In the world of the pirates, one of the Four Seas—the East Blue.
The wild winds howled across the ocean, the torrential rain poured relentlessly, and the waves churned violently...
On a small boat, a short-haired girl with orange hair was desperately struggling to haul a young, unconscious boy she had found drowning out of the water.
After exerting every last bit of her strength, the girl finally managed to pull him onto the boat.
While saving him, the stormy sea grew increasingly violent, leaving no time to worry about the boy's condition. The girl quickly surveyed her surroundings, pulled up the sail, and, with her expert maneuvering, cleverly used the chaotic storm to swiftly navigate the small boat away from the raging waters.
The girl possessed superb navigation skills. It took her only a few minutes to successfully escape the tempestuous sea, which was large enough to swallow giant ships.
The ocean is always fickle, especially in this world mostly covered by water. Storms often appear out of nowhere; one moment the sky can be clear, and the next it's a terrifying torrent of rain.
Successfully escaping the storm, the girl didn't even have a moment to catch her breath before realizing that the "money bag" she had painstakingly rescued, and planned to fleece mercilessly, was on the verge of death.
For the sake of her beloved Beli, the girl had no choice but to perform emergency first aid.
Having spent many years navigating the high seas alone, the girl not only mastered advanced nautical techniques but also possessed knowledge of emergency rescue.
She flipped the boy, who was a head taller than her, over so he was face down, hugged him around the waist, and lifted to drain the water from his head.
As the girl vigorously lifted and lowered him, the boy spat out a small amount of seawater.
After confirming that the water had been expelled from his lungs, the girl flipped him back over and began performing chest compressions.
Chest compressions, pinching his philtrum—none of it had much effect.
"Damn it!"
The girl couldn't help but curse, looking at the boy whose chest showed no sign of movement.
The boy had a well-formed face. Perhaps due to years of exposure to sea winds, his skin was somewhat rough. Close to death—or perhaps already dead—his complexion was ashen.
Looking at his still handsome face, the orange-haired girl's white teeth instinctively bit her lower lip.
She hesitated: Should she perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?
Though she told herself her intent was to extort a hefty sum, she knew that if it were truly only for the money, she wouldn't have risked plunging into the storm to save him.
Although the boy had stopped breathing, he hadn't drowned long, so there was still a sliver of hope. The girl finally grit her teeth, angrily muttering, "You better have enough to compensate me, or I'll make you pay!"
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, wiped the boy's mouth clean, checked for foreign objects in his nasal and oral cavities, pinched his nose, and opened his mouth. The girl took a deep breath and delivered it to him.
Chest compressions, artificial respiration—under the girl's determined efforts, the boy's pale face slowly regained a touch of color, and his stopped heart began a slight, faint beat.
Performing mouth-to-mouth, the girl's fair cheeks flushed, whether from exhaustion or embarrassment.
Just as the girl was about to deliver another breath, suddenly, a slippery thing slipped into her mouth.
In an instant, the girl's eyes widened.
"Pervert!"
It was bad enough that a beautiful girl like her was giving him mouth-to-mouth, but for him to stick out his tongue while almost dead was utterly indecent! The furious girl immediately slapped the boy across the face.
Pah!
The force of the girl's slap was so great that the boy's head was knocked sideways, leaving a prominent red handprint on his pale face.
This slap seemed to hit a "resurrection button." The boy, whose breathing was faint and who was hovering at the edge of death, violently coughed.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
The stinging pain on his face jolted Xinán awake from the darkness. His head felt heavy and dizzy, whether from the blow or the oxygen deprivation of drowning.
The small boat wasn't far from the storm, and the sky remained overcast.
He opened his eyes to the dreary, grey sky, the clouds appearing as if they were about to collapse.
But Xinán's attention was quickly drawn to the beautiful girl glaring at him in a furious rage, and his muddled brain instantly cleared.
The girl before him had a delicate, angelic face, set with gem-like brown eyes. Her playful, short orange hair added to her youthful vibrancy.
She wore a simple striped T-shirt and a short skirt that reached her hips, slightly faded from washing. Paired with the thick-soled, flat-heeled shoes typically worn by common girls who did physical labor, the ordinary attire did nothing to diminish her beauty.
Though young, the girl's figure was already quite stunning; her prominent bust stretched the damp striped T-shirt into an alluring sight, and her long, slender legs, barely covered by the short skirt, were a dazzling white.
Seeing the girl, Xinán felt like he was dreaming. So-called celebrities and campus beauties he'd seen on his phone didn't compare to even half the beauty of the girl before him.
The girl noticed the boy was awake but just staring blankly at her. She was used to this kind of look, but remembering what had been in her mouth, she angrily snapped, "Pervert! Have you figured out how you're going to compensate me?"
Despite her anger, the girl avoided mentioning the embarrassing detail of him sticking his tongue out during the resuscitation.
"Compensate?"
Completely unaware of the situation, Xinán could only stare back at the girl with a bewildered expression.
Seeing Xinán's innocent look almost made the girl explode with fury. She said, both attractively and angrily, "I pulled you out of the ocean! Shouldn't I be paid a reward?"
The girl was truly obsessed with money; even in her anger, she hadn't forgotten to demand payment.
This statement made Xinán finally realize something was wrong. His attention had been completely monopolized by the girl's beauty until now.
He carefully examined himself. His arms seemed much thinner, and he looked much younger, but the scars on his hands confirmed that this was his original body.
Moreover, he was currently at sea, surrounded by blue water.
Most importantly, the girl in front of him wasn't speaking Chinese, but Japanese, and he could understand it.
"What is going on?"
A terrible thought surged up in Xinán's mind. He instinctively clutched his head, but his memory was a complete blank. Why was he here? What had happened? He couldn't recall anything.
"Excuse me, what is your name?" Xinán's voice trembled as he looked at the girl with a searching gaze.
Noticing Xinán's helplessness, the girl's initial anger was diverted by his strange demeanor.
"My name is Nami. I pulled you out of the sea. What's wrong with you?"
Although her tone was one of concern, Nami still didn't forget to remind Xinán of the fact that she was the one who had rescued him from the waves.
Hearing the name "Nami," combined with the Japanese language, the orange hair, the striped shirt, and other clues.
BOOM!
It felt like a lightning strike. Various memories flashed rapidly through his mind, and Xinán instantly felt sick.
Still unwilling to believe, Xinán's voice was shaky and anxious as he asked, "Is this... the East Blue? Is the Pirate King... Roger?"
Seeing Xinán's state, Nami replied with some surprise, "Yes! This is the East Blue. Everyone, even kids, knows that the Pirate King is Roger!"
Upon receiving Nami's confirmation, Xinán's heart pounded violently, his blood pressure spiked, blood rushed to his head, and he rolled his eyes, passing out immediately.
Seeing the intended source of wealth she had worked so hard to save pass out again, Nami panicked.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's wrong with you?!"