I've set sail, please take care of me.
Ahem... why does that sound weird? Whatever.
Shaking his head and clearing his mind of these random thoughts, Kyle went into the cabin and started rummaging through things.
The taste of these pirates was really terrible; most of the clothes smelled of sweat and blood. He finally managed to find a black shirt and a pair of trousers from a relatively clean chest. Although the fabric was coarse and too big, it was better than his "wild man suit" made of leaves and animal skins.
After changing into the new clothes, Kyle found a relatively smooth piece of copper to use as a mirror.
In the mirror, the boy had black hair and golden eyes. His skin was a healthy tan from long-term sun exposure, and his facial features were well-defined. Although his face still had a hint of childishness, his eyes were exceptionally bright.
Especially those golden pupils, which seemed to shine with a strange light in the slightly dim cabin.
"Tsk, I never thought I could make a living with my looks in this life," Kyle said, preening as he brushed his bangs. He was more than satisfied with the handsomeness of his new appearance.
"It's a pity. If this were my past life, I'd at least be at the level of a school heartthrob, right? Maybe I could even become an internet celebrity."
After admiring himself, Kyle returned to the deck. He imitated the pirates from his memory, adjusted the sails, and took the helm.
"Alright, let's go!" Kyle shouted with high spirits, feeling like a man about to conquer the stars and seas.
And then... nothing happened.
An hour later, the pirate ship was still spinning in place.
Two hours later, Kyle was sweating profusely. The distance from the deserted island... seemed to have gotten a little closer?
"No way, how the hell do you sail this thing?!" Kyle scratched his head in frustration, his handsome face flushed with embarrassment.
In his past life, he was just an ordinary person who had been on a boat a few times. Let alone sailing, he could barely swim.
He had learned a lot of theoretical knowledge from various movies and TV shows—hoist the sails with the wind, zigzag against the wind, hold the helm steady... But when he actually tried it, he found that it was completely different from driving a car!
"I remember when Luffy and the others set sail, it didn't seem this difficult, right? Before Nami joined, how did they sail the ship?" Kyle fell into deep self-doubt.
He tried to activate his Wave-Wave Fruit ability, wanting to push the ship with shockwaves. As a result, with a "boom," a shockwave hit the sea, splashing a huge amount of water, and half of it drenched him. A feeling of weakness immediately hit him. The ship did sway a bit, and then... it was pushed back a short distance by the reaction force.
"..." Kyle wiped the seawater from his face and looked up at the sky, speechless.
Fine, it seems I can only drift with the current. He gave up struggling and let the pirate ship drift aimlessly on the vast sea like a helpless leaf.
Days passed. Kyle went from initial frustration to resignation, and now to numbness. The fresh water and food on the ship were decreasing at a visible rate.
Every day, besides daydreaming, he would practice his fruit ability facing the sea and pray to God to let him drift to a place with people soon.
"If this goes on, I'm afraid I'll be the first pirate in the world of One Piece to starve to death at sea because he doesn't know how to sail. What a disgrace to the army of transmigrators," Kyle lay on the deck, wanting to cry but having no tears. He even began to miss the strangely flavored grilled fish on the deserted island.
Just as Kyle was so hungry that he was seeing stars and his mind started to wander, a blurry black dot finally appeared on the distant sea level.
"Land! It's land!" Kyle jumped up from the deck with a start. He was so excited that he wanted to use a shockwave to speed himself up, but reason told him it was better to save his strength.
Fortunately, the ocean current seemed to be on his side. Half a day later, the outline of the island became clearer. It was a prosperous-looking island with a pier and many buildings on the shore.
Kyle was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't care about sailing skills anymore. He frantically controlled the helm, trying his best to get the ship to the pier.
His "efforts" immediately caused a commotion at the port. The workers carrying cargo on the shore screamed and fled in all directions. Curses and shouts of surprise filled the air. Several innocent small boats were even smashed to pieces by his rampaging pirate ship.
Kyle was sweating profusely. At this moment, he couldn't care less about his image. He just wanted this damn ship to stop.
Finally, with a dull "thud," the bow of the ship firmly wedged into a thick wooden post on the pier. The entire ship shook violently and was finally stuck, unable to move. Perfect.
"Phew, finally made it," Kyle ignored the tragic state of the ship and the strange looks from the people around him. He leaped onto the pier. The feeling of his feet on solid ground made him want to kneel and kiss the earth.
He eagerly stopped a passerby, trying to make his expression look friendly.
"Excuse me, big brother. What is this place? And what time is it now?"
The passerby was startled by his dusty and hungry appearance but still answered, "This is the outer port of Loguetown. It's afternoon now."
"Loguetown?" Kyle was completely in the dark. He had never heard of this name!
He quickly asked, "Then... what about the Pirate King now? And the Marine Hero? Also, is there a Straw Hat boy?"
Hearing this, the passerby looked at Kyle as if he were looking at a madman.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Never heard of them. Kid, are you delirious from hunger?"
After saying that, he waved his hand in disgust as if to drive away something dirty and quickly left.
"Hey, wait, big brother! I meant what year of the Sea Circle Calendar it is, not whether it's morning or afternoon!"
"Huh?" Kyle was stunned. How could no one know about the famous Pirate King and the Marine Hero?
Even if Straw Hat Luffy hadn't made a name for himself yet, it was impossible that there was no news about him at all, right?
Did he transmigrate to a time that was too early or too late? Or was this Loguetown really so remote and isolated from the world?
A strong sense of confusion welled up in his heart. Kyle walked on the streets of the town in a daze.
The town was bustling with people coming and going, and the sound of hawking was endless, full of life.
Kyle was wondering if the few Berries he had scrounged from the pirate ship were enough for a full meal when his stomach very cooperatively let out a loud protest.
Just as he was about to find a tavern to get more detailed information, a loud explosion suddenly came from a distance!
Then came screams of terror and the sound of chaotic running.
"Pirates! It's the Black Shark Pirates! They're here to rob again!"
"Run!"
Kyle suddenly looked up and saw thick smoke and flames rising from the direction of the port.
He could vaguely see a pirate ship with a shark skull flag, unscrupulously bombarding the buildings on the shore with its cannons!
"Great, I haven't even had a meal yet, and trouble comes knocking," Kyle's mouth twitched, but a hint of imperceptible excitement flashed in his golden pupils.
Perfect, I'll use you to test the fire I've been holding in all this time! And I can also 'borrow' some money for food.
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