250
Endurance: 300
Skills: -----
Luffy stared at it. Numbers, stats, and words floating in thin air… it made no sense at first. Slowly, a realization dawned.
"This… this is like… a system or something? Showing… me?"
Just as he was trying to wrap his head around it, another message popped up:
[System is dormant. Please perform a savage act to activate the system.]
[Quest initiated]
Kiss Makino and squeeze her boobs
Luffy blinked. Then blinked again. His eyes went wide as he stared at Makino.
Makino, completely unaware of the digital instructions appearing before Luffy's eyes, looked up and smiled. "You look… confused, Luffy. Something wrong?"
Luffy scratched his head nervously, trying to process it. "Uh… I think… uh… something wants me to… do this?!"
A small, mischievous grin slowly spread across his face. "Hehe… well… it is a quest…"
Even in that moment, he had no idea that accepting this "system" would start him down a path of chaos, power, and absolute savagery.
Luffy pushed himself off the floor, still rubbing his full belly. His eyes locked on Makino, who was busy arranging the dishes, humming softly.
"Hey… do you need any help?" she asked without looking up.
Luffy grinned mischievously. "Yeah… I guess I do."
Before Makino could react, Luffy leapt forward and grabbed her shoulders.
"L-Luffy… what—?" Makino started, confused, letting go of the dishes.
Then, faster than she could comprehend, Luffy's lips met hers.
Makino froze. Shock shot through her like lightning. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks burned red. She shoved him away, stumbling back a step. "Luffy! What are you doing?!"
But Luffy wasn't done. With a wide, gleeful grin, he flung his arms backward.
"Gum-Gum… Bazooka!"
His hands stretched impossibly, shooting straight toward Makino.
"Ahhh!" Makino screamed, closing her eyes.
Before she could react further, Luffy's elastic hands grabbed hold of her assets—and he gave them a squeeze.
"They're… really soft," Luffy said, completely matter-of-fact, as if commenting on a fruit rather than the chaos he had just unleashed.
Makino's face was now a deep crimson, her heart hammering wildly. "L-Luffy! You—how dare you?!"
And just as quickly as it happened…
Ding!
[SP earned: 5]
[Savage Pirate System: Activated]
Luffy blinked at the floating notification, his grin never fading. "Hehe… I guess that worked?"
Makino, still flustered, backed away, muttering, "I'm never letting you off the hook… you idiot…"
Makino crouched down to Luffy's height, her hands resting on her hips, a half-smile tugging at her lips though her eyes remained serious.
"So…" she said softly, tilting her head at him, "you're finally developing this kind of feelings, you naughty boy."
Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Feelings? What do you mean? I just… felt like doing it!"
Makino chuckled, shaking her head. "Exactly. That's the problem." She ruffled his messy black hair before straightening up. "Listen carefully, Luffy. It's fine if you like someone, or even if your heart beats fast around them. That's normal. But you can't just go around kissing or touching a girl without their permission."
She knelt again, her tone turning more serious, her finger gently poking his forehead. "Girls are not treasures you can snatch like meat from the table. They have their own feelings too. If you want them to like you, you need to respect them."
Luffy puffed his cheeks and crossed his arms, clearly bored. "Ehh? But that's so complicated… why can't I just do what I feel like?"
Makino sighed, though her lips softened into a smile. "Because you'll hurt someone if you don't think about their heart. Do you want that?"
"No…" Luffy mumbled, his pout growing deeper. He turned his face away stubbornly, trying to ignore the lecture.
Makino couldn't help it—her heart melted. That sulky little expression made him look less like a troublemaker and more like a child who had been denied a second helping of pie. She let out a small laugh and pinched his cheek gently. "Alright, alright, I won't nag you anymore. But remember what I said, okay? A pirate who doesn't respect ladies won't get very far."
Luffy brightened a little at that, though he quickly pretended not to care. "Tch, fine. I get it…"
Satisfied enough, Makino waved him off. "Go on, then. Get some rest before you cause me more headaches."
Luffy wasted no time. He dashed out of the bar, his little sandals clapping against the ground, and hurried back up the mountain trail to Dadan's house. As soon as he pushed the door open, he ignored the bandits' noisy chatter, flopped face-first onto his futon, and fell asleep almost instantly—pout still lingering on his face.
Continued...
This is my second own novel. If you like it bookmark this novel and leave some comments. My update frequency depends on reader interactions.