Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

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Although the forest before him seemed ordinary, Enel was absolutely certain in that moment—he had left the Pirate World and arrived in a completely unknown one.

Following the guidance Leo had passed down to him, Enel, having just crossed over, didn't act rashly. Instead, he carefully scanned his surroundings to assess whether he was in a safe area. 

Due to the world's natural will suppressing him, Enel found himself incredibly weak—his strength now comparable to that of a small child. His priority was to find a secure place, let his powers gradually return, and only then take any further actions once he regained some ability to defend himself.

Even the thunderclouds that typically surrounded his waist needed time to recover their strength. In his mind, Enel planned to lay low for a while. He thought perhaps after ten or so days, when his strength had returned to about 30% of its full capacity, he would venture out to gather intelligence about this new world.

However, things did not go as planned...

Just as Enel had found a small tree hollow to hide in and rest, hoping to recuperate before taking any further steps, the silence of the forest was abruptly broken by a horrifying scream.

The sound was filled with despair and terror, as if a person's throat had been ripped open by a wild beast. Soon after, there was a faint but unmistakable noise—the sound of something being chewed.

Despite his weakened state, Enel's keen hearing, bolstered by his Observation Haki, allowed him to hear this bone-chilling scene with absolute clarity.

"No way... Could I really be this unlucky?"

"Is there a man-eating beast nearby?" he muttered bitterly as he huddled deeper into the hollow, his hand instinctively moving toward the Poké Ball at his waist.

"I didn't expect to land in such a dangerous environment right from the start. Sir Leo did warn me about the worst possible places to land..."

A faint arc of electricity flickered between his fingers, but it vanished almost immediately as if it had never appeared. 

Clearly, just a few minutes wasn't enough for him to regain enough strength to fully utilize his Thunder Fruit powers.

"No, it'll take at least a few hours before I can even use the Thunder Fruit properly again," Enel thought grimly. "Until then, I have to keep myself hidden."

At that moment, regret washed over him.

If he had known this would happen, he would have listened to Leo and brought along some weapons—hot weapons, hidden ones, anything for self-defense. He had arrogantly assumed he'd regain his elemental powers quickly and wouldn't need such tools.

Who could have guessed that the moment he landed, he would be plunged into danger?

If it were just a normal death, he wouldn't mind so much—after all, it's just death. But dying in another world would mean his soul would be recalled to the Pirate World, and he would lose the chance to continue as a dimensional merchant.

Failing during his internship would also mean he wouldn't be able to return to Celestial Island. Instead, he'd be stuck, like the other trainers, endlessly sailing the seas to earn points.

Not that such a life was unbearable, but after having been the proud leader of the Celestial Gym and frequently showing off to other trainers... the idea of returning to the common ranks now was more humiliating than death itself.

"I hope that beast has had its fill and won't come after me," he thought, offering a silent moment of pity for the unfortunate soul who had met a gruesome end just now.

Enel curled up inside the tree hollow, hugging himself tightly like a frightened child, waiting for his powers to recover and praying that nothing would happen in the meantime.

But at that very moment...

Something did happen!

Snap!

The sharp sound of a branch breaking echoed just outside the hollow.

Immediately after, a raspy, unpleasant voice followed: 

"Strange... I can sense a human presence here, so why can't I find anyone?"

"Ugh, these damn Demon Slayer squads. Why can't they send us a few more fresh ones?"

"There are so few of them. It's not even enough even if we split their bodies!"

Human presence? Demon Slayer squads?

Though the creature was speaking in a human language, Enel could hear the raw malice and murderous intent laced in its words. 

There were man-eating creatures in this world!

His soul trembled at the thought.

"Damn it! Am I really going to die here on my first day?!"

Enel cursed inwardly but dared not move a muscle, holding his breath as he tried to remain completely still.

Fortunately...

Just as he thought his life was about to end in disgrace, the creature outside suddenly seemed to hear something, let out a frantic shout—"Over there!"—and ran off in another direction.

After a long while, Enel cautiously poked his head out of the tree hollow. Once he confirmed that the strange creature had disappeared without a trace, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Damn it... if I make it out of this alive…"

"In the next world, I'll 'definitely' bring some kind of weapon for self-defense…"

In the Pirate World, it would have been easy for someone of his status to acquire powerful firearms or weapons. 

However...

Knowing that he could regain his elemental powers and become nearly invincible in just a few hours after crossing into a new world had made him overconfident—perhaps even arrogant. He hadn't seriously considered the dangers that awaited him upon first arriving.

And that's why he was in such a dire situation now.

This was also the main reason why Leo himself had been hesitant to travel to a new world in person. If he were to land in a place mid-explosion, he could be wiped out before he even had the chance to activate the system.

...

After catching his breath, Enel retreated back into the tree hollow. 

As time passed, his strength slowly returned.

Though this recovery was but a fraction of his full potential, it was enough to shake off the worst of his weakness, restoring him to the fitness level of an average human.

At the very least...

If a monster came his way now, he had the strength to run for a bit.

"Just a few more hours. Once I regain my elemental powers, I can explore this world properly."

Reassuring himself, Enel continued to wait.

However...

Fate had other plans!

At that very moment, the sound of a commotion reached him.

It seemed that someone was being chased by a monster, and they were heading in his direction in a panic.

"Again?" Enel muttered in frustration, his brow furrowing.

He swore to himself...

Next time he crossed into a new world, he'd consult a wizard or something. Anything to avoid every dimensional journey turning into a life-and-death situation.

But for now...

It seemed like he had no choice but to join this "race"!

Without hesitation, Enel shot out from the tree hollow.

Despite his weakened state, his Observation Haki allowed him to sense a massive, hill-sized monster closing in on the fleeing person.

In the Pirate World, he could have crushed a creature like that with just a flick of his finger.

But right now...

All he could do was run!

Luckily, his physical strength had somewhat recovered, and the monster was still at a distance. 

As long as his luck didn't worsen and he avoided running into more creatures, he was confident he could survive this ordeal.

While sprinting, he heightened his senses, spreading what remained of his Observation Haki to detect any nearby sounds.

And just then!

'Whoosh!!!'

With a terrifying sound of something tearing through the air, several trees suddenly exploded!

Through his Observation Haki, Enel sensed a gigantic hand reaching out, grasping the fleeing person. The movement eerily reminded him of Monkey D. Luffy, whom he had seen at the second Pokémon League Conference.

"Strange... does this world also have abilities similar to Devil Fruits?" 

Enel's eyes lit up, and for a moment, his frustration lifted.

After all, the more powerful the creatures in this world and the more intricate their abilities, the greater the potential for tradeable goods.

It was, perhaps, the only good news in an otherwise terrible situation.

At the same time, just as Enel assumed the unlucky soul caught by the monster was about to meet the same grim fate as the previous victim...

A new presence suddenly entered his range of perception.

In the dimness of the forest, a loud voice rang out:

"Water Breathing – Second Form…"

"Water Wheel!!!"