Chapter 4 — Breakfast with Crabs and Other Disasters
MC POV
The next morning, I woke up to the peaceful sound of birds chirping in the trees. For a moment, it almost felt like paradise. A gentle breeze. The warmth of the sun. Nature singing in harmony.
Then—
"BOMPH!"
A giant foot slammed down on my chest.
I wheezed, eyes snapping open, and found Aqua—still half-asleep—using me like her personal futon.
"AQUA!" I roared, grabbing her ankle in pure rage. "I swear I'll—"
Before she could react, I yanked her leg and hurled her straight into the river with a mighty splash.
Aqua: "Wha—?! GLUBLBLBL!!"
She surfaced flailing, a fat river fish stuck in her mouth, eyes wide in panic.
The sight broke me. I burst out laughing so hard I rolled across the ground.
"HAHAHA! A goddess defeated by sushi delivery! Ohhh, that's priceless!"
One quick drying session later…
Aqua was sitting cross-legged beside the fire, dripping wet and glaring at me with murder in her eyes.
Aqua: "You. Are. The. Worst. Roommate. Ever."
Me: "Correction: I'm not your roommate. I'm your babysitter."
She puffed up her cheeks like an angry pufferfish, muttering curses under her breath while we cracked open coconuts and grilled some fish for breakfast.
Just when the food was ready—
{Ego}:Observation: The goddess has consumed exactly 1.7 times her share of food while contributing nothing to its preparation. Efficiency rating: 0%.
Aqua: "W-What did that voice just say about me?!"
Me: "It said you eat like a freeloading raccoon."
Aqua: "I AM A GODDESS, NOT A RACCOON!"
I smirked. "You're a goddess of whining, maybe."
After breakfast, I decided to train. Standing by the riverbank, I moved through the motions of Bang's Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist—redirect, absorb, counter—mixed with Jiro's Knocking Techniques. Precise strikes on the body's vital points, meant to disable without killing.
But combining the two was harder than I thought. It felt like juggling two oceans at once.
Meanwhile, Aqua sat nearby, "cheering" in the most annoying way possible.
Aqua: "Why are you punching the air? Punch me instead! Or punch fish again! At least that's useful!"
Me: "…I'm going to punch you if you keep talking."
Aqua: "Heeey! Don't bully the goddess!"
Grinding my teeth, I muttered, "{Ego}, how long will it take to merge these styles into my own martial art?"
{Ego}:Estimated time: several years of rigorous practice. Alternative option: grant control to me. Estimated time: 4.2 seconds.
I froze. "…WHAT?!"
Aqua: "W-What what?! Why are you screaming now?!"
Suddenly, time stopped.
The jungle froze mid-motion. The river hung in midair. Even Aqua's dumb pout was stuck like a bad painting.
And I… was back in my old bedroom. Sitting on my bed, legs crossed like a smug villain, was none other than RBG.
RBG: "Yo. You're wondering why I called you again, right? Simple. I'm bored."
I clenched my fists. "You bastard—"
RBG: "Shhh. Listen. I've decided to make your life harder. From now on, the One Piece world? Yeah, I'm upgrading it to Cardinal World durability. Also, I'm sprinkling in some tasty monsters from Toriko."
My jaw dropped. "You—you what—"
RBG: "Don't thank me all at once. Go be entertaining."
Then he snapped his fingers, and the world dissolved.
I roared into the void: "I FUCKING HATE YOU, RBG!!!"
Time resumed.
Apparently, my rage face scared Aqua so badly that she froze for once. Then, to my utter shock, she shuffled forward and hugged me.
Aqua: "I-It's okay… I don't know why you're mad, but… it'll be okay…"
Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck. Her head pressed against my chest.
I blinked. For one fleeting second, she almost felt like a proper companion instead of a disaster.
Then reality hit: she was still in the body of an eight-year-old.
I sighed. "Damn it… this is just depressing."
{Ego}:Probability the goddess is genuinely concerned: 84%. Probability she is attempting emotional manipulation: 12%. Probability I am… irritated by this interaction: 4%.
I narrowed my eyes. "…Ego, are you jealous?"
{Ego}:…Negative.
Heh. Even my skill was getting tsundere vibes now.
Later that day…
We explored deeper into the island. The jungle was different now. I noticed trees whose fruits looked edible… and also had teeth. Aqua, of course, was too busy pointing at random things.
Aqua: "Ooooh, look at that tree! And that flower! And—AAAAAHHHH!!"
A massive Giant River Crab lunged out of the water, claws snapping.
Aqua: "I HATE CRABS!!"
She bolted behind me, clutching my shirt like I was her shield.
I cracked my knuckles. Time to test the fusion.
My body flowed like water, redirecting the crab's strike. My fist struck out, precise and controlled, channeling both Bang's flowing defense and Jiro's sealing precision.
"FLOWING SEAL FIST!"
The crab froze mid-motion, legs twitching, before collapsing with a heavy thud.
Aqua: "Wait wait wait—'Flowing Seal Fist'? Really? That's your name for it?! That sounds so lame!"
Me: "Shut up! It sounds badass!"
{Ego}:Correction: Naming sense = questionable.
"NOT YOU TOO!"
Dragging the unconscious crab back to camp was hell. It was heavy, it smelled like river muck, and Aqua kept nagging.
But once we grilled the meat over the fire… oh gods, the taste. Sweet, rich, perfectly tender.
Me: "This… is divine."
Aqua: (mouth full) "Mhmhmhmhm—"
{Ego}:Observation: The goddess is again consuming your portion.
Me: "AQUA! Spit that out!"
Aqua: (gulp) "…Too late."
I buried my face in my hands. "I'm going to starve to death because of you, aren't I?"
Aqua: (smirking) "Yep~."
That night, full stomach or not, we collapsed by the fire. Aqua clung to me in her sleep like a koala.
I stared at the stars. "Why… why is this my life?"
{Ego}:Answer: Because RBG is a sadist.
Couldn't argue with that.
[A/N:If you like the story how about giving me a power stone for motivation and a comment can also motivate me too]