Some time later, Xia Chen stopped as he looked at the increasingly dense trees ahead.
He couldn't help rubbing his chin in thought.
Hmm...
Where did things go wrong?
Surely I'm not an idiot like Zoro, right?
Can't even find my way?
While Xia Chen was still thinking, a voice reached his ears.
"Gomu Gomu..."
"Huh? That's..."
Xia Chen's eyes lit up, and he ran toward the voice.
As soon as he arrived, Xia Chen saw a boy wearing a straw hat throwing a punch at a tiger.
Dozens of meters separated the boy and the tiger.
But his fist stretched out, slamming hard into the tiger's chin.
At the sight, the corners of Xia Chen's mouth curled into a smile.
"King Luffy, huh?"
"Looks like I know where to go next!"
In that case...
While Xia Chen was still thinking, the tiger that had been sent flying hurtled straight toward him.
Luffy was also startled when he saw someone suddenly appear.
He hurriedly shouted:
"Get out of the way!"
"Huh?" Still lost in thought, Xia Chen looked up when he heard Luffy's voice.
An enormous figure filled his vision, about to crash into him the next second.
Xia Chen was startled.
He instinctively threw a punch.
"Bam!"
Before the tiger could even land, Xia Chen's punch sent it flying again.
And this punch was far more powerful than Luffy's had been.
The tiger's bones broke outright, and it spat out a mouthful of blood in midair.
It only stopped after crashing through several trees.
(＃°Д°)!
"You, you..." Luffy stared blankly at Xia Chen, unable to get a complete sentence out.
Meanwhile, Xia Chen was just as dumbfounded.
Was he... really this strong?
He hadn't put much strength into that punch!
Yet it was that powerful?
Only now did Xia Chen belatedly realize.
It looked like this Indestructible Diamond Body of his really was something!
It was this strong at just the beginner level?
"Awesome! You're so strong!"
Luffy ran over and spoke excitedly to Xia Chen.
"Are you from Foosha Village too? How come I've never seen you before?"
"No, I only arrived in Foosha Village today."
Xia Chen shook his head as he spoke.
"Hi, I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's going to become the Pirate King!" Luffy said confidently.
"I want you on my ship. Join my crew!"
"Huh?" Xia Chen was a little stunned.
He had only just been wondering how to convince Luffy to let him aboard!
He hadn't expected it to be settled so easily.
Was this the moment to say:
That's Luffy for you!
So "careful" about choosing his crewmates!
That's right. The moment Xia Chen saw Luffy, he had already made up his mind.
He would join Luffy's crew.
He would travel with the main cast!
Most of the islands featured in One Piece's story were connected to the main cast.
Traveling with them happened to align perfectly with his system's objectives!
Besides, he would be less likely to die suddenly if he stuck with the main cast. Much safer!
Although his strength seemed pretty decent now, he wasn't about to get arrogant.
Was there any shortage of monsters in One Piece?
Even if this was the East Blue, the weakest of the Four Blues.
What if he accidentally ran into Golden Lion one day? Wouldn't he be done for?
So sticking with Luffy and the others was the safer choice.
And most importantly...
When Xia Chen watched One Piece in his previous life, he had really envied the bonds between its crewmates.
Back then, he had even thought how wonderful it would be to become one of them.
Now the opportunity had come knocking.
Of course he had to seize it!
With that in mind, Xia Chen said to Luffy:
"Sure! But I have one condition!"
"I want to be first mate!"
"Hahaha... okay!" Luffy agreed happily.
"Then... Captain, when are you planning to set sail?"
"Tomorrow! Tonight, let's eat our fill first!"
At the mention of food, Xia Chen instinctively looked at the tiger lying there.
He grinned and said:
"Okay!"
He happened to be hungry...
The next day~
"Seriously, Luffy, couldn't you find a bigger boat?"
Xia Chen looked at the boat beneath his feet, which could barely carry two people, and spoke helplessly.
"I couldn't find one. This was already the biggest boat I could steal from the old village chief!"
Xia Chen couldn't help putting a hand to his forehead.
Suddenly, he began to wonder whether his impulsive decision to join Luffy's crew yesterday had been right or wrong.
But there was nothing he could do now.
He had boarded the pirate ship, and there was no getting off.
Just then, Luffy suddenly shouted:
"Xia Chen, look!"
"There's a tornado coming toward us!"
"What?!!"
Xia Chen turned to look.
Sure enough, the sea had been calm just moments ago, but at some point, dark clouds had filled the sky.
In an instant, bean-sized raindrops poured down from above.
And now, a huge tornado was bearing down on Xia Chen and Luffy.
Holy crap, this wasn't just a pirate ship.
It was a death trap!
Their little boat teetered in the raging wind and rain.
Especially with the tornado about to reach them. Their boat definitely wouldn't hold up when it did.
Suddenly, Xia Chen spotted two barrels tied together drifting over from the distance.
His eyes lit up!
That's it!
"Luffy, see those two barrels?"
"Quick, row over there!"
"Okay!"
Once they reached the barrels, Xia Chen opened one and looked inside.
"Hmm..."
There was no booze inside!
Then Xia Chen turned and shouted to Luffy:
"Quick, get inside!"
"Okay!" Without hesitating, Luffy jumped straight in.
After all, as someone who couldn't swim, he was pretty scared in a situation like this.
After seeing Luffy jump in, Xia Chen opened the other barrel and jumped inside too.
Before closing the lid, he also gave the little boat beside them a shove.
To keep it from dragging them down later.
Somewhere on the East Blue.
A warm sea breeze blew gently, and seagulls cried from time to time, painting a peaceful, lovely scene.
But at that moment.
Aboard a ship flying a pirate flag bearing a skull with a heart in it.
"Hahaha... boys!"
"Who's the most beautiful woman on these seas?"
A fat woman's gruff voice rang out.
"O-of course it's the captain of this ship!"
"You, Miss Alvida!"
A group of pirates answered, trembling.
"Hahahaha..."
"Well said!"
"No one besides me deserves that title!"
With that, the woman burst into laughter again.
The fat on her face jiggled with her laughter.
That's right. This was none other than Iron Mace Alvida, whose bounty reached a full five million.
Even a pig would feel ashamed of itself at the sight of all that fat!
Just then, a chubby, pink-haired boy shouted:
"Miss Alvida, I found two barrels tied together floating on the sea!"
"Hmm? Barrels tied together?"
"Go! Fish them out!"
"Let me see what goodies are inside!"