Chapter 3 The World of Data
On the deck, the cruise ship's captain was giving orders at the top of his lungs.
The sailors held their weapons, but their faces were as pale as paper.
"Fire! Fire!"
"The navy patrol ships are nearby; holding on is victory!"
"I will absolutely not allow my guests to get hurt!!!"
The roars, cannon fire, and the sound of waves mingled together, creating chaos.
The cruise ship, which had been filled with singing and dancing, seemed to have instantly entered another world.
The captain's eyes widened in fury, and he screamed with his life on the line.
Today, this ship is full of high-ranking officials and dignitaries of extraordinary status.
If something happens, even if he survives, he can forget about working in this industry again.
The loan for this ship still has 32 years to go!
But reality doesn't change because of an individual's struggle.
As the pirate ship drew ever closer, the sailors' will gradually crumbled.
At this moment, unless a miracle occurs.
Otherwise, no one could save the ship... and the captain's job.
But just then, a calm voice suddenly pierced through the noise and landed behind the captain.
"It's really lively."
"This is the first time I've ever seen cannons fire up close like this!"
The captain instinctively turned around and saw a young man dressed in strange clothes with metallic patterns all over his body, and a boy wearing a straw hat with clear eyes, walking slowly towards them.
The two exuded a composure that seemed out of place with their surroundings, even carrying a hint of eager excitement.
The captain immediately frowned: "Who are you!?"
He didn't recall having two such poor fellows on the guest list.
V, looking completely at ease, as if oblivious to the chaos around him, chuckled and replied:
"We are victims who were rescued by your men."
"Victims?"
The captain was taken aback.
But the next second, he saw V and Luffy walking straight toward the bow of the ship.
"Watch out!" he shouted immediately. "You'll get hit by stray bullets in that direction!"
Don't worry.
V didn't turn around, she just waved at him.
"For the sake of this feast today, we're going to take this ship for ourselves!"
"Baoding? Are you kidding me!"
The captain stared at V and Luffy's retreating figures as if they were idiots.
Perhaps out of pity for the vulnerable, he continued to dissuade them:
"The other side is the Alvida Pirates!"
"That fat woman is a notorious pirate with a bounty of 5 million!"
"You'll all be dead!"
"Oh, really?"
V's smile suddenly intensified.
"Did you hear that, Luffy?"
"The enemy is a formidable pirate. Today is the day to make a name for myself!"
Luffy laughed excitedly: "I can't wait!"
What could be more befitting of a pirate than a battle at sea?!
Having eaten and drunk his fill, he was no longer as weak as before, and his whole body was full of energy.
The next moment, to the astonishment of the cruise ship captain, Luffy suddenly swung out his arms!
His arm shot out like a whip, precisely grabbing the railing several meters away, stretching into a powerful "V" shape!
"Rubber, rubber..."
"scare!"
He is a local from Donghai after all.
Even though he was quite old, the old captain was still quite startled when he saw Luffy's Devil Fruit ability.
He asked in shock, "Who exactly are you people?!"
Luffy turned around, his smile as bright as the midday sun, and uttered that timeless line:
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy—"
"He's going to be the Pirate King!"
V, who was next to him, put her arm around his neck, thought for a moment, and replied in the same tone:
"My name is V—"
"He's just a prosthetic doctor who happened to be passing by!"
Whoosh—!
The rubber suddenly contracted.
With the force of the launch, the two were launched into the air like cannonballs, tearing through the sky and heading straight for the approaching pirate ship!
"Whoa—! Take off!!!" Luffy roared excitedly in the air.
V held him tightly, his eyes flashing through the stream of information.
He gazed at the狰狞 faces on the deck ahead, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
"If they are pirates who burn, kill, and plunder, then even having their kidneys cut off should be considered their just deserts."
...
...
"Men! Get yourselves together, you little braces!"
Meanwhile, on the opposite pirate ship.
A fat woman wearing a captain's hat wielded a heavy iron bar, her roar echoing in the sea breeze.
"Take over this cruise ship, and the wine, jewels, women... they're all yours!"
"Use your weapons and plunder to your heart's content!!!"
"Oh oh oh oh—!"
The pirates excitedly brandished their weapons, letting out beast-like howls, their eyes gleaming with greed and madness.
But amidst this frenzied atmosphere, a trembling voice weakly rang out:
"A... Lady Alvida... Heaven... Heaven...!"
In the crowd, a pink-haired boy, resembling a husky that had infiltrated a pack of wolves, suddenly pointed to the sky.
"Coby! What are you up to now, you piece of trash?"
Alvida glared angrily, her face twitching with fury.
"No, no!"
The pink-haired boy, Koby, trembled, and even his voice became stammering.
"...There's something behind you!"
"Um?"
Alvida frowned and subconsciously turned to look at the sky.
In an instant, her pupils suddenly contracted!
"Here comes the little flying stick!"
A light, teasing laugh fell from the sky.
A dark shadow streaked across the sky, falling like a meteor!
That was Luffy's rubber body compressed to its limit, and on his back, V lightly touched one foot, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Before Alvida could react and stare in astonishment, V pushed off with his feet, his body rising into the air and landing lightly on the top of the watchtower like a black eagle.
And Luffy—
"Rubber, rubber... bowling ball!!!"
"Ugh—!!!"
Alvida felt a savage, immense force slam into her arms, as if her internal organs had instantly shifted.
Her fat and muscular body was suddenly thrown around in a round, swirling motion, knocking several pirates away before crashing deep into the ship's hold!
Boom—!!!
Wood chips flew everywhere, dust billowed, and the entire ship was rocking violently!
Luffy, however, used the elasticity of rubber to dissipate kinetic energy and land steadily.
He straightened his straw hat, puffed out his cheeks, and complained to V on the tower:
"V, why did you step on my foot!"
"Sorry, sorry~" V chuckled, a blue light flashing in his eyes. "I'll be gentler next time."
"That's good!" Luffy nodded immediately, gladly accepting V's apology.
He can forgive his partner's mistakes; he's truly the best captain in the world!
V chuckled softly: "Then, Captain, these small fry are yours to handle, okay?"
"Miscellaneous fish?"
Luffy turned his head in a daze and realized that he was surrounded by more than a dozen pirates.
"Damn it...who are they?!"
"Who cares who they are! Kill them!!"
A pirate suddenly raised his musket and pulled the trigger!
Bang--!
The lead bullet tore through the air and shot straight at Luffy's heart!
Other pirates followed suit, firing their guns in quick succession.
"Ah!!" Koby closed his eyes tightly in fright.
However, the next moment—
puff.
The bullet struck Luffy's chest, but it felt like hitting tough rubber, leaving a deep dent before bouncing back sharply!
"Holy crap!" "Ouch!" "My leg—!"
The bullets that couldn't hit Luffy returned the way they came, and several pirates were hit by stray bullets, their screams filling the air.
"What...what kind of monster is this?"
The pirates turned pale and retreated hastily.
Luffy grinned, clenching his fist:
"I'm not a monster! I'm a rubber man who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!"
"Rubber rubber... machine gun!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fists flew like the wind, and the pirates fell to the ground like rolling gourds.
"Devil Fruits...Devil Fruits really exist..."
Koby slumped to the ground, his eyes filled with fear and shock.
Even V was captivated by Luffy's actions.
"I never thought I'd actually get to see Luffy's classic moves in person..."
"I've got it for life!"
After making a silent joke, V turned to look at the disheveled pink-haired boy on the floor.
In an instant, words like "deserter king," "200 times the effort," and "the future of the navy" kept flashing through his mind.
V's lips curled slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"According to the system's settings, people with unique destinies will receive extra surprises whether they are gaining experience, earning trading points, or transforming into prosthetic bodies."
"Although this Coby isn't a member of the main cast, judging by his achievements in ruining Garp, he certainly won't disappoint me, right?"
Just as V was filled with anticipation, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the ruins of the ship's cabin:
"Damn bastards... I'll grind you all into mincemeat!!!"
The next instant, smoke and dust exploded, and Alvida's massive body staggered out.
Her face was covered in blood, and her eyes burned with a frenzied rage.
Upon seeing this, V's eyes lit up once again:
"As expected of the world of One Piece, to suffer such an impact and only get superficial injuries!?"
"But that's just right..."
He smiled and leaped lightly, appearing directly in front of Alvida.
"Hey, fat lady."
V's voice was soft, but it touched a nerve with Alvida, causing her to turn her head instantly.
"You bastard! Who are you calling a fat woman!?"
Alvida charged forward angrily, brandishing her enormous spiked club.
As V watched the voluptuous figure before him, his eyes were suddenly filled with a stream of data.
"I see."
"Is this what it feels like to fight with a cybernetic body?!"
At that moment, the world seemed to have been put on pause.
In V's line of sight, Alvida's impact speed, arrival time, and movement pattern were all marked on his line of sight.
It's as if the whole world has been digitized.
This also allowed him to clearly predict all of Alvida's next moves.
At least to some extent, this ability is no less than Observation Haki.
End of this chapter...