Chapter 18: How Long Have You Been at Sea? Why Are You So Depressed?!
Just as Ralph was gripping Buggy by the collar, demanding whether he valued money or his life more, and Buggy was stubbornly holding his ground with a "no money to give, only my life to take" miserly attitude, a voice broke the tense standoff.
"Ralph—"
Luffy rubbed her growling stomach, her small face scrunched up, her tone carrying a hint of grievance and dissatisfaction,
"Don't worry about those unimportant things! I'm hungry! So hungry!"
The intense battle earlier had drained a lot of her stamina, and now the hunger washed over her like a tide. Things like nautical charts and treasure had to take a backseat to filling her stomach.
Upon hearing this, Buggy's small eyes instantly lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline! He immediately put on an enthusiastic expression and proposed:
"Yes, yes! This... Straw Hat Girl is right! Fighting is one thing, eating is another! As an apology, I, Buggy the Clown, sincerely offer to host a feast for the two of you! Delicious food, fine drinks, as much as you want! How about it?"
"Delicious food? A feast?!" Luffy nearly drooled at the mention of those words.
For her, a lively feast with endless meat was practically the dream pirate life! She immediately tossed thoughts of nautical charts and treasure to the wind, raising her hands high and cheering: "Great! Let's have a feast!"
Her cheer seemed to carry some kind of magical infectious energy. The surrounding members of the Buggy Pirates, who had been hanging their heads in defeat and injury, instantly forgot their pain and humiliation upon hearing the word "feast" and erupted in cheers!
"Ooh! A feast!"
"Long live Captain Buggy!"
"Bring out the drinks and meat!"
The rooftop, which had just been tense and bloodstained, underwent a complete 180-degree shift in atmosphere.
Songs were sung, dances were danced, barrels were pried open, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air. Luffy almost instantly blended into this chaotic, noisy party hosted by their enemies, holding a roasted leg in her left hand and raising a wine glass in her right, her smile brighter than the sun.
[System Prompt: After fighting side by side and celebrating together, Luffy deeply feels your resolve and protection as a companion, strengthening your bond. Favorability +10%.]
Hearing the prompt in his mind and watching Luffy weave through the crowd, happily eating and drinking while arm-in-arm with the very enemies they were just fighting to the death with, Ralph felt somewhat conflicted. The situation had indeed taken a strange turn, but it also seemed... somewhat reasonable.
The original plan was for me to find a way to contact Buggy alone, use my knowledge from my previous life to gain his favor, and obtain this 'system reward' from him.
Ralph recalled his initial idea. As a former crew member of Roger and a future "big shot," the rewards Buggy could yield were likely not bad. If he was lucky and managed to unlock some legendary mystical ability like "Conqueror's Haki luck," that would be a huge win.
But then, with Luffy's earth-shattering shout of "Buggy, come out!", the plan went completely off track, turning into a direct confrontation. And now, it had bizarrely evolved into a harmonious feast.
Luffy attending a feast hosted by Buggy the Clown... This was truly unexpected.
Ralph looked at the straw-hatted girl playing drinking games and guessing games with Buggy's subordinates and smiled wryly.
However, upon reflection, it made sense. This was probably thanks to the traditions from Pirate King Roger's ship, wasn't it?
Both the Red-Haired Pirates and the Buggy Pirates were extremely fond of throwing banquets. And Lufia's admiration and understanding of pirates came precisely from Red-Haired Shanks... So it was no surprise that she could integrate so quickly into the Buggy Pirates' celebration.
Ralph wasn't confident about his alcohol tolerance and wasn't sure how much his enhanced body could handle. More importantly, he needed to stay sober to look after Luffy, who was getting tipsy, to prevent her from being taken advantage of or getting into any trouble.
So, carrying a bottle of liquor, he began to mingle through the boisterous banquet. He was generous when toasting but actually drank very little. His gaze swept across the scene and eventually settled on two targets—the Buggy Pirates' officers, the Beast Tamer Mohji and the Acrobatic Master Cabaji.
He first approached Mohji.
The vice-captain was squatting to the side, carefully bandaging the wounds of his giant lion, Richie. Richie had several slash marks left by Ralph—though not fatal, they looked quite painful.
Mohji bandaged the wounds while softly comforting the restless lion. There was no resentment in his eyes, only heartache.
Even after being swiped by his own lion, he could remain unangry and tend to it meticulously... He was a qualified beast tamer and a man who valued loyalty.
Ralph assessed inwardly.
He walked up to Mohji and, without pleasantries, spoke straightforwardly, "You and your partner share a deep bond."
Mohji looked up, and upon seeing that it was Ralph, his expression turned complicated. But hearing the other praise his relationship with Richie, a subtle softness appeared on his face. "Richie... he was just frightened, not intentional."
Ralph nodded and raised his bottle. "A toast to you and your lion, to this trust and friendship that transcends species."
Mohji was taken aback for a moment. Seeing the sincerity in Ralph's eyes, the lingering resentment in his heart seemed to melt away slightly. He picked up a nearby cup, clinked it with Ralph's bottle, and downed the drink in one go.
[Ding! Beast Tamer Mohji feels your respect and understanding for his bond with his partner. Favorability increased. Relationship reached: Friend. Reward granted: Beast Taming (Beginner).]
A subtle stream of knowledge flowed into Ralph's mind—methods for observing animal emotions and establishing initial trust through body language and scent.
Easier to gain animals' favor? This ability... is quite interesting. It might come in handy later.
Next target: Acrobatic Master Cabaji.
Compared to the loyal Mohji, Cabaji gave Ralph a colder and more self-serving impression.
In the original story, this guy would even use Mohji's lion as a shield when faced with danger. To deal with such a person, appealing to "emotions" was useless—one had to use "benefits."
Ralph didn't carry any valuable treasures, but high-level "enticement" often didn't require gold or silver.
Cabaji was sitting alone in a corner, polishing his long sword. He was skilled in swordsmanship and proficient in various acrobatic tricks, but he seemed unclear about his own identity.
So Ralph told him a story about a master acrobat known as the Jester, who was killed by a swordsman.
After hearing it, Cabaji was actually stunned. His eyes flickered with struggle, realization, and in the end... even welled up with tears!
"The Ascendant Rope Style... has been lost to the world! Wuwuwu..."
He seemed utterly heartbroken over the lost technique, wiping his tears forcefully before grabbing Ralph's hand abruptly.
"Acrobatics should be acrobatics, swordsmanship should be swordsmanship—they shouldn't be mixed! I understand now! Mr. Ralph, thank you! I know what I must do! I will become the world's greatest stunt master! I will restore the glory of the Ascendant Rope Style and Blazing Blade!"
Ralph: "..."
Well then... I wish you success.
[Ding! Stunt Master Cabaji has found his life's direction through your guidance. He is filled with gratitude toward you. Favorability increased. Relationship reached: Friend. Reward granted: Swordsmanship (Beginner).]
Ralph looked at the system notification with a strange expression.
How ironic... I convinced him to abandon swordsmanship and focus entirely on acrobatics, yet I obtained beginner swordsmanship from him... System, what exactly are you trying to say?
Finally, Ralph approached the "star" of tonight's banquet—the clown Buggy.
Unexpectedly, Buggy raised his glass first, looking at Ralph with an "I appreciate you" expression:
"Kid, I could tell at a glance! You're a young man with ambition, courage, determination, and enough ruthlessness! You've got the makings of a fine pirate!"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice in an attempt to poach him: "Following that girl captain who only knows how to fight and eat leads nowhere! Come join me instead! The vice-captain position is yours for the taking! Wealth, fame—all within your grasp!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Ralph firmly shook his head, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Captain Buggy, I appreciate the offer. But without Lufia, I wouldn't even have set sail."
His gaze traveled over the boisterous crowd, settling on the straw-hatted girl who was holding a massive piece of meat and laughing without a care in the world. His eyes softened with unwavering determination: "She's the one who showed me what dreams are, and she's the one who helped me find my own dream!"
Suddenly raising his cup, he took a deep breath and shouted to the entire crowd: "Lufia! Tell everyone what your dream is!"
Luffy, who had been immersed in her food, swallowed the meat in her mouth without thinking and shouted toward the night sky with her clear, powerful voice:
"I'M GOING TO BECOME THE PIRATE KING!!"
Instantly, the entire venue fell silent!
All members of the Buggy Pirates, including Mohji and Cabaji, stopped what they were doing, staring in shock at the straw-hatted girl. Under normal circumstances, anyone daring to make such a bold claim would have been met with immediate ridicule.
But this was during a banquet. Alcohol had dulled their senses, joy had diluted their hostility, and more importantly, Luffy's pure, unadulterated, and utterly convinced tone carried a strange infectious power.
After a brief silence, someone started cheering, and soon the rooftop erupted with whistles and shouts!
"Woooh! Pirate King!"
"The girl's got spirit!"
"A toast! To dreams!"
Even Buggy didn't mock her. He just stared blankly at Luffy, his eyes—adorned with exaggerated makeup—flashing with complex emotions.
That declaration, that straw hat... involuntarily reminded him of a certain annoying red-haired guy. That fellow... had also worn such a straw hat and possessed such seemingly ridiculous yet dazzlingly brilliant dreams.
Pulling his thoughts back from the memories, he looked at Ralph and merely shook his head regretfully: "Kid, following such an unrealistic captain is truly a waste of your talent!"
Ralph smiled, his expression carrying a satisfaction and determination that Buggy couldn't comprehend: "As long as talent is used on the path to realizing dreams, it's never wasted."
Unable to contain his curiosity, Buggy pressed further: "Then what's your dream? Don't tell me it's also to become the Pirate King?"
Ralph turned around, facing Buggy directly, and declared his "ambition" in a clear, resonant voice:
"My dream is—to help Lufia become the Pirate King! Then, I'll marry her! To become 'the Pirate King's man'!"
"Pfft—!!!"
The mouthful of wine Buggy had just taken sprayed out completely, making him cough repeatedly, his red nose turning even redder. Pointing at Ralph with a trembling finger, it took him a long while to choke out a sentence:
"Wh...what kind of ridiculous dream is this?! Going to sea for a woman?! You kid... how long have you been at sea? To be this... this repressed?! Kyahahaha... cough cough cough!"
He simply couldn't hold back anymore—this was even more absurd than hearing Luffy wanted to become the Pirate King! What kind of dream was this? This was just... just being in heat, wasn't it?!