Chapter 22: The Chest Man and His Friends
Ralph's figure swept into the forest clearing like a swift gust of wind, his gaze locking onto Luffy with unconcealed concern: "Lufia! Are you alright? I heard gunshots!"
Luffy had been circling the strange uncle stuck in a treasure chest with curiosity. Hearing Ralph's question, she looked up and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth:
"Hehe, I'm fine! This uncle shot at me first, but it didn't hurt at all!"
She patted her rubbery, elastic chest where not even a white mark remained.
After some communication, everyone finally understood the bizarre and heartbreaking life story of this "Chest Uncle."
The poor uncle was named Gaimon. Twenty years ago, he had been a young pirate who followed his pirate crew to this isolated island after enduring countless hardships guided by an ancient treasure map.
However, after landing with great anticipation, all they found were dilapidated, empty chests scattered across the mountains and fields.
Just as the entire pirate crew fell into despair and prepared to leave cursing, the unwilling Gaimon spotted a towering rock.
Driven by sheer determination, he climbed up and was overjoyed to find five intact treasure chests at the summit that looked incredibly valuable!
Overwhelmed by excitement, he slipped and fell from the rock. To make matters worse, he landed perfectly inside one of the empty chests below, his lower body firmly stuck and immobile.
By the time he managed to wake from unconsciousness, his pirate companions had long since sailed away, leaving him alone, trapped in the chest on this deserted island.
He remained trapped like this for twenty years.
Throughout those two decades, he constantly remembered those five treasure chests—so close yet so far away—on the rock summit. They became his sole reason for living and his spiritual support.
To survive, he gradually adapted to life inside the chest and befriended many of the island's rare and exotic creatures. He even pretended to be the "Forest Guardian," using his knowledge of the terrain and ability to create noises to scare away several groups of villains trying to capture these unique animals for profit.
Until today, he met Luffy—the legendary Devil Fruit user, a sunny rubber girl who didn't get angry after being shot by him, didn't find him strange, and was willing to talk equally with him, a "chest man."
Touched by Luffy's purity, Gaimon finally decided to share the secret he had guarded for twenty years with them.
Luffy, Nami, and Zoro followed Gaimon excitedly to the giant rock standing at the island's center.
"The treasure chests are up there!" Gaimon pointed to the rock summit, his eyes filled with complex anticipation.
This posed no challenge for the rubber human Luffy. She stretched her arm to reach the edge of the summit, pulled herself up effortlessly, and arrived at the top.
Five treasure chests lay there quietly, covered in dust.
Under the expectant gazes of everyone below, Luffy reached out and opened the lids of the five chests one by one.
Then she froze, the excitement slowly fading from her face.
Instead of throwing down the "treasures" from the chests as everyone expected, she stood silently above, looking down at the chests' interiors.
"Hey! Lufia! What's inside? Throw it down quickly!" Nami shouted anxiously from below, even she felt Luffy's reaction was somewhat unusual.
Could she be thinking of keeping the treasure all to herself?
But she's not that kind of person!
Watching Luffy's reaction, Gaimon's deepest fear buried for twenty years finally became reality. He could no longer control himself, tears gushing out like a broken dam as he sobbed uncontrollably:
"Wah... wah... I... I had already guessed... twenty years... I've always wondered if... those five chests... were also empty..."
Luffy jumped directly down from the rock summit, landing lightly. Looking at the weeping Gaimon, she felt somewhat reluctant, but still decided to tell the truth: "Uncle... sorry... inside... there's really nothing, they're all empty."
Learning this cruel truth, Gaimon instead seemed to have a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders. After crying for a while, he gradually calmed down, revealing a relieved, even somewhat relaxed smile on his face.
"Ng... ngng... hmm... hmm..."
He murmured softly, gazing tenderly at the strangely-shaped animals gathered around him, "These twenty years... I've actually gained a lot too..."
"Having them with me... this place has become my home..."
He even politely declined Luffy's invitation to join them on the ship and see the world.
Just then, Ralph, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke, his calm voice striking like thunder:
"Actually, the treasure chests might not necessarily be empty."
This single sentence instantly captured everyone's attention! Gaimon, who had just given up hope, felt his heart racing uncontrollably again.
"Ralph, what do you mean by that?" Nami asked urgently, "Where's the treasure?"
Ralph looked around at everyone and began his logically clear analysis:
"First, everyone think about this—since this island is covered with empty chests scattered everywhere, what reason would there be to specially move five empty chests up to such a high, hidden rock summit with great effort?"
Everyone was stunned, nodding subconsciously.
Zoro held his sword: "Makes sense."
"So, the most likely possibility is," Ralph continued, "when those five chests were placed on the rock summit... there was something inside them!"
"Where did that something go?!"
Gaimon asked excitedly, his previously calm heart stirred again.
Instead of answering directly, Ralph created some suspense:
"What does everyone think would be worth being so seriously hidden in treasure chests as 'treasure'?""
Gaimon answered without hesitation: "Gold, of course! Shining gold!"
Nami's eyes sparkled: "Jewelry! Priceless jewelry!"
Zoro touched the sword at his waist: "It should be famous swords."
Luffy raised both hands high and announced loudly: "It's delicious food! Must be something especially especially delicious!"
Nami couldn't help but facepalm and complain: "Idiot!" Who would treat food as treasure and solemnly lock it in treasure chests!"
"There are." Ralph affirmed Luffy's "absurd" answer instead, looking toward the surrounding forest, "Precisely because they are 'edible items,' they could possibly 'disappear.' Because they... were eaten by the 'original inhabitants' of this forest."
"Ah! I see!" Luffy and Zoro suddenly understood.
Nami, however, furrowed her brows, finding it utterly unreasonable: "What kind of 'edible items' in this world could compare to priceless treasures, and even be..."
Halfway through her sentence, clever as she was, she suddenly realized the answer herself. Her pupils contracted sharply, her voice trembling with disbelief, "Don't... don't tell me..."
Ralph took over her words, declaring emphatically, "That's right! It's the legendary—Devil Fruits!"
"Even the worst Devil Fruit is worth at least a hundred million Berries on the market!"
"A hundred million Berries?!"
Nami shrieked, her eyes instantly turning into "$$" shapes as her mind rapidly calculated, "Five of them... that would be five hundred million Berries!! That could buy... enough to purchase several Cocoyasi Villages!!"
Ralph proceeded to educate everyone:
"Devil Fruits in this world are broadly divided into three main categories: Paramecia, Zoan, and Logia. Lufia's Gomu Gomu no Mi is a Paramecia type, granting the user superhuman physical abilities. Zoan-type Devil Fruits allow the consumer to gain characteristics of a certain animal, with comprehensive enhancements to physical attributes."
Then, he pointed one by one at the peculiar animals gathered around Gaimon:
"That snake with white fur and rabbit ears is very likely a snake that ate the 'Rabbit-Rabbit Fruit.'"
"That fox with a rooster-like tail and a comb on its head is very likely a fox that ate the 'Bird-Bird Fruit: Chicken Form.'"
"And that pig with a lion-like mane, that little bear with antlers..."
Hearing this, Gaimon murmured in addition, "Deep in the forest... there's also a large bear... with tiger stripes."
He lifted his head, looking at these "friends" who had accompanied him through countless days and nights, his eyes filled with immense shock and sudden realization, his voice choked:
"So... so the treasure I've been guarding for twenty years... has always... always been right by my side... It's them..."
This astonishing truth left Gaimon momentarily unsure whether to laugh at his twenty years of persistence or to find solace in this "wealth" that existed in another form.
Ralph, however, shifted the topic,
"Of course, this is just my speculation. Perhaps they really are just some relatively rare exotic animals? Coincidences are possible too."
He looked at Gaimon and those animals, a meaningful smile appearing on his face: "But there is one way to verify this conjecture."
"What way?" Everyone's curiosity was piqued.
Ralph revealed his plan: "We need everyone's help to gather some fruits of various kinds that can be found on this island."
Though unsure of Ralph's intentions, everyone still followed his instructions. Soon, various wild fruits, bananas, apples, pineapples... were piled up in the clearing.
Then, Ralph revealed a long-circulated but rarely confirmed rumor from his world:
"There's a rumor that Devil Fruits contain mystical power. When their user dies, this power detaches from the body and randomly attaches to nearby fruits meeting certain 'conditions', turning them into new Devil Fruits."
He looked at the group with peculiar confidence in his tone: "In the outside world, this is just an unverified legend. But... I have a special method that can achieve... 100% success."
Ralph's claim of "100% success" naturally stemmed from his system!
When he used the [Beast Taming (Beginner)] skill combined with feeding and friendly interactions to establish [Friend] relationships with Gaimon's peculiar animals, the system prompted a reward:
"By eliminating ability users and guiding the power to specific fruits, 100% chance to obtain complete fruits!"
He had just verified this bold conjecture through the process—these five peculiar animals truly were Devil Fruit users!
However, when Ralph finished explaining this cruel "verification method," the atmosphere instantly turned heavy.
Nami's eyes grew vacant as she stared at Gaimon and his animal friends who trustingly nuzzled against his box, murmuring to herself: "Five animals... mean five Devil Fruits... that's... five hundred million Berries... five..."
Even Gaimon himself seemed dazed by this astronomical figure.
"Ralph! What are you saying?!"
A firm, angry voice shattered the silence.
Luffy stepped forward, spreading her arms to shield the animals. She looked at Ralph with utmost seriousness, even a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
"They're the old man's friends! How could you say such things!"
This questioning, like clear water washing over them, refreshed everyone who had been tempted by wealth and power!
Zoro leaned on his sword, watching Luffy's unyielding back with a slight smile, whispering to Ralph: "Ralph... I think I'm beginning to understand why you chose her as captain."
Nami also shook her head vigorously, slapping her cheeks to forcibly expel the temptation of "five hundred million Berries" from her mind, her face showing remorse and shame.
Gaimon looked at Luffy standing up for them, then at his animal companions who had accompanied him through long lonely years, finally revealing a relieved and warm smile as he nodded firmly:
"That's right! They're my friends! How could cold money or Devil Fruits compare to living, emotional companions!"
At this moment, Ralph stood up, dusting off his hands as he said lightly: "Alright, these were just my speculations. Maybe they really are just some peculiarly shaped rare animals!"
He turned and walked toward the beach, waving his hand: "It's getting late, you guys, stop spacing out and come help me repair the ship! The sooner we fix it, the sooner we can set sail! More adventures await us ahead!"
"Alright!!"
Luffy responded loudly, her face blooming once again with a sunny smile. She pulled along a still-dazed Nami and a spectating Zoro, scrambling to catch up with Ralph as they began helping with the ship's damages.
[System Prompt: Luffy deeply appreciates and admires your ultimate choice to value life and friendship over profit. Favorability +5%.]
Hearing the prompt in his mind, Ralph secretly rejoiced.
Never mind that the method provided by the system to obtain the fruit was too cruel.
Befriend first, then strike!
Ralph didn't know if he could bring himself to do such a thing.
Just for the steadily increasing favorability from Lufia alone, giving up those five Zoan fruits was absolutely a huge win!
Moreover, mere five Zoan fruits... how could they compare to winning Lufia's heart?
With everyone working together, the damaged hull was roughly patched up. Though it looked crude, it at least no longer leaked and could sail normally.
They bid farewell to the story-filled island and the box uncle Gaimon, who chose to continue accompanying his friends.
As the ship slowly sailed away from the coast, Zoro, carrying a liquor bottle, approached Ralph, who was gazing at the sea. With a teasing tone, he said:
"Hey, Ralph, you... are the real devil."
Ralph raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
Zoro took a swig of liquor and continued: "Even though you didn't lift a hand, you revealed the truth and that cruel method. From now on, when box uncle looks at his animal friends, can his heart remain as pure as before? Might he, at some moment, recall that they're worth a hundred million Berry? Their relationship... might never return to that state of untainted trust."
Ralph fell silent for a moment, watching the gradually shrinking outline of the island in the distance, and let out a soft sigh.
"Perhaps... but at least, when we left, he chose friends over Berry. That's enough."