Come to think of it, if he ever decided to open a restaurant, becoming a cook for the Marines wouldn’t be such a bad alternative either.
The job sounded simple enough.
Cook meals.
Serve food.
Stay far away from the battlefield.
Even if the Straw Hat Pirates eventually clashed with the Marines in the future, a cook wasn’t exactly the type of person who would be sent charging into combat.
And if some insane superior actually tried to deploy him to the front lines, Karl had already prepared his response.
“You want me to fight?”
He would point dramatically at his commander.
“What happened?
Did every other Marine die already?!”
Thinking about that possibility, Karl couldn’t help feeling satisfied.
These were currently the two paths he had planned for himself.
Either choice would help him accomplish his greatest ambition in this world—
Living a comfortable life while putting in the absolute minimum amount of effort.
After all, in an era as chaotic as the Great Age of Pirates, surviving peacefully was already an achievement worth celebrating.
The fish should be cooked by now.
Karl lifted his head toward the campfire.
Then his entire body froze.
The fish was gone.
“…Huh?”
He blinked once.
Then twice.
“Where’s my fish?”
His expression immediately became vigilant.
Slowly turning his head, he searched for the culprit.
Sure enough.
There was Luffy.
The criminal was caught red-handed.
Or more accurately, fish-handed.
“Luffy?!”
Karl’s voice rose several octaves.
“When did you wake up?!”
“Put down my grilled fish!”
“Wahahahaha!”
Luffy tossed aside a completely stripped fish skeleton and rubbed his stomach happily.
“That was delicious!”
“Thanks for the food!”
“I never said it was for you!”
Karl nearly suffered a heart attack.
“Stop helping yourself!”
Luffy’s expression suddenly became serious.
“Hey, Karl.”
“What?”
“Join my crew and be our cook.”
Luffy pointed at the discarded fish bones.
“Your cooking is amazing!”
Then he glanced around hopefully.
“Do you have any more?”
“I don’t think I’m full yet.”
Karl nearly blacked out.
Wasn’t he being recruited as a missionary earlier?
How had he suddenly become a cook?
Was Luffy assigning jobs based entirely on whatever he happened to enjoy at the moment?
Suppressing the urge to scream, Karl answered coldly.
“No.”
Then he pointed accusingly.
“Because a certain someone interrupted my fishing today, I didn’t catch anything.”
“If we keep eating like this, we’ll be hungry tomorrow.”
“A certain someone?”
Luffy immediately began looking around.
“There’s another person here?”
Karl stared blankly.
The lack of self-awareness was truly impressive.
Since Luffy had single-handedly devoured both roasted fish, Karl ended up with nothing for himself.
Fortunately, he wasn’t particularly hungry anymore.
After spending half a day with Luffy, frustration alone had become a surprisingly filling meal.
When Karl stood up, Luffy immediately became alert.
“Huh?
Where are you going?”
“To get food.”
Karl rolled his eyes.
“Don’t tell me you think meals grow on trees.”
Luffy’s eyes lit up instantly.
“There’s a place like that?!”
“I want to see it!”
Karl immediately regretted speaking.
Maybe silence really was golden.
Following a path he knew well, he led the way deeper into the forest.
Not far from his shelter stood several fruit trees.
The fruits looked somewhat similar to apples, though their flavor was entirely different.
Sour.
Slightly bitter.
Not particularly enjoyable.
Still, edible was edible.
And compared to hunting, gathering fruit was considerably easier.
All it required was climbing.
Suddenly, Karl stopped moving.
“Quiet.”
His voice dropped instantly.
At the same time, he grabbed Luffy, who had been humming to himself, and forced him into a crouching position.
Several wild boars had entered his field of vision.
One adult.
Three piglets.
Four animals altogether.
Karl’s eyes brightened immediately.
“Looks like today’s our lucky day.”
Wild boar meat was a luxury on this island.
Despite living here for months, Karl had only managed to eat it three times.
The animals here were absurdly strong.
Especially the boars.
Even with carefully prepared traps, he usually only managed to catch the smaller piglets.
And every attempt carried the risk of provoking the adult.
Today, however, things were different.
Three piglets.
If everything went according to plan, dinner would be incredible.
“Whoa!”
Luffy’s mouth instantly started watering.
“Boar meat!”
“I want some!”
While Karl was busy planning how to hunt them, Luffy had already skipped ahead to eating.
“Keep your voice down.”
Karl glared at him.
“You’ll get some later.”
Then he pointed toward a nearby tree.
“Stay here.”
“Or hide somewhere.”
“Climb a tree if you want.”
“I’m going to take one down with my bow.”
Worried that Luffy might ruin everything, Karl repeated his instructions several times.
Only after he finished did he wait for a response.
None came.
A sense of dread immediately rose within him.
Slowly, Karl turned around.
Luffy was gone.
The place where he had been crouching moments ago was completely empty.
Karl’s heart skipped a beat.
Then he looked toward the boars.
The three piglets were already lying flat on the ground.
As for the adult boar—
It was rapidly growing larger.
Not because it was getting bigger.
Because it was charging directly toward him.
“Oh, come on!”
Karl cursed loudly and sprinted toward the nearest tree.
A furious mother boar was not something he could outrun.
At moments like this, the only reliable strategy was taking advantage of the fact that boars couldn’t climb.
Assuming the tree survived.
“Karl!
Karl!”
Luffy’s excited voice echoed throughout the forest.
“Look at me!”
Despite the danger, Karl glanced over while climbing.
Then his jaw nearly hit the ground.
Luffy was riding the boar.
Actually riding it.
Like a knight mounted on a charging warhorse.
Judging from the enormous grin plastered across his face, he was having the time of his life.
“Luffy!”
Karl shouted desperately.
“Get into the tree!”
“This is awesome!”
Luffy laughed wildly.
“Karl, come ride with me!”
“ABSOLUTELY NOT, YOU IDIOT!”
Karl immediately climbed higher.
Thankfully, the boar’s entire attention remained focused on the lunatic sitting on its back.
It never noticed Karl at all.
The crazed animal tore through the forest at full speed, desperately attempting to throw its rider off.
Luffy, meanwhile, clung stubbornly to its neck.
Like a professional rodeo champion.
Even when he was flung into the air, he refused to let go.
Several times, Karl witnessed something even stranger.
Luffy would be launched dozens of meters away—
Yet his arms stretched impossibly long.
Like giant rubber bands.
The stretched limbs would snap back and pull him straight onto the boar’s back again.
The madness continued for nearly thirty minutes.
Eventually, the exhausted beast made one final charge.
Then it slammed headfirst into a tree.
The impact knocked it unconscious instantly.
“YEAH!”
Luffy jumped onto the boar’s back triumphantly.
“I won!”
He stood there laughing proudly.
Completely unaware of Karl screaming from nearby.
“Move!”
“Huh?”
Luffy blinked.
BONK!
Something heavy dropped from above.
The next moment, Luffy vanished beneath a cloud of dust.
Karl wasn’t much better off.
The sudden shock caused him to lose his grip and tumble out of the tree as well.
“Luffy!”
Ignoring his own bruises, Karl rushed forward.
“Are you okay?!”
As the dust gradually settled, Luffy finally became visible.
He was completely unharmed.
“I’m fine!”
Luffy grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
“I’m made of rubber.”
“Stuff like that doesn’t hurt me.”
Karl finally relaxed.
“Good.”
He let out a long breath.
“So you’re a Devil Fruit user.”
“Yep!”
Luffy nodded proudly.
“I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!”
“Now I’m a rubber human!”
To demonstrate, he grabbed the corners of his mouth and stretched them outward until his face looked utterly ridiculous.
“See?”
Then he pointed toward the unconscious boar.
“Now I can eat that whole thing in one bite!”
Karl stared at him silently.
A long moment passed.
Then he sighed.
Yep.
This guy’s brain was at least ninety percent food.