Chapter 5: Compost Bucket
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Under continuous hammering, the wooden floor finally gave way—cracking into countless pieces before turning to powder and vanishing. No wooden steps dropped.
Cheng Lang watched thoughtfully.
Takes ten consecutive hits to break a block. And if the interval exceeds one second, it regenerates instantly.
And that was just wooden steps.
He placed a full cobblestone block on the deck.
Alvida stared, speechless.
Still, she got to work.
It took twenty heavy strikes to break it.
Same rule: if the attack interval exceeded one second, the cobblestone regenerated immediately.
Apparently, throwing bricks with enough force could break it too.
After all, Alvida had shattered the wooden steps with eight full-power swings of her mace.
Cheng Lang looked at her—neither blushing nor out of breath—and was once again reminded of how absurdly strong people in this world were.
Alvida had been knocked out by Luffy with a single punch.
In modern society, flying that far would've killed someone.
After one meal, she was back to normal.
Sure, MC food helped, but her physical resilience was clearly a factor.
"Why? Tempted by my beautiful face?" Alvida teased, planting her mace in the ground and flicking her hair dramatically.
In the past, that would've been cringe.
But now, with her new appearance, it was genuinely alluring.
Night fell.
Stars twinkled.
Moonlight bathed the deck.
Firelight flickered.
A lonely man and a widow.
Cheng Lang rolled his eyes.
Sure, Alvida was beautiful now—but they hadn't known each other long.
And she used to look like a fat aunt.
To be honest, he was a little overwhelmed.
Definitely not because he was shy. Absolutely not.
Seeing his flushed face, Alvida was satisfied.
She stopped teasing and sat down.
"We should talk about our future plans."
---
Cheng Lang sat nearby.
When he didn't respond, Alvida thought for a moment.
"First, we need money."
"?"
"My treasure and food were stolen by those bastards. You saw the kitchen—just rotten fruit and spoiled meat."
Cheng Lang nodded.
He'd renovated the kitchen. She was right—there was nothing edible.
"If possible, I want to meet the Straw Hat boy."
"?"
"Don't get me wrong. He defeated me. It's only natural to want a rematch, right?" Her eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.
Cheng Lang was surprised.
In the original story, after Luffy punched her, Alvida teamed up with Buggy and tried to make Luffy her man in Rogue Town—threatening to kill him if he refused.
Why was she so excited to fight now?
He thought about it and nodded.
Truth was, he had no real plan.
He hadn't prepared for being dropped into the One Piece world.
Fight for the One Piece?
Become Pirate King?
Join the Revolutionary Army and overthrow the Celestial Dragons?
Become a Marine and fight pirates?
None of it felt real.
It all seemed far away.
But he still wanted to meet Luffy—not just the protagonist, but his accidental savior.
Seeing Cheng Lang agree so easily, Alvida was surprised.
"You don't have a goal?"
"Well… if I had one, it'd probably be to go to the pier and get some fries."
"???"
Alvida blinked.
"You…"
"Alright, alright. Let's go tomorrow and chase the Straw Hat boy."
"Wait a sec."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Just need to deal with some traitors first."
Cheng Lang nodded.
"You know where they went?"
"I've got a rough idea. The food reserves only cover one destination. They'll be there."
"Got it."
That night, they went to their rooms.
Cheng Lang lay in bed, staring out the window.
Moonlight spilled across the wooden floor.
"I've really traveled to the world of One Piece."
He sighed.
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind.
Eventually, he fell asleep.
---
The next morning, waves crashed against the hull.
Cheng Lang woke up.
Alvida had already set sail.
"You're up?"
"Leaving this early?"
"I don't want those bastards to get away."
Cheng Lang walked to the bow and looked out at the endless sea.
At first, it was peaceful.
Then it got boring.
"No wonder Luffy gets excited when he sees an island. I wish I could play on my computer right now."
Alvida came out of the kitchen.
She handed him sliced fruit and simple rations.
"Just something light."
Cheng Lang took a bite.
The chicken leg didn't even twitch.
But soon, the entire plate was gone.
He stared at the fruit core in his hand, a strange idea forming.
He stood up, went to the warehouse, grabbed some soil, and returned to the deck.
Alvida watched silently.
Cheng Lang dug a hole in the deck and stuffed it with dirt.
Then he took the fruit core and sat there, dazed.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he grabbed a hoe and tapped the soil.
The ground sank.
A seed-shaped icon appeared.
"Just as I thought!"
Excited, Cheng Lang ran to the tool shed.
He came back with a bucket.
Alvida stood nearby, confused.
"?"
Cheng Lang lowered the rope ladder, climbed down, and filled the bucket with seawater.
"Irrigating with seawater?" Alvida frowned.
Even she knew that was a bad idea.
Cheng Lang returned to the deck.
She didn't say anything—just watched.
He opened another hole in the deck, placed blocks underneath, and poured the seawater in.
Of course, one bucket wasn't enough to fill a 1×1 space.
But something magical happened.
Even with so little water, the farmland was moist.
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