As Allen was about to reach the island, the same phenomenon as last time occurred—the world slowed down, and a door appeared. When it opened, it resembled a black hole and began pulling Allen in.
"What the hell?!"
Allen was dragged into the void in panic, until suddenly his memories returned all at once and he calmed down. Unfortunately, once "Lunch Break Time" ended, he remembered nothing—not even how he got there—so every single time, he had to relive the experience of being swallowed by a black hole all over again.
When Allen opened his eyes, he was already standing in his stream room. This time, he wasn't surprised and walked toward his desk with a tired expression.
Comments flooded his PC monitor one after another.
Felicia – Welcome back, are you okay?
Gwen – How are you feeling?
MJ – At first we were too entertained by the situation, but after thinking about it, we got worried. Isn't constant memory alteration kind of dangerous?
"I'm fine, don't worry. It doesn't affect me physically, mentally, or spiritually," Allen chuckled a little. "If I had to compare sealing my memories to something, it'd be like when you lose your phone that you literally had in your hand a moment ago, and then remembering is like randomly recalling a joke or a catchy song out of nowhere."
PersyJ – This guy is really comparing forgetting his keys to sealing over twenty years of memories.
The system interrupted with a message on the screen.
[Hmph, do you really think I'd do something to hurt Allen? Obviously, my work is the best!]
Artoria – I'm glad to hear that, but something else concerns me. How do you feel about your actions in that world?
Raven – You mean killing that disgusting guy?
"..." Allen fell silent.
Because of his deal with Lucifer, Allen still retained his essence as a person, along with part of his personality. However, it wasn't perfect. After all, this was a new life, a new story, and a new Allen.
McDragon – From what I understand, this Helmeppo guy would eventually get redeemed.
Rogue – It's easy to judge from a godlike perspective. Many of us know Helmeppo would reform and become a better person, but for Allen, he was nothing more than a disgusting, vain, cruel man who wouldn't hesitate to hurt others.
Ruby (Jean) – For Allen, these aren't "characters." They're real people in his world, whose futures, pasts, and personalities are unknown to him. How they interact with him and how their paths end is something we can't judge from the outside.
Allen smiled and leaned against the desk after reading the comments. "I'll accept it. No matter how act that shameless bastard in the One Piece world is still me—for better or worse."
He wasn't going to deny himself. Every decision he made, every action he took in that world, he would accept.
Allen chatted with his audience for a while longer before returning to One Piece.
....
...
....
Allen blinked for a moment, feeling as if he had experienced a brief mental lapse, but since it lasted only an instant, he quickly forgot about it and focused on the island ahead.
"As expected of a professional navigator, we arrived in no time!" Allen laughed.
"Yeah, yeah." Nami had already gotten somewhat used to Allen's personality, so she simply sighed before smiling faintly.
The Small Skiff didn't take long to reach the island's shore.
Both of them disembarked. As for the Chest, Allen carried it with him. Supposedly, the Chest had a special trick that allowed it to disappear and merge with Allen's ships. That was why it had insisted he acquire his own vessel quickly.
While in that state, unless the Chest itself wished otherwise, no one would be able to find it. It could also appear anywhere within the ship like a ship spirit. However, there was one flaw—if the vessel were destroyed, the Chest would be forced to reappear.
Allen looked at his Small Skiff. It was something that could be sunk to the bottom of the sea by a single cannon shot, so there was no way he'd leave his Magical Chest aboard. Instead, he tied it to his side and carried it along.
The two of them walked toward Syrup Village, which should have been nearby, but before they could get far, several pirate flags appeared from the bushes.
"S-stop right there!" shouted a young man with a trembling voice.
When Allen turned, he saw a guy aiming a slingshot at him.
He had fluffy black hair under a cap with goggles, round eyes with tiny pupils, a long Pinocchio-like nose, and thick lips. He wore brown overalls with a belt around his waist and carried a large pouch that likely held slingshot ammunition.
"I am the Great C-vaptain Usopp! Leader of fifty thousand pirates! A-Anyone who enters my territory will be annihilated!"
Despite his brave and threatening words, his knees were shaking, and he looked ready to bolt at any second.
Nami rolled her eyes. What kind of idiot would believe such an obvious lie?
"Very well, bring them all before me!" Allen crossed his arms.
"Huh?" Usopp's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"What are you saying?!" Nami exclaimed.
Allen raised his hand, interrupting her, and put on a determined expression.
"As the future King of the World, no matter the challenge, I must face it! If the world places an army of fifty thousand pirates before me, then I shall confront it!"
[Hey, you do know that's a lie, right?]
"What?"
Allen turned back toward Usopp, who had gone pale. Looking at him more carefully, he definitely didn't seem like someone who commanded an army.
"Soru."
Allen vanished and instantly appeared in front of Usopp, punching him unconscious.
"How dare you deceive the King of the World!"
"Argh!–" Usopp fell to the ground with a broken nose and bubbles coming out of his mouth.
Nami facepalmed. At this point, she had stopped caring.
....
They left Usopp unconscious and continued toward Syrup Village.
"So, what's the plan?" Nami asked casually. Earlier, Allen had said he intended to rob people here. "Are we really going to rob ordinary people? If they don't want to give us their money... will you hurt them?"
Nami's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to discern the limits of Allen's morality. Was he truly ruthless?
She didn't believe so. After all, Allen had ended Morgan and his son's tyranny precisely because they mistreated their people.
This world wasn't kind. There was slavery, injustice, and pirates who attacked villages, murdered, assaulted, and slaughtered innocent civilians. Heartless pirates like that were common, especially since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era.
Nami wanted to hear his answer. She knew Allen could steal, and she knew he could kill—but she wanted to know his heart.
Depending on his response, she would find a way to leave as soon as possible.
"No, not at all," Allen replied, causing Nami to stop walking and widen her eyes.
Allen turned toward her with an amused expression. A slight smile rested on his lips, as if the question itself were entertaining. His eyes hid nothing, and his pupils reflected the light.
"What kind of monster do you think I am? Haha."
"I'll politely ask them to sponsor me. If they refuse, we'll discreetly enter their homes and take something valuable—not too much, just a small contribution per person." Allen winked shamelessly. "Everyone will be grateful to know they helped make the world a little better by supporting me on my path to the throne. And once I become King of the World, I'll be sure to reward these kind people for their small voluntary... or involuntary... contribution."
His answer was shameless. His intention was clearly theft, yet somehow, when Allen said it, it sounded like he was doing everyone a favor.
What an absolute bastard!
What shamelessness!
What a liar!
What a son of a bitch!
Nami looked at Allen... and burst out laughing.
She couldn't help it. It wasn't just a small chuckle—it was full, uncontrollable laughter that forced her to clutch her stomach.
"Did I say something strange?" Allen asked, confused.
Seeing Allen's expression only made Nami laugh harder. This guy genuinely believed all the nonsense coming out of his mouth.
She suddenly felt ridiculous for ever considering that Allen would storm in massacring civilians while shooting anyone who resisted.
"You're an idiot! Hahaha!"
[I think so too! Hahaha!]
"Hey, that's no way to speak to your king."
Nami lightly punched his shoulder while wiping tears from her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Your Majesty~"
"Nami, I'm starting to suspect you think I'm stupid."
"Not at all~" Nami smiled.
A few more minutes passed, during which Allen and Nami talked a bit more. Allen told her how he ended up kidnapped by Alvida and nearly forced into marriage with her, while Nami shared some of her adventures as a thief.
Soon enough, they began to see houses.
....
"Syrup Village was a peaceful place, full of hills and green fields, with grass and trees everywhere. There were even some farmlands in the distance. It was definitely a pleasant place to live."
"The houses were spaced apart, giving the village the cozy atmosphere of a charming rural town."
"Today, however, was different, because a handsome, perfect, sublime young man—the future King of the World—alongside his beautiful, sexy navigator had arrived to claim this place as his first territory."
"What are you doing?" Nami facepalmed, looking at Allen with an exhausted expression.
"Obviously, I'm doing the narration. You know, all story protagonists have their own narrator," Allen said with a cunning look and a wink.
A vein bulged on Nami's forehead, though there was also a slight blush on her cheeks.
'This idiot doesn't deserve to be this handsome... and did he really just call me beautiful and sexy? Well... I am!'
Allen chuckled to himself. Women loved compliments, even if many refused to admit it.
[Great technique. Saying nonsense while flattering her makes her less angry than she should be. You're a natural womanizer -_-]
"Huh?!" Allen felt offended. He was a pure-hearted young man who had never even been in a romantic relationship. Obviously, he was not a womanizer.
Nami remained silent. She knew only Allen could hear the mysterious Chest's voice, but he really needed to be careful—because to everyone else, he just looked insane.
"Alright, Nami, we have work to do. I need you to gather information on who governs this place. In the end, the village itself will only have scraps—I need millions to strengthen myself and the ship. Right now, we're far too weak."
Nami widened her eyes in disbelief. "I thought you were an idiot?"
"How rude." Allen huffed, genuinely unable to understand how the hell everyone kept concluding he was stupid.
"My apologies, Your Majesty~" Nami replied sarcastically, shrugging before taking a separate path.
Allen watched the girl's retreat. He truly needed to do something about this girl's complete lack of respect for him.
While Nami headed straight for a restaurant to gather information, Allen made his way toward the villagers' homes.
....
(Half an hour later)
Nami walked down the street while some townspeople glanced at her. Visitors were rare in Syrup Village.
'It's troublesome blending into small villages. Everyone knows each other, and they're always on guard.'
Despite that, she managed to learn two things: this place was overseen by a wealthy family of doctors, whose current head and heir was Miss Kaya. The second thing she learned was that Kaya lived in the mansion on the hill.
"Now that's useful information!~" Nami tossed a small pouch filled with gold coins into the air before catching it. She had stolen it from the restaurant owner. Honestly, she preferred money that came from people who had plenty of it—rich people, nobles, merchants, the Marines, or even pirates.
It wasn't just that stealing from ordinary people wasn't profitable, but she personally didn't enjoy it. The restaurant owner's money was merely a small punishment for trying to flirt with her.
'Now where's my idiot?' Nami smiled. Allen might be missing a screw or two, but he wasn't a bad person.
It took Nami only five more minutes to find Allen. There weren't that many houses to search.
She spotted the front door of a house standing open, and as she approached and pushed it further open, she heard Allen's voice.
She sighed. 'This guy really doesn't know how to stay quiet. How is he supposed to rob anyone like this?'
But when she stepped into the living room, she froze.
Allen stood before a farmer couple, both tied to chairs with rope.
"Nami?" Allen blinked and paused, halfway through putting a gag on the wife.
"What are you doing?!"
"It's not what it looks like," Allen said, raising his hands.
Nami didn't believe him for a second.
Allen was forced to explain.
He had come to this house with every intention of collecting taxes in advance, but the husband failed to understand his noble purpose and slammed the door in his face.
Allen hadn't given up and decided to try his luck with the wife instead.
He snuck around back and found her in the garden, but when Allen requested "her treasure," the wife somehow thought he was flirting with her—and, shockingly, she threw herself at him like a pervert.
At that exact moment, the husband appeared, assumed his wife was cheating, grabbed a rifle, and attempted to kill Allen. Left with no other choice, Allen subdued them both.
Nami was left speechless. Somehow, in his own bizarre way, Allen had managed to turn this into a full-blown soap opera.
"This is so unfair. I just wanted to rob them. This couple is insane," Allen complained indignantly.
"Wait... you weren't trying to seduce me?" the middle-aged wife asked with a devastated expression.
"I see... so you only wanted to rob us," the husband sighed in relief.
"Exactly, haha," Allen laughed.
"Haha, I see," the husband laughed too.
"..."
[...]
Nami and the Chest were utterly speechless. None of this scene made any sense.
....
After clearing up the misunderstanding, they left the house—though not before the wife gave Allen her Den Den Mushi number, which was, quite literally, a snail with the bizarre ability to function as a telephone.
Outside, Nami didn't even know what to say anymore. Being around Allen made everything weird.
"Alright, what did you find out?" Allen asked, crossing his arms.
Nami pointed in one direction.
"That mansion. If there's anywhere valuable around here, it's there."
Allen stared at the distant mansion with dead fish eyes. "Yeah... maybe we should've started there."
[You're only realizing that now?]
Allen decided then and there that he would no longer rob ordinary people. It simply wasn't worth it. Wealthy people were much better candidates for involuntary donations.
....
Kaya sighed as she gazed out the window, her blonde hair swaying gently in the wind. The view was pleasant, but also melancholic. She had spent most of her life observing the world from within her mansion.
"I need some water."
The girl closed her book and walked toward the door. Though she could have called one of her two butlers, she preferred to head to the kitchen herself. After all, one thing she disliked was how Klahadore and Merry treated her like a fragile crystal doll.
It was true that Kaya had been born with a frail body, but that didn't mean she couldn't even walk downstairs on her own.
As she made her way to the kitchen, she was surrounded by luxury—expensive vases, famous paintings, antique furniture, and costly chandeliers.
In stark contrast to the villagers, Kaya lived like a true wealthy lady.
Kaya reached the kitchen, but the moment she opened the door, she froze, her eyes slowly widening.
A white-haired young man with beautiful silver-like eyes stood in her kitchen. He wore a black shirt with one button undone and rolled-up sleeves.
He was the most handsome young man Kaya had ever seen—so much so that she blushed from his appearance alone.
Unfortunately, Kaya failed to notice that Allen was in the process of stuffing silverware into a sack.
"Who are you?" Kaya asked.
....
Allen turned stiffly.
"I..."
[Before you answer, analyze the situation!]
Last time, the Chest had been unable to stop Allen's actions, which had resulted in him kidnapping two people. This time, it had to do something.
Allen choked slightly before looking Kaya up and down.
Kaya was a beautiful girl with black eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair.
She wore a white dress with a jacket draped over her shoulders and had a slightly pale, delicate appearance.
"I'm a doctor!" Allen declared confidently.
[Shit!]
"A doctor?" Kaya widened her eyes in disbelief. This handsome young man was a doctor?
It was no secret that Merry, her head butler, had invited famous doctors from all over East Blue in hopes of curing Miss Kaya.
However, all of them had failed, and they had all been older men and women. It was unusual that such a young doctor could have been brought here by Merry.
Still, Kaya chose to believe him. After all, Allen didn't seem like a bad person.
'What are you doing?!' Nami, who had been hiding behind the door after checking other rooms, nearly stormed into the kitchen to beat Allen senseless.
That idiot had told such an obvious lie—what were they supposed to do now?!
"You really are a doctor?!" Kaya clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.
"Huh?" Allen.
"Huh?" Nami.
[Huh?]
No one could understand how such an absurd lie had actually worked.
Kaya approached Allen with shining eyes, her hands clasped.
"Walker-sama, I'm sure a young genius like you has seen many things, been to many places, and met countless people. Would you mind telling me all about it while examining me?"
"Well..." Allen smiled smugly. "It's true, I have seen many things... and been to many places."
Nami silently cursed Allen.
"Then please, tell me all about your adventures!" Kaya grabbed Allen by the hand and pulled him out of the kitchen toward her room.
Allen gestured for Nami to help him, but she simply facepalmed.
'You got yourself into this mess alone—solve it yourself!'
====
A/N: Allen OP doesn't know Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu" for evangelizing villains 🍷🗿
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
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