"Let's see... I'm currently five years away from the year Luffy sets sail. That means there are a lot of things that haven't happened yet or are just getting started:"
—Jewelry Bonney will be showing the first signs of her illness, and Kuma will not yet have gone to sea to search for a cure.
—Ace hasn't started his journey either, so the Mera Mera no Mi and the Yami Yami no Mi are still in circulation. It also means that Hanafuda is still a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and that his succulent assortment of Ancient Zoan are still waiting to be consumed.
—Crocodile will be starting his project in Arabasta, so Robin will not be joining him yet.
—CP9 would be assuming right now their covert identities on Water 7 to search for the Pluton plans.
—Caesar still hasn't blown up the lab, so Punk Hazard must still be a habitable island run by government scientists.
—Koby, Alvida and Cavendish haven't gone out to sea yet, so the Sube Sube no Mi will still be around somewhere.
—And Shanks hasn't captured Loki nor earned his Yonkou title yet, so the giant prince with an as-yet-unidentified Devil Fruit must continue sailing the New World.
'There are probably more things happening around the world, but these are the main ones I must keep in mind and write down so I don't forget.'
'Knowing that Luffy will be in charge of everything in the future, the smartest thing to do would be to stay in East Blue and sort out Kuro's capture so I can remain as the base's commander and live a quiet life on this peaceful island. And that's what anyone without ambition would do.'
'But not me!'
'I've been reincarnated in this fantasy world filled with wonders and emotions that come from humanity's wildest dreams! How can I just sit back doing nothing and not take advantage of this second chance that's been presented to me?!'
'At the end of the day, I'm an ambitious and greedy man, and I want to enjoy everything the world has to offer: I want exotic foods, I want to travel to fantastic places, I want strength, I want women, and I want to be on top of the world. I want it all!'
'The constraints of the World Government and the reign of Celestial Dragons have caused more suffering and more deaths than the supposed pirate plague has ever done since 800 years ago, even since Roger died and the Great Pirate Era began.'
'Even the non-corrupt Marines, whose justice are pure, have to take part in massacres and cover-ups to slander the true heroes (many times the hated pirates) and hide the crimes of the World Government. I don't intend to act like that.'
'For the time being, I've joined the Marines to gain access to opportunities to travel around the world and receive training to increase my strength and learn how to use Haki, but I won't stay for long.'
'I will solve the injustices and problems I encounter along the way in my own way. If I don't end up quitting, I might as well become a member of SWORD. Even if I become a Pirate for this, it won't matter if there is a bounty for my head. I don't intend to put myself at anyone's fucking service.'
'But it's obvious I can't achieve everything I want now, and not as a pirate either. Things could have gone well for Luffy in the original, but that's because the universe practically bends to grant him whatever he wants. The so-called plot armor, or as it's called in this series, "fate."'
'I'm not some lucky, happy buffoon who gets everything by luck. If anything, luck hates me, and it has shown me this on more than one occasion. But so what?'
'I will not let my life be dictated by a preconception that things have to happen according to what someone else believes, even if it is Eiichiro Oda. I mean, I stared fate dead in the eyes, and here I am still. If death didn't stop me, then fate won't either.'
'Of course, I'm not so stupid as to believe that I can get it just like that out of nowhere, like Luffy did. If I want to fulfill my desires, and prosper in this world where super powerful pirates are rampant and wars are raging everywhere, then I have to gather as many forces as possible, be smarter than anyone, stronger than anyone, and above all, try harder than anyone to achieve it all in 7 years maximum.'
'I have plenty of time to train and prepare before Nika's emergence, but there are many urgent matters to attend to until then, so I can't just slack off.'
'I may start with nothing in this world, but I will fight and fight until I am crowned the man who truly achieved it all, even greater than Roger and Rocks.'
As time passes while Tetsuo reflects on his current circumstances and the future steps he will take in this world, the door of the room opens, and several soldiers enter to encounter his unexpected presence.
"THERE'S AN INTRUDER IN OUR BASE! QUICKLY SURROUND HIM!"
As soon as they see him, all the soldiers misinterpret the situation and rush at Tetsuo. He tries to defend himself, punching and kicking the incoming soldiers to keep them from subduing him, but his resistance is quickly overwhelmed by the numbers, and he ends up pinned to the ground.
"We have you, thug. Now start explaining your motives for invading our dorms."
"Damn impulsive idiots, I didn't invade anything! Are your eyes just for show?! Look at my clothes! I'm the newest recruit who joined the base today!"
Paying more attention to Tetsuo's clothes in the dimly lit room, one of the soldiers suddenly flinches into realization.
"It's true. I saw him this afternoon with Mr. Morgan walking through the halls."
"Hmm? It's true? If that was the case then why did you start hitting us for no reason?" One of the soldiers holding Tetsuo asks with his eyes widened as he releases him along with the others.
"For no reason? If a bunch of guys rush to you yelling with angry faces, obviously you have to respond. You're Marines and you don't even know something so basic as that?"
"Besides, I don't have fighting experience, so I'm going to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. If you hate being hit, then train and try harder instead of whining like a bunch of babies who've messed up their diapers."
Needless to say, Tetsuo's condescending and quarrelsome attitude gives a rather bad first impression, but even so the soldiers decide not to respond to his provocations since they feel responsible for the mistake and don't want to start a needless fight again so late.
After the misunderstanding, the excited and irked Marines gradually lie down on their hammocks and fall asleep, with their soft boasting fading into loud snores that fill the place.
Soon, the room was filled with snoring.
Late at night, close to midnight.
Even though the strident accumulation of vibrations from the soft tissues of their airways is deafening, the soldiers seem accustomed to the noises of their comrades, sleeping peacefully while dreaming of glory at sea. Except for Tetsuo. But not just because the noise bothers him.
Amidst the noise, Tetsuo suddenly opens his eyes and sits up straight in bed, instantly alert. He carefully looks around at his snoring roommates, and making sure they are still asleep, he quietly slips out of his "bed" and sneaks out of the room.
Silently making his way through the halls of the soldiers' residence, Tetsuo finally makes his way outside and begins to run under the dark and lonely cover of night until he reaches the forest behind the 153rd Branch towers.
Making sure he's covered enough so no one can see him, Tetsuo wraps his hands in bandages and after finding a rock big enough, Tetsuo hesitates a bit before finally punching it with all his might.
*Creak."
"AAAAAHHHHH!!! Holy shit, how it hurts, I shit on the fucking rock! It hurts!" Tetsuo screams, waving his sore, slightly fractured hand.
"I don't know why I expected it to be anything that bad. All the characters are always taking a beating, even the weak ones like Nami and Ussop, and yet they never fall. But the pain is real. Fucking real."
Tetsuo looks at his trembling hand and then at the completely intact rock, his lips tembling slightly. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he throws another punch with his other hand.
*Creak."
"UUUGGGHHH! Fuck, Fuck! You son of a bitch, my hands are going to dislocate! The maladaptive coping ultimately didn't make me forget the pain in my other hand!" Tetsuo exclaims loudly gritting his teeth and with the corner of his eyes watering because of the pain.
As he stares at his trembling hands, the thought of forgetting this practice and returning to the dormitories crosses his mind.
'It hurts, but I have no choice that continuing punching.' He thinks hitting the rock again with his other hand. 'My goal is far away. Very far away. And I'm starting later than everyone else in this world. Training this hard is the only thing I can do at this point if I want to get anything done.'
'I don't plan to rest on my laurels or slacking off, I have to keep training and take advantage of every opportunity I find to get stronger.'
'If that meek of Koby could do the impossible in only two year, so can I! Putting in 200 times the effort! Not, 500 times the effort! To achieve that I have to be relentless and have an unbreakable determination no matter what!'
With these toxic thoughts motivating him, Tetsuo continues hitting the rock, his hands beginning to bleed and his eyes watering from the pain. But he still doesn't stop.
Even if his actions are reckless, his hard work is the most likely (and currently only) way for him to truly make himself stronger. If he was lazy or got cold feet when he had the chance to train, he wouldn't even respect himself!
----------
T/N: I know that even though there are only a few chapters, some people have enjoyed the story so far and grasped its underlying message.
I'm letting you know that this is the last chapter I had prepared. I don't know when or how often I'll post a new one, but I'll try my best to live up to my expectations.
I hope to see some new comments when they come out, and don't forget about the fanfic even if you put it aside until then. See you later.