Chapter Three: I Am Destined to Become the King of Pirates

Fluffy white clouds drifted across the blue sky, while seagulls circled overhead. The deep blue surface of the sea seemed to blend seamlessly with the sky, and the ocean breeze whipped up wave after wave, each crest sparkling in the sun. This was the vast Atlantic.

“Mmm... mmm...”

A whale’s call echoed across the water. A gigantic whale surfaced, sending up a plume of spray from its blowhole, its enormous tail fin slapping the sea and startling countless silvery sardines into leaping out of the water.

The whale opened its mouth, and suddenly, a figure leaped out from between its jaws, landing atop the whale’s head.

Gasping for fresh air, the man declared, “The movies didn’t lie—there really is nothing pleasant about the smell inside a whale’s mouth…”

Standing atop the whale, he clenched his fists and spread his arms wide, shouting at the sky, “King of the Pirates, that’s my destiny!!”

Yes, this eccentric young man was our protagonist, Arthur. Arthur had left behind his small cabin in Iceland, believing that as a man fated to become King of the Seas, his true home ought to be the ocean itself. Inspired by Luffy, at sixteen, Arthur set sail.

He still didn’t know why he had acquired the powers of the Sea King. Was he a mutant? His name was Arthur, so did this world have DC superheroes too? Or had he gained his “cheat” after being struck by lightning?

To figure out if this world was truly the one he remembered, Arthur decided to leave that backward little fishing village behind and seek out a broader world. He set off westward, toward America.

Three days had passed since Arthur set out to sea. Without a permanent log pose, he had no idea where he was. Tired from swimming, he’d found a whale and slept soundly inside its mouth.

Now, lying back on the whale’s head, humming a tune with his hands behind his head, Arthur was thoroughly at ease. He pried a cluster of barnacles from the whale’s back, took a lemon and some wasabi from his backpack, and delighted in the taste of fresh seafood.

“Laboon, want to try some?” he called.

With a spout of water from its blowhole, the whale—whom Arthur had named Laboon—showed no interest whatsoever in the barnacles growing on its back.

“Tch, Laboon, you really don’t know how to appreciate good food. These are goose barnacles, also known as ‘hell’s delicacy.’ Mmm, not bad at all!” Arthur said with mock disdain.

Laboon replied with a mournful whale song, as if to say, “If you can eat all the barnacles on my back, I’ll thank you!”

...

A sleepy Arthur was awakened by Laboon’s calls. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, “You say there’s an island over there?”

Excitedly, Arthur looked ahead. In the distance, a small black dot appeared on the horizon—it really did look like an island.

“Quick! Head for that island!” Arthur told Laboon. After three days at sea, spotting land filled him with excitement.

As Laboon drew near, a lush, green island came into view. Arthur leaped from Laboon’s head, his figure darting swiftly through the water toward the shore.

At last, Arthur set foot on the sandy beach. The sight of coconut trees pleased him—at last, he could eat something decent. Though he no longer felt thirsty even after days without fresh water, he was still unaccustomed to his new body’s abilities.

Ever since his bloodline powers had awakened, Arthur’s body had changed dramatically. His strength and resilience had grown by the day, and as long as he was at sea, his abilities seemed to increase steadily.

If things kept progressing, would he eventually turn into the Hulk?

Arthur snapped a coconut tree in half, picked three coconuts, and with a light squeeze, split one cleanly in two. Anyone witnessing this would surely exclaim, “Is he even human?”

The island was lush with vegetation and teeming with wildlife, but there was no sign that humans had ever been here. It appeared to be uninhabited.

As the sun set, Arthur sat on the broken trunk of a coconut tree by the shore. Before him, a fire crackled, a skinned python skewered on a branch sizzling over the flames.

“I wonder where this is, and how far I am from America?” Arthur mused aloud.

Ever since arriving in this world, he had been utterly alone, rarely speaking with anyone. He had grown used to solitary silence.

Arthur decided to rest on the island for a day, gather some food, and then continue his journey. Otherwise, he’d be stuck eating nothing but sashimi and shellfish on the open sea.

The next day, Arthur caught a wild boar, roasted it over a fire, and packed the dried meat into his backpack. He filled his canteen with coconut water. His backpack, an oilcloth waterproof model brought from home, contained a few basic supplies.

Standing atop Laboon’s head, Arthur glanced back at the island and said, “Let’s go, onward to the west!”

...

On the blue expanse of the ocean, a liner from New York sailed steadily along. Its name was the Ocean Freedom.

This cruise ship was filled with tourists from many countries, along with numerous wealthy Americans. Everyone was enjoying the ship’s luxurious amenities—casinos, swimming pools, gourmet food, and even a small park.

A little boy and his mother stood on the deck. The boy leaned over the railing, straining to look out at the endless sea.

“Mom, Mom, look—a whale!”

The boy called out excitedly. “Yes, darling, that’s a very big whale,” his mother replied.

A massive whale was keeping pace with the ship, drawing the attention of many passengers. Yet no one noticed a shadowy figure slip quietly aboard.

Standing on the deck, Arthur waved to the whale and called out, “See you next time, Laboon!”