John’s eyes had sparkles in them. He laid his eyes on the greatest treasure that he had ever seen in his life. His mouth watered and eventually dripped down onto the table he was sitting at. He felt as though he could cry from its beauty.

On the table in front of him was a roasted chunk of meat still on the oversized cartoony bone. It steamed as it sat on his plate. Under it was a bed of steamed white rice. Absorbing the juices that dripped off the meat. And would soon be just as tasty as the hunk of meat. John grabbed both ends of the bone and lifted it up to his mouth. “I’m so hungry!” He let out before biting into the meat for the first time.

It’s juices mixed with his saliva. Letting its savory flavor mix around the entirety of his mouth. It was like the best steak he had ever eaten had been twice as dense. It had twice the fat and goodness packed into the bite. As he ate a prompt came into his vision.

You have found a prepared meal. Roasted Bear Meat. This dish is masterwork quality. If you consume this dish. You will gain 10% to your power and 10% to your body for 8 hours.

What an incredible dish! If just the food I eat can give bonuses to my stats. Then I could keep myself stacked with stat bonuses all the time! As John reveled over the stat bonuses of the potential food he could enjoy. He looked around the cafeteria. It was a small area. The room fits six tables the size of a long dining room table. They could probably fit 3 people on each side.

Looking at the service area John could see two other men getting plates of food. One was tall, and lanky with long pink hair. And the other was short and stout. Wearing viking armor with a black bushy beard that could fit three of John’s current head inside of it. They got their food and left to eat elsewhere on the ship. Seemed like no one wanted to eat in the mess hall.

He supposed it was just more room for him. Taking another bite of the meat Buggy noticed something on his hud. In the bottom right corner there was a blinking letter icon. Did he have a prompt?

Focusing on it. The prompt became bigger in his vision until it was plainly readable. Reading it he heard the sound of multiple people speaking gibberish.

You have progressed to ranks 4 and 5 of your Persuasion skill. For each level of persuasion you gain an additional 1% to your ability to convince others of your ideas.

Dang. When did that happen? Did he gain those skill levels just from convincing Crocus that he had amnesia?

John swallowed what he was chewing. What exactly would have happened if he didn’t convince Crocus? A cold sweat running down the back of his neck.

Shaking his head he cast away that bad thought. No point in worrying about that now. Don’t focus on the bullet you dodged. Just eat more meat.

John took a bite to clear the center of the meat off of the bone. Leaving meat on either side of the bone.

As John went back to enjoying his food the mess hall door opened. Hearing footsteps John just kept his eyes to his food. Not wanting to draw attention to himself by staring. He set down the bone and started to dig into the rice that had soaked up a good portion of the juices and fat of the bear meat.

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The taste of the rice acted as the perfect side dish to the savory filet.

It was as he shoveled the rice into his mouth that he noticed the sound of the footsteps had stopped. With a mouth full of half chewed rice he turned and noticed the torso of a full grown man. Looking up he saw the imposing figure of the vice-captain of the Roger Pirates. His face was covered in darkness. Causing his glasses to glare as he looked down on John. “Buggy. I’ve come for you.”

Hearing the cold indifference in the vice-captain’s voice. John spat out the rice before stammering out. “R-r-r-r-rayleigh!”

Rayleigh stood over his apprentice. His face was covered in spit up rice. No longer shrouded in darkness but his glasses still glaring with light. He looked down on Buggy with a growing anger plainly visible on his face. “Agh! Rayleigh!”

John stood up with his napkin going to try and help the vice-captain clean up. But the older man put out his hand to stop John in his tracks. “I spoke with Crocus. He’s told me about your “condition”.”

Rayleigh took the napkin from Buggy’s hand and wiped off his glasses and his face with it.

John was stuck immobile with fear as Rayleigh took the time to wipe himself off. “Ah…so then. You heard about my memory loss?” John opened his hands and put them in front of his body.

Getting the last of the rice off his face Rayleigh put his glasses back on. “Oh I heard about your memory loss.” He dropped the napkin down on the ground. Letting it hit the floor with a wet slap sound. “And I don’t buy it.” In a motion almost too quick for John to register. Rayleigh brought his fist up into the air. And then swung it down to hit the apprentice on the top of his head.

After the fist made contact with John’s head. The two of them stood there for a few seconds. John blinked as he reached up to feel his head. Trying to feel for any bruises or bumps. And rubbing his hand over his blue hair. He ran over a tiny lump that had formed. The size of a pea. But after he found it a signal had finally reached his brain.

Once that signal was sent his entire body became wracked with pain. “YEAAAAAAAARGH!” Not that his body had registered the pain. He ducked down with his hands on his head. The pea sized lump swelled to the size of a baseball. Now in a fetal position. John’s eyes were screwed shut as he endured the pain.

“But don’t worry!” Rayleigh spoke confidently like John wasn’t huddled over in pain almost ready to vomit. “I’ve decided to take over your training personally.”

For some reason that last sentence sounded a bit closer to him than before. John slowly opened one eye to investigate. What he saw was Rayleigh squat down to be eye level with him. His hand was formed into a flick. With his middle finger under his thumb with his other three fingers out flat.

“Eh?” Rayleigh finished the flick and it hit John right in the forehead.

Immediately John flew back and crashed into the bar in the mess hall. Where the servings of food were handed out from the kitchen.

John was slumped back into the wall of the bar as he felt himself barely clinging to life. A red prompt filled his vision.

Warning. You have fallen below 0 health. Continuing to stay at this health level for a long time time will result in death.

John’s final act of consciousness was to read that prompt. The thought of death was too much for him and he fell unconscious.

Standing up from his squatting position. Rayleigh smiled as he looked at Buggy with pride. “You’ve certainly grown since we first picked you up. Though we may have coddled you two for too long.” He walked over and lifted Buggy up by the collar of his shirt. Throwing the young man over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

Rayleigh walked past one of the other crewmates in the hallway. “Gather everyone except for the captain and Shanks on the deck of the ship.” With the order accepted Rayleigh made his way to the deck of the docked ship. Setting Buggy down on a beach chair he waited for the rest of the crew to assemble.