Chapter 22: Chakra Control, Talent and Effort
At noon the next day, sunlight pierced through the thick layer of clouds.
The golden radiance shone unreservedly upon the deck of the "Straw Hat."
"Phew—"
Tatsuya pushed open the cabin door and gave a long, lazy stretch, his joints letting out a series of crisp pops.
"Ah, the weather is so nice."
He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked at Luffy, who was sitting in the special seat at the bow, munching loudly on an apple.
"Oh, good morning, Luffy."
"Ah, Tatsuya, morning." Luffy's mouth was stuffed with apple as he waved vaguely in greeting.
Nami, who was in the middle of the deck counting the few remaining supplies, felt a vein pop on her forehead when she heard their conversation.
Her expression couldn't help but darken.
"It's already noon! You two idiots who do nothing but sleep!"
*Gulp.*
Luffy swallowed the apple in his hand, core and skin included, in a few bites and patted his stomach.
"Ah, so it's already noon? No wonder I'm so hungry."
Nami sighed helplessly, put down the list in her hand, and looked out at the endless sea with a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Going to the Grand Line like this is still too dangerous... I heard it's the most dangerous place, known as the 'Graveyard of Pirates.'"
Luffy sat cross-legged and nodded with a serious expression.
"Nami is right. We really do need to eat some meat. If we only have apples to eat every day, I won't have any strength."
Zoro, who was dozing against the mast, opened his eyes at the right moment and chimed in:
"Besides meat, we also need booze."
"Who was talking to you guys about food!!"
Fuming, Nami grabbed a bright red apple from her side and threw it hard at Tatsuya in front of her without even looking.
"Whoosh!"
The apple traced a parabola and accurately flew toward Tatsuya, who had just finished stretching.
"Thwack."
Tatsuya raised his hand and caught the apple steadily, looking at Nami with a face full of black lines.
"Hey! Miss Nami, that was moss-head who said that! I didn't say a word! Why throw it at me?"
"Hee hee hee! It hit!" Luffy held his stomach and laughed out loud.
"Hmph, serves you right." Zoro also smirked, enjoying his misfortune.
Nami took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and sighed.
"What are you guys talking about? Stop joking around. That's the Grand Line..."
Nami spread out the sea chart in her hands, her expression serious.
"There are countless brutal pirates there. Whether it's the size of their ships or the number of combatants, they far exceed our small boat with only four people.
"Charging in like this, we can't even guarantee our own safety. Luffy, do you understand?"
Luffy looked at Nami's serious expression, wiped away his smile, and nodded earnestly.
"Yeah, I understand!"
Luffy clenched his fists, his eyes determined:
"We really do need to find more companions! Besides a cook, we need a musician..."
"Pfft—a musician?!"
Zoro couldn't help himself and burst out laughing again. "Hey, hey, is that really a top priority?"
"Are you an idiot!!"
Nami finally snapped and roared at Luffy, "You don't understand at all! The key is combat power! Supplies! A sturdier ship!"
After shouting at Luffy, Nami turned her murderous gaze toward Tatsuya, who was watching the show from the side.
"Tatsuya!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Navigator."
Tatsuya took a bite of the apple in his hand and said indistinctly.
"Where's the nearest island? We have plenty of money in the cabin. We can spend some to get a bigger ship and buy some supplies while we're at it."
Hearing "spending money" and "supplies," Luffy and Zoro's eyes instantly lit up.
"Oh! Time to eat meat!!" Luffy raised both hands and cheered.
"Don't forget the booze!" Zoro added.
Nami sighed helplessly and took out the sea chart again to check carefully.
"Let's see... a bit further south, there's an inhabited island called Syrup Village.
"It's quite wealthy, so we should be able to get a decent ship there and restock our supplies."
"Syrup Village, huh..."
Tatsuya nodded thoughtfully.
If I remember correctly, that should be the Village where Usopp is in the original story.
Which is to say—the hometown of the going merry.
Thinking of this, Tatsuya walked forward with a smile.
While Nami was still looking at the chart, he stuffed the apple in his hand into her mouth with a backhand motion.
"Mmph?!" Nami's eyes widened.
"Alright, plan confirmed! Target: Syrup Village. Full speed ahead toward that island! I'm counting on you, Miss Navigator."
"Mmph mmph!!"
With her mouth stuffed with the apple, Nami waved her fists angrily and shouted indistinctly.
"Pah! Pah! You bastard, Tatsuya!!"
"Oh!! Full speed ahead!!"
Luffy completely ignored Nami's protest, excitedly pulling the sail and shouting loudly.
...
After the ship adjusted its course, Tatsuya went to the stern alone.
He watched the churning waves at the stern, his gaze slightly solemn.
Yesterday, he had exchanged for [Chakra Control Refinement]. This was the absolute basic of basics in Naruto, and a necessary path to becoming an expert.
"Just the right time to experiment."
Tatsuya took a deep breath and slowly gathered Chakra at the soles of his feet.
The feeling was strange, like an invisible membrane was adhered to his soles.
Holding onto the stern's rope, he cautiously extended one foot toward the sea surface.
"Dragonfly skimming the water..."
When his sole touched the sea, it didn't sink directly as usual; instead, he felt a supple resistance.
He didn't sink!
Tatsuya felt a surge of joy and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he boldly let go of the rope and stepped his other foot steadily onto the sea surface, which rose and fell with the waves.
At this moment, it was as if he were standing on level ground, rising and falling with the waves but never sinking an inch.
Tatsuya stood with his hands behind his back, feeling the sea breeze, and muttered to himself with a smile:
"Well, setting the system aside, this is entirely the result of talent and effort."
water walking, in a pirate world full of seawater, was absolutely a life-saving and practical divine skill.
In the future, whether for sea battles or escaping, it would provide a huge advantage.
However, just as Tatsuya was immersed in his self-satisfaction...
Beneath the surface, a fairly large sea fish seemed to take a keen interest in this "two-legged beast" standing on the water.
It quietly swam over and curiously nudged the sole of Tatsuya's foot, where Chakra was gathered.
"Hm?"
Tatsuya, who was in a delicate balance, suddenly felt his foot slip.
The flow of Chakra was instantly disrupted.
"Holy shit!"
A beautiful piece of profanity blurted out.
Tatsuya's body instantly lost balance; as if someone had tripped him, he plunged headfirst into the sea.
"Splash!"
Cold seawater instantly rushed into his nasal cavity.
Although Tatsuya wasn't a Devil Fruit user, as a pure "dry duck" non-swimmer otaku transmigrator, he wasn't a good swimmer.
"He-help! Glug glug..."
He thrashed in the water, completely lacking the expert demeanor he had moments ago.
"Hahahaha! Tatsuya fell into the water!"
Leaning over the gunwale, Luffy watched this scene, pointing at Tatsuya's pathetic state and laughing heartlessly.
"Tch, what is that idiot doing?"
Zoro, who was wiping his swords, took a glance and complained helplessly.
Despite his verbal disdain, he quickly stripped off his outer garment and jumped into the sea with a splash.
...
Meanwhile...
On a peaceful and tranquil island not far ahead...
On the streets of Syrup Village, a long-nosed youth was sprinting, drenched in sweat.
As he ran, he waved his arms and screamed at the empty streets with all his might:
"The pirates are coming!!"
"The pirates are coming!!"
"Everyone, run!! Terrifying pirates are going to attack the Village!!"