There are a few white clouds floating in the blue sky, and the seagulls are circling overhead. The blue sea seems to mirror the sky, as a gentle sea breeze stirred the waves across the vast Atlantic Ocean.
"Uh...uh..."
The song of a whale echoed from the surface, as a massive whale emerged from the water, spraying a burst of water from the top of its head. Its huge tail fin slapped the surface, startling countless silvery flying fish into jumping from the water.
The whale opened its mouth, and suddenly a figure leaped out, and landed on the whale's head.
The man took a deep breath of fresh air. "The movies really didn't lie to me," he mumbled. "The mouth of a whale really smells bad..."
Standing on the whale's head, the man clenched his fists and opened his arms, shouting to the sky, "I'm going to be the One Piece King!"
This exuberant young man is our protagonist, Arthur. Arthur has abandoned his log cabin in Iceland. Believing himself to be the man who was destined to be the king of the sea, he had decided that the ocean should be his home. Following in the footsteps of Wang Lufei, the 16-year-old Arthur has officially embarked on his sea journey.
Arthur still doesn't know why or how he had gained his powers. Is he a mutant? His name was Arthur—so was there a DC superhero running around in this world? Or did he receive his superpowers when he was struck by lightning in his past life as Lin Feng.
To find out whether this world is the one from his memories, Arthur decided to leave the small fishing village with its limited information and head for a larger place.
Arthur set off towards the west, in the direction of the United States of America.
He had been swimming for three days, not knowing his exact location without a consistent reference point or compass. He had become tired from swimming, and found a whale, controlling it he went and fell asleep in its mouth.
Arthur laid comfortably on the whale's head, humming to himself. He pried a string of barnacles from the whale's back, then took a lemon and a stick of mustard from his backpack to enjoy his seafood.
"Do you want to try it, Rab?" he asked.
Poof! A jet of water spewed from the top of the whale's head. This whale, who was named Rab by Arthur, was completely uninterested in the shells stuck on its body.
"Tch, Rab, you really don't know how to appreciate fine delicacies," Arthur said contemptuously to the whale. "These are gooseneck barnacles, they are also called a delicacy from hell. They taste really good!"
Um... (whale call) Rab seemed to mean: If you can eat all the barnacles on my body, I'll thank you!
...
Um~ (whale call) Arthur, who had been asleep, was woken up by Rab in a daze, and rubbed his eyes and asked. "You said you saw an island over there?"
Arthur looked forward excitedly. A small black dot appeared in the distance, it seemed to be an island from the size and shape of it.
"Quick! Let's head over to that island!" Arthur exclaimed to Rab. He had been "sailing" the sea for about three days now, and he finally saw an island. How could he not be excited?
As Rab approached, a green island covered with vegetation came into focus before Arthur's eyes. Arthur leaped off Rab's head and dived into the water, with a powerful kick he shot off swiftly, it felt like he was flying. The water parted before him as he swam at superspeed towards the island.
Arthur finally set foot on the island's beach. Looking at the coconut trees, he realized he could finally eat something that wasn't fish or barnacles. Although he wouldn't get thirsty from just a few days without fresh water, he wasn't used to his current body's needs just yet as he was still a regular human just a week ago.
Ever since his superpowers awakened that day, Arthur's body had undergone tremendous changes. His strength has increased more and more, and his ability to resist blows has improved significantly. He felt, no he knew that as long as he remained in the sea, his abilities would slowly increased over time.
If my body continues to develop like this, will I become as large and strong Hulk? he wondered.
Arthur picked a coconut from a nearby coconut tree, he picked a total of three coconuts, he took one, and forcefully broke it in half. If someone saw it, they would definitely wonder, "Is this guy even human?"
The island was full of vegetation and many animals, but no traces of humans were in sight, suggesting it was an uninhabited island.
As the sun went down, Arthur sat on the trunk of the broken coconut tree by the sea. In front of him was a bonfire, on which a skinned boa constrictor was strung on branches, roasting and dripping oil.
"I don't know where I am, or how far I am from the United States?" Arthur mumbled to himself.
Ever since he came to this world, he had been alone, with very few people to talk to. He was used to his solitude and silence.
Arthur planned to rest on the island for a day and prepare food for the journey before setting off again; otherwise, he'd only be eating sashimi and shells every day at sea.
The next day, Arthur caught another wild boar. After drying it over the fire, he divided it into small pieces and packed them into his backpack. His water bottle was also filled with coconut water. This backpack was an oilcloth waterproof one he had brought from home, and it contained some of his daily necessities.
Arthur stood on Rab's head, glanced at the island behind him, and said, "Let's go, continue west!"
...
On the blue sea, a ship from New York was sailing. Its name was Freedom of the Seas.
There were many tourists from all over the world on this cruise ship, as well as many wealthy people from the United States. Everyone was enjoying the luxurious facilities on the cruise ship, which included casinos, swimming pools, various foods, and even a small park.
A little boy and his mother stood on the cruise ship's deck. The boy was leaning on the railing, trying to stick his head out to look at the distant sea.
"Mom, mom, look at the whales!" the boy excitedly shouted to his mother.
"Yes, baby, that's a big whale," his mother replied.
Not far from the ship, a huge whale and the vessel moved side by side, attracting the attention of many. However, no one noticed that a figure quietly boarded the ship.
Arthur, now standing on the deck, waved at the whale. "See you next time, Rab!" he shouted. I'm gonna miss that whale.