Chapter 23: Buggy Pirates
♂ "W-What is this!?"
Ian stared at the Sword Saint Longsword in his hand, utterly incredulous, and quickly asked the system.
"Exclusive items can generate materialized projections!" the system explained. "But the projection only has a percentage of the corresponding star rating's power!"
Ian understood instantly. In other words, the Sword Saint Longsword in his hand couldn't achieve the full effect of the real weapon, right?
Looking at the Sword Saint Longsword in his hand, he found it was indeed quite long. This weapon, which he wasn't sure whether to call a sword or a blade, was originally the weapon of the Orc Blade Master in the game Warcraft. Orcs were so tall and large; when they held it, it looked normal, but in Ian's hands, it appeared quite massive! This sword was almost as long as Ian's height!
But in terms of visual effect, there was no denying it. Although it looked rough, whether it was the curve or the sharpness, it was top-notch. Simple! Efficient! This was a weapon born for slaughter!
He lightly tapped the blade and heard a buzzing ring, indicating that the material of the longsword was very uniform. The entire weight of the blade was concentrated on the spine, making it especially suitable for chopping.
According to Ian's understanding, this counted as a heavy sword, requiring both hands to hold.
Originally, when Ian set out to sea, he only carried a crudely made sword. Having spent so many years at the dojo, he was deeply influenced by Master Koushirou, who believed that the most important thing for a swordsman was to have a good sword. So, he felt a bit regretful about the sword he brought along. Now, it was like a pillow arriving just when he was sleepy—just as Ian was thinking about how to get a good weapon, the system delivered it to him.
Although this Sword Saint Longsword was completely different from the katana he usually used, the principles of swordsmanship were universal. The Sword Saint Longsword was not only suitable for chopping but also for thrusting and horizontal slashing. As long as Ian had some time to get used to its weight, there would be no problem.
Well, saying all that wasn't the issue. The key was... it was flashy!
Even without a scabbard, once this Sword Saint Longsword was strapped to his back, his style instantly skyrocketed!
Holding the longsword, Ian tried swinging it a few times. Hearing the whoosh of the blade cutting through the air, he felt very satisfied. It seemed like this was the only item in the first-recharge gift pack that didn't cheat him.
And what made Ian most comfortable was that this Sword Saint Longsword could be instantly dismissed by removing the exclusive item from the equipment slot! When re-equipped, it would reappear, just like a spatial storage item, very convenient.
The small boat sailed forward with the wind. Ian practiced swinging the Sword Saint Longsword on the boat, partly to get used to it quickly and partly because, after so many years of habit, swinging a sword had become second nature to him. If he didn't practice a few times when he had the chance, he felt uncomfortable all over.
Unfortunately, focused practice often led to neglecting other things.
At some point, the wind direction at sea had changed, and Ian's boat unconsciously changed course as well. Ian didn't notice any of this, completely immersed in his training.
By evening, the sea breeze became more violent, and the air pressure began to drop. Anyone with common sense would realize this was a sign of an impending storm at sea.
Only then did Ian snap back to reality and lower his sail.
The weather at sea changed in an instant. Not long after Ian lowered his sail, the storm arrived. Strong winds began to buffet his small boat, raising layer after layer of huge waves that crashed against it. At first, Ian was worried about capsizing, so he sat in the middle of the boat in his raincoat, relying on his strength to steady it. But soon, he had to stand up, grab the bucket left in the fishing boat, and desperately bail water out!
How strong could a small fishing boat be against wind and waves? Everyone knows the answer without needing to say much. Experienced fishermen go out to sea in the morning and return by evening, fishing only in coastal waters.
It could be said that Ian was completely misled by the comics he used to read. In his memory, whether it was Luffy, Ace, or Sabo, they all seemed to set out to sea alone in a small boat, making him think he could do the same.
Only when he truly experienced sailing did Ian realize he had underestimated the art of navigation.
Looking around, the sea was now pitch black due to the gloomy weather. The sun was nowhere to be seen, and without any reference points, Ian had no idea which direction he was heading.
He barely managed to endure the storm, but his clothes and dry rations stored in the boat were all soaked by seawater. The clothes were fine—he could dry them when the sun came out—but the dry rations were completely ruined!
The next day, when the sun rose, Ian realized he was lost. When he set out, he was sailing north, but now the sun's position indicated he was actually sailing west. He had no idea how far off course he had drifted.
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Ian slapped his forehead when he realized this. Back in Shimotsuki Village, the one thing he always told Zoro was: "Never trust your sense of direction. If you get lost, stay where you are and wait for someone to rescue you!" He never expected to get lost himself first.
Ian's geographical knowledge was pitiful, but he knew he couldn't keep heading west. Going west didn't seem to lead to any islands; instead, it would get closer to the Calm Belt of the Grand Line!
That place was a gathering spot for large Sea Kings. With Ian's small frame, he wouldn't come back if he went there...
So, he had to adjust his direction and continue sailing north.
But being off course meant Ian would have to spend more time at sea, and his dry rations were gone. If he wanted to eat, he would have to rely on the sea.
And this further highlighted Ian's lack of nautical knowledge: he had forgotten to prepare a fishing rod on his boat!
Uncle Hull was already generous enough to give him a fishing boat; he couldn't be expected to prepare a fishing rod too, right? But when Ian set out to sea, he simply didn't think of it, leaving him unable to even fish!
By noon, Ian was so hungry his eyes were turning green. He came up with an idea: he tied a rope to the katana he brought along and threw it into the sea to fish.
But how could any fish bite? The rope was too thick, and there was no hook or bait. How blind would a fish have to be to get caught by him?
Maybe he was too hungry to think straight. After staring at his homemade fishing rod for a long time with no reaction, Ian finally snapped out of it, slapped his forehead, and cursed his own stupidity. He then stripped off his clothes, wearing only his shorts, bit the katana, and jumped into the sea.
Without a fishing rod, he had to catch fish himself. Fortunately, Ian had enough lung capacity to dive deep and stay underwater for a while.
He should be able to catch some fish, right? Ian thought.
But what Ian didn't expect was that just as he dived down, another ship appeared on the sea surface behind him.
This was a large sailing ship. On its mast hung a black pirate flag, and the pattern on the flag was a skull with a round red nose.
On the mast, a lookout sailor was scanning the surroundings with a telescope. Soon, he spotted Ian's small boat left on the surface.
"Captain Buggy! There's a small boat over there!" the lookout shouted down. "It looks like a fishing boat, but for some reason, there's no one on it!"
On the deck below, a man wearing a captain's hat and a coat was sitting on a chair, chin resting on his hand. He was dressed like a clown, and his nose was particularly noticeable—a big, round red nose.
That's right, this ship was the pirate ship of the Buggy Pirates, and this man was the captain, Buggy the Clown.
Hearing the lookout's shout, he paused for a moment and said, "An unmanned small boat? A shipwreck?"
"Maybe, given how fierce last night's storm was!" replied a black-haired man riding a unicycle nearby, arms crossed.
"Send someone to check it out. Maybe we can find some loot!" Buggy waved his hand. "We're a pirate crew known for plundering. Don't let even a small fish slip away!"
"Yes, Captain Buggy!" the pirates on deck immediately stood at attention and responded loudly.
Soon, a small boat was lowered from the pirate ship and headed toward Ian's boat.
Meanwhile, Ian had no idea what was happening on the surface. He was still underwater, trying to catch fish!
He didn't realize how hard it was to catch fish in the sea. How could a human's speed in water compare to a fish's? Even though there were fish swimming everywhere, Ian couldn't catch a single one.
When he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he surfaced to catch some air, then dived back down. When a person is starving, they'll do anything for food.
He kept popping up and diving back down, so Ian didn't notice the small boat from the Buggy Pirates approaching. Similarly, because his target was too small, the pirates on the boat didn't spot him either.
So, a few pirates climbed onto Ian's boat. After searching around and finding nothing, they ended up taking his clothes and hat back to report...