Chapter 1: Shock! Straw Hat Luffy!
Am I going to drown?
As Ralph gradually regained consciousness, he could feel a pair of gentle hands pressing hard on his stomach.
Seawater gushed out of his mouth.
But with a little more force, he feared his intestines would be thrown up.
Who is it? Where did they learn first aid? Just pressing? Shouldn't they perform CPR?
Just as Ralph was inwardly complaining, he felt a pair of soft lips press against his.
Lamenting the loss of his first kiss, a powerful stream of air rushed from his mouth into his stomach and lungs.
He felt like a balloon about to burst.
This unprecedented sensation jolted him awake instantly. He bent over, coughing up the remaining seawater.
"Great, he's awake! Haha!"
It sounded like a girl with a bright, cheerful laugh. Was she a nurse?
"Good job, Lufia! But you can't perform CPR like that—you'll blow someone to death!"
Was that the head nurse scolding her? He had to admit, the girl's lung capacity was truly impressive!
Ralph looked up and saw his savior for the first time.
How could there be a girl in the world who was both cute and handsome at the same time!
She had large, bright black eyes, a perky little nose, and beneath it, a wide, unrestrained smile revealing two rows of neat white teeth.
Ralph had never seen such a radiant smile—so bright it felt like sunshine was shining on his face.
Coupled with the joy of surviving a near-death experience, he couldn't help but grin foolishly himself.
"You're awake! I'm Luffy! I found you drowning by the shore today and just brought you back!"
"Drowning in such shallow water—you're really useless, haha!"
What kind of talk was that? It was the ocean! For someone who couldn't swim, did it matter whether the water was deep or shallow?
Wait, what was her name?
Luffy?
Ralph studied the girl's features, and the more he looked, the more familiar she seemed—especially the scar under her left eye.
Then he looked at her clothes: a red vest, blue shorts...
He glanced upward: short, stylish, and practical hair... but no iconic straw hat.
Whew, he was scaring himself!
How could it be?
Time travel?
And into One Piece, no less!
With Luffy as a cute girl!
He wouldn't even dare to dream something like that!
As Ralph was thinking this, he saw Luffy quickly drying her short hair, which had gotten wet while rescuing him...
Then, her arm bent at an exaggerated angle as she reached behind her, picked up a plain-looking straw hat from the table, and placed it on her head.
A straw hat and the rubber person who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi!
No way!!
Scanning his surroundings, Ralph realized he was in a tavern.
"Is this... the tavern in Foosha Village, East Blue?"
Luffy nodded. "Yes!"
"Is the owner Makino?"
Luffy looked surprised. "Wow! So Makino is already this famous? Someone would even risk drowning just to come here for a drink!"
Makino, wiping glasses behind the counter, smiled without a word.
And now, Ralph was even more stunned than when he was drowning!
He pinched himself—it hurt. It was actually real!
As a die-hard fan of One Piece for over a decade, he'd had his share of fantasies.
But one moment he was rewatching One Piece at home, and the next, he'd traveled into the world of One Piece—and straight into East Blue, no less.
This was just surreal!
Even more fantastical was the fact that the Luffy here was a girl—and an adorable one at that!
Ralph couldn't help but recall the soft sensation from the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation earlier...
And the image of Luffy inflating herself into a balloon, then blowing herself up like one.
[Ding! System activating...]
Hearing this voice in his mind, Ralph felt everything could be explained.
[Detected that the host has crossed into the One Piece world and developed affection for the protagonist Luffy. Activating Affection System.]
[Gaining affection from plot characters can earn rewards.]
[Main storyline: Gain Luffy's affection, successfully win her over, ultimately become the man of the Pirate King, and receive the ultimate prize.]
Ralph waited for more, but there was nothing further.
System, what's your relationship with Oda? Are you trying to fool me like I'm a local?
And the ultimate prize—just like One Piece, all empty promises!
Though I've been single since birth, am I the kind of scumbag who would pursue someone just for a system mission?
But that short-haired, carefree, sunny, cheerful girl with a gluttonous streak is exactly my ideal type!
Earlier, things happened too suddenly—the hot-blooded male protagonist in my mind had turned into a female lead, and I couldn't adjust right away.
But now, looking at Luffy again, it's completely different!
At a glance, Luffy clearly has a broader chest than Luffy, and her tanned long legs under those blue shorts look even more powerful.
And those ten delightfully bouncy, cute toes...
That's more like it!
Only feet like these are worthy of the Supreme Flip-Flops!
She's the granddaughter of a vice admiral, the daughter of a revolutionary, yet she was led astray by a red-haired guy from childhood, dreaming of becoming the Pirate King.
She's optimistic, passionate, and full of dreams.
She'll embark on a journey, and along the way, regardless of gender, everyone will be influenced by her, united around her, becoming her friends!
In the end, she'll discover that she is the Sun Goddess, destined by fate to save the world!
This... is absolutely perfect!
The man of the Pirate King—I'm determined to be it!
Seeing Luffy stand up, about to leave the bar, Ralph—utterly inexperienced in romance—panicked.
He had no clue how to start a relationship.
Meeting through a life-saving favor—that should be an advantage, right?
He had to strike while the iron was hot and not let this opportunity slip away!
But how should he talk to a girl?
How should this relationship begin?
What should the first words be?
"L-Luffy! According to the customs of my hometown, when someone saves your life and you can't repay the debt, you should offer yourself in marriage..."
Luffy didn't understand, Makino didn't understand, and none of the other customers in the bar understood.
Ralph screamed internally, What nonsense am I spouting?!
Was he losing his coherence at the sight of the girl he liked?
The brave enjoy life first, but not like this!
But the words were already out...
"What I mean is, please go out with me!"
Agh!!!!
Everyone in the bar gaped, eyes bulging out of their sockets, and Makino even dropped her glass!
Except for Luffy—she still didn't get it.
"What's 'go out'? What does that mean?"
Makino explained to Luffy that "going out" means a very intimate relationship between a man and a woman, the kind that leads to marriage!
"Marriage? That sounds like a hassle!"
"I'm going to be the Pirate King—I have no plans to get married at all!"
Ralph cursed himself inwardly for being too impatient. What was he even saying earlier?
Could he really pull off that manga-style confession?
Did crossing into the One Piece world lower his IQ?
This kind of thing should be done step by step!
Ralph quickly adjusted his strategy.
"Pirate King, that's amazing! Can I become your crewmate?"
The response he got was Luffy's fist, fast as a bullet.
All he heard was a loud thud!
Watching Ralph peacefully collapse with a huge bump on his head, Luffy declared:
"You're too weak! I don't need a crewmate like you on my ship!"
Ralph remained unconscious until the evening before finally waking up.
Through inquiries, he learned that Lufia would set sail tomorrow...
This is bad! He didn't have much time left to get stronger!