When Alex finally dragged the weak and soaked Luffy and the half-drowned fat guy back onto land, he was gasping for breath, lips pale and body trembling with exhaustion.
It was obvious Alex had nearly passed out from the effort of saving them.
Back when Luffy sank beneath the waves, he was over a hundred meters from shore. That distance wouldn't normally be a problem for Alex—he could swim it back and forth a few times easily.
But Luffy, being completely powerless in seawater, was dead weight. Alex had to carry him the entire way, fighting against the water's resistance.
And just when he was struggling with Luffy, he looked back—only to see fat guy, who'd been floating on a wooden plank, suddenly sink below the surface as well.
fat guy wasn't just some stranger. He was Alex's first friend in this world of One Piece. On top of that, fat guy's family had once saved his life. Now that fat guy was in danger, there was no way Alex could leave him behind.
Gritting his teeth, Alex turned back with Luffy in tow and dove to rescue fat guy too.
Clutching fat guy with one hand and supporting Luffy with the other, Alex gave it everything he had, forcing his exhausted body toward the shallows.
If it weren't for the past six months of daily fishing that had strengthened his body, Alex never could've pulled off a stunt like this—dragging two full-grown people out of the sea at once.
But the effort left him completely drained. After pulling both of them ashore, Alex passed out cold.
It made sense. He was just a regular human. Rescuing two drowning men at once was already beyond his physical limit. Collapsing from exhaustion was inevitable.
By the time he came to, it was already evening. Outside, things were unusually noisy.
Looking around, Alex realized someone had carried him back to his home—likely another group of fishermen who had discovered the unconscious trio on the shore and brought them back.
"Alright! It's party time!"
As Alex sat up and shook off the lingering dizziness, a loud and enthusiastic voice rang out.
A moment later, a cheerful young man in a red sleeveless vest and straw hat burst into the room with a bright grin.
"You're awake! Come on, the feast is starting! The main course is that Sea King we caught this morning—its meat is amazing!"
Seriously? You almost drowned this morning and now you're bouncing around like nothing happened? This guy's energy was downright terrifying.
Alex stared wordlessly at the vibrant Luffy, feeling like a wrung-out towel in comparison. Just moving sent pain shooting through his whole body. His muscles ached from overuse.
He thought about staying in bed a bit longer, but Luffy grabbed him and dragged him out to the party.
"We're setting sail tomorrow, so tonight we've gotta celebrate! This meat is the best!"
Luffy chattered away, stuffing an absurdly large chunk of meat—bigger than his own thigh—into his mouth while speaking to Alex.
Alex had planned to make it clear he wasn't going with them to sea, but just then fat guy came running over and collapsed to his knees, hugging Alex's leg and bawling.
"You're alive! Thank god! You looked like a corpse—I thought we were gonna have to hold a funeral!"
"Get off me!"
Alex barked at him bluntly. The whole village was lit up with bonfires, laughter, and music. People were dancing with joy.
And yet fat guy had to go and ruin the mood with his sob story. His pitiful expression killed the vibe immediately.
Several villagers greeted Alex with warm smiles, and a few blushing young women even invited him to dance. He politely declined.
It wasn't that he was being a snob—his head was still spinning. He didn't want to accidentally stumble into the fire and turn the celebration into a tragedy.
Luffy, on the other hand, was having a blast.
He danced wildly with a group of girls. Then, not satisfied, he started belly dancing with them.
The villagers howled with laughter.
At one point, Luffy drew a goofy face on his stomach and puffed it out into a big rubbery ball. He even stuck two chopsticks in his nose and sang some bizarre pirate song, cracking everyone up.
There was no denying it—Luffy's presence made this the liveliest party the village had ever seen.
Alex had attended a few village feasts before. They were fun, sure—but never like this. Tonight, everyone was involved, and even Alex couldn't help but feel swept up in the excitement.
As he munched on the Sea King meat and watched Luffy's antics, Alex turned to fat guy.
"Aren't you supposed to be a good swimmer? How'd you end up drowning?"
fat guy was a fisherman, after all. Swimming should've been second nature. But when he was in trouble earlier, Alex hadn't had time to think—he just dove in to save him.
It was also Alex's first time trying Sea King meat. It was unbelievably delicious—juicy, tender, and rich in flavor. He couldn't stop eating.
But then fat guy opened his mouth.
Apparently, he'd been vomiting earlier and accidentally inhaled a few gulps of seawater. That seawater, he realized with horror, had bits of his own vomit floating in it.
Disgusted, he puked again.
Just when he was trying to catch his breath, a small wave came along—washing the vomit right back into his open mouth.
He threw up again.
His reaction was so intense, his leg cramped up—and just like that, he was drowning.
fat guy kept recounting his nasty experience in excruciating detail, totally oblivious to how Alex's appetite had instantly vanished.
Unable to take it anymore, Alex punched him straight in the face and knocked him out.
"Jesus Christ, enough already!"
Looking down at the now-unconscious fat guy, Alex felt oddly refreshed—like the nausea had been knocked out of him too.
Just then, the Village Chief, having seen Luffy's arm stretch across the room to grab a piece of meat, approached in awe.
"You… are you a Devil Fruit user?"