Chapter 5: Luffy's Rubber Balloon
Apart from the pink-haired, chubby boy Koby who had fallen to the ground in fright, three roughly dressed men stood nearby, staring dumbfounded at the two figures who had emerged from the barrel.
Recognizing their typical lackey attire, Ralph immediately realized—these were indeed members of the Alvida Pirates.
The three pirates had originally seen Koby retrieve a barrel from the shore and were about to threaten him into handing it over when, unexpectedly, two living people jumped out of it.
Their eyes swept back and forth between the two newcomers.
One had sun-tanned skin, wore a straw hat, and had short hair, appearing boyish at first glance, but the undeniable curves beneath the red vest betrayed her gender.
The other was unmistakably male—tall and well-built with handsome features. Even dressed in plain cloth garments, he couldn't hide his striking good looks.
As everyone stared at each other in surprise, Luffy took the initiative. Planting her hands on her hips, she looked boldly at Koby and the other three and asked, "Who are you guys?"
The three pirates finally snapped out of their daze, furious. "What kind of joke is this?! You two, who just popped out of a barrel, should be the ones explaining yourselves!"
Ignoring the pirates' shouts, Ralph quickly scanned their surroundings. They were in a crude wooden hut, and as someone familiar with the plot, alarm bells rang in his mind.
His eyes swept outside, and his heart nearly stopped.
Not far away, a large, ugly woman was gripping a massive iron club with one hand, poised to throw it.
"Lufia, danger! Dodge!" Ralph shouted almost instinctively, reaching out to pull Luffy aside.
He knew perfectly well that as a Gomu Gomu no Mi user, she had nothing to fear from blunt attacks. But as her companion—and admirer—he felt he had to warn her anyway.
Who would have thought that his warning would backfire? Instead of moving, Luffy stopped and looked around, asking, "Danger? Where?"
And then, along with the entire wooden hut, she took the full brunt of the iron club's impact.
"BOOM—!"
The hut shattered instantly, splinters flying everywhere. Luffy was sent flying like a cannonball, and since Ralph was tightly gripping her hand, he was dragged along with her.
As they soared through the air, Ralph felt like crying: I really didn't need to say anything!
They flew high and far!
Just as Ralph thought he was about to crash hard onto the ground, he unexpectedly landed on something soft and incredibly bouncy.
"Gomu Gomu no Fusen!"
It turned out Luffy had activated her ability just before hitting the ground, transforming herself into an inflated rubber ball, catching Ralph safely.
So big, so soft, so elastic! And it felt completely secure!
Seeing Ralph unharmed, Luffy giggled, deflated back to her normal form, and proudly patted his shoulder. "See, Ralph? I told you I'd take care of you! And did you forget? I'm made of rubber—I can't get hurt!"
Ralph was still lost in the memory of the incredible softness his head had just experienced, his cheeks burning. He coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment. "Y-yeah, I know."
Just then, Koby ran over worriedly and timidly asked, "A-are you two okay?"
Luffy dusted herself off. "We got a scare, but we're fine! Where is this place? And who was that who attacked us?"
Koby whispered in explanation, "Th-this is the Alvida Pirates' hideout... I'm the... slave of the pirate crew." By the time he uttered the last two words, his voice had dropped to nearly inaudible.
Luffy paid no attention to his status, focusing only on one thing: "Do you have a small boat? We need to keep sailing!"
After a moment's hesitation, Koby led the two to a small wooden boat he had secretly built over two years: "Th-this... I originally planned to use it to escape... but now it's not needed anymore."
He lowered his head, his voice filled with self-doubt, "I'm too scared of Lady Alvida's strength... I never dared to run away."
Ralph looked at this timid future Marine officer, recalling his "heroic" performance in the Summit War later on, and couldn't help but speak before Luffy could: "You're so stupid, foolish, and spineless!"
Luffy nodded in agreement: "Well said!"
[System Prompt: Luffy agrees with your assessment of Koby, favorability +3%.]
Koby was hurt by the criticism but couldn't refute it, as it was indeed the truth.
Mustering his courage, he asked, "Why... why do you want to set sail?"
Without hesitation, Luffy declared loudly: "I'm going to become the Pirate King!"
"Th-the Pirate King?!!"
Koby was so shocked his glasses went askew,
"That's impossible! Impossible!"
"That's someone who aims for One Piece, possessing all the wealth, fame, and power in the world!"
"Every pirate on the seas is fighting for that title!"
"People die for it! No one can achieve it, especially not a girl!"
This was going too far! It was downright cowardly!
Ralph once again cut in before Luffy could respond, slapping Koby to the ground.
Looking down at the fallen Koby, he spoke sternly: "Dreams are precious. Denying someone else's dream is a terrible thing to do."
Luffy's eyes lit up, and she vigorously patted Ralph's back: "Well done! And well said! You're truly worthy of being my first crew member—you spoke exactly what was in my heart!"
[System Prompt: Luffy deeply resonates with your words and actions, favorability +5%.]
Luffy turned to Koby, her expression unprecedentedly serious:
"So what if I might die? I've made my decision, and I won't back down because of danger. Even if I die for it, I'll die with purpose!"
These words struck Koby's heart like a heavy hammer. Seeing the fire burning in Luffy's eyes, he felt for the first time what "the power of dreams" meant.
Tears welled up in Koby's eyes. He abruptly stood up and shouted with all his might: "I-I have a dream too! I want to become a Marine and capture all the bad people in the world! Starting with... starting with Alvida!"
Just then, as if on cue, Ralph's gaze swept around and he spotted Alvida not far away, having retrieved her iron club and raising it high.
"Koby, who did you say you're going to capture?!" Alvida's roar was like thunder.
The massive iron club came whistling down toward Koby with tremendous force.
Terrified, Koby shut his eyes tight, trembling all over, but stubbornly refused to dodge.
Seemingly valuing Koby's navigational knowledge, Alvida gave him one last chance, smashing the club beside him instead, sending dirt flying everywhere.
"I'll give you one more chance. Tell me, who is the most beautiful woman on these seas!"
Koby trembled with fear, instinctively wanting to answer Alvida.
This was the lie he had always used to survive.
Unexpectedly, Ralph spoke first,
"Of course it's my Sun Goddess, Miss Luffy! She's ten thousand times more beautiful than you, you fat hag!"
Alvida and her underlings all gaped in astonishment.
No one dared say such things in her presence. Praising another woman before her was a capital offense, and calling her a fat hag deserved being pounded into mincemeat.
Moreover, they had one question in their hearts...
Who was this beauty named Luffy? How come they had never heard of her?
Just then, Luffy herself spoke up, "Ralph, you're saying strange things again!"
"I don't want to be the most beautiful woman on the seas—I want to be the Pirate King!"
"Eh?!!!"
Everyone fell into shock once more, the wave of astonishment even greater than before, reverberating throughout the entire island!