Chapter 9: A Town Full of Joy
After all the retcons, the world wasn't what it used to be.
"Yeah… he might really become a naval hero someday," Cheng Lang said, nodding.
He'd only watched the Dressrosa arc of One Piece, but had seen plenty of clips afterward—like the Gum-Gum Fruit turning out to be the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, the Nika form… and Coby becoming the Navy's new rising star.
Though apparently, his reputation was still mixed.
Hearing Cheng Lang acknowledge Coby, Kuya Mi lit up—as if she herself had been recognized.
Alvida, however, scoffed.
To her, Coby was a spineless kid who never spoke up.
As for Cheng Lang's praise and Kuya Mi's admiration?
She didn't comment. Just empty comfort, in her view.
They brought Kuya Mi aboard.
"By the way, is it really okay for you to sail with us? Won't your family worry?" Cheng Lang asked.
Kuya Mi shook her head.
"Coby and I grew up in orphanages. Our families were killed by pirates a long time ago."
Cheng Lang fell silent again.
In this timid girl, he saw the shadow of an era.
And he understood why Coby still wanted to become a Marine—even after witnessing the corruption of Branch 153 under Morgan.
The roots of everything were clear now.
No wonder Coby's family never came looking after he'd been at sea for three years.
If Cheng Lang hadn't appeared, what would've happened to Kuya Mi?
Would she have stayed in a small town, quietly cheering for Coby when she saw him in the papers?
Or tried to become a sailor herself, only to die at the hands of some nameless pirate?
Would her death have made Coby even more determined to fight piracy?
"I don't know where Coby is now," Cheng Lang said, "but I have a rough idea of where we might hear news about him."
"Really? Thank you!"
"Don't thank us yet. There's something you need to understand." Cheng Lang glanced at Alvida.
She shrugged.
No objections.
"First of all, you mentioned Coby. He worked under her for the past three years."
"Ah?!" Kuya Mi was stunned.
"But he quit just yesterday. Whether he joined the Navy or went somewhere else, we don't know. But if we head to Rogue Town, we might find out."
"This…" Kuya Mi was speechless.
She hadn't expected to meet Coby's former boss on her first day at sea.
She panicked a little.
She wasn't stupid—if Coby had left, Alvida probably wasn't thrilled.
She swallowed hard.
"So you have two choices," Cheng Lang continued.
"One: stay with us. If all goes well, you'll meet Coby again—but we don't know when.
Two: when we reach Rogue Town, you go your own way. Whether you find him depends on fate."
"No need to decide now. Think about it. We'll set sail."
---
And just like that, Kuya Mi was part of the crew.
At first, she was nervous and restless.
But over time, she became a diligent sailor.
She was surprisingly talented—handling her first voyage with ease.
Clearly, she hadn't just read books.
She'd probably spent years observing and imagining herself at sea.
But one thing worried Cheng Lang and Alvida:
She got seasick.
Now, Kuya Mi lay pale against the railing.
"Some sailor you are," Alvida teased.
Kuya Mi tried to speak—then vomited again.
Cheng Lang scratched his head.
"The ship feels pretty stable to me."
Alvida nodded.
"Compared to my old boat, this one's way smoother."
"I… I'm not seasick. I just have social anxiety."
"?"
Cheng Lang blinked.
Can social anxiety cause vomiting?
Maybe her strongest organ was her mouth.
Alvida burst out laughing.
"There are only two people on this boat! What are you anxious about?"
Kuya Mi glanced at them—then quickly looked away.
After that little episode…
"We've arrived at our first stop," Kuya Mi announced, waking the two from their nap.
Sunrise.
Golden light spilled into the cabin.
Cheng Lang lay in bed, dazed.
It had been a week since he arrived in the One Piece world.
He missed his old life.
He wanted to play games.
It was boring.
Sure, there were three people—they could play Landlord.
But the dynamic was awkward.
Kuya Mi never called herself landlord, even with a good hand.
That left Cheng Lang and Alvida.
If both had good cards, they'd win.
The first few games were fine.
But it got dull fast.
They'd tried other card games too.
Nothing was fun anymore.
"Finally… land."
Cheng Lang sighed.
Now he understood why Luffy got so excited at the sight of an island.
Kuya Mi pointed to the village ahead.
"Want to get supplies?"
Thanks to Cheng Lang, they had plenty of fruit.
But water was scarce.
And with two women aboard, even occasional baths drained their fresh water supply.
Cheng Lang stretched.
"I'm heading to the mine. Alvida, take Kuya Mi with you."
"Can I… not go?" Kuya Mi asked, raising her hand.
Alvida stared at them both.
She used to be a captain.
Why was she doing errands?
She sighed and waved them off.
Cheng Lang jumped ashore.
The soft soil felt weird under his feet.
"Need me to buy anything?" Alvida asked.
"If possible, get more seeds. And if you see cows, grab a couple. Oh, and iron—"
Alvida cut him off.
"I'll handle the seeds. You figure out the rest."
"Alright."
They split up.
Kuya Mi watched from the boat, eyes flickering.
She'd seen their powers.
Both were Devil Fruit users.
With her skinny arms, she wouldn't stand a chance.
Forget escaping.
She watched Alvida walk away and murmured,
"Miss Alvida is so beautiful… will Coby be eaten alive?"
She slapped her cheeks.
Focus.
She grabbed a mop and bucket and started cleaning the deck.
No one had assigned her tasks.
No tea-serving. No weird requests.
But doing nothing made her anxious.
So she gave herself a job.
Even if the deck was spotless, even if it got dirty again—she'd clean it.
Meanwhile, Alvida entered the village.
A carnival was underway.
Many houses were collapsed.
But the villagers were laughing, clinking glasses, celebrating.
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