Chapter 1: This Compass Looks Very Familiar!
"Hey, Buggy, wake up, Buggy, wake up quickly!"
In a daze, Buggy heard a voice in his ear. He opened his eyes with some difficulty, looking at the young man in front of him who was shouting while shaking him. The straw hat covering his fiery red hair looked so familiar.
"That's great, I thought you weren't going to wake up. By the way, how did you suddenly fall into the sea? Were you too sad? Right, yesterday Captain he... We should leave Loguetown soon," the red-haired young man continued.
"Sha... Shanks?" Not quite sure, Buggy shook his head to clear it and then tentatively called out.
"It's me, what's wrong? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want me to take you to a doctor?" Shanks continued, his eyes full of concern.
"No, I'm not uncomfortable anywhere. I thought I was a goner just now. Thanks," Buggy said as he prepared to sit up. As his hand touched the ground, Buggy noticed he was clutching something in his right hand.
"You randomly grabbed this broken compass in the sea. I found it after I rescued you, but you were holding it so tightly and wouldn't let go at all, so I didn't take it away," Shanks said from the side when he saw Buggy notice the compass in his hand.
"This compass..." Before he could finish, Buggy opened the lid and looked at the constantly spinning needle, seeming to recall something.
He didn't know if it was a few seconds or a long time ago, but Buggy had met a burly man with a full beard, glaring bull-like eyes, and dressed in ancient official robes in a gloomy hall.
"You are already dead," the man with the full beard said to Buggy.
"I'm already dead?" Buggy didn't quite understand.
"Yes, dead!" the burly, bearded man repeated emphatically.
"But why did I die?" Before he could get agitated, Buggy just had too many unanswered questions.
"Alright, actually you weren't supposed to die. But yesterday, the Book of Life and Death system was invaded by a certain bored monkey. Although we successfully defended against all of that damned monkey's attacks this time, there was a small mishap, and then you died."
Hearing this answer, Buggy, who had read too many novels, instantly understood his situation.
"Is there any compensation?" Rather than getting confused and hysterical, or finding it hard to accept the current situation, Buggy very realistically posed this question.
"You're strange, but it's best to have this kind of mentality. Originally, your lifespan wasn't over, so logically you should have been allowed to return to your body. But due to yesterday's events, the Book of Life and Death system experienced a slight delay. After the small mishap, another small problem occurred. Well, the result is that time was delayed, and we can't send you back. But don't worry, the Underworld already has a complete plan for this kind of situation. You just need to make a choice." At this moment, the burly, bearded man felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Buggy.
"What choice?" Seemingly understanding his situation, Buggy resignedly continued to ask.
"First, I can use the transmigration system to recreate your physical body and let you travel to a parallel world. Second, I can use the reincarnation system to let you be reborn into a certain anime world," the burly man gave two answers that slightly surprised Buggy.
"Can you explain in more detail?" Buggy didn't rush to choose but continued to ask.
"Just as it literally means, your choices are either transmigration or reincarnation. If you choose transmigration, I can guarantee that no matter which era of the parallel world you travel to, your body will be exactly the same as before you died, but that's it. If you choose reincarnation, then I can only guarantee that you will be reborn in an anime world. As for which world, which period, or even who you'll be reborn as, I can't guarantee. Of course, because there are many uncertain factors, you can get one lottery chance as compensation," the burly, bearded man continued.
"Can you tell me the range of prizes so I can consider it?" Still not making a choice, Buggy just continued to ask.
"Various items that appear in non-realistic worlds. Among them, there might be divine artifacts, immortal artifacts, or it could be useless junk. In short, just like reincarnation, it's all up to luck," the bearded man answered quite directly.
Receiving such an answer, Buggy fell silent. Choosing transmigration meant he would have to start from scratch in another era with his 30-something-year-old body. Choosing reincarnation was a big gamble; if his luck was bad, he might even be reborn as someone who was about to die.
But compared to transmigration, Buggy leaned more towards reincarnation.
Buggy understood his situation very well. Transmigrating to any era of a parallel world, completely unprepared, he would have no advantages and see no hope. Rather than struggle futilely, it was better to gamble now.
"I choose reincarnation!" After pondering, Buggy made his choice.
"Draw your prize!" Without saying more, the burly, bearded man waved his large hand, and a square frame appeared in front of Buggy.
After clicking to draw the prize with his right finger, a force sucked Buggy in along with the item he had drawn.
Recalling the cause and effect, Buggy was very excited holding the compass in his hand.
He had actually been reborn into the One Piece world! Although he had become the cowardly Captain Buggy, thankfully it was now 1498. He was only 14 years old and still very young, with enough time to change Captain Buggy's life trajectory.
And this compass in his hand, full of 17th-century Central European flavor, looked incredibly familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, this thing should be the one Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean) carried with him, and its value in the One Piece world was definitely on par with a divine artifact.
"Sorry, Shanks, a lot has happened. By the way, what are your plans for the future?" Buggy raised his head and asked Shanks.
"I'm going to find my own crew, form my own pirate crew, and then be free like the captain. Buggy, do you want to come with me?" Shanks looked at Buggy and then made a very tempting invitation.
Facing the invitation from a future Yonko, to be honest, Buggy was very tempted. After all, Buggy knew about Shanks' future achievements. But Buggy wanted to live his own life more. With this rare chance at rebirth, Buggy wasn't willing to waste the opportunity by clinging to someone else's coattails.
"Shanks, I appreciate your kind offer, but our paths are different. What I want and what you're pursuing are too far apart. I will find my companions, form my pirate crew, and then someday in the future, when we meet again in some sea, let's compete. After the fight, we'll have a good, hearty drink." Standing up, Buggy resolutely looked at Shanks and extended his hand.
"Hahahahaha, Buggy, you've changed, but I'm so happy! Then it's a promise, I'll look forward to that day!" Laughing heartily, Shanks reached out and firmly shook Buggy's hand. After speaking, Shanks turned directly and strode towards the port.
"I'm also looking forward to that day. Take care!"
(End of this chapter)