Chapter 163: No Need for Thanks! Because We Are Partners!
"Ralph, wake up!"
The voice came as if through a thick filter, muffled and indistinct.
Ralph struggled to open his eyes. His vision was first filled with blurry spots of light, which gradually came into focus.
A cute face was very close to his.
Short hair, big dark eyes, the familiar scar under the left eye, and a wide, smiling mouth revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Lufia..."
Ralph's voice was hoarse.
"Where has our ship reached?"
"What ship?"
Lufia tilted her head, looking confused.
"You have a fever, you're delirious! If you're really feeling unwell, just take a sick leave! Don't force yourself to stay at school!"
School?
Ralph suddenly became more alert.
He carefully examined the Lufia before him: white short-sleeved shirt, dark blue pleated skirt, with a school badge pinned on her chest.
This was clearly... a school uniform?
He turned his stiff neck and looked around.
Zoro with green hair was sitting to his left, sleeping with his head on the desk, drool pooling all over the surface.
To his right was Sanji, holding a cigarette in his mouth... Wait, was smoking allowed in school?
But Sanji was indeed smoking, and he was also wearing a school uniform.
In the front row, Usopp with the long nose was drawing little figures in his textbook, quite vividly.
Further ahead, Nami sat upright, taking notes seriously, her orange ponytail swaying gently with her writing movements.
On the podium—
Ralph's eyes widened.
That man wearing a dark green trench coat, with strange tattoos on his face and a serious expression—wasn't that Monkey D. Dragon?!
He was holding a piece of chalk, writing on the blackboard.
"This is too much..."
Excited, Ralph suddenly stood up and shouted loudly:
"Even if I'm hallucinating from a fever, this is too absurd..."
"What school allows green hair, smoking in class, a teacher with facial tattoos wearing a trench coat?!"
"Student Ralph, I haven't even talked to you about publicly confessing to my daughter, and now you dare to make a loud disturbance in class?!"
A deep voice came from the podium.
Dragon stopped writing, turned around, and fixed his deep eyes on Ralph.
The entire class fell silent.
Even the sleeping Zoro groggily lifted his head.
"So what if I'm making a disturbance? In my dream, I won't let you bully me!"
Ralph stiffened his neck, his voice rising with excitement.
"Wearing a heavy trench coat, looking constipated, with tattoos on your face. All you do is read newspapers and sweat—someone like you, being a teacher? Are you even qualified?"
Hissing sounds came from around, the entire class gasping in shock.
Who would have thought this dream was so bizarre.
Monkey D. Dragon's forehead actually broke out in more sweat. Suddenly changing the subject, he tapped the blackboard with his hand and pointed at two large characters written on it.
"Tell me, what was I just teaching. If you explain it clearly, I'll let you off!"
Ralph instinctively looked at the blackboard.
On the blackboard were only two large characters, as if about to burst out of the board.
Longleg Tribe!
Ralph stared at them, and suddenly his mind buzzed.
The writing on the blackboard suddenly twisted and expanded, breaking free from the two-dimensional plane, transforming into two swirling air currents.
Then, the two currents merged into one, becoming an all-piercing impact, heading straight for Ralph—
Boom!!
"Pfft—!"
In reality, Ralph, lying on his bunk in the cabin of the Going Merry, suddenly spat out a mouthful of bloody-tasting air.
"Ow! Ow ow!"
Anxious cries sounded by his ear.
Ralph struggled to open his eyes. His vision first blurred on a wooden ceiling, then focused on a black nose covered in fine scales.
Munch-Munch, the little dinosaur, was rubbing its head against his face, making worried sounds.
Seeing Ralph wake up, it immediately turned and ran toward the cabin door on its short legs, scratching desperately at the door with its claws.
"Coming, coming!"
Nami's voice came from outside the door.
The cabin door opened, and Nami rushed in.
Seeing Ralph with his eyes open, she visibly relaxed:
"Ralph, you're awake! How do you feel?"
Ralph opened his mouth, finding his throat as dry as a desert.
His body still felt unbearably heavy, as if it didn't belong to him. Every muscle ached, and his head was foggy, as if it might split open again at any moment.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard chaotic noises from outside.
"Outside... what's happening?"
Ralph grew alert.
Nami's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly forced a smile:
"It seems... we've encountered another Pirate crew, and there's been a conflict."
She walked to the cabin door, pressed her ear against it to listen, then added:
"But don't worry, Lufia and the others are strong. Ordinary Pirates are no match for us; they can handle them easily."
Her words sounded lighthearted, but Ralph noticed Nami's hand trembling slightly as she gripped the doorknob.
She didn't dare open the door, nor even peek through the crack.
Clearly, the situation outside wasn't as "easy" as she claimed.
Between coughs, he asked a crucial question:
"Are they... the Bliking Pirates? Is their leader Wapol?"
Nami was taken aback:
"That... I don't know. I was worried the enemy might break into the cabin and disturb your rest, so I didn't even dare open the door..."
Before she could finish—
"Boom!!"
A violent impact sounded from the deck, shaking the entire ship.
This was followed by the cracking sound of splintering wood and Lufia's angry shout:
"How dare you bite my ship!!"
Ralph's expression changed.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes.
Wapol had arrived.
That former king of the Drum Kingdom, the Baku Baku no Mi Ability User from the original story who could devour anything—including ships and people.
"What's... the situation outside?"
Ralph struggled to sit up, but his body was too weak, and he fell back onto the bed.
Nami listened intently.
The sounds of fighting outside gradually faded.
Then, silence fell.
Nami waited a few seconds before cautiously opening the door a crack and peeking out.
"It's... over."
She turned back, her voice filled with relief.
"The enemy seems to have been defeated."
She stepped out of the cabin and soon returned, a smile on her face:
"Perfect timing—you're awake. I'll go tell everyone."
A few minutes later, the narrow cabin was crowded.
Lufia was the first to rush in, her face still flushed from the fight, her straw hat tilted to one side:
"Ralph! You're awake! We just sent those bad guys flying!"
Vivi also entered, looking at Ralph with concern:
"Are you feeling better?"
Ralph nodded, forcing a weak smile:
"Much better. Thank you, everyone..."
The ones they had just encountered were indeed Wapol and his Bliking Pirates.
That meant the plot was still following the original storyline.
At the same time, it was explained that due to his illness, everyone had altered their course toward Alabasta in order to find a doctor for him.
Ralph was deeply moved.
As an adult, one should not take others' kindness for granted.
This included parents, siblings, relatives, and friends.
As a transmigrator, he had no family or connections in this world.
The system had given him a cheat ability, but it couldn't provide a sense of belonging.
It was this girl before him, along with this lively group of companions, who had given him the feeling of "home."
The bond between comrades wasn't just empty words.
It was the willingness to change course for you when you were gravely ill, risking danger to find a doctor in the perilous Grand Line.
Lufia smiled brightly:
"No need to thank me! Because we're comrades, after all!"