The ocean was calm, but inside a rocking barrel a young man stirred awake. His head throbbed, and his body ached from hours of drifting.Adam groaned."Where… where am I? Last thing I remember, I was in bed… now I'm stuck in a barrel? Don't tell me this is some reality show prank."
Before he could panic, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:[Exchange System activated.]
Adam froze."… Excuse me, what now? Exchange system? Points? Rewards?" He let out a nervous laugh."Okay, this is straight out of a web novel… wait a sec… a barrel… the ocean… oh no way. Don't tell me this is One Piece?!"
A grin spread across his face."Hah! If this is true, then I'm about to meet a rubber idiot and a pink-haired coward any second now."
Hours later, the barrel was hauled onto a pirate ship. The crew pushed it into their storage room, not suspecting a thing. Inside, Adam finally grew impatient. He pushed against the lid until it cracked open—BOOM!
He rolled out, coughing seawater. "Ugh… I smell like sardines…"
When he looked up, a boy with a wide grin and a straw hat was staring down at him, holding a chunk of meat.
"Oh! There was a guy inside the barrel! That's awesome!" the boy shouted.
Adam blinked. "… And here he is. Monkey D. Luffy in the flesh. This is unreal."
The boy raised his meat proudly. "I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Adam snorted. "Yep. Knew you'd say that. Right on schedule."
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"Adam waved it off. "Nothing. Don't mind me. Keep eating, rubber boy."
From behind, a timid voice squeaked, "W-who are you guys?! You're not part of Lady Alvida's crew, are you?!"
Adam turned and smirked. There he was: Coby, the nervous little cabin boy."Relax, kid. We're not with her. You're Coby, right?"
Coby's jaw dropped. "How… how do you know my name?!"Adam shrugged. "Lucky guess."
Luffy grinned. "This is Coby! He's gonna show me the way to adventure!"
Coby panicked. "No, no, no! If Lady Alvida finds out you're here, she'll kill us all!"
Adam leaned back casually. "Don't worry, kid. I've seen this episode. You'll be fine after the boss fight."
"B-boss fight?!" Coby stammered.Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Boss fight?! Sounds fun!"
The door slammed open, and a huge shadow filled the room. Lady Alvida, massive and towering, with her giant iron mace.
Her voice boomed: "WHO dares cause trouble on my ship?!"
Coby trembled. "I-it's her! Captain Alvida!"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Wow… even uglier in person. Respect for the artist who drew her."
Alvida growled, pointing her mace. "Who called me ugly?!"
Luffy, completely unfazed, stood up with a grin."You're the fat lady with the big club, right?"
Adam facepalmed. "And there goes the aggro…"
Alvida swung her mace down with terrifying force. But Luffy stretched his body like rubber, absorbing the impact, and then countered with a powerful punch.
"Gomu Gomu no… PISTOL!"
BAM! Alvida was sent flying across the deck, crashing into the railing. The entire crew gasped in shock.
Adam clapped slowly. "Bravo, bravo. Seen it before, still fun to watch."
The voice in his head chimed in:[Major Event: Assisted in Alvida's defeat. Reward: 100 Exchange Points.]
Adam grinned. "Wait, I didn't even do anything and I still get paid? Oh, this system is beautiful."
Coby stared in awe. "You… you defeated Alvida! You saved me!"
Luffy smiled. "Come with us, Coby!"
Coby shook his head. "No… my dream is to join the Marines!"
Adam stretched lazily. "Yeah, don't worry. You'll get there. Trust me."
Coby frowned. "Why do you talk like you know everything?"Adam chuckled. "Let's just say… I've got really good intuition."
With Alvida defeated, the ship was in chaos. But Luffy stood tall at the bow, laughing loudly.
"Next stop, I'll find my crew and become King of the Pirates!"
Adam sat beside him, arms crossed and grinning."And me? I'll just sit back, enjoy the show, and collect free points while the world goes crazy."
Coby watched them both, torn between admiration and confusion.Who was this Adam guy, and why did he act like the whole world was just entertainment?
The adventure had only just begun.