The year 1520 of the Sea Calendar…
A simple raft floated on the empty sea, and on it sat a slightly thin boy, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old.
This boy was the lucky one who had unexpectedly transmigrated to this world. In this world, he was named Lake, a name carrying a lucky connotation.
Lake remained remarkably calm about everything that had happened to him. Just the night before, he had been agonizing over why the pirates weren't searching for treasure.
He opened his eyes this morning to find himself adrift. Of course, his first thought was that he was dreaming, but after he promptly slapped himself, he immediately resigned himself to his fate.
Lying on the raft, gazing at the vast blue sky, Lake slowly murmured, "Transmigration… It's absurd, but I have to believe it."
Then Lake sat up and looked around at the empty sea, muttering to himself.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is the world of One Piece, perfect! I'll see if there's any treasure in this world. Pirates are supposed to be treasure hunters, right?"
Just as Lake made this bold statement, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Sensing the host's strong obsession with treasure chests, the Treasure Hunting System has been activated! The location of the first treasure chest has been refreshed. Target: Windmill Village!"
The sudden voice startled Lake, but after regaining his composure and recalling the voice in his mind, Lake couldn't stop grinning.
He immediately tried to communicate with the system, but after several attempts, he received no response and decided to ignore it for now.
His biggest problem right now was how to survive. He was currently on the open sea with only a makeshift raft.
No food, no sense of direction, and the constant threat of being swallowed by a wave—even his modern knowledge was useless.
He had no choice but to go with the flow, constantly watching for nearby ships or islands that might appear.
After drifting for some time, Lake finally collapsed from hunger. In his unconscious state, he vaguely heard some voices.
"I'm setting sail!"
"Be careful, Luffy!"
"Don't worry, Makino, I'm very strong!"
"Wait, Luffy! There seems to be someone floating by?"
"Huh? Really! His ship looks so wrecked."
"That's not a ship, Luffy, but that person looks like he's been shipwrecked. Can you bring him here for me, Luffy?"
"Is that so? No problem! Watch me..."
The vague voices ended there. When Lake woke up again, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling and immediately realized he was saved.
Just as he was about to get up, a gentle voice called out to him, "Hey! You can't move around right now. The doctor examined you; you're anemic and still quite weak."
Lake turned around and saw an incredibly familiar face. After all, he was a die-hard One Piece fan before he transmigrated; the face featured green hair and a gentle expression.
"Isn't this Makino, the red-haired landlady's old flame from Windmill Village?!" Combining this with the conversation he'd overheard while unconscious, Lake quickly pinpointed the timeline.
Recovering, Lake politely thanked Makino, then, ignoring her attempts to stop him, forced his weak body to his feet.
Because just now, his system had spoken.
"Detected the presence of a chosen one. The treasure chest's grade has been significantly upgraded. Since this is the host's first time opening a treasure chest, the treasure map will be provided by the system."
As the voice finished, Lake felt something added to his clothes. Now was the time to change his fate; Lake didn't want to waste a moment.
Just then, the tavern door suddenly opened, and a smiling young man wearing a straw hat walked in.
"Makino, is that guy awake?"
Before Makino could answer, Lake replied directly, "You're the one who saved me, right? Thanks, my name is Lake."
Luffy, seeing that Lake was awake, happily responded, "Hehehe, my name is Luffy! The man who will become the Pirate King!"
Lake smiled genuinely upon hearing this classic line and continued, "That's a great dream, Luffy.
Since you're aiming to become the Pirate King, you must be very interested in treasure, right? I happen to have a treasure map here; you can come with me to find it."
As he spoke, Lake took out the treasure map from his person, and Luffy, without any suspicion, immediately asked Lake excitedly.
"Treasure! A treasure map! This is amazing! I can start my first adventure before even setting sail, hehehehe!"
Luffy's reaction was exactly what Lake had expected; after all, for Luffy, the most important things were eating and adventure.
So the two hit it off and began their treasure hunt in Windmill Village. Since Windmill Village wasn't very large, they quickly arrived at the location indicated on the treasure map.
Because Lake's body was still recovering and he was quite weak, the task of digging for the treasure chest was left to Luffy.
Soon, under Lake's direction, Luffy unearthed a tattered wooden chest with an old, worn look. Seeing this, Luffy was already discouraged.
After all, it didn't look cool at all. Lake was also a little embarrassed, since it was a system-generated treasure chest, and he really didn't know what he could get from it.
However, the system's voice soon appeared in Lake's mind again.
"Treasure discovered! Grade confirmed... Lucky One buff in progress... Congratulations, host, you've been blessed with good fortune! Treasure grade upgraded to the highest level, red!"
As the system's voice ended, the dilapidated wooden treasure chest in front of them instantly emitted a dazzling red light, which dissipated moments later.
The small, dilapidated wooden treasure chest had transformed into a magnificent treasure chest inlaid with rubies.
This caused Luffy to exclaim excitedly, "Amazing!!! Did you make this, Lake? It's so cool!"
Lake, stunned by the sight before him, took a deep breath and slowly opened the ornate treasure chest.
As Lake approached the chest, he felt a strange power being drawn out within him, and the chest opened smoothly.
The dazzling red light reappeared the moment the chest opened, but even so, it didn't make Lake and Luffy's gazes waver in the slightest.
Luffy's eyes even turned into two stars, and he was speechless with excitement. As the red light faded, the contents of the treasure chest appeared one by one.
The first thing that caught his eye was a dazzling array of jewels, each one seemingly priceless, far more valuable than gold.
Next, the most alluring items were a rolled-up old parchment and a ring; Lake knew these were the truly special things.
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining a spatial ring (sealed): capable of holding ten cubic meters of space."
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining a treasure map: treasure location, Shells Town."
"Congratulations, host, for obtaining a red-grade exclusive treasure, Divine Vision: an eye capable of copying even the abilities of gods."
The system's three consecutive congratulatory messages gradually deepened Lake's smile, until the final notification appeared, at which point Lake's face turned utterly shocked.
"Aura of God?! Is that what I was thinking? Adam's Aura of God?!"
To Lake's question, the system's only response was a sudden, sharp pain in his eyes. Instantly, Lake clutched his eyes and knelt on the ground.
Luffy, who had been excitedly rummaging through the treasure chest, heard Lake's scream and immediately rushed to his side, shaking Lake and calling out.
"Hey! Lake! What's wrong? Did you get hurt in your eyes by that red light?"
Fortunately, the pain in his eyes didn't last long, and Lake quickly recovered. When he opened his eyes again, they had changed.
Both eyes now displayed red six-pointed stars, looking very peculiar. Upon seeing this, Luffy immediately forgot about what had just happened and asked.
"Huh? Lake, your eyes look different! They look really strange."
Lake stood up and replied to Luffy, "That's right, I gained a very powerful ability from this treasure chest—these eyes."
Lake then fabricated an identity as a treasure hunter and explained his situation to Luffy.
However, in Luffy's mind, Lake's explanation all boiled down to one sentence: "In short, an incredible treasure, right?!"
Hearing Luffy's words, Lake helplessly covered his forehead. But thinking about it, it made sense; if he could understand it, he wouldn't be Luffy.
However, Lake's various amazing feats still prompted Luffy to extend an olive branch, saying, "Hey~ Lake, be my crewmate!"
Without any unnecessary words, Lake directly invited him, pondering for a full second before smiling and shaking hands with Luffy.
"Then please take care of me from now on, Captain!"
"Hehehehe! This is great! I've already got my first crewmate before even setting sail! What kind of adventures await me next? I can't wait!"
Following Luffy was a decision Lake made after weighing his goals in this world. Compared to other unknown futures, a future he knew was naturally the most reassuring.
Afterwards, Lake used his spatial ring to collect all the gems from the treasure chest. Just as Luffy was considering whether to take this super cool treasure chest with him,
the treasure chest vanished into thin air, turning back into the original tattered wooden box, which was naturally empty.
Luffy exclaimed how amazing it was and attributed all the changes to Lake. Lake didn't offer much explanation, as he understood Luffy's personality.
The two quickly returned to Makino's tavern. Now that they had obtained the treasure and confirmed their target, Lake could finally enjoy a hearty meal.
Although Luffy had just eaten a full meal before setting off, seeing the table laden with food made him act as if he hadn't eaten in ages.
Luffy ended up devouring most of the food, but Lake also had a satisfying meal. Even after a whole day of hunger, his appetite was still far from Luffy's.
After a quick packing, the two set off again. Luffy and Lake bid farewell to Makino and embarked on their adventure.
They hadn't gone far out to sea when the surface suddenly churned violently, and a gigantic sea monster appeared before them.
Lake recognized it immediately: the 'Terrifying Sea Beast'—the Lord of the Coast, capable of taking down one of the Four Emperors Shanks' arms!
Luffy smiled upon seeing the creature appear and said, "Finally appeared, Lord of the Coast."
The Lord of the Coast, of course, couldn't understand Luffy's words. Its biological instincts kicked in, and it attacked the two of them. Lake remained calm and stood by.
Luffy assumed a fighting stance and continued, "Let me show you my technique that I've practiced for ten years… Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Roar!
With a scream from the Lord of the Coast, its entire body was blasted out of the water, then crashed back into the sea, motionless.
Luffy looked at his fist with a smile and said, "You've seen my power, haven't you, you stinky fish! First, I need to gather my crew. I want ten. Lucky me! I found my first crew before even setting sail, and I even have a pirate flag. Alright! Let's go! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Lake had watched the whole thing. This scene was truly captivating; he could watch it countless times without getting tired of it—the starting point of his dream.
Chapter 3 Coby and Alvida, the ability of divine visionPerhaps because of Lake's involvement, the two had been at sea for three full days without encountering any major storms that would swallow their small boat.
Naturally, the scenario of starting with just a barrel of food hadn't occurred. However, Lake had miscalculated one thing: Luffy's appetite.
His spatial ring, aside from the gems and the treasure map, was almost entirely filled with food—mostly fruit and bread.
Lake had thought that even with Luffy's enormous appetite, this should last at least ten days to two weeks, but he hadn't expected that his spatial ring would be empty after only three days.
Now, the two were still adrift at sea, without a destination, without a navigator, without direction, and soon even their food was running out. Thinking about this, Lake's face gradually darkened.
Luffy, still looking carefree, lay listlessly on the bow of the ship, saying weakly, "When will we see an island? So boring!"
Lake, barely suppressing the urge to punch Luffy, said, "If we don't find an island soon, we'll probably starve to death at sea."
Upon hearing this, Luffy jumped up and shouted, "What! Lake, you don't have any food in your Mystery Ring either?!"
Lake finally couldn't hold back anymore, jumping up and punching Luffy on the head before yelling, "It's all your fault! You're going to starve until we find an island!"
Luffy, clutching his head, cried out completely unrepentantly, "Ah! No! I can't go without food... Speaking of which, Lake, I'm hungry..."
Lake couldn't bear to watch any longer. He took out the last of his food from his spatial ring, and Luffy immediately transformed into a gluttonous monster, his speed making Lake's mouth twitch no matter how many times he watched.
He silently took a piece of bread and sat down to think about what to do next, when suddenly...
Bang!
A loud bang came from not far away. Lake and Luffy both looked in that direction, only to see a dark cannonball hurtling towards them.
Seeing this, Luffy, his mouth full of food, mumbled, "Rubber...!"
Lake shook his head helplessly and stood up. Facing the cannonball about to hit him, he calmly muttered, "It feels like this, right..."
What happened next made Luffy's mouth drop open in astonishment. The cannonball, upon contact with Lake's body, was actually bounced off.
Yes, bounced off! Luffy knew that all too well. He immediately rushed excitedly to Lake's side, shouting.
"Like! Are you a rubber man too? How did you do that? I was trying to launch the cannonball with a rubber balloon!"
Faced with Luffy's question, Lake looked at him and explained, "It's all thanks to the power of my eyes. They can copy all techniques and abilities."
Hearing Lake's explanation, Luffy finally noticed Lake's eyes. Lake's pupils had now turned into red six-pointed stars, looking very unique.
While Lake and Luffy were chatting and laughing, the two guys who had just fired the cannonball were completely dumbfounded.
They had clearly seen what had just happened through their binoculars. Sweating profusely, they turned to each other and exclaimed simultaneously, "A monster!!!"
After exchanging a few words with Luffy, Lake turned his gaze to the location where the cannonballs had been fired, confirming it was a pirate ship.
The ship's prow was shaped like a swan, and the entire vessel was predominantly pink. Heart-shaped patterns were printed everywhere on the pirate flag, and even the swan on the prow had heart-shaped eyes.
Lake, recognizing the ship's appearance, immediately said to Luffy, "Since they attacked us, it shouldn't be unreasonable for us to take some of their food, right?"
Upon hearing "food," Luffy nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yeah, yeah! Full speed ahead of that ugly ship!"
The two who had fired the cannons saw the ship approaching and quickly ran towards the deck, shouting.
"Miss Alvida! Something terrible has happened! A monster! A monster is coming!"
Unfortunately, their arrival on the deck interrupted Alvida, who was disciplining Koby. The fat woman was very unhappy.
Without listening to their explanations, he sent them both flying into the sea with a single blow of his spiked club. This meant that both Lake and Luffy had already stumbled upon each other's food storage room without anyone knowing.
Lake leisurely selected a variety of fruits and some dried meat, stuffing them into his spatial ring. They had no choice; without a cook, this was all they could eat.
Luffy, on the other hand, transformed into a gluttonous maniac once again. Although he had just finished eating all the remaining food in Lake's spatial ring, for Luffy, food was energy, and even breathing consumed energy.
Lake was already used to this. While the two were busy with their own things, a pink-haired little dwarf opened the door and appeared before them.
After a moment of staring at each other, Koby couldn't take it anymore and immediately cowered, crying out in fear, "Don't kill me! I didn't see anything! Please!"
Luffy mercilessly mocked the cowardly Koby, while Lake slowly sized up the pink-haired little dwarf, based on his memories from his previous life.
He didn't have a good impression of this "deserter king," so Lake didn't initiate a conversation and focused on his own tasks.
Luffy, on the other hand, naively revealed their entire situation, which Lake didn't seem to care about.
Their conversation was interrupted when the wooden plank above their heads suddenly cracked, revealing a repulsive, obese woman.