East Blue — Open Sea.
A lavish cruise ship sliced through the ocean, its decks teeming with laughter, clinking glasses, and the scent of wealth. Inside the grand ballroom, nobles and merchants danced beneath golden chandeliers, their silk robes swaying to the rhythm of violins.
But one woman stood apart from the celebration.
By the railing, a young woman with bright orange hair gazed silently at the rolling waves beyond. Her eyes glinted like amber in the moonlight.
"The Alvida Pirates should be arriving any minute now…"
Nami narrowed her eyes at the recently calmed whirlpool still churning faintly in the ship's wake.
She had heard whispers — the infamous Alvida Pirates planned to raid this very ship tonight. So, she'd dressed herself in a gown, boarded the cruise ahead of time, and slipped into the ball unnoticed.
When the pirates attacked, the chaos would become her cover.
Because Nami wasn't just a guest.
She was a thief.
A thief who only stole from pirates.
"Excuse me, miss," a warm voice said behind her, "May I have this dance?"
Startled, Nami turned.
A handsome young man stood there, smiling. His features were sharp, but his eyes had a teasing calm to them — unfazed by the storm that had passed and, it seemed, the storm to come.
She returned the smile.
"Of course."
Taking his hand, she let him lead her to the dance floor. The crowd spun around them, but the man only had eyes for her.
"That whirlpool earlier," he said casually, "was quite the sight."
Nami laughed lightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I nearly screamed. Didn't expect the sea to throw a tantrum like that."
The man chuckled but didn't respond. Not out loud, at least.
In his mind, a command echoed:
"Access Traits."
A translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes.
—Trait (Nami): Pirate Thief [Blue]
—Trait: Navigation Mastery [Deep Purple]
—Trait: Weather Sense [Light Gold]
Pirate Thief [Blue]: A kind-hearted rogue who only steals from villainous pirates. Expert in stealth, sleight-of-hand, and infiltration.
Navigation Mastery [Deep Purple]: Elite navigation skills capable of traversing the Four Seas and even the first half of the Grand Line.
Weather Sense [Light Gold]: A rare gift to intuitively perceive atmospheric changes. Can detect incoming storms, pressure shifts, and wind flows with pinpoint accuracy.
"No wonder she becomes the Straw Hat crew's navigator," the young man thought. "She already has a gold and purple trait at the very start of the story."
His name was Lu En.
A month ago, he had crossed over from Blue Star — his original world — and found himself stranded in the brutal, lawless seas of the One Piece universe.
But fate hadn't left him powerless.
He awakened a cheat-like ability the moment he arrived:
The Strongest Trait System.
As the name implied, Lu En could see, extract, and equip traits from others. Skills, abilities, even innate talents — all turned into collectible "traits."
The system divided traits into four tiers:
White, Blue, Purple, and Gold.
Purple and Gold were further divided into Light, Deep, and Ultra.
White and Blue traits were common, often weak — the "cheap freebies" of this gacha-like world.
But Purple and Gold?
Those were power. Potential. Legend.
Nami, even before joining the Straw Hats or sailing the Grand Line, already had a Deep Purple trait and a Light Gold one.
And unlike others who needed talent and time to grow, Lu En had one major advantage:
He could steal traits. And upgrade them.
A quick flick brought up his own current status:
—Trait (Lu En): Beast Strength [Blue]
Beast Strength [Blue]: The raw physical power of a savage beast. Grants enhanced strength and combat capability.
A single blue trait — far from flashy. But it had saved his life more than once.
He had extracted it from a giant predator that had died near him during his chaotic arrival.
In this world where many pirates had nothing but trash-tier white traits — or none at all — even a single blue trait made Lu En a force to be reckoned with.
Thanks to it, he'd survived. And tracked down this ship — the one where the story begins.
—Trait (Starting Ship): The vessel where the One Piece story begins.
Simple, almost blank. Not even a white-tier trait.
But its significance was massive.
Lu En smiled to himself.
Soon, this ship would be overflowing with treasure. And opportunity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannon fire tore through the calm night. Explosions rocked the ship as fire blossomed in the sky.
Panic erupted.
From afar, a ship with a pink sail bearing a heart-shaped skull flag sped toward them — the Alvida Pirates had arrived.
"S-Save us! It's pirates!"
"Stay calm! Everyone, stay calm—!"
Screams and chaos drowned out any attempts at order. The crew scrambled, and the guests stampeded in terror.
"Showtime."
Nami's eyes sparkled as she spotted the approaching pirate vessel. Her instincts screamed go.
But just as she was about to slip away—
She paused.
The young man beside her — Lu En — wasn't panicking.
In fact… he was smiling.
He was staring at the pirate ship like he'd been waiting for it.
Could he be… another thief?
Nami's gaze sharpened with suspicion.
But before she could ask, Lu En released her hand gently.
"Looks like you've got your own plans, miss," he said with a wink. "Let's not get in each other's way."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the smoke-filled corridor.
"…Not a rival?" Nami muttered.
Strange. He didn't seem like a pirate either.
But now wasn't the time to worry.
Nami slipped out of her dress, revealing a tight-fitting thief's outfit underneath. Silently, she crouched by the railing, watching the Alvida Pirates swarm the merchant ship.
Once they were all on board, she sprang into action.
With practiced precision, she hurled a grappling hook across the gap, catching it on the pirate ship's rigging.
Then she zipped across the rope — a shadow in the night — toward her real goal:
The pirates' treasure.
Meanwhile…
In a dim hallway below deck, a pirate lay unconscious at Lu En's feet.
Lu En calmly stepped over the man's body, wiping a smudge of blood from his shirt.
His eyes flicked to a small storage room nearby.
—Trait (Barrel): The oak barrel containing Monkey D. Luffy.
A grin curved on his lips.
Found you.
He strode toward the barrel.
The real story was about to begin.
Author's Note:
New book just launched! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to bookmark, vote, and comment! Let's make this story legendary!