Moya had still thought this pirate world was far too simple.
Perhaps the anime and manga had made the protagonists' pirate crew seem far too good.
Looking at these sailors who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, at the greed on their faces—
Were these locals really planning to frame him as a pirate and hand him over to the Marines to make up the numbers?
The cruise ship had been attacked by pirates, but the pirates had all fled.
The captain wanted to protect his reputation and avoid being branded as someone who had put up a poor defense against pirates.
At first, he had planned to capture the pirate Koby and make him the scapegoat.
But Koby seemed to be Luffy's lackey, and the captain didn't dare provoke Luffy. Besides, Koby had already left with him.
So the captain turned his attention to Moya, whom Luffy had accidentally "left behind."
The captain planned to pass off Moya, a weak man of unknown identity, as a pirate and keep the passengers quiet.
That way, he wouldn't get a black mark for failing to defend the ship against pirates!
At least he'd caught one pirate.
That was how dark this world was. People without power had no right to resist.
Moya backed away a few steps. With his build, he couldn't possibly beat anyone in this world, let alone several burly sailors!
He had already given up hope that Luffy would come back. They really had left, and the urgent danger of the moment was finally bringing Moya to his senses.
This wasn't an anime. It was the real world, and the slightest mistake could get him killed.
Moya had to rely on himself to survive!
The sailors closed in, reaching out to seize him.
Having accepted the truth, Moya turned and ran toward the other side of the deck. His chance to find Luffy was gone; he'd have to think of something else.
Unfamiliar with the cruise ship, Moya ran around like a headless fly. Before long, the sailors had him trapped in a corner.
Thump! A sailor punched Moya in the stomach, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
"Running away, were you? Take a taste of my Invincible Iron Fist!"
Moya clutched his stomach and doubled over like a shrimp. The intense pain assaulted his central nervous system; it felt as if his internal organs were on fire.
Moya could feel his consciousness beginning to blur. Damn it, he couldn't even take a single punch.
The level of fighting strength in this world was simply too high for him.
Another sailor grabbed Moya by the hair, raised his hand, and slapped him twice.
The slaps jolted Moya, whose consciousness had already begun to fade, back to his senses. His face burned with pain and quickly began to swell.
Rage welled up inside Moya. Whether it was humiliation, fear turning to anger, or the pride of someone from a civilized society—
His bloodshot, furious eyes stared straight at the sailor.
It was as if he meant to bite a chunk out of the man before he died.
The sailor was startled by Moya's glare, but he quickly recovered—and grew even angrier.
He punched Moya hard in the eye. The corner of Moya's eye split open, and blood streamed down his face.
"Staring at me, are you? I'll punch you to death!" the sailor roared furiously.
He poured all his strength into a wild flurry of punches and kicks.
"That's enough, enough! Keep hitting him and he'll die. Then we won't be able to answer to the captain!"
A third sailor grabbed Moya by the ankles and dragged him across the deck, blood dripping along the way.
It was like the Eighteen Bronze Men of Shaolin beating up Stephen Chow's God of Cookery, then dragging him away and leaving a trail of blood. It was a miserable sight.
Blood had reddened Moya's vision. The sting in his eyes brought tears, and blood and tears filled his eye sockets.
Moya stared at this crimson world.
It hurt! It really hurt! It was so hard to breathe; every breath brought another burst of agony!
As he felt the boundless despair of this world, helpless rage burned within him.
Moya was dragged mercilessly onto the deck and thrown hard to the ground.
"Captain, we caught this 'pirate'!"
"Mm! Good work."
The captain folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, replying nonchalantly, as if they'd caught a stray cat or dog.
Moya looked at the grim-faced captain. The constant pain in his body reminded him that his life was no longer in his own hands.
He might end up being the most tragic and shortest-lived transmigrator in history.
Moya looked at Alvida's Miss Love Duck, which had just sailed away.
Perhaps it had left with the pirates. Maybe he could have worked as a deckhand aboard the pirate ship, like Koby, instead of being trapped here with his life in someone else's hands.
Life was unpredictable!
Who could have guessed that in less than an hour, he'd be transported to another world, framed by Nami, rescued by Luffy, left behind by Luffy, beaten by sailors, and framed again?
Was he really going to become a scapegoat, end up in prison, and die without a sound?
Under the azure sky and the gentle sea breeze, Moya lay in agony. In his twenty years of life in a civilized society—
He had never wanted to live this badly.
"Mom, Dad, are you both all right? Your son's about to die. I wish I could see you one more time. I'm in so much pain. It really hurts."
Moya's eyes brimmed with bloody tears.
He looked at the broken planks scattered across the deck.
Then Moya laughed, his face twisting into a crazed grin. No one knew what was going through his mind now!!!
He shot a vicious glance at the sailors, who had let their guard down, probably because he was badly wounded and seemed unable to resist.
He looked at the pirate ship in the distance, the Marines pursuing it from the other side, and the vast ocean.
Without a moment's hesitation, he ignored the pain, sprang up, grabbed a broken plank, vaulted over the railing, and jumped.
A moment later—
"Hey! The pirate's getting away!"
By the time the sailors reacted, there was no way to stop him.
Moya plunged into the sea. The salt water stung his wounds, sending sharp pain through his body.
But his desperate will to survive, his madness, and his hatred drove him onward. The moment he surfaced, he clung to the plank and began swimming toward Miss Love Duck with all his strength.
"Captain, should we shoot him?" a sailor shouted.
Suppressing his anger, the captain glared at Moya's retreating figure as he struggled through the water and cursed, "What a bunch of useless idiots."
"You've got to be kidding me!! Shoot! Shoot! Kill him!"
Gunshots rang out. Bullets splashed into the water around Moya, danger closing in from every side.
Moya ignored them. There was only one thought in his mind: keep swimming forward.
Fortunately, the guns in the One Piece world weren't very advanced. And since Moya was swimming in the opposite direction from the cruise ship's course, the distance quickly widened.
Watching Moya disappear into the distance, the cruise ship's captain took out his fury on the sailors with a flurry of punches and kicks.
Luffy was still on his little boat, stuffing himself with meat. His stomach seemed bottomless, leaving Koby staring in amazement.
Moya's legs kicked in a steady rhythm. He knew how to swim; the plank was just there to conserve his strength.
His reckless leap into the sea had left him with little chance of survival.
But he had jumped anyway. He couldn't bear to be tortured to death as a pirate, or thrown in prison because he couldn't speak the language.
He had to take control of his own fate. His odds were at least a little better out here—even if he only had the faintest sliver of hope!
The farther away the pirate ship seemed, the more Moya realized he probably wouldn't survive.
His wounds stung, and the seawater would dehydrate him. On top of that, this world had terrifying sea beasts: Sea Kings.
But he couldn't give up. He had nowhere else to go.
Madness and hatred were the only things keeping him going.
The pirate ship continued onward as Moya chased it from behind. Watching it grow more and more distant, Moya sank deeper into despair. Even if no sea beast ate him, he would die of exhaustion.
At last, perhaps the Goddess of Misfortune had watched over Moya for too long, and the bitch Goddess of Fortune had finally started paying attention to him.
Aboard Miss Love Duck—
"Captain, that deckhand has betrayed us!" a fierce-looking pirate shouted.
Alvida was still angry about being defeated by Luffy, and before she could reply—
The navigator shouted through a telescope, "Captain, there's a guy clinging to a plank and following us!"
"Oh? Really? Could he be so smitten with my beauty that he's determined to follow me?"
Alvida asked narcissistically, while the underlings looked utterly speechless.
"In that case, turn around and pick him up! Someone who appreciates my beauty belongs aboard my ship! Hahaha!"
Alvida raised her pinky, covered her wide-open mouth, and laughed shrilly.
"Yes, Captain!!! Turn around!!" the navigator shouted.
Moya, who had nearly lost all hope, saw the pirate ship turning around, and hope flared anew.
His legs suddenly found more strength. Even if he was humiliated and made to work as a deckhand aboard the pirate ship, Moya didn't want to die. He just wanted to survive.
Soon, the pirate ship reached Moya. The pirates lowered a rope ladder and shouted things he couldn't understand.
Moya guessed they were telling him to climb aboard. Though his body was utterly exhausted and at its limit—
He had made it to the final step. Gritting his teeth, he summoned the last of his strength and climbed onto the pirate ship.
Before you continue