Chapter 7

Eden found himself caught in a rapidly spinning whirlpool. The powerful, tearing force of the vortex felt as if it would rip his body apart, causing him immense discomfort.

Immersed in the seawater, his body weak and powerless, Eden realized he was utterly helpless against the overwhelming force of the whirlpool.

The only consolation was that the whirlpool kept him from sinking to the ocean floor. Instead, he spun endlessly around the vortex, feeling increasingly dizzy and disoriented.

On the boat, Luffy was frantic. He repeatedly stretched out his arm, trying to pull Eden from the whirlpool, but Eden was spinning too quickly for Luffy to grasp him.

If this continued, not only would Eden be doomed, but Luffy also knew he would not survive either.

"Why is this happening? The weather was so good today. I didn't expect such a big whirlpool to appear and put Eden in danger. This is really unexpected," Luffy muttered, trying to remain calm while contemplating a solution.

Damn it, unexpected my ass. If you hadn't thrown me into the sea, this wouldn't have happened!

Spinning helplessly in the vortex, Eden heard Luffy's words and wanted to smack him. At such a critical moment, Luffy still had the nerve to be sentimental. It was beyond exasperating.

"Although I want to call for help, there's no one around," Luffy sighed, scanning the empty sea. "If the boat sinks and we die here, there's nothing we can do about it. Besides, I can't swim."

Hearing Luffy's words, Eden couldn't help but admire his calm acceptance of the situation, even though it frustrated him. He had no strength left to shout or call for help.

Have I changed the course of One Piece history by joining Luffy, leading to our demise here?

As this thought crossed Eden's mind, Luffy suddenly had a burst of inspiration. "Wait a minute, it doesn't matter if you can swim or not in this situation."

"Eden, hold on! We'll be saved soon!" Luffy shouted, grabbing the treasure chest filled with gold from the corner of the boat and dumping its contents into the whirlpool.

Eden, spinning in the vortex, felt a sudden pain in his head as hard objects struck him, nearly knocking him unconscious.

Realizing the objects were gold coins from their treasure chest, Eden's frustration grew. Luffy had thrown the gold to save the meat, demonstrating his extreme dedication to food over treasure.

Just don't hit me with the gold!

Eden's irritation turned to dread as he realized things could only get worse with Luffy's attempts to help.

"Rubber-Rocket!" Luffy extended his arms back, then launched them forward, hitting the now-empty treasure chest with great force.

The chest flew towards Eden, causing a wave that lifted him out of the whirlpool.

Before Eden could react, Luffy's extended arm grabbed him and shoved him into the treasure chest.

As Eden was crammed into the chest, his head repeatedly hit the hard lid, adding to his agony from the whirlpool and Luffy's rocket punch.

Unable to withstand the continuous pain, Eden blacked out just as the chest lid closed. His last thought was: I will kill him!

This ordeal made Eden understand why even the tough Zoro occasionally threatened to kill Luffy.

It's not that we're inherently violent; it's that Luffy is incredibly reckless!

The most crucial lesson was that to survive adventures with Luffy, one needed resilience akin to an indestructible cockroach.

Strength? That's secondary!

After Eden was stuffed into the treasure chest, Luffy grabbed a barrel of meat, stuffing his mouth while squeezing himself into the barrel.

Soon, their small fishing boat was destroyed by the whirlpool.

Eden awoke sometime later, his head pounding. He found himself in a cramped, dark space, making movement difficult.

Recalling the events before he passed out, Eden realized he was still inside the treasure chest.

I'm alive, so we must have been rescued. But where am I now?

Eden's body ached as if he had been beaten mercilessly. He worried that if he were still drifting at sea, he wouldn't survive long.

The chest had a small keyhole for air, but water had begun seeping in. He needed to escape soon.

However, Eden noticed the chest felt stable, not like it was floating at sea.

What's going on? Did someone rescue me?

Eden was pondering his situation when he heard a deep, raspy voice. "Koby, what is the most beautiful thing in the sea?"

"T-that would be you, Miss Alvida! Hehehe..."

A fearful, fawning voice responded, confirming Eden's suspicion.

Alvida, the pirate with a big iron club, a round hat, freckles, and a grotesque, obese figure known for her cruelty.

Damn, it's Alvida who found me, probably thinking there's treasure in this chest.

If she finds out I'm inside, she'll probably kill me with one hit. I should stay hidden and wait for a better opportunity.

Eden knew Alvida was a pirate with a bounty of five million berries, a pitifully low amount, but still too much for his current weakened state.

If I were at full strength, I might be able to handle this fat woman.

Eden felt the chest being lifted. Alvida instructed her men, "Take this inside. We'll inspect the treasure after we capture our prey."

"The beautiful Miss Alvida, this is a rare catch," a middle-aged pirate said.

"Yes, we're going to take that ship. You better work hard!" Alvida commanded, her harsh voice grating.

From their conversation, Eden deduced that Alvida was planning to raid a luxurious ship. Luffy might be on that ship, and Alvida would be in for a rude awakening if she encountered him.

After a brief period of jostling, Eden was carried into a storage room.

Hearing the sounds of cannon fire and pirates shouting, Eden realized most of the crew had left to attack the other ship. This was his chance to escape.

Once I meet up with Luffy, everything will be fine.

Eden decided to make his move when he heard a pirate's voice. "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before."

Seconds later, a loud thud followed by silence indicated the pirate had been knocked out.

"Pirates are such idiots. Let's see what's in here," a melodic female voice said.

With a click, the treasure chest opened, and light flooded in. Eden found himself staring up at a beautiful girl with short orange hair.

Lying flat in the treasure chest, Eden locked eyes with the lively eyes of Nami.