After drifting for who knew how long, Luffy had passed out from hunger.
Until...
Thud-
The sound of wood striking something rang out. Luffy groggily opened his eyes, then passed out again, faintly hearing people talking outside:
"Boss! It's a barrel of booze!!!"
"It hasn't even been opened!"
"John, help me haul it up..."
He lost the last of his consciousness.
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day. He had not woken naturally-the smell of food made his eyes snap open...
"Meat!!!"
"It's meat!!!!"
He whipped off the blanket and charged onto the deck, following the scent like a tracking dog.
He snatched the meat the three men on deck were about to put into their mouths and took huge bites, crunching down even the bones and swallowing them.
After gulping down several legs of meat, he let out a long breath.
"Ah-"
"I'm alive again!!!"
He grinned at the three men:
"Thanks for saving me."
Watching Luffy do all this in one seamless sequence, the three men looked utterly exasperated:
"No..."
"It's nothing..."
"Helping someone stranded at sea is only right..."
Still grinning, Luffy said:
"My name's Luffy."
"I'm a pirate!"
"What about you?"
The moment Luffy said he was a pirate, the atmosphere aboard the ship turned strange.
The green-haired man who seemed to be their leader immediately hardened his expression:
"Tch..."
"So we saved a piece of ocean trash..."
He stood and rested his hand on the sword hilt at his waist:
"Fine, then. I'll send you on your way."
Luffy tilted his head in confusion:
"Huh?"
Whoosh-
A streak of sword light flashed past.
The green-haired man's pupils contracted sharply, because that killing stroke aimed at Luffy's neck had actually...
Luffy crouched on the ground, one hand pressed against his straw hat,