Leo's fingers flew across his keyboard, hammering the keys with deadly precision. On his screen, his character—none other than the great Dracule Mihawk—sliced through the air with his massive sword, cutting down enemies with effortless grace. In One Piece: Grand Line Online, an ultra-realistic MMORPG, he was a legend.
"Come here, you..." he muttered with a smirk.
He was in the middle of a boss fight, facing a monstrous sea creature.
"This is it, I got this!"
But just as he was about to land the final blow, a sudden attack sent him flying. His screen flickered. A massive, blood-red "DEFEAT" flashed across the display.
Silence.
Then, an explosion of frustration.
"WHAT?!"
Leo shot up from his chair, knocking over the can of cola on his desk. The dark liquid spilled over his keyboard, seeping treacherously between the keys.
"Oh no, no, no!"
He frantically wiped at the mess with his sleeve, but it was already too late. A sinister crackling sound filled the room. His computer trembled. The keys flickered wildly.
Then…
BOOM!
A blue spark burst from the screen. Before Leo could react, a surge of electricity engulfed him entirely. His body seized up, his hair stood on end, and a gut-wrenching sensation of falling overtook him.
The world around him vanished.
---
The scent of salt burned his nostrils before he even opened his eyes. A deafening cacophony tore through his eardrums—war cries, explosions, the roar of massive waves. Leo's eyelids fluttered open, his heartbeat pounding in his chest.
What… Where…
The sky was a torn canvas of smoke and lightning. Beneath his feet, the ground trembled.
No, not the ground. Ice.
A frozen sea, fractured by cannon fire. And all around him—men fighting, falling, screaming.
Marineford.
The word slammed into his mind like a revelation. He knew this scene by heart. The admiral's platform in the distance, Whitebeard and his rampaging crew, Portgas D. Ace bound in chains… But these weren't drawings. This was real.
"This… is impossible," he whispered. His own voice startled him. Deep. Cold.
Not mine.
He raised a hand to his face. Long fingers, black gloves, and most importantly…
Yoru.
The legendary sword weighed heavily in his other hand, feeling as natural as an extension of his arm. A sickening realization twisted in his stomach.
I'm in Mihawk's body.
A hysterical laugh threatened to escape him, but his facial muscles… didn't move. His expression remained a stoic mask, unflinching. Inside, he was spiraling.
Okay, okay, calm down. Breathe. If I even can breathe in this ridiculously badass body…
"Mihawk-dono!"
The voice snapped him to attention. A marine, drenched in sweat and blood, looked up at him with a mix of fear and hope. "Admiral's orders… Destroy Whitebeard's ship! They—"
Leo wasn't listening anymore. His gaze was locked on the bay, where a towering figure with a white mustache raised his bisento, unleashing a roar that shook the air.
Whitebeard himself.
Beside him, a straw-hatted young man was dashing across the ice at full speed.
Luffy. And Ace is still alive. I arrived at the start of the battle.
A thrill of excitement jolted through his veins.
I can change everything.
But his body—no, their body—remained perfectly still. Mihawk stood like a statue, analyzing the battlefield with piercing golden eyes that seemed to perceive all yet betray nothing.
"Mihawk."
This time, the voice was unmistakable. Crocodile, his fur-lined coat billowing behind him, strolled closer with a smirk. "You just gonna stand there and watch all day? Even for you, that's—"
Without hesitation, Leo felt Yoru rise in a single fluid motion. The air vibrated. A strangled gasp nearly escaped him—internally, at least. Externally, Mihawk had just unleashed a blade of pure energy that tore through the ice, slicing toward…
Luffy!
"No!" Leo panicked. But his arm hadn't wavered. The strike was flawless, precise, lethal.
The attack barely missed, carving through a sea giant instead. Luffy kept running, oblivious to the danger. Leo exhaled mentally.
Phew. Wait… That's exactly what was supposed to happen in the original story. So… even though I'm here, the events are still following their course?
"Interesting…" Mihawk murmured. Or rather, his lips did. Leo suddenly realized—he had no control over his voice. It was as if Mihawk's instincts were overriding him.
Hey, this is my body now! Or… his body. Our body?
A shrill whistling sound made him look up. A boulder the size of a house hurtled toward him.
Oh, shit.
But his legs bent on their own. Yoru swept through the air in a perfect arc. The boulder shattered into dust. Not a single speck touched his hat.
Whoa… Leo thought in awe. So this is the power of the world's greatest swordsman?
His body moved again, stepping toward the heart of the battlefield. Each step crushed the ice beneath him. Fighters—both marines and pirates—parted in his wake like the sea before Moses.
They're afraid. Of course they're afraid. I'm… I'm Mihawk.
Excitement surged through him. I could fight Vista! Or Crocodile! Or even—
"Mihawk-kun~"
The sing-song voice made him tense. Doflamingo descended from the sky like a vulture, his grin stretching wide. "Playing the silent observer as usual? How dull… Why not have a little fun?"
Leo felt his lips curve ever so slightly. Not quite a smile. "Are you offering entertainment, Doflamingo?"
Whoa. Okay. My voice is ridiculously badass.
Doflamingo chuckled. "Let's see… Whoever brings back the head of that old legend. What do you say?"
The war raged on. Explosions, shouts, and the crack of ice filled the air. Leo—Mihawk—remained still, golden eyes scanning the battlefield with an eerie calm.
Then, with measured precision, he adjusted his hat.
"I'm moving forward."
Doflamingo's smirk faltered for a split second before he erupted into hysterical laughter. "HAHAHA! The Lone Wolf seeks glory? The world's about to turn upside down!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
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