Chapter 7: New Navigator
Cheng Lang looked at his arms—no muscle at all.
"Guess I should start training. The One Piece world isn't as safe as Blue Star China."
But how could a cube-shaped guy like him get stronger?
Could he awaken Haki?
He placed two wooden blocks on the ground and summoned a stone sword.
In-game, swinging at a wall wouldn't even reduce durability.
In reality, Cheng Lang gripped the sword with both hands and slammed it into the wood.
The sword remained intact—but its durability dropped.
His knuckles stung from the impact.
Cracks appeared on the wooden blocks… then vanished a second later.
He had to admit it: he wasn't as strong as Alvida.
Naturally, Alvida had been watching.
Curious.
"Are you a swordsman?"
"Something like that," Cheng Lang replied. "By the way, why a mace?"
"Because it's dominant. Shows how powerful I am," Alvida said proudly.
Cheng Lang nodded.
That fit her personality.
She admired strength.
If she didn't, she wouldn't have chased Luffy in the original story.
If she kept growing stronger, would she become a mix of Kaido and Big Mom?
Kinda cool.
But then he saw her admiring herself in a mirror again—and reality hit.
"So… which direction are we heading?"
"Uh…"
Silence.
As captain, Alvida only decided where to go.
Navigating? That was someone else's job.
Cheng Lang, a modern guy, had never sailed before.
"If we want to find the Straw Hat boy, we could head to Rogue Town. It's the last stop before the Grand Line," Alvida suggested.
"Do you know the way?"
"…"
"How about we recruit a navigator?"
"Makes sense."
They turned the ship around and headed back to the pier.
The dock, which had been wrecked by Alvida earlier, was now organized again.
Workers moved in and out like nothing had happened.
When they saw Alvida return, they scattered—clearly familiar with her.
Cheng Lang and Alvida didn't think much of it.
Leave someone to guard the ship?
No need.
Cheng Lang had removed all the doors and blocked them with wood.
The boat was anchored with pebbles—immovable.
Anyone trying to steal something wouldn't even find the entrance.
Windows? Blocked from the inside.
"You really don't know how to sail?" Cheng Lang asked again.
Alvida nodded.
"Why would you think I do?"
Cheng Lang scratched his head.
He couldn't exactly say, I watched the anime and know you and Buggy sailed together and found his crew.
Maybe Buggy could sense his own body parts—that's how he tracked his crew?
After thinking it through, Cheng Lang understood why Alvida had teamed up with Buggy.
In One Piece, even the trainees had basic sailing skills.
Alvida and Buggy, aimless at the time, met by chance.
Buggy became the guide—and they found Luffy together.
It just… worked out.
"You have to pay to recruit crew, right?" Cheng Lang asked.
"Of course. Who works for free?"
Alvida said it like it was obvious.
Cheng Lang's expression twisted.
But it made sense.
---
"Speaking of which… you're a pirate with a five million bounty. Why do you have so little money?" Cheng Lang asked.
After recovering what her old crew had stolen, they found less than a million berries.
Not a lot. Not nothing.
Converted, it was less than 4.5 RMB.
Basically a worker's annual salary.
Used to feed an entire crew.
No wonder they bailed.
Feeling the sting, Alvida glared at Cheng Lang.
"My appetite and yours—ever think about that?"
If you don't manage a household, you don't know how expensive food is.
"How much did that roasted wild boar cost yesterday?"
"About 200,000 berries."
"What?! Two hundred thousand? For one boar?"
Alvida nodded.
"That's actually cheap."
Converted, that was over 10,000 RMB per pig.
Cheng Lang went silent.
He remembered Bell-mère from the original story—her savings were only 100,000 berries.
Just enough to buy her own life.
Hiss…
If Arlong charged 100,000 per month, he only needed to catch one boar every two months?
Expensive… but also weirdly cheap.
What a distorted economy.
"How much to hire a navigator?"
"Depends. Some ask for a share of profits. Others—like the ones I met—charge 110,000 to 120,000 per month."
Hiss…
Suddenly, Cheng Lang had an epiphany.
No wonder Buggy loved treasure hunting.
His crew followed him loyally—even in Impel Down.
They were getting paid.
He was a solid entrepreneur.
"Boss, how much for this bag of rice?"
"A ten-jin bag? Five thousand berries. You buying?"
"Just asking."
Boss: "???"
Five thousand berries was about 254 yuan.
"Fits the price range of a certain country at the time."
"What did you say?" Alvida tilted her head.
"Haven't we reached the recruitment spot yet?"
"We're here. That tavern up ahead." Alvida pointed with her chin.
It was a mess.
Groups of rough-looking men sat around, drinking and shouting.
Alvida's arrival turned every head.
A few bruised men at one table quickly looked away.
Cheng Lang scanned the room—ugly faces everywhere.
Then came the whistles.
The teasing.
The chaos.
What kind of decent people hang out here?
This place reeked of trouble.
Cheng Lang rubbed his temples, already annoyed.
But Alvida was loving it.
Back when she came here, men looked at her with disgust.
Now?
"I need a navigator," Alvida said.
The room erupted in cheers.
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