Chapter 5.
In the pirate world, on a deserted island, Suzuki had been living on wild food for a month straight. He had tried the few types of fruits in the forest several times and eventually chose the initial apple as his dessert. Along the coast of the deserted island, various seafood often crawled out onto the beach.
Occasionally, he would catch some animals in the forest or collect a few unknown bird eggs.
During his month on the deserted island, he still maintained about ten hours of training every day! Then, he would spend a few hours by the seaside, enjoying the slightly fishy sea breeze while waiting for a ship, which also served as relaxation after training.
When sleeping, Suzuki used some planks from the remains of a damaged ship's stern to build a simple wooden hut at the edge of the forest, leaning against a few fruit trees.
One must say that the weather in the pirate world is truly unpredictable!
During this month, Suzuki experienced scorching days with temperatures reaching nearly fifty degrees Celsius, as well as torrential rainstorms that felt like floods.
At night, he was even startled awake by sudden drops in temperature and snowflakes collapsing his roof.
He even encountered hail once...
Such bizarre weather made Suzuki realize that this deserted island was likely not in the Four Seas but in the Grand Line. He just didn't know if it was in the first half of Paradise or the second half of the New World...
Today marks the thirty-fifth day of Suzuki's stay on the deserted island. As usual, after completing his training plan, he headed to the coast to wait for a ship that could take him away from the island. After a few hours of waiting, just when Suzuki was about to turn and leave the beach, a small black dot appeared on the azure sea!
The small dot gradually grew larger. "Is that???... A ship!"
Suzuki was slightly surprised.
"Finally, it's here!"
However, he did not choose to call for help directly because he still did not know whether the approaching vessel was a merchant ship, a naval warship, or a pirate ship.
If it were the first two, it would be fine, but if it were a pirate ship, in this area that could possibly be the Grand Line, whether in Paradise or the New World, he had no ability to confront pirates head-on.
So, Suzuki took out a few stones he had prepared earlier, sharpened to resemble shurikens, and a pointed branch from his pocket, slowly moving closer to the reef, using it as cover, calmly watching the gradually enlarging ship.
Gradually, the ship drew closer to the deserted island.
Suzuki could see clearly now; there was no pirate flag, nor did it look like a warship. It was a merchant ship!
However, the merchant ship seemed to be heading straight for the next island; after approaching the deserted island, it did not come closer but instead gradually moved away.
Suzuki quickly jumped up from behind the reef. He tore off a part of his shirt and hung it on a branch, waving it like a flag towards the merchant ship...
Over there, the merchant ship seemed to have spotted Suzuki on the reef, and after stopping for a moment, a very small wooden boat headed towards the deserted island.
The small wooden boat soon reached the deserted island, carrying only a tall middle-aged man, roughly estimated to be nearly three meters tall, with a sturdy build and a rugged appearance.
When the small boat was still some distance from the shore, the middle-aged crew member did not get off but remained seated in the small boat, watching Suzuki with a hint of caution on his face.
Seeing this, Suzuki quietly put the stones back into his pocket and jumped down from the reef, slowly walking towards the small boat.
When he was about ten meters away, the tall and strong middle-aged crew member called out to Suzuki:
"Stop! Yes, don't come any closer!"
The imposing middle-aged crew member seemed a bit uneasy about Suzuki.
"Are you a pirate?"
Suzuki understood his caution and readily replied:
"No, I am not a pirate, just an ordinary person! I encountered a heavy rainstorm and blizzard, and now I have no companions in this world. I have been alone on this deserted island for a long time."
The middle-aged crew member looked at Suzuki, who still bore a somewhat youthful appearance, and he breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly convinced. He then called out to Suzuki, "Sorry about that, come on board, kid. You know, the sea is dangerous and not calm; we must learn to protect ourselves!"
With gratitude, Suzuki replied to the middle-aged crew member, "Thank you!"
Soon, Suzuki boarded the small boat, and as they got closer, the middle-aged crew member could clearly see that Suzuki looked to be only in his teens, completely easing his caution. The small boat rowed towards the merchant ship.
Before long, the small boat reached near the merchant ship, and following the middle-aged crew member, Suzuki also boarded the ship.
Once on board, the middle-aged crew member briefly introduced Suzuki to his companions on the merchant ship, and Suzuki expressed his thanks to everyone!
After that, the merchant ship continued to sail across the vast sea.
On the deck, Suzuki felt the sea breeze and smelled the faint scent of the sea, while some crew members were fishing with rods and chatting happily.
Listening to the conversations among the crew members on the merchant ship, he gathered some new information about the pirate world.
For instance, the deserted island where he had stayed for a month was actually not far from Alabasta.
It should now be July 5, 1496 in the Sea Calendar, and more than a year had passed since the battle between Gold Roger and the Golden Lion he saw reported in the newspaper—the Battle of Edd War.
This merchant ship was heading from the shipwrights city—Water City, to Alabasta, though he was not clear about what they were selling; however, Suzuki guessed it might be related to freshwater.
Another significant event this year was that the famous Roger Pirates had gained a new crew member, and according to news reports, that crew member seemed to have previously been part of the Whitebeard Pirates!
The news even confidently stated that the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates had secretly formed an alliance!
Additionally, there were some rumors and gossip-like news.
For example, their world-renowned shipbuilding master in Water City, Tom, seemed to have a close relationship with a very beautiful mermaid!
At the same time, there was a mischievous child in Water City named Franky, who seemed to be highly regarded by Master Tom and might be taken as a disciple!
Also, the place they went to this time is said to be where the Crown Prince of Alabasta, Nefirutali Kobura, has refused his father's command to take a concubine for the fifth time, stating that he will forever only love his royal consort, Nefirutali Titi!
Next were some usual trivial matters. Like whose dog had puppies, whose cat went next door to steal food, and how well someone's pumpkin was growing this year.
Suzuki stood quietly by, listening intently, including the so-called family gossip, some petty matters, and obvious bragging, all of which he took very seriously.
Not long after, the captain of the merchant ship came to the deck.
The captain was an elderly man with black hair, about 1.9 meters tall, wearing a deep blue coat. Despite being an old man, he walked more robustly than the crew members. He was now walking towards Suzuki.
"Ha ha, hello, I'm the captain of this ship—Ethan." Captain Ethan extended a hand to Suzuki.
"Hello, Captain Ethan, my name is Suzuki." Suzuki shook hands with the old captain named Ethan.
"I see, little Suzuki. Our dinner will be ready soon; would you like to join us? How about it?" Captain Ethan invited Suzuki.
"Um, thank you! But I don't have any money on me right now," Suzuki replied somewhat embarrassed.
"Hmph, look at these lazy guys, just fishing in the sea," Captain Ethan pointed at a burly crew member who was straining to pull up a fishing rod.
"Hurry up, this fish must be huge! Captain, I'll take it to the kitchen later!" a crew member was pulling the bent fishing rod with all his might.
Captain Ethan immediately shouted angrily, "The kitchen can't hold any more! You idiots!"
"Hey, Captain, don't say that! We're just adding to your meal," the other crew members sitting on the deck fishing laughed in response.
Captain Ethan helplessly turned back to Suzuki, saying, "These little brats are really out of line," and then, as if reminiscing, added, "Hmph, back when I was in the navy..."
Along the way, Suzuki listened to Captain Ethan's nostalgic words and arrived at the dining room.
After dinner, Captain Ethan told Suzuki that they would reach, Alabasta, in about three days and asked if Suzuki wanted to disembark there. If he needed to go home, he could inform the port's partners or the navy.
Suzuki indicated that he was alone for now, so it was fine to disembark at Alabasta.
Soon, three days passed, and Alabasta was in sight.
Tl|N : If you see any mistake 😔, let me know in the comments so I can edit them..