Faced with Luffy's bold invitation, Alex froze.
Judging from the situation, Luffy was still traveling alone—he hadn't even met Zoro yet. If Alex actually accepted the invitation, how would that affect the future of Luffy's crew?
At first, Alex had felt an overwhelming excitement. But he quickly calmed down and faced reality—he was just an ordinary guy.
To put it bluntly, Alex's combat strength was practically nonexistent. Other than being good at fishing, he had no real skills. If he ran into even a no-name pirate, he'd be the one getting beat down—no matter how brave he was.
Back on Earth, Alex had lived an average life. Born into a regular family, went to a regular school, got a regular job. A basic office worker.
And now, thrust into the world of One Piece, how could someone like him possibly go toe-to-toe with brutal pirates?
If joining Luffy's crew would only make him a burden, then no matter how tempted he was, Alex couldn't bring himself to say yes. He'd rather live peacefully in this quiet little village for the rest of his life.
After some contemplation, Alex finally gave his answer.
"No… I like this village. I've gotten used to fishing. Becoming a pirate would just… complicate things for me."
Even as he said it, Alex knew he was lying to himself. Of course he wanted to set sail with Luffy—experience that incredible, fantastical journey firsthand.
He'd watched One Piece back on Earth and often fantasized about being a member of the Straw Hat crew, traveling together, supporting each other, chasing dreams as one. That deep, unbreakable bond of friendship—who wouldn't want that?
But now that the fantasy was staring him in the face, Alex had to be realistic. He couldn't let himself become dead weight. No one wants to be the weakest link in the team.
"Fishing?"
Luffy didn't seem to understand that Alex was rejecting him. His eyes lit up as he pointed at the baskets on the boat.
"So you caught all those fish yourself?"
"Uh… yeah, pretty much." Alex nodded. Technically, the chubby guy helped too—but only by tossing the fish into the baskets.
"I knew it! I could tell you were dependable! From now on, we're crewmates! I'll be counting on you!"
Luffy laughed heartily, flashing his trademark dazzling smile.
Count on your sister! Alex groaned internally. You didn't even listen to what I said, dammit!
He suddenly remembered—people who get invited to Luffy's crew don't get a choice. The guy doesn't take no for an answer. He'd drag you onto his ship whether you agreed or not.
Just as Alex was about to clarify, a loud grumble echoed through the air.
Wow… even his stomach sounds are full of personality.
Alex stared at Luffy, who was clutching his belly with a hungry, pitiful expression on his face.
"Didn't you say you'd treat me to a big feast? Let's go already! Once I'm full, we're heading out to sea!"
Seeing Alex still standing there in a daze, Luffy hurried him along. Then, with a hopeful look, he added, "By the way, what's your village's specialty? Bet it's some kind of tasty meat!"
What the hell, dude?! You ask me a question and answer it yourself?!
Rolling his eyes, Alex gave him a simple reply: "Fish."
Without wasting another word, he began rowing back to shore.
He glanced at the unconscious chubby guy lying nearby. After slapping him more than a dozen times, the guy's face was swollen—but still no response.
With Luffy nagging nonstop behind him, Alex had no choice but to start rowing alone.
After about a minute, he felt something wasn't right. No matter how hard he rowed, the boat wasn't moving forward. In fact… it was slowly drifting backward.
The sea was calm, no wind or waves. That shouldn't be happening.
Alex turned around to investigate—and nearly lost it.
There was Luffy, standing at the back of the boat, stretching his arms all the way out to grab the giant Sea King floating on the water. And with his other hand, he was casually rowing… in the wrong direction.
Are you kidding me?! I never should've let this guy help! He's making it worse!
Completely fed up, Alex snapped, "What the hell are you doing?!"
"I wanted to bring it back! We can use it for the party—it's gotta taste amazing!"
Luffy grinned like a child, drooling as he stared at the unconscious Sea King he was dragging behind the boat.
"You're holding a creature that weighs twenty times more than the boat! How are we supposed to row with that thing tied to us?!"
Luffy blinked. "Oh… I thought you were slacking off and not rowing hard enough. Guess I messed up. Hahaha!"
Even after realizing it was his own fault, he just laughed it off like it was nothing. That carefree attitude made Alex's blood run cold.
If I really set sail with him and we haven't even met Zoro yet… I'm not just imagining things. This guy is absolutely going to get me killed.
No doubt about it. I'd be dead in less than a week.
As this grim thought crossed Alex's mind, Luffy muttered, "Well, guess there's only one thing to do."
He dropped the oar, stretched both arms out, and gripped the Sea King with all his strength.
Alex opened his mouth to tell him to stop—but before he could speak, Luffy lifted the Sea King above his head and hurled it forward with all his might.
The moment he did, the small fishing boat wobbled violently under the weight and even began to sink.