Chapter 01: I, the Cartoonist! Joining Luffy!
East Blue, Goa Kingdom Sea Area~~
Blue sea, blue sky, clear weather.
A flock of seagulls skimmed low over the sparkling ocean, landing on the deck of a medium-sized ship.
"Ugh~ Another boring day where not even a ghost can be seen~"
At the front of the deck, Eiji let out a long yawn against the sea breeze.
Eiji, a transmigrator, had been in this world for a year.
Like others, Eiji had awakened a system—the Manga System. As long as he kept drawing manga, he could continuously grow stronger!
Along with the System, he gained the ability to draw god-tier manga, and a massive collection of comics from before his transmigration flooded his mind.
At that moment, Eiji truly felt like he could soar!
However, after a while, he ran into a problem.
As he drew manga after manga, his speed and defense attributes constantly increased.
But the issue was, he couldn't gain any benefit from the system beyond speed and defense.
"Attack power? What even is that?"
To make matters worse, Eiji had awakened on this abandoned ship but had no idea how to sail it...
Fortunately, there was enough food on board, or he might have been remembered as the first transmigrator with a cheat system to die of starvation in history.
"When will I finally meet someone? As long as they can get me to land, I'll thank their ancestors for eighteen generations~"
Eiji shaded his eyes with his hand and peered into the distance.
There was still no sign of anyone on the vast ocean!
Gugu guguk!
A gurgling sound caught Eiji's attention.
Splash!
A large wooden barrel popped up onto the sea surface.
"Hmm? A gift from the sea? Could it be..."
"Could that be a Devil Fruit?"
Eiji's heart raced as he stared at the large, suddenly appearing barrel.
Could my luck finally be changing?
He was already frustrated by this rotten system. If he could get a Devil Fruit, perhaps it would be a turning point in his destiny.
He used a hook to pull the large wooden barrel onto the deck. Eiji walked over, ready to "open the prize."
Bang!!—
But before he could even get close, the lid of the large wooden barrel suddenly exploded!
"That was a great sleep!"
A boy in a straw hat stretched so violently, as if just waking up, that he completely burst the large wooden barrel apart.
Luckily, the barrel had already been pulled onto the deck by Eiji. If it had been in the sea, the boy would have instantly drowned from that stretch!
"Looks like I'm saved! I thought I was going to die out at sea, hahaha!!!"
The Straw Hat boy brushed the sawdust off his body and stepped out of the barrel.
"..."
Eiji sank into deep thought as he looked at this goofy young man...
Did I just meet a protagonist?
The previously vague timeline instantly became clear.
Straw Hat Luffy, the large wooden barrel coming out of the sea...
That's it! This is the time when Luffy set sail from Foosha Village!
"Huh! Suspicious looking guy, were you the one who saved me?"
Luffy spotted a brush in Eiji's hand and walked over with a warm greeting.
Ugh~
Damn it!
This really is Monkey D. Luffy, who just blurts out nicknames.
And what a dreadful nickname that is...
"My name is Eiji Kabu," he said, clearing his throat lightly. "I'm a cartoonist."
"A Cartoonist? That sounds like a really cool job."
Luffy, having grown up in a small village, had never heard of such a high-class profession before, and his eyes immediately sparkled with interest.
All the related jobs he had heard of before came from the Red-Haired Pirates, mostly involving piracy: sailor, warrior, chef, shipwright, etc.~~~
"Yes, it is definitely amazing."
Eiji didn't deny the amazing part.
Other cartoonists might not be amazing, but a cartoonist with a system like mine... definitely is.
"At least my defense and agility are high, right~?" he muttered internally.
"Wow! Amazing! Since you're so incredible..."
Luffy couldn't help but grin, thrusting his thumb toward himself. "Then, do you want to be my crewmate?"
"My name is Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy! I'm the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
Hmm mmmm, so the Pirate King is a woman, huh~?
He decided not to bring up that joke after thinking it over; this idiot Luffy wouldn't understand it anyway.
However...
Joining the Straw Hat Crew?
That was a great spot to be!
He couldn't handle this rubbish system, but life had to go on!
In this world where Buster Calls, meteor volcanoes, and disasters can suddenly erupt, the life of an ordinary person truly is insignificant.
If he could latch onto a strong ally, that would clearly be a good choice.
Clearly, the Straw Hat kid opposite him was a massive thigh (a strong backer)!
A super thick thigh! No... it should actually be a whole group of super thick thighs!
On the surface, he was just a Straw Hat boy!
But in reality, he was a boy supported by Marine Hero Garp, Revolutionary Army leader Dragon, and one of the Four Emperors, Shanks!
And, he had his own cheats, too!
Let's put it this way~~
As long as he joined the Straw Hat boy's crew, even if he just laid down, he could survive until the final island~~
"Alright!"
Thinking this, Eiji accepted without hesitation: "Being a crewmate of the Pirate King is indeed a good choice!"
"Waka kaka! I've got another crewmate!"
It was the first time recruiting someone had been so easy, and Luffy was as happy as a monkey, clapping his hands and jumping around.
After jumping for a while, Luffy looked curiously at the empty deck around them: "Eiji, why can't I see anyone else?"
"That's natural, because I'm the only one on this ship."
"Huh~? So, you're the Captain of this ship?"
"No, let me correct you. Now, you're the Captain of this ship, Luffy, the future King of the Pirates!"
"Eh...?"