Chapter 31: Windmill Village – Too Bad Luffy Isn’t a Girl
The Radiant Eclipse surged down Reverse Mountain, flowing like a waterfall and crashing into the calm sea below.
A huge splash erupted as they settled into the peaceful waters.
"So, this is the East Blue?" Hancock murmured as she stepped out onto the deck, her mind typically focused on training or on how to best serve Kuke. Today, she allowed herself to relax for once.
Stretching lazily, the female crew members followed her lead.
With Kuke being the only man on the ship, they paid little mind to decorum, their attire as relaxed as their movements.
Arriving in the East Blue, the crew, usually on high alert, finally allowed themselves to unwind.
The East Blue was renowned as the most peaceful and stable of all the seas.
Even the most notorious pirates here barely held a candle to the weakest of the Grand Line. Anyone aboard the Radiant Eclipse—even Koala, the least experienced—could easily become the dominant pirate of the East Blue. Hancock's sisters, too, would be unmatched rulers here.
"I wonder if there are any promising potential crewmates in the East Blue," Kuke mused, reflecting on the original story.
…
"Oh no, it's already noon, and we've run out of the food Dad prepared. We'll need to cook something soon," Lily Enstomach exclaimed, suddenly remembering their situation.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward her.
Hopeful eyes.
With a confident nod, Lily headed for the kitchen.
She deftly prepared the ingredients, each one sliced perfectly, with an expert's touch. Everything was laid out neatly and ready to go.
Her performance filled everyone with anticipation.
Even if her skills were only half as good as her father's, Lily would easily outshine many famous chefs across the seas.
With everything prepped, she looked back at the crew, her hopeful eyes twinkling. "So, um, who knows how to actually cook?"
"…What?"
The silence was deafening as the crew stared back at her, completely taken aback.
Awkwardly, Lily scratched the back of her head. "I'm really good at preparing the food, but Dad always did the cooking. I never actually learned how…"
Her voice trailed off as her head drooped in embarrassment.
The deck of the Radiant Eclipse fell into a long, uncomfortable silence.
And so, the crew continued their days of "barely edible" meals, just getting by as they had before.
After a while, following the life card that Rayleigh had given them to find Gaban, the Radiant Eclipse sailed steadily through the East Blue, nearing their destination.
"It must be that island over there," Gion said, squinting as she looked out at a massive landmass in the distance.
The island's sheer size was extraordinary, a rare sight among the seas.
"With an island this huge, it must be one of the most famous in the East Blue," Gion added, checking their map, though the life card made it difficult to confirm the island's name right away.
"The only person worth noting in the East Blue is Garp," Kuke said. "I asked Shakky about him recently. He hasn't left the Grand Line."
With no sign of Garp, Kuke had little to worry about in this sea.
As the Radiant Eclipse approached the gigantic island, the crew began to make out the outlines of a village along the shore, with plumes of smoke rising from chimneys.
There were people living on this island.
Suddenly, Kuke, Gion, and Hancock all turned their attention to the sea.
Hancock had also mastered the basics of Observation Haki.
The three of them sensed it at the same time.
They calmly watched as the surface of the water rippled, and a massive shadow appeared beneath the waves. The sea began to churn, and from the depths emerged a colossal sea king, its jaws wide open as it prepared to swallow the Radiant Eclipse whole.
"I wonder if it's good to eat," Kuke mused, eyeing the creature and considering which parts might be the tastiest.
But then he remembered—they still didn't have a proper chef.
His daydreams shattered. No matter how good the ingredient, without a skilled cook, it would just be wasted.
The sea king let out a deafening roar, lunging forward with its jaws wide open, ready to devour the ship.
Kuke raised his hand, and with a flick of his finger, he tapped the sea king's forehead.
With a deafening boom, the enormous beast was sent flying like a comet, crashing into the sea hundreds of meters away. The ocean erupted into a geyser of water and blood.
A young boy on the shore witnessed the entire scene.
He had been yelling, "I'm gonna be the King of the Pi— huh?!"
The boy, Luffy, stood frozen in place, staring at the sea in shock. The giant sea king, the creature that had haunted his nightmares countless times, had been flicked away like a toy. Blood stained the water, and its lifeless body floated in the waves.
It was dead.
"Luffy! Stop yelling about becoming the King of the Pirates or Garp is going to come back and thrash you," the village elder scolded, tapping Luffy on the head with his cane. "What's gotten into you? Why are you standing there like that?"
After flicking away the sea king, Kuke noticed Luffy standing on the shore.
He studied the boy, his gaze lingering on the straw hat.
No wonder the sea king had felt familiar. This was Windmill Village.
"Kuke, do you know that boy?" Gion asked, noticing that Kuke was acting a bit differently than usual. Her eyes shifted toward Luffy as well.
"Is he a Devil Fruit user?"
Luffy, his jaw literally dropped to the ground—thanks to his rubbery powers—gaped in awe at the scene.
"He's a Paramecia-type user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi," Kuke explained, observing Luffy's reaction with amusement.
"Isn't the East Blue supposed to have very few Devil Fruit users? And now a random village kid has powers?" Gion grew more cautious, not wanting to underestimate the situation.
"He's no ordinary kid," Kuke replied, intrigued.
This was the original story's protagonist, but right now, he was just a brat with big dreams.
A thought crossed Kuke's mind: too bad he wasn't a girl. He would've taken Luffy with him right then and there.
He had no doubt the boy would grow into a formidable force in the future.