Right now in the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates still dominated the region.
From this alone, Lucky Drake could deduce that Luffy likely hadn't set sail yet.
After all, once Luffy went to sea, Krieg would soon be defeated by him and arrested by the Marines—there was no way he'd remain the so-called "Overlord of the East Blue."
Speaking of Krieg…
That man commanded over three thousand pirate ships.
And any pirate in the East Blue who refused to join his fleet had to pay him protection money—at least 100 million Berries a year.
Those who refused weren't allowed to sail or even dream of entering the Grand Line.
"Vice-captain! There's a person in the water!"
Suddenly, a crewman named Awei ran over holding a small telescope.
"And it's a fat woman!"
"Huh? A fat woman?"
Lucky Drake was slightly surprised—and delighted.
"How fat?"
"Very, VERY fat!"
"Tut-tut…"
Lucky Drake clicked his tongue. That description could only mean one person—
Alvida.
Luffy's first encounter at sea.
A woman who claimed to be the most beautiful woman on the seas.
"Interesting. Steer the ship over!"
After giving orders, Lucky Drake headed to the second deck to inform Red:
"Captain, we found the target—but someone might have gotten to her before us."
"So unlucky?"
Red frowned—meaning they might not get any treasure?
Lucky Drake reassured him:
"Don't worry, Captain. She's got some strength. We can recruit her into the Thunder Pirates."
"Alright. You handle it. If force is needed, call me."
Satisfied, Red continued training.
As a Devil Fruit user, his Eel-Eel Fruit generated electricity under specific conditions:
by continuously training his body,or by being beaten up.
Lucky Drake returned to the deck.
Recruiting Alvida was not a random decision.
She would eventually possess a Devil Fruit—the Sube-Sube Fruit.
Fully developed, it could make her a major combat force in their crew.
And the Thunder Pirates would face many enemies ahead.
Lucky Drake couldn't do everything alone—that would be too exhausting.
Soon…
Their ship approached the drifting figure—indeed, the pirate Alvida.
She was clinging desperately to a wooden barrel, a heavy pouch tied to her waist.
"Help me!"
"Please, help me!!"
Seeing a pirate ship approach, she looked as if she'd found her final lifeline.
She had been drifting for a full day and night.
Her legs were nearly macerated, and only sheer willpower had kept her alive.
Ding!
"Mission triggered: Rescue Alvida and persuade her to join the Thunder Pirates. Reward: Lottery Points."
The system voice rang in Lucky Drake's mind.
Lucky Drake was thrilled—
so easy to earn lottery points?!
The starting missions were truly simple.
"Send a few men to haul her up."
"Yes, Vice-Captain!"
Soon, Alvida was brought onto the deck.
And yes—she was extremely fat.
Not quite on the level of Big Mom, but at least a miniature version of her.
"Give her fresh water."
"Yes!"
After gulping down several mouthfuls, Alvida's mind became clearer.
Then she suddenly clutched the pouch at her waist protectively.
Her reaction immediately drew attention from the crew.
"Hey, fat lady, we saved you. Shouldn't you pay us back somehow?"
"Yeah! What's in that bag? It's heavy—don't tell me it's treasure?"
"No! My treasure sank into the sea!"
At the mention of her sunken ship, hatred filled Alvida's eyes.
"That straw hat brat… unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable!"
"Tsk! No treasure?"
"So what's more important, your life or that thing you're hugging?"
"Hand it over. Let us see what's inside."
Several pirates lunged forward and grabbed the pouch.
Alvida tried to resist, but she was too drained to do anything.
"That's mine!"
"Don't touch it!!"
The men forcefully opened the bag—and blinked in confusion.
"Huh?"
"A fruit?"
"A fruit…?"
Hearing that, Lucky Drake's heart tightened.
A fruit?
Could it be… a Devil Fruit?
"Let me see it," Lucky Drake ordered.
Awei handed it to him.
"Vice-captain, this weird white fruit—it looks like it's been soaked in seawater too long. Probably not edible anymore. No idea why she treats it like treasure."
Lucky Drake examined it carefully.
Sure enough—
a Devil Fruit.
So Alvida gained the Sube-Sube Fruit because Luffy sank her ship, forcing her to drift until she found it.
As expected of the protagonist's very first villain—
Heaven's compensation was outrageous.
And this fat woman dreamed daily of becoming the most beautiful woman on the seas.
Well…
This was her big opportunity.
The Sube-Sube Fruit could shed all her fat and transform her into a stunning beauty.
"Vice-captain, what do we do with her?"
"Should we ask whether she hid any treasure somewhere?" Awei suggested. "Isn't money the whole reason we came out?"
"No worries. Leave this to me."
Lucky Drake looked at Alvida and asked:
"Alvida, your pirate crew is gone. Want to join the Thunder Pirates?"
"Wait, Vice-captain—she's this fat and this ugly, and you want her on our ship?"
"Yeah, we're all men here. We're scared!"
"Hold up—what are those faces?!"
Lucky Drake looked at his crewmates.
These guys were basically long-time single men who hadn't seen a woman in ages—
they looked like they might fall for a pig but were ashamed to admit it.
"Vice-captain, reconsider! Can't we find a pretty girl to join us?"
"You bunch of bastards! I, Alvida, am the most beautiful woman on the seas!"
"And I am captain material!
You think I would join your Thunder Pirates?!"
"Blue-haired brat! Give me back what's mine!"
"If you let me go, I'll give you money later as repayment for saving me!"