CHAPTER 3 : JOINING THE CREW

### Chapter 3: Joining the Crew

Looking at the determined Luffy, Alex realized why he is destined to be the future Pirate King. Suddenly, a quest popped up in front of him.

**<Join a Crew>**

**Reward:** 

**Physique +30**

**Penalty:** 

**NONE**

*"Is this a quest? Has it started?"* thought Alex as he read the information on his panel.

"Hey, Luffy," asked Alex.

"Yeah?" replied Luffy.

"Can I join your crew?" asked Alex.

"My crew? Really? Haha! Why not? But I will be the captain," said Luffy.

"Definitely. I have no interest in becoming the captain. You can be the captain, but I have a condition," Alex stated.

"Huh? What is it?" asked Luffy.

"I want to be the vice-captain of the ship, and you won't do anything big without discussing it with the crew first."

"But, shouldn't everyone follow the captain's orders?" asked a more puzzled Luffy.

"Yeah, that's true, but you shouldn't do anything too important on your own. If you don't use your brain, the whole crew might be finished," explained Alex.

"Umm, okay then. But the captain's orders are final," Luffy conceded.

"Okay," Alex agreed.

Alex felt something warm inside him as his strength increased. He decided to check his stats.

**Physique:** 40 

**Mind:** 10 

**Haki:** None 

**Abilities:** None

Satisfied with the result, he decided to close the panel.

"Hey, Luffy! Since we've officially formed our crew, shouldn't we name it?" asked Alex.

Luffy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yeah! A name! What should we call it?"

"How about we avoid using the word 'pirate' for now?" suggested Alex. "We're not strong enough to fight in the Grand Line yet. Maybe we can call ourselves adventurers instead."

"Adventurers? But I want to be the Pirate King!" Luffy protested.

"Listen, Luffy," Alex said. "Being a pirate right now will just attract unnecessary attention. If we call ourselves adventurers, we can still do everything we want without being chased by the Marines and bounty hunters."

Koby chimed in, "Alex is right, Luffy. If you get too much attention too soon, you won't even make it to the Grand Line. Let's stay low for a while."

"But I don't want to hide! I want everyone to know I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy argued, pouting.

Alex laughed. "You can still be the Pirate King, Luffy. Just think of it as a disguise. Once we're strong enough, you can declare to the world that you're a pirate and that you're going after the One Piece."

Luffy scratched his head, thinking. "Hmm, I guess that makes sense. But what should we call ourselves?"

"How about the 'Straw Hat Adventurers'?" suggested Alex, trying to keep it neutral.

"No, I like the 'Straw Hat Pirates'!" Luffy said, grinning.

"How about 'Straw Hat Explorers'?" Koby offered.

Luffy shook his head vigorously. "Nope! Straw Hat Pirates!"

Alex sighed, realizing Luffy was set on the name. "Alright, Luffy. How about we compromise? We call ourselves the 'Straw Hat Adventurers' in private but we act like adventurers until we're strong enough. That way, we can still do what we want without drawing too much attention."

Luffy thought about it for a moment and then nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! That sounds good! Straw Hat adventurers it is!"

Koby sighed in relief. "Well, at least we tried."

Alex grinned. "Alright, Captain Luffy, what's our next move?"

Luffy looked out to the sea, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Next, we find more crew members and head to the Grand Line!"

Alex nodded, feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "Sounds like a plan, Captain."

"But where should we get new crewmates in this vast sea?" said Koby.

Luffy replied, listening to Koby, "I heard there's a famous person named 'Roronoa Zoro' in the nearest Marine base. Maybe we should go there to see if we can recruit him."

"You mean that monster 'Roronoa Zoro' who hunts pirates? Why are you going after him? He will kill you," said Koby.

Alex spoke up, "I think it's fine. I heard he's quite strong around here, but we have to be careful not to alert the Marines. Once we are on the bad side of the Marines, there's no going back; they will brand us criminals. Zoro is held captive by the Marines, so we can't rush there either."

"Hmmm, that's difficult. What if he wants to join our crew? We have to get him out of there," said Luffy.

"Let's think about this after we have arrived at the Marine base and then decide. But Luffy, promise me not to do anything impulsive. If you do anything wrong, even Koby won't be able to become a Marine. You will also destroy Koby's dream."

"Huh? Okay then, we will do what you say and make Koby join the Marines."

With their new crew name and a plan in place, Alex felt a sense of purpose. He might be in a strange world, but with Luffy's determination and his own knowledge of the future, he believed they could face any challenge that came their way.

As the small raft sailed on, Alex looked at his new crewmates and smiled. The adventure was just beginning, and he was ready for whatever came next.