"Are you saying he smashed Saint Charlos to death right in front of you? And defeated Kizaru with a single punch?"
At this moment, in the office of the Five Elders, Kizaru and a few men in suits were reporting the incident to them.
The Five Elders were stunned after hearing this. If the boy had truly killed a Celestial Dragon, he would have been executed hundreds of times over. The Celestial Dragons themselves are defenseless, so it was no surprise that one could be killed easily.
But what truly shocked them was that Kizaru, an admiral of Marine Headquarters, wasn't able to withstand a punch from that boy?
"I didn't expect his punch to be that strong. I even coughed up blood." Though Kizaru was still lazily slouched, his clothes were stained with blood from the earlier blow.
"Did the opponent use Armament Haki?" one of the bald Five Elders asked Kizaru.
"It didn't seem like it. He used a basic punch to shatter my elemental form. It's as if his fist distorted the air itself," Kizaru replied after some thought.
"After attacking Admiral Kizaru, the assailant suddenly vanished," one of the men in suits added.
"Yes, we didn't see what technique he used. One second he was there, and the next, he was gone," the other man in a suit confirmed.
"How did someone like that infiltrate Mariejois? At first, I wondered the same thing, but it now seems he may have a Devil Fruit ability related to space-time manipulation," the white-bearded Elder commented, stroking his long beard.
"From now on, we'll need to heighten security in Mariejois. No one should be able to break in so easily," the bald Elder declared.
"This isn't the time to focus on where he came from. Saint Charlos's family is pressuring us to act. We must capture this murderer!"
"Head to the Den Den Mushi surveillance room at once. Turn his image into a wanted poster and distribute it worldwide!"
"Yes, sir!" the suited man replied and quickly dashed out of the room. Not long after, he returned in a panic, hesitating at the door.
"What is it? Speak!" the bearded Elder barked at him.
"Y-Yes, sir! I wanted to ask… what should the bounty be?"
Meanwhile...
"Ahh, what a meal~~~"
Benson had just finished a feast on the beach. Whether it was due to adapting to this world or his sheer strength, he had devoured the entire Sea King from the nearby waters.
All that remained were the bones near the fire.
"I can't believe how good it tastes even without seasoning. Is this the flavor of Poseidon?" Benson wiped his mouth and lay back on the ground.
Now that he was in this world, Benson had no plans to return to his previous one. He was here, with the modifier in his hand—how could he not enjoy himself?
Forget about beating Akainu to save Ace or helping Whitebeard.
Just thinking about Boa Hancock, Nami, Robin, and all the other beautiful women, Benson had no desire to go back to his old world. He finally had the chance to get close to them, even if it meant forcing things a bit. He was determined to live in comfort first!
"First things first, I need to gather some companions. Let's aim for ten crewmates and a pirate flag… Alright! Let's go! ONE PIECE, I'm going to claim it!"
At that moment, shouting could be heard from the sea. Benson sat up and looked towards the noise. There was a small boat with a young man wearing a straw hat, his arms spread wide, calling out.
"That's... Luffy, right?" Benson murmured as he looked at the figure. Then he lay back down. A moment later, realization hit him: "Luffy?! If I team up with him, won't I get to meet Nami and Robin?"
Benson shot up from the ground, but when he looked back at the sea, Luffy was already gone.
"He must've just set sail. What luck! In that case, I'll head to Orange Town and wait for him!" Being familiar with the story, Benson knew exactly where to meet Luffy.
Orange Town was where Luffy and Buggy first clashed. Nami would already be there before Luffy arrived. By going to Orange Town, Benson could encounter both Nami and Luffy and, while he was at it, steal Buggy's treasure. That way, he'd also have some money.
Benson gave himself a thumbs up for his brilliant plan, nodding in approval as he calculated his next steps.
"But... how do I get to Orange Town?" Benson wondered.
Just then, a notification popped up in his mind from the modifier: [Ding... Navigation to Orange Town is ready.]
The modifier displayed a map for Benson, complete with navigation instructions.
"You can do that too? Can you take me to Raftel while you're at it?" Benson joked with the modifier. That would make him the Pirate King instantly!
[Ding... Navigation is limited to nearby locations.]
"...Well, better than nothing." Benson sighed but wasn't too disappointed. He hadn't gotten his hopes up anyway. Armed with the navigation, Benson dove into the sea and began swimming towards Orange Town.
Since he didn't have a boat, swimming was his only option.
"Hurry! Reel it in before it gets away!" Benson heard someone shout as he swam a certain distance. In front of him was a fishing boat with two men on board.
Seeing this, Benson's eyes gleamed. He swam faster, diving beneath the boat, and grabbed the fishing line, launching himself out of the water.
"Wha—?!"
The two men were dumbfounded. Why had they just fished out a person?
Benson landed on the boat with a splash and casually waved at the two fishermen. "Yo, mind if I join you?"
A short while later, two bodies sank to the bottom of the sea. After all, they were just mercenaries. What good could come from them?
After sailing for a day, Benson finally reached Orange Town. He docked the small boat in the harbor. In addition to his stolen fishing boat, two larger ships were anchored there, flying the flag of the Buggy Pirates.
Upon entering Orange Town, Benson found the place in shambles. Many buildings had collapsed, and though it was dark, light shone from the rooftop of the tallest structure in town. Faint cheers and laughter could be heard from above.
Buggy and his crew were likely celebrating.
But Benson had no time to worry about them. He was hungry again. The fish he had eaten on the way hadn't been enough. His first priority now was to find food.
He searched house after house but found no meat. Only bread—most of it moldy—and spoiled fruit.
"It seems the only place with food is up there," Benson muttered, gazing at the lit rooftop. He started walking toward it. Poor Buggy had no idea what was coming his way