Night, at the Foosha Village tavern.
Ralph slumped over the table, feeling like a deflated balloon.
Luffy was setting sail tomorrow, while he had been deed too weak and rcilessly denied a spot on the crew.
Ti? He had none left.
"Mr. Ralph, you should eat sothing." The tavern owner Makino approached with a simple al and set it before him. "That's just how Lufia is..."
As Ralph stared at the bread and at stew on the plate, a lightbulb suddenly went off in his mind.
Though the gender had changed, the core personality remained the sa—Luffy was still a food lover.
And her favorite food was undoubtedly at.
As the old saying goes: To beco the Pirate King, one must first capture the Pirate King' stomach!
He shot up from his seat, a spark reigniting in his eyes. "Miss Makino! Please, you must let use your kitchen!"
Makino blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. "Of course, right this way."
...
In the kitchen, Ralph rolled up his sleeves. As a single otaku from another world, if nothing else, he at least had basic cooking skills.
He clumsily handled the at cutlet, sowhat unfamiliar with the pirate world's kitchen tools and spices. Makino watched from the doorway for a while before speaking up. "Lufia has straightforward tastes—she prefers the pure flavor of at. You can go lighter on the sauce, but make it well-done with a crispy surface. She likes that better."
"Understood! Thank you so much!" Ralph expressed genuine gratitude—this was valuable intelligence.
He adjusted his cooking thod according to her advice. The at sizzled in the pan, releasing an even more enticing aroma.
"You're very thoughtful." Makino watched his profile with a knowing smile. "That child Lufia, though always rushing headlong into things... she's a good kid. I'm glad she's t soone who genuinely wants to help and accompany her."
[System Notification: Makino's favorability increased.]
[Current relationship: Friend. Reward distributed: Basic Cooking Skill]
A stream of information instantly flooded his mind—knowledge about various common ingredients' properties in the pirate world, spice combinations, and basic cooking techniques. The kitchen knife that had felt awkward in his hands suddenly beca obedient, and his control over cooking temperatures beca much more precise.
Through the system, Ralph saw the green progress bar above Makino's head fill up, and then the reward appeared.
So this was how the system worked.
Great! Ralph cheered inwardly.
This gave him real hope of securing the cook position. Sorry, Sanji!
But just being able to cook wasn't enough—he needed combat capability too.
Makino had given cooking skills because that was her specialty.
So, who was the strongest fighter in Foosha Village?
Of course it was Luffy—who else, the village chief?
If reaching "Friend" status granted rewards, then Luffy's favorability reward must be combat-related!
Carrying this extra-thick, crispy at cutlet made with all his heart, and under Makino's encouraging gaze, he left the tavern and headed for the harbor.
The moonlit harbor was quiet, with only the sound of waves. Lufia's small boat was docked there.
It was clear she couldn't wait to set sail—she'd even fallen asleep on the boat.
Lufia was sleeping soundly in an extrely unrestrained posture. One leg was propped up on the gunwale while the other was curled beneath her. Between her shorts and red top, a stretch of tight
Firm waist and abdon. Moonlight fell upon her face, and in her sleep, she appeared much quieter than during the day, even a bit...?
Ralph's old face inexplicably grew warm. He carefully placed the aromatic steak in his hand at a conspicuous spot on the ship's bow.
Just as he was about to wake Luffy, he witnessed a scene that left him utterly dumbfounded.
In her sleep, Luffy's nose twitched a few tis. Imdiately after, her right arm stretched out like rubber, "whoosh," elongating in an arc, precisely grabbing the plate of steak at the bow. Then, with another "whoosh," it retracted, stuffing the steak directly into her mouth. She chewed twice, her throat moved, and she swallowed it. Throughout the entire process, her eyes never even opened.
Ralph stood frozen in place, his hand still in the position of holding the plate.
"...My gourt peace offering, digested by her in her dreams just like that?"
Unwilling to give up, he leaned close to the cabin and called, "Lufia? Luffy? Wake up, did you... find it tasty?"
The only response was the sound of steady breathing.
He took a deep breath, reached out, and gently grabbed her incredibly elastic shoulder, shaking it. "Lufia? Ti to get up!"
The texture... was soft.
But Luffy's body rely swayed limply with his shaking, as if boneless, showing no signs of waking.
"Hey! Luffy!" he raised his voice slightly.
Still no response. She was sleeping like a log.
Ralph was at his wit's end.
"Then don't bla !"
Steeling himself, Ralph extended his "evil" hand toward the round straw hat on Luffy's chest, which rose and fell slightly with her breathing.
The mont his fingertips barely touched the edge of the straw hat...
"Slap!"
A small hand, swift as lightning, clamped down tightly on his wrist! The strength was astonishing—Ralph felt his bones groan in protest!
Luffy's eyes snapped open, devoid of sleepiness, sharp as knives, fixed intently on him: "What were you trying to do to my straw hat?!"
Ralph's heart skipped a beat, but he reacted instantly, smoothly following the conversation with deliberate surprise: "Don't get worked up! I just wanted to confirm... is this straw hat the one left to you by that red-haired Shanks?"
"Huh?!!"
The anger on Luffy's face vanished instantly, replaced by imnse shock and curiosity. She released his wrist, her eyes wide and round, leaning forward so close she was almost in Ralph's face: "You know Shanks too?! How do you know about him? Who exactly are you?"
The faint scent of the girl wafted into his nostrils. Ralph inwardly rejoiced but maintained an enigmatic expression: "... I know a lot about the seas. For instance, that red-haired Shanks who lost an arm in Foosha Village back then is now soone truly formidable. He has beco one of the 'Four Emperors' reigning over the latter half of the Grand Line—the 'New World'! He's one of the four great pirates standing at the pinnacle of this world!"
"Waaah—!!!"
Luffy sprang up, standing on the deck, her face glowing with excitent, waving her arms and dancing about: "Really?! Shanks has... has beco that amazing already?! That's aweso!! I knew he was super strong!"
[System Notification: Luffy feels extrely excited and close to you due to the important information you shared. Favorability increased by 25%.]
The favorability skyrocketed! Ralph felt encouraged and decided to add fuel to the fire by dropping a bombshell: "Moreover, I once heard in an old rumor..."
"...that Shanks' straw hat is extrely, extrely special. Many years ago, the forr Pirate King—Gol D. Roger—seed to have worn it too."
"K-King... Pirate King?! Roger?!!"
Luffy's voice suddenly shot up, sharp enough to nearly pierce Ralph's eardrums. She froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, her hands trembling as she took off the straw hat from her head, cradling it in her palms, and stared at the seemingly ordinary hat with solemn reverence.
"Roger... Shanks... Pirate King..." she murmured to herself, her breathing growing rapid, her face flushed with extre excitent, looking as if she might truly faint at any mont.
She abruptly looked up, her gaze toward Ralph completely transford—no longer seeing him as a "weakling" or a "weird suitor," but as soone who had shared her greatest secret and glory... a friend?
"You... you actually even know this!" Her voice trembled.
Ralph breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the most critical step had been taken. He sat down by the boat and patted the spot beside him:
"Want to chat?"
Luffy imdiately sat down next to him, clutching the straw hat, her body pressed tightly against his, her eyes burning with the desire to share and confide.
Under the moonlight, the two leaned against the small boat, talking facing the sea. Luffy did most of the talking—about Shanks, their promise, her dreams. Ralph listened, interjecting a few words at the right monts to show that he "understood her."
He could clearly "see" on the system interface that the pink progress bar representing Luffy's favorability was steadily and continuously rising.
The conversation inevitably circled back to the original dream.
Luffy raised her fist and declared to the sea: "I'm definitely going to beco the Pirate King!!"
Ralph turned his head to look at her profile outlined by the moonlight, her large eyes sparkling with unwavering determination. He remained silent for a few seconds, then spoke in an unprecedented, extrely serious tone:
"Before eting you, I was probably... soone without any dreams."
He paused, his gaze also turning toward the dark sea, "But after eting you, I found one."
"My dream is to beco the companion of the Pirate King, to stand on the Pirate King' ship, and to watch you, step by step, reach that position and fulfill your dream."
Luffy turned her head to look at Ralph, a very happy smile spreading across her face, her teeth gleaming white under the moonlight. But she shook her head, her mind exceptionally clear:
"Hehe, having dreams is great! But," she reached out and unceremoniously poked Ralph's arm muscles, "with your current strength, you'd really die out on the sea. I'm setting sail tomorrow—adventure can't wait for you to get stronger!!"
Ralph abruptly stood up, standing in front of Luffy, the sea wind whipping his clothes loudly. He looked down at the girl sitting there, his eyes unwavering.
Without the slightest evasion, there was a determination within him akin to burning one's boats.
"Don't underestimate !" His voice wasn't loud, yet carried an iron-clad resolve. "If I say I can keep up, then I will! I absolutely have the strength to stand by your side!!"
As if responding to his firm declaration, the long-awaited prompt finally rang crisply in his mind:
[System Prompt: Luffy's favorability has increased to 100%, reaching the Friend stage. Congratulations on achieving a milestone objective. Please select one reward from the following three options:]
[Six Powers—Tekkai (Beginner): Instantly concentrate power in a localized part of the body, significantly enhancing physical defense, capable of withstanding ordinary sword slashes.]
[Six Powers—Soru (Beginner): Generate explosive reactive force by instantly stomping the ground dozens of tis in succession, enabling high-speed movent over short distances.]
[Luffy's Fist (Imitation): Mimic the power application techniques and trajectories of Luffy's rubber martial arts, allowing your punches and kicks to break through joint limitations, gaining certain "extension" and "elasticity" properties. (Note: Without a Rubber Body, power and effects are halved, and it places considerable strain on the physique.)]
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