I, Kizaru, only came to the chat group after I became invincible

Chapter 435 won't disappoint you!
"There really is nothing there," he muttered with some disappointment.

Just then, he heard some strange noises. Listening closely, it sounded like someone was talking, but the voice was very soft, as if they were deliberately lowering their voice.

"Huh?" Luffy followed the sound and soon arrived behind a small hill.

On the leeward side of the hillside, there was a simple little shed, which looked like it had been set up temporarily. Next to the shed was a small fishing boat, with some fishing gear and nets on board.

"Oh, there are people here!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

"what!"

A terrified scream came from inside the shed, and then a middle-aged man rushed out in a panic. When he saw Luffy, his face turned pale instantly, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Pirates?!” the man stammered, his eyes filled with fear.

"Huh? How did you know I'm a pirate?" Luffy asked, tilting his head curiously.

“Because…because you were wearing a straw hat and…” The man’s voice trembled even more. “Last night I saw a pirate ship nearby.”

"Ah! You see our ship?" Luffy exclaimed in realization. "I see!"

Seeing that Luffy didn't attack him immediately, but instead seemed friendly, the man's fear lessened slightly. However, he remained vigilant.

"What...what do you want?" he asked cautiously. "I'm just an ordinary fisherman, I don't have anything valuable."

"A fisherman?" Luffy was even more curious. "Are you fishing alone in a place like this?"

"I..." The man hesitated, seemingly considering whether to tell the truth. "I'm from the Red Earth Kingdom. I went out to sea fishing yesterday, but a storm hit, and I was washed ashore here."

"The Red Line Kingdom?" Luffy repeated the unfamiliar name. "Sounds interesting!"

"You don't know the Red Earth Kingdom?" the man asked, somewhat surprised. "It's the largest country in this sea area."

"Really? That must be amazing!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be the Pirate King! What's your name?"

Upon hearing the words "One Piece," the man's face turned pale again.

"The Pirate King?!" He took a few steps back in horror. "You...you've come to invade the Red Line Kingdom?"

"Invasion?" Luffy scratched his head, puzzled. "Why invade? We're just taking an adventure."

"Adventure?" The man was skeptical. "Aren't pirates all villains who burn, kill, and plunder?"

"Of course not!" Luffy said matter-of-factly. "We're good pirates! We never bully innocent people!"

"A good pirate?" The man was even more confused. "Are there really good pirates in this world?"

"Of course!" Luffy patted his chest and said. "We don't steal or rob, we just freely adventure on the seas! And we often help others too!"

The man looked at Luffy with a mixture of belief and skepticism. This young pirate certainly didn't seem like the vicious pirates of legend; instead, he gave off a very approachable vibe.

"You...you really won't hurt me?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course not!" Luffy grinned. "We would never bully ordinary people!"

Seeing Luffy's sincere smile, the man's fear lessened somewhat.

“My name is Tom Fisher,” he finally said, revealing his name. “I’m just an ordinary fisherman from the Red Earth Kingdom.”

"Tom! Easy-to-remember name!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "Is your ship damaged?"

“Yes, yesterday’s storm was fierce; the sails were torn, and the hull sustained some damage,” Tom said, sounding somewhat frustrated. “I’m trying to repair it, but we don’t have enough materials.”

“Then I’ll help you!” Luffy said without hesitation.

"What?" Tom exclaimed in shock. "You...you're going to help me?"

“Of course!” Luffy replied matter-of-factly. “If you see someone in trouble, of course you should help them!”

Tom stared blankly at Luffy, a strange feeling welling up inside him. This pirate was completely different from what he had imagined.

“But I don’t have the money to repay you,” Tom said somewhat uneasily.

"No need for any repayment!" Luffy waved his hand. "Helping others is the right thing to do!"

As he spoke, Luffy began inspecting Tom's small boat. Although he didn't know how to repair boats, he could at least help move materials or do some heavy lifting.

"Wait a minute!" Tom quickly stopped him. "Having pirates repair my ship is such a thing..."

"Is there a problem?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

Tom was silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "In our Red Line Kingdom, pirates are our absolute enemies. If people knew I had accepted help from pirates..."

"Why?" Luffy was even more confused. "Isn't helping others a good thing?"

Tom looked into Luffy's sincere eyes, and his guard lowered a little.

“Because…because our kingdom suffered at the hands of pirates,” he said slowly. “Twenty years ago, a group of vicious pirates invaded our kingdom. They burned, killed, and looted, murdering many innocent people.”

"Twenty years ago?" Luffy listened intently.

“Yes.” Tom’s voice grew heavy. “That group of pirates is called the ‘Bloody Pirates,’ and their captain is a devil called ‘Bloody Hand’ Mark. They stayed in our kingdom for three months and burned half of the capital down.”

"That's outrageous!" Luffy exclaimed angrily. "That kind of guy doesn't deserve to be a pirate!"

“So ever since then, our kingdom has harbored a deep hatred for all pirates,” Tom continued. “No matter what kind of pirate they are, they are all considered enemies.”

“But we’re different!” Luffy insisted. “We never bully innocent people!”

“I… I’m starting to believe you,” Tom said honestly. “But the rest of the kingdom won’t see it that way. To them, pirates are pirates, there’s no good or bad.”

"That's a real shame," Luffy said, somewhat disappointed. "I was hoping to visit your kingdom."

"You want to go to the Red Earth Kingdom?" Tom asked in surprise.

“Of course! That sounds interesting!” Luffy exclaimed excitedly. “Besides, we’re searching for treasure, maybe your kingdom will have some clues!”

"Treasure?" Tom was even more surprised. "You mean... the legendary ONE PIECE?"

"That's right!" Luffy declared proudly. "I'm going to find ONE PIECE and become the Pirate King!"

Tom stared blankly at Luffy, whose eyes burned with a determined flame, and whose innocence and persistence deeply moved him.

"Do you really believe ONE PIECE exists?" Tom asked.

"Of course it exists!" Luffy answered without hesitation. "Gol D. Roger hid it somewhere, and I'll definitely find it!"

“Roger,” Tom murmured, repeating the name. “The legendary Pirate King.”

Just as they were talking, a voice came from the Thousand Sunny.

"Luffy—! Breakfast is ready—!" Sanji's voice came from afar. "Ah! It's Sanji!" Luffy responded happily. "I'll be right back—!"

Then he turned to Tom: "Tom, would you like to have breakfast with us? Sanji's cooking is amazing!"

"Eat with pirates?" Tom hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" Luffy didn't understand his hesitation.

"I..." Tom looked at Luffy's sincere invitation, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. "I was taught from a young age to stay away from pirates."

"But do you think we're bad guys now?" Luffy asked directly.

Tom thought about it carefully, then shook his head: "No, you don't look like a bad person."

"Let's have breakfast together!" Luffy said happily. "My crewmates are all good people!"

At Luffy's insistence, Tom eventually followed him to the Thousand Sunny.

The other Straw Hat Pirates members were surprised to see Luffy return with a stranger.

"Luffy, who is this?" Nami asked curiously.

“His name is Tom! He’s a fisherman from the nearby Red Earth Kingdom!” Luffy introduced. “He was swept here by a storm yesterday!”

“The Red Earth Kingdom?” Robin immediately became interested. “I’ve seen this name in ancient texts.”

Tom watched the pirates nervously, his palms sweating. Luffy seemed friendly, but what about the others?

"Welcome!" Nami greeted with a friendly smile. "I'm Nami, the navigator of this ship."

"I'm Sanji, in charge of cooking," Sanji introduced himself politely. "I made too much breakfast, let's eat together."

“I am Zoro.” Zoro nodded simply.

Everyone else greeted Tom warmly. This friendly atmosphere gradually put Tom at ease.

"Are you...are you all really pirates?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course!" Luffy said proudly. "We are the Straw Hat Pirates!"

“But you are completely different from the pirates I imagined,” Tom said, puzzled.

"So what kind of pirate do you imagine?" Chopper asked curiously.

"Fierce, brutal, and only good at burning, killing, and looting," Tom listed his impressions of pirates.

"Haha! We don't like guys like that either!" Luffy laughed loudly. "We're good pirates!"

In the atmosphere of the breakfast Sanji had carefully prepared, Tom gradually opened up. He began to explain the Red Line Kingdom to the Straw Hat Pirates in detail.

“The Red Line Kingdom is the largest country in this sea area, with a population of about half a million,” Tom explained. “The king is a very benevolent man, but he takes a very hard line against pirates.”

"Why?" Chopper asked.

“Because of the invasion twenty years ago.” Tom’s expression turned grave. “The ‘Bloody Pirates’ inflicted immense trauma on us. The King’s father was killed in that invasion.”

“I see.” Robin nodded in understanding. “That’s why the current king despises pirates.”

“It’s not just the king, it’s the people of the entire kingdom,” Tom said. “We have a dedicated anti-piracy force, well-equipped and highly trained.”

"Are they the same people who chased us yesterday?" Nami asked.

“That should be it,” Tom nodded. “They’re called the ‘Free Alliance Navy,’ a joint fleet composed of our kingdom and several surrounding smaller nations.”

“That sounds impressive,” Franky said with interest.

“They’re really impressive,” Tom admitted. “They’ve already wiped out several pirate crews.”

“But their equipment doesn’t look very professional,” Borsalino observed.

“Because we’re not professional soldiers,” Tom explained. “Most of us are volunteers, including fishermen, farmers, merchants, and so on. We just don’t want pirates to harm our homes anymore.”

Hearing these words, the Straw Hat Pirates fell silent. They could understand these people's thoughts; after all, protecting one's home is only natural.

"So what do you think of us now?" Luffy asked directly.

Tom looked at the pirates sitting around him, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.

“I think you guys are different from those bad pirates,” he said honestly. “You're friendly and willing to help others.”

"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "That's the kind of pirates we are!"

“But…” Tom hesitated, “if you really want to go to the Red Line Kingdom, it could be very dangerous. If you're discovered to be pirates, you'll be attacked immediately.”

"What should we do then?" Nami asked worriedly.

Tom thought for a moment, then said, "Unless...unless there's a local guarantor."

"A guarantee?" Everyone looked at him.

“If a citizen of the Red Earth Kingdom vouches for you, proving you’re not bad people, then you might be allowed to enter the kingdom,” Tom explained. “But this is rare, because very few people are willing to vouch for pirates.”

"Then are you willing to vouch for us?" Luffy asked expectantly.

Tom remained silent for a long time. Guaranteeing pirates meant taking a huge risk; if these pirates really did something bad, he would also have to bear the responsibility.

But after this morning's interaction, he was convinced that these people were not bad people.

“I,” he took a deep breath, “am willing to vouch for you.”

"Really?!" Luffy jumped up excitedly.

“But there are conditions,” Tom said earnestly. “You must promise that during your time in our kingdom you will absolutely not do anything to harm innocent people.”

"Of course!" Luffy agreed without hesitation. "We would never do something like that!"

“Furthermore, you must conceal your pirate identities,” Tom continued. “I will say you are merchants or adventurers from out of town.”

“No problem!” Nami agreed. “We can put away the pirate flag for now.”

“Also, if the situation changes, you must leave immediately,” Tom concluded. “I can’t let my family get hurt because of this.”

“We understand,” Robin said gently. “Thank you for helping us.”

"You're welcome," Tom said with a wry smile. "To be honest, I don't know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. But... you guys really give me a different feeling than those bad pirates."

"We definitely won't let you down!" Luffy promised earnestly.

(End of this chapter)