Kyle put his thoughts aside, walked into the ship's cabin, and began to search through some boxes. The pirates had terrible taste, and their clothes smelled of sweat and blood. He finally found a black shirt and a pair of black trousers that were relatively clean. Although the material was rough and the clothes were too big, they were still better than his old "savage suit" made from leaves and animal skins.
He then found a smooth copper plate to use as a mirror. The young boy in the reflection had black hair and golden eyes, with healthy, tanned skin from being in the sun for so long. His features were sharp, and even though he looked a little childish, his eyes were incredibly bright. His golden pupils seemed to shine with a strange light in the dim cabin.
"Wow, I never thought I'd be this good-looking in this life," Kyle said, running a hand through his hair. He was very happy with his new looks. "What a shame. If I were back in my old life, I'd be a high school heartthrob or a famous internet personality, for sure."
After admiring himself, Kyle went back to the deck. He copied what he remembered about pirates, expertly adjusting the sails, and grabbed the ship's wheel. "Alright, let's go!" he yelled, feeling like he was about to conquer the sea.
But then, nothing happened.
An hour later, the ship was still going in circles. Two hours later, Kyle was drenched in sweat, and the ship seemed to have gotten closer to the deserted island.
"What the hell?! How do you even drive this thing?!" Kyle said, scratching his head in frustration, his face red with embarrassment. In his past life, he was just an ordinary guy who had only been on a boat a few times and barely knew how to swim. He had a lot of theoretical knowledge from movies and TV shows about how to use the wind, steer, and keep the wheel steady. But doing it himself was completely different from driving a car.
"I remember when Luffy and his crew set sail, it didn't seem this hard. How did they even sail before Nami joined them?" Kyle fell into a deep state of self-doubt.
He tried using his Wave-Wave Fruit ability to push the ship forward, but it just caused a loud "boom," making a big wave that splashed all over him. He suddenly felt weak, the ship rocked, and it was pushed back a little by the force.
Kyle wiped the seawater from his face and looked up at the sky in frustration. He gave up trying to steer and let the ship drift like a leaf on the vast ocean.
Days passed. Kyle went from being frustrated to feeling helpless and, eventually, numb. The food and water on the ship were running out fast. Every day, he practiced his Devil Fruit abilities against the sea and prayed he would drift to a populated area.
"If this keeps up, I'll be the first pirate in the One Piece world to starve to death because he couldn't sail a ship. How embarrassing," Kyle mumbled, lying on the deck. He even started to miss the strange-tasting grilled fish from the deserted island.
Just as Kyle was about to give up from starvation, he saw a black dot on the horizon.
"Land! It's land!" Kyle jumped up, so excited he almost used a shockwave to speed himself up, but his mind told him to save his energy.
Luckily, the ocean currents were on his side. After half a day, the island became clear. It looked like a busy island with a dock and many buildings. Tears welled up in Kyle's eyes. He didn't care about steering the ship properly and tried to get as close to the dock as he could.
His attempt to dock the ship caused a commotion at the port. Workers on the shore screamed and scattered as his wild ship smashed into some small boats. Kyle was sweating, and he just wanted the ship to stop.
Finally, with a loud "thud," the ship's front got stuck on a thick wooden post on the dock. The whole ship shook and came to a stop.
"Phew, finally here." Kyle didn't care about the ship's state or the strange looks from the people around him. He jumped onto the dock, and the feeling of solid ground made him want to kneel and kiss the earth.
He stopped a person walking by and tried to look friendly. "Excuse me, sir, where is this place? And what time is it?"
The person was surprised by his dirty, starved appearance but still answered, "This is the port of Dogg Town. It's the afternoon."
"Dogg Town?" Kyle was confused. He had never heard of it. "How is the Pirate King doing now? What about the Marine Hero? And is there a Straw Hat?"
The person looked at Kyle as if he were crazy. "Huh? What are you talking about? Never heard of them. Kid, are you crazy from hunger?" The person waved him off and walked away.
"Hey, wait! I meant what year it is, not the time of day!" Kyle was confused. How could the famous Pirate King and Marine Hero be unknown? Even if Straw Hat Luffy hadn't become famous yet, there should be some news of them.
Was he too early or too late? Or was Dogg Town just so remote?
A wave of doubt washed over him as he walked down the street. The town was busy, with people and vendors everywhere, full of life. Kyle's stomach grumbled, and he wondered if the few Berries he found on the pirate ship would be enough for a meal.
Just as he was about to find a tavern to ask for more information, a huge explosion went off in the distance.
"Boom!"
Screams and chaos followed.
"Pirates! It's the Black Shark Pirates! They're robbing the town again!"
"Run!"
Kyle looked up and saw thick smoke and flames rising from the direction of the port. He could barely make out a pirate ship with a shark skull flag, firing its cannons at the buildings.
"Great. I haven't even eaten yet, and trouble has already found me," Kyle said, a faint, almost unnoticeable excitement in his eyes. "Perfect. I'll use you guys to vent my frustration and 'borrow' some money for food."