As Benimaru flew, his speed far surpassed even that of future air force planes—so fast, in fact, that it quickly became boring. After all, the world of One Piece is about more than just getting from one place to another; it's about the journey, the discovery, the unpredictability of the sea. Realizing this, Benimaru made a decision: the first island he came across, he would build at least a raft or a small boat—something like the one Ace used during his search for Blackbeard. It wasn't just about transportation; it was about living the adventure properly.
As he continued flying, Benimaru descended closer to sea level, hoping to spot islands more easily. After about an hour of flying, his Observation Haki picked up the presence of land in the distance. It was the first island he had seen since leaving Swallow Island. As he neared it, he sensed that it was a balanced mix of civilization and untamed wilderness. Two minutes later, Benimaru touched down on the shore—the beginning of a new chapter in his journey.
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Benimaru then walked toward the civilization he had seen earlier, knowing the people would likely panic if they saw him descending from the sky. As he made his way through the forest, something caught his attention. All the trees looked like ordinary logs at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were hundreds of times more durable than normal wood. The trees towered several meters high, reminding Benimaru of the tallest trees from his past life—some reaching heights of 85 meters with a circular diameter of 10 meters.
"This might be a subspecies of the Adam Tree... or maybe even an Adam Tree itself. And there are so many of them," Benimaru thought, observing the dense forest filled with these majestic trees. They would be perfect for building a strong ship for his journey. But for now, he set aside that thought; he had a more pressing goal—to greet the island's natives. Perhaps he would even find a potential crewmate here. Benimaru sought those with untapped potential, but he wasn't going to force anything. He would simply go with the flow.
As he reached the settlement, the people noticed him, and chaos erupted. None of the natives had seen a stranger on their island before, and their confusion quickly turned to panic. Benimaru stood still, calmly watching them scramble away in a clumsy frenzy. The sight was so ridiculous that he couldn't help but snicker quietly.
"This is hilarious," he thought to himself.
Among the chaos, Benimaru noticed three individuals who hadn't panicked. Curious, he approached them. As he drew closer, the rest of the villagers started to calm down, realizing he wasn't attacking. But when they saw Benimaru heading toward those three, panic surged again—they feared the trio might become his next targets.
"Hey, who are you three? Why aren't you panicking like the others?" Benimaru asked, intrigued.
"You don't scare us. The three of us would just team up and take you down. We didn't want to do it here because we were afraid you'd lash out at the others," replied the tallest of the three, a woman who appeared to be the oldest. The two beside her—both males—nodded in agreement. Benimaru was surprised to see someone so tall who otherwise looked completely ordinary.
His curiosity was soon answered when the woman stepped forward and suddenly tripped. Benimaru immediately noticed she didn't have feet—her legs were made of long wooden pegs, similar to Zeff's prosthetic, though unusually lengthy and clearly mismatched with her frame. Embarrassed by the fall, she struggled to get up.
Benimaru, without hesitation, helped her back to her feet. Her brothers just watched; they knew she hated being helped whenever she fell—it was something she was used to.
"I don't need your pity," the woman said sharply, her voice laced with hurt. She didn't want to be babied.
Then, she turned and ran off, awkwardly but swiftly. Her two brothers quickly followed.
"Sister, don't worry about him!" they called out, chasing after her.
Benimaru was left standing there, utterly confused about what had just happened.
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After the initial panic subsided, the villagers slowly realized that Benimaru wasn't hostile—in fact, he was rather kind. As he engaged in conversations with the locals, he learned that the island was named Whale Island, so called because of the numerous whales that could be seen swimming near the shore when the time was right. From what the villagers described, the whales were unusually friendly—unless provoked.
"So the whales just give you fish? Why would they do that?" Benimaru asked, puzzled by what sounded like an absurd but fascinating custom.
"We have no clue either," one of the tribe members responded with a shrug. "But we chose not to question it. It's a great gift."
Benimaru chuckled lightly, still trying to wrap his head around it. "Hey, just out of curiosity—have you ever explored the entire island? Or seen it in its entirety?" he asked, his mind drifting to the possibility of hidden treasures or secrets waiting to be uncovered.
"Only one person has managed to explore every nook and cranny," a villager replied. "He kept a journal of everything he found. It's stored in our library. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering if there might be some kind of hidden treasure. Maybe I could take a look, but if not, that's fine—it's not like I need it or anything," Benimaru replied honestly. He wasn't the type to lie, especially when he felt confident that no one here posed any threat to him. Still, he wanted to show respect.
"The journal did mention a cursed weapon located somewhere in the forest," the villager added. "We're not sure if it's real, though—no one's ever gone to look for it."
Benimaru raised an eyebrow. "So it's alright if I take it? You wouldn't care? How naive are you?" he asked bluntly, clearly unimpressed by their unguarded trust.
The villagers fell silent as Benimaru continued his light scolding, shaking his head in disbelief at their carelessness. After a moment, he let out a sigh and decided.
"Well, I'll go find that weapon—but I'll be taking it as payment for teaching you something important. Like common sense," he muttered, turning toward the forest with a determined look in his eye.