Chapter 3: Just Boarded the Pirate Ship, and the Crew Is Full of ManiacsBen felt like a sock thrown into a washing machine.Spinning, dizzy, and disoriented.By the time he managed to poke his head out of the seawater and wipe his face, his brain was still buzzing.Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?Oh, I remember now.I just survived a shipwreck, crawled onto a reef, and before I could even warm my seat, I was blasted back into the sea by a cannonball.Ben: "..."He was truly grateful.He turned his head to look at that goat-headed ship that caused the trouble.On the ship, that boy with the Straw Hat was still jumping around, and the long-nosed guy next to him had an expression that said, "I'm so awesome."Ben's blood pressure skyrocketed.Fury burned through his reason.He cursed loudly, not caring how salty the seawater was, and swam towards the ship using both hands and feet."Are you guys blind?!""Using a living person as target practice?!""Is there no justice left?! Is there no law?!"Ben cursed as he swam, his voice booming, spit flying everywhere.He didn't look at all like someone who had just experienced a shipwreck and exhausted his energy.Perhaps this was the power of anger.The people on the ship seemed to have noticed this "living target" too.The silly goat-headed ship changed direction and sailed toward him."Hey! Are you okay?" The Straw Hat boy leaned over the side of the ship, looking at him curiously.Ben couldn't catch his breath and almost choked back into the water.Are you okay?You blasted me with a cannon and asked if I'm okay?This question is even less reliable than my deadbeat dad's promises!Ben wiped his face and put on what he thought was a fierce expression."What do you think?!""Oh! Then wait a second!"After the Straw Hat boy finished speaking, his arm suddenly stretched out with a "whoosh," curling toward him like a noodle.Ben's pupils shook.What the hell?!What is that?!Before he could even be shocked, he was firmly wrapped around the waist by that hand and yanked upward."Whoosh—"Ben felt like a cannonball being launched, drawing a graceful parabola in the air, and then "smack," he fell face-first onto the deck.Prostrate on the ground, his posture was so standard he could get a perfect score.Ben lay on the ground, motionless.It wasn't that he didn't want to move; he was stunned by the fall.He felt like his face might have become a 2D plane.He recalled the rumors he'd heard in the tavern—in this world, there exists something called a "Devil Fruit." After eating it, one can gain superpowers.But the price is that they will be loathed by the sea and become a hammer."So... is this guy a legendary ability user?""Look, he's been saved!" The Straw Hat boy retracted his arm and said to the person next to him, as if asking for credit.The long-nosed man walked over, squatted down, and poked Ben with his finger."Hey, are you still alive?"Ben struggled to lift his head and spat out a mouthful of blood."Al... alive...""Great!" The Straw Hat boy clapped his hands. "My name is Luffy! I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"Ben: "..."What the hell kind of man who will become the Pirate King!Right now, you're the man who almost sent me to the afterlife!He struggled to stand up, soaked and disheveled, but he couldn't lose his momentum.He pointed at Luffy's nose, about to start spraying."You...""I am the great Sniper King, Lord Usopp! That cannon shot just now was my masterpiece!"The long-nosed guy next to him puffed out his chest, looking smug.Ben's anger instantly shifted.Good guy, the main culprit is right here!He glared at Usopp: "You still have the nerve to say that?!"Usopp was stunned by his roar, then retorted with his neck stiff: "I... how was I supposed to know there was someone on the reef! Besides, my target was the reef, not you! You getting blasted away can only be considered... considered collateral damage!"Ben was so angry his liver hurt.Collateral damage?That makes so much sense, I can't even refute it.I really thank your whole family!The orange-haired girl stepped out to smooth things over. "It's good that you're okay. I'm Nami, the navigator of this ship."She looked Ben up and down, her eyes assessing him like cargo."Did you also encounter a storm? Where's your ship? Do you have any treasure?"Ben's mouth twitched.Girl, your train of thought shifted a bit too fast.Less caring about my well-being, more caring about a huge sum of money, huh?He pointed to the ragged clothes on his body and the backpack that was as flat as could be."Do you think I look like someone with treasure?"Nami's gaze instantly turned from anticipation to disappointment, and finally, just disgust."Tch, just a poor wretch."Ben: "..."That hurts, buddy.Ben took a deep breath, feeling that if he kept talking to this group, he'd have a myocardial infarction sooner or later.Just as he was about to introduce himself, he suddenly remembered something."Holy shit! There are two more people!"He rushed to the side of the ship and looked towards the direction of the reef just now.On the sea surface, Johnny and Yosaku were bobbing up and down like two soggy pieces of kelp.Ben's heart skipped a beat.He almost forgot his "fellow patients.""Hey! There are two more people down there!" Benpointed at the sea and yelled at this bunch of heartless people on the ship."Huh? Really!" Luffy leaned over to look and had a sudden realization.Usopp also leaned over to look: "Wow, his face is so pale, he isn't dead, is he?"Ben: "..."Shut up! If you don't know how to talk, you can donate your mouth to someone who needs it!Just then, a roar came from the sea."You bastards—!"Johnny emerged from the water like an angry sailfish, the knife in his hand glinting in the sunlight. He grabbed the edge of the ship with one hand and flipped onto the deck, his movements so agile he didn't look like someone who had just been shelled.He landed, stood firm, and pointed his long sword at Luffy's nose, two flames burning in his eyes."Pirates! How dare you attack us! Give me an explanation!"Ben subconsciously took a half step back.Here it comes, the classic revenge segment.Luffy looked at the blade pointing at his nose, tilted his head, his face wearing that kind of clear and stupid confusion."Explanation? What explanation?"Johnny was shaking with anger: "Stop playing dumb with me! It was you guys! You used cannons to blast the reef we were on! You almost killed my brother!""Oh, that," Luffy scratched his head, looking apologetic, but his tone was light. "Sorry, sorry, we were testing the power of the cannon."Testing the power?Using a living person as a target to test the power?Johnny's reason completely snapped."Screw your testing the power!" He roared, swung his sword, and slashed at Luffy!Ben's pupils shrank.It's over! Someone's going to die!He could almost foresee the scene of blood splattering on the spot.However, the scream he expected didn't happen.Luffy just casually dodged to the side, easily avoiding that powerful slash.Then, he raised his hand and flicked Johnny's forehead lightly."Dong!"A dull thud.Johnny's eyes instantly turned into mosquito coils, and he fell straight backward, "thump," hitting the deck, unconscious.One move.Just a light flick like that.Ben looked down at the unconscious Johnny, then at the innocent-looking Luffy, who seemed to have just flicked away a fly, and his brain completely shut down.This kid... what kind of monster is he?!That guy named Johnny looked like he knew martial arts, yet in front of this Straw Hat boy, he was as vulnerable as a three-year-old child?And that arm that can stretch...Ben felt a profound doubt about his own hard-practiced "Eagle Claw Technique" for the first time.This doesn't seem like the world he thought it was!"Alright, pull his brother up too." Nami wasn't surprised by the result and directed Usopp to fish up Yosaku, who was still floating in the water.As soon as Yosaku was dragged onto the deck, he completely passed out, his face as pale as moldy cheese.Just then, a man with moss-green hair and three swords at his waist walked out of the cabin, yawning."What's the noise? Can't a guy get some sleep?"He looked around with sleepy eyes, his gaze landing on Ben."Hm? A new partner?""No!" Ben immediately denied. "I'm just an unlucky passerby!"Who wants to be partners with you bunch of maniacs!He didn't want to be sleeping one day and get blasted away, bed and all, because the Captainwanted to try a new move.When his gaze landed on Johnny and Yosaku lying on the deck, he froze instantly."You guys are Johnny? Yosaku?"Zoro's voice was full of disbelief.He walked over quickly, squatted down, and pushed the unconscious Johnny."Hey! Johnny! Wake up!"Shaken by him like this, Johnny slowly came to, opened his eyes in a daze, and saw the person in front of him."Big... Big Brother?!"Johnny's tears came down instantly, he sat up abruptly, grabbed Zoro's thigh, and cried like a three-hundred-pound child."Big Brother! You were caught by pirates too! Wuu wuu wuu..."Ben: "???"Big Brother?This Moss-head, is their Big Brother?Isn't this relationship a bit too chaotic?Zoro looked disgusted and tried to peel Johnny off his leg, but failed."Why are you guys here?" Zoro asked."Yosaku suddenly fell unconscious for some reason." Johnny said while crying, not forgetting to point at Luffy. "Then we hit a storm halfway, the ship was gone, and after finally crawling onto a reef, we were blasted by that bastard's cannon!"Zoro: "..."He turned his head to look at Luffy, who had an "I don't know who I am or where I am" expression.Luffy pointed at himself: "Me?"The atmosphere gradually became awkward.A thrilling shelling incident ended up with a dramatic misunderstanding.Ben stood on the side, watching this group of people explaining the misunderstanding in a chaotic mess, feeling that his worldview was being repeatedly crushed.Nami stepped forward to check on Yosaku's condition and concluded, "He has scurvy, a severe lack of vitamins. It'll be really dangerous if he isn't treated.""Scurvy?" Luffy and Usopp leaned in, full of curiosity."It's a disease you get from drifting at sea for a long time without eating fresh fruits and vegetables." After Nami explained, she turned and went into the cabin, quickly coming out with a few lemons."Just squeeze some lemon juice for him.""Oh, oh! I'll do it!" Luffy volunteered.However, the next second, he and Usopp looked at each other and suddenly showed expressions of extreme grief."Yosaku! You died so miserably!" Usopp began to wail."Brother! Rest in peace! I'll eat your share too!" Luffysaid, actually pulling out a whole crate of oranges from a box nearby.The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, pried open Yosaku's mouth and started stuffing oranges in."Eat! Hurry up and eat! You'll come back to life if you eat!""This is our last crate of oranges! You have to finish them!"Ben watched helplessly as a whole orange was forcibly stuffed into Yosaku's mouth, puffing his cheeks out like a hamster.Ben: I don't understand, but I am greatly shocked.You call this first aid? You're trying to send him on his way!"Stop it! You two idiots!" Nami punched Luffy and Usopp, leaving them with lumps all over their heads.In the midst of this chaos, Yosaku, who had been force-fed a mouthful of orange juice (and almost choked to death), miraculously opened his eyes.He "pfft" spat out the whole orange, then did a carp leap, jumping up from the deck."I... I'm alive!!!"Yosaku felt the strength surging back into his body, his face returning to a rosy color at a speed visible to the naked eye. He excitedly danced a strange dance on the deck, dancing and thanking them."Thank you! Thank you so much! You are our lifesavers!"Johnny also wiped away his tears and, together with Yosaku, bowed deeply to the Straw Hat Pirates."Big Brother's partners are our benefactors!"After a formal introduction, Ben finally understood.This pair of clowns, Johnny and Yosaku, were two underlings Zoro had taken in when he was a bounty hunter, purely die-hard fans.When they heard that the Straw Hat Pirates were missing a cook, Johnny immediately proposed excitedly."I know a place! The floating restaurant Baratie! The chefs there have amazing skills! And it's right near here!"As soon as Luffy heard there was food, his eyes instantly lit up like two 100-watt light bulbs."Okay! Go to the restaurant! Eat!""Also..." Johnny paused, leaned over to Zoromysteriously, and lowered his voice, "Big Brother! We also heard some news... that world's greatest swordsman, 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, is rumored to be active in the waters near Baratie recently!""Hawkeye" Mihawk.When these words came out of Johnny's mouth, Ben clearly felt the air on the ship change.Zoro, who had been lazy and sleepy, instantly became as sharp as a blade.It was a kind of oppressive feeling that couldn't be described in words, as if a sleeping beast had suddenly opened its eyes.Ben saw that the corner of Zoro's mouth actually curled into a grin that could be called fanatical.The thing burning in those eyes was called ambition.Ben's heart sank.This Moss-head wants to challenge that kind of legendary figure?Is he crazy?!The people on this ship... how many are actually normal?!"Okay! It's decided!" Luffy raised his arm high and announced loudly in his usual unquestionable tone, "Our next target, the floating restaurant Baratie! Set sail!"Johnny and Yosaku volunteered to take on the role of "guides."Luffy then patted Ben's shoulder carelessly, saying with his signature smile: "Sorry! Your rock got blown away! You have nowhere to go, right? Then come on my ship!"Ben felt a bitterness in his heart. There hadn't been a single good thing since he was driven out to sea by the Marine. Forget it, there was nowhere else to go in the vast sea, so he might as well stay on this ship for now.The going merry turned its bow, riding the wind and waves, heading towards the new destination.The ship was full of joy.Luffy and Usopp were singing self-composed terrible songs.Nami was counting her small treasury.Zoro was wiping his three swords, his gaze focused and dangerous.Only Ben stood by the ship's rail, facing the sea breeze, completely disheveled.He looked at this group of jubilant "partners" and only felt a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.And this ship was now carrying him, heading at full speed towards a dangerous area where he might encounter the "World's Greatest."Ben slowly raised his hand and covered his face."Is it... is it too late for me to get off the ship now?"
