What Lin Bei didn't expect, however, was for Luffy to hear what he said and immediately respond, "Eh, I'm not good at this kind of stuff. How about you handle it from now on? You can be my vice-captain, Lin Bei."
Huh...?
Lin Bei's eyes widened.
Who the hell dared to say Luffy wasn't smart?
Everyone called the guy an idiot, but Lin Bei felt that Luffy wasn't an idiot at all.
He was more like: I know I was wrong, but I'll definitely do it again next time.
But what about the crew?
Oh, I'll just find a reliable person to look after them.
This way, I can keep being reckless, and my friends won't end up in trouble.
As for who that person should be, Luffy looked at the people currently available and decided that Lin Bei was the best choice.
He was careful, had a functioning brain, and was shrouded in a certain amount of mystery.
For example, how the hell were they supposed to know that the Buggy Pirates had a cannon that powerful?
Take just now, for instance. How were they supposed to know the Buggy Pirates had a cannon that badass? At most, they figured that old white-haired guy would go crying to his boss and bring some people back to settle the score. They certainly didn't expect to get almost wiped out from a distance without even seeing the enemy.
But Lin Bei? He seemed to know right from the start.
They didn't understand why Lin Bei knew, but knowing he was their crewmate was enough.
Who doesn't have secrets?
Luffy himself was secretly the grandson of a legendary Marine hero and the son of the world's most wanted revolutionary. It's not like he went around shouting that on day one either.
Anyway, Luffy liked Lin Bei.
The guy was his kind of person.
As for the other two, Zoro didn't really care. He was the combatant. His entire mind was occupied with swords, and he had absolutely no interest in fighting over authority.
Nami, meanwhile, still didn't actually want to join.
As far as she was concerned, she was merely pretending to cooperate with them.
So she certainly wasn't going to get involved in something like this.
And just like that, Lin Bei was unanimously elected vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Lin Bei scratched his head.
I'm not exactly good at fighting...
Being a managerial vice-captain wasn't so bad, though.
At least he knew plenty of ways to make the Straw Hats stronger ahead of schedule.
For example, Luffy's Devil Fruit.
If he didn't tell Luffy, who would know that the thing was actually the Nika fruit?
And then there was Haki.
If he didn't teach Luffy and Zoro about that ahead of time, they would probably struggle against some random guy with a smoke body and have to play mind games just to win.
"Since that's the case, fine. I'll be the managerial type of vice-captain. You guys handle charging into battle. I'll handle protecting the weak and small."
As he spoke, Lin Bei shot a deliberate glance at Nami.
Nami's blood pressure instantly spiked. Who is weak and small?!
But she didn't dare say it out loud. After all, compared to the three monsters in front of her, she really was purely "weak and small."
She was probably even weaker than that little dog named Chouchou in this very town. At least Chouchou managed to withstand an attack from Richie and scratch the old white-haired tamer. Her? Not so much.
Luffy clenched his fist excitedly.
"Yoshi! With you here, I can rest easy." Luffy cheered. "So now, let's go send the bastards who tricked me flying!"
Zoro's eyes sharpened as he adjusted the swords at his waist. "That's exactly what I was thinking."
The two of them walked out of the alley and headed straight for Buggy's base.
They didn't even need to search for it.
All they had to do was follow the straight line of land that had been plowed flat by the Buggy Cannon.
Once they realized it was a perfectly straight line, Luffy decided running was too slow.
So he stretched both arms out, hooked them around two buildings, and then ran backward, turning himself into a giant slingshot.
Zoro immediately shouted,
"What the hell are you doing?! If you go by yourself and get surrounded, what are we supposed to do, you idiot captain?! By the time we get there, you'll already be dead! Don't you have even the slightest sense of teamwork—"
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt something wrap around his waist.
He looked down.
Luffy's leg had wrapped itself around him several times.
Lin Bei and Nami had been caught too.
The expressions of all three changed instantly. Even if they'd never done this, they knew exactly what was about to happen!
Who hadn't played with a slingshot before?
And judging by how far Luffy had pulled himself back...
They were about to—
"Aahhhhhhh!!!"
TAKE ME HIGHER! Ultraman Tiga~
...Like Hell!
"You idiot!"
Say what you will, Luffy was surprisingly accurate for a human slingshot.
He carried Lin Bei and the other two right through the air, crash-landing directly into Buggy's base!
The members of the Buggy Pirates were right in the middle of celebrating how the great Lord Buggy had once again annihilated his enemies with the Buggy Ball. You could say they were eating hotpot, singing songs, drinking beer, and dancing...
And then four people smashed down right on top of them!
Lin Bei felt it was a true blessing they had landed on a pile of pirates. Otherwise, he was certain he'd be a flat pancake right now.
He didn't have a physique as strong as Superman yet. He hadn't been in this world long enough to start training, so physically, he was just a regular guy—albeit one with a very strange superpower.
An ordinary guy with a completely ordinary superpower.
Lin Bei pushed himself up from the pirate beneath him, who was now barely breathing, and stood up.
He even gave the pirate a sincere nod.
"Thanks."
The guy had basically saved his life.
A word of thanks was the least he could do.
Zoro and Nami, meanwhile, were considerably less polite.
They immediately bared their shark-like teeth and yelled at Luffy, "Next time you do something like that, at least tell us first!"
Luffy picked his nose and gave them an utterly insincere response.
"Yeah, yeah~"
Lin Bei ignored their little argument and instead looked around at the pirates surrounding them.
And inside one of the tents, a red nose was glowing ominously from the shadows.
That thing is way too smooth.
Is that really a nose?
It looks like someone glued a red ping-pong ball onto his face.
What was interesting was that his gaze was actually noticed.
Under normal circumstances, Buggy should have immediately ordered his men to surround them and kill them.
Instead, the first thing the clown said was, "Oi! Are you looking at my nose right now?! You're thinking something disrespectful, aren't you?"
Lin Bei's eyes widened.
Observation Haki?!
But wasn't Buggy supposed to not know Haki?
Could it be... Has Buggy actually been hiding his true strength all this time?!
Is he planning to wait until Shanks dies before splitting the entire world apart?! Was the Red Line about to be split, the heads of the Celestial Dragons sent flying, and the Marines crucified?!
Lin Bei was just about to say something when Luffy, still sitting cross-legged on top of one of the pirates and picking his nose, turned toward Buggy.
"Red nose?"
The pirates surrounding them all took a step backward.
Cold sweat immediately broke out across their faces.
"He... he actually said those three words!"
"That's two words, you dumbass!"
"Doesn't he know those three words are forbidden in front of Captain Buggy?!"
"Still two words!"
Lin Bei once again discovered something truly magical about this world.
These random background pirates sure know how to talk.
Lin Bei turned toward them and shouted, "How the hell were we supposed to know that?! This is our first time meeting Buggy!"
The pirate mobs were stunned. This was the first time a main character had actually spoken with the background extras!
To them, it was miraculous!
If they weren't on opposing sides, they actually kind of wanted to chat a bit more.
However, Buggy had completely exploded in rage.
"Oh, you're all very brave! Mocking my red nose one after another! What are the rest of you standing around for?! Are you watching a show?! Point the Buggy Ball at them! Fire!"