Chapter 3: Basic Skill Bundle!
As expected of a main quest—the first wave of rewards is so generous!
Ralph looked at the three options before him and hesitated almost not at all.
[Six Powers—Tekkai (Beginner)]
Though it might be an early stage of Armament Haki, every Six Powers user died because of Tekkai—people called it "the disastrous Iron Body." Better save it for later!
[Luffy's Fist (Imitation)]
Sounds cool, but without a Rubber Body, it's just a clumsy imitation with significant side effects.
His choice was decisive—
[Six Powers Soru (Beginner)]
The moment the thought formed, complex knowledge about force application techniques and footwork trajectories instantly flooded his body, as if innate.
Not only that, but his muscles all over swelled up, making him feel as if he had been completely reborn.
[To adapt to skill loading, the system automatically optimized the host's physique to the basic constitution of this world's residents]
Makes sense! The world of One Piece is so unscientific—to use its techniques, one must become a local.
Now his whole body ached slightly from the changes, as if after an intense workout.
His calf muscles hurt especially, but along with the pain came an extraordinary lightness, an impulse to run with the wind.
I'm ready! Lufia, next is the moment to witness a miracle!
Luffy had been waiting nearby for a while, nearly dozing off with drooping eyelids.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Ralph repeated his earlier words to Luffy, but this time with much more confidence.
Luffy tilted her head, still somewhat skeptical: "Just saying it isn't enough, Ralph. The sea is cruel..."
Before she finished speaking, Ralph moved!
His figure blurred momentarily in place, as if it were an illusion. But in Luffy's wide eyes, Ralph had already appeared three meters to her left, stirring a faint whirlwind.
This was pure speed!
"Eh?!" Luffy whipped her head around, her face showing genuine surprise for the first time. "Amazing! How... how did you do that?"
Ralph forced himself to shrug casually, enduring the intensified pain in his calves from using Soru:
"Just a little trick. I told you, I'm qualified to stand by your side."
"I can be your cook, delivering meat to you the moment you're hungry, breaking through enemy encirclements with you when you're surrounded... So, do you think I can be useful now?"
He didn't boast about defeating anyone but hit all of Luffy's soft spots—mainly food.
Luffy's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she'd discovered some novel treasure. She giggled, jumped down from the deck, ran over to Ralph in a few steps, and crouched to poke his calf with her finger.
"So cool! Even though you're not a rubber person like me, you're so fast! Like... like teleporting!"
[System Prompt: Luffy has developed strong interest in the ability you displayed. Favorability increased by 5%.]
"So," Ralph took a deep breath, "tomorrow, can I board your ship? I, Ralph, want to set sail with you as your companion!"
Luffy stopped in front of him, hands on her hips, looking up at him. Moonlight bathed her face, her smile radiant and unclouded.
"Great!" She nodded vigorously, her voice crisp and clear. "I grant you permission to board my ship! From now on, you're my crewmate, Ralph!"
It worked! A huge weight lifted from Ralph's heart, and he nearly felt like shouting toward the sea.
As everyone knows, the crew of our future Pirate King must either have strength, ability, or be interesting. Ralph barely qualified in two categories. In the original storyline, Luffy never made anyone leave his crew, but who knew how Luffy would turn out?
Ralph stood straight, putting on a show as he made a pledge to Lufia. "Thank you for your guidance, Captain! I promise I won't let you down!"
"Hehe, it's settled then!" Luffy clapped her hands happily, then let out a big yawn. "Ah—so sleepy. It felt like I just ate a huge steak in my dream... No, I need to go back to sleep. We're setting sail first thing tomorrow morning!"
As she spoke, she crawled back into her small boat, found a comfortable position, and fell asleep almost instantly, returning to her unrestrained sleeping posture.
Ralph smiled wryly at the future Pirate King who had so quickly returned to dreamland.
He took one last look at the quiet night scene of Foosha Village, then sat down on the shore beside the small boat, leaning against the gunwale.
He pulled up his system interface, where Luffy's affection level clearly displayed [Friend].
The new pink progress bar had grown significantly longer than before, and in the skills column, an icon for [Six Powers (Beginner)] had appeared.
The night breeze blew, carrying the salty scent of the sea. He gazed at the starry sky, then turned to look at the straw-hat girl sleeping defenselessly in the boat cabin.
Though the start had been rough—getting beaten up and rejected—he had finally managed to board the ship successfully.
Now, the real adventure was about to begin.
He clenched his fist, feeling the new power within his body. The first step had finally been taken.
I'm determined to become the man of the Pirate King.
...
The next day, many villagers from Foosha Village came to see Luffy off on her journey.
With this always noisy, vibrant girl leaving, the village seemed to instantly lose much of its color and laughter, the air growing noticeably quieter.
The village chief was still complaining that having a pirate from their village was a disgrace, but the worry and reluctance in his eyes were no less than anyone else's.
The villagers' attention focused more on the young man beside Lufia, as Ralph's presence gave them an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Someone recognized by Lufia couldn't be a bad person, and having one more person to watch over her on the high seas was always good.
"Young man Ralph, we're counting on you to take care of Lufia!"
"If you dared to confess to that girl, you must have some skill!"
"Look out for each other!"
At that moment, a series of system notifications sounded:
[Foosha Village Villager (General Store Owner) affection increased due to Luffy's recognition of you. Reward: Arithmetic (Beginner).]
[Foosha Village Villager (Old Fisherman) affection increased. Reward: Fishing (Beginner).]
[Foosha Village Villager (Skilled Swimmer) affection increased. Reward: Swimming (Beginner).]
[Foosha Village Villager (Retired Navigator) affection increased. Reward: Navigation (Beginner).]
Ralph was stunned.
This unexpected windfall had come too suddenly.
He waved to the shore and shouted, "Don't worry, everyone! I'll take good care of her!"
Luffy was loading barrels onto the small boat and immediately retorted, "I'm the captain! You're just the temporary cook! I should be taking care of you!"
"At sea, we naturally look out for each other..." Ralph began, then suddenly seized on the key point. "Why 'temporary'? Do you have another cook in mind?"
"Because I haven't tasted your cooking yet! I only let you be the cook because you wanted to!"
"But didn't you eat the steak I made last night?"
"Last night? How can dreams count?"
Amid the laughter, the small boat drifted farther with the waves.
Ralph opened his system interface again, gazing at the row of newly acquired, gleaming practical skills. A sense of satisfaction welled up within him.
[Swimming] gave him confidence in this world dominated by the sea.
[Navigation], even at the beginner level, allowed him to have a basic understanding of the route ahead.
This was totally worth it!
He subconsciously applied the knowledge from his newly acquired [Navigation (Beginner)], observing the surrounding currents and wind direction. Hmm, everything seemed calm for now... Wait.
The current on the starboard side seemed a bit off? Why was there an unnatural whirlpool and undercurrent?
Almost as soon as his knowledge alerted him to the abnormality, a buried memory flashed through his mind—Foosha Village, setting sail, and then...
His heart clenched. He whipped his head around, his gaze sharp as it swept across the sea surface not far from the starboard side.
Right there, the seawater seemed to be pushed upward from below. A massive, terrifying dorsal fin covered in dark scales broke the surface first, followed by that ferocious head—featuring a huge, spear-like snout and cold, emotionless giant eyes that locked onto their small boat, as insignificant as a leaf.
Lord of the Coast!