Sea Circle Calendar 1484, Canyon of the Gods,
A group of people wearing white short-sleeves with "target" patterns printed on their backs were running desperately in the forest. Everyone had a frightened and helpless expression on their faces, as if there were some terrible monsters behind them.
"Run! They are catching up!"
"Boom!"
"ah!!!"
Intensive gunshots rang out from behind them, people kept falling to the ground, and the running crowd became more chaotic.
Amid the chaos, four figures stood close together unmoved by the crowd around them, always keeping in step with one another.
Among the four were three boys and a girl. Although one was incredibly large, his youthful face betrayed the truth: like the others, he was still a child.
Despite being clearly much stronger than the others, he always lagged behind, using his large body as a shield against the other three.
An arrow had lodged in his back. He gritted his teeth and remained silent even as blood streamed down his shirt.
When the only little girl among them turned around and saw the arrow lodged in his back, her eyes filled with tears. She cried out in panic:
"Bear Boy! Get in front of us! You're so big, it's easy to get shot in the back!"
Barro forced a smile, nodded, and said:
"Ginny, don't worry about me. As long as nothing happens to you, I'm fine."
He said that, but judging by his weak voice and pale skin, his current condition wasn't very good.
He's still a child, after all.
The remaining two children turned to look at Barro at the sound of Ginny's voice.
Among them, the afro-haired boy's eyes darkened at the sight of the arrow in Barro's back. He looked at the other boy beside him and said in a hushed voice:
"Kael, we need to find a safe place to hide. Barro is seriously injured! Damn those bastards!"
The boy named Kael is wearing a quality white long-sleeved jacket, not a white short-sleeved shirt with a target pattern like the other boys.
He has messy black hair and a delicate face. His dark eyes are calm and determined, his childlike face a mature expression despite his age.
At that moment, Kael's face sank like water, and he said softly:
"Nowhere is safe now. We can't stop. Just hang on. The sun is setting, and those people will return soon."
"But..."
"Run! Or you'll die!"
Barro spoke at the same time:
"Ivan, Kael is right, we shouldn't stay here. If I can't hold on anymore, please ignore me!"
At only nine years old, he was actually prepared to die at this moment. Ginny cried even harder after hearing this.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Barro, I will never abandon you!"
Kael pretended to be unconcerned, but his steps unconsciously slowed.
This behavior was clearly extremely dangerous, but fortunately, it was late, and the pursuers might have been tired.
Less than an hour later, the gunfire behind Kael and the others gradually faded and finally stopped.
To risk the danger, Kael and the others continued running for a while, finally stopping in front of a small pool.
Plop! Plop!
As soon as Ivan and the others stopped, they collapsed like deflated rubber balls. Berro, who had a wound on his back, fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Kael looked around cautiously. After making sure he was safe, he sat down on the edge of the pool and stared in amazement at his reflection in the water.
It's been a week since Kael arrived in the world of One Piece...
He had traveled through time.
In his original world, he was an orphan. With nothing but government support and his own determination, he managed to graduate from university barely.
On graduation night, he drank enough to get drunk with his friends in his dorm.
The last thing he remembered was trying to hold on to the wall to go to the bathroom, but his legs gave out; he fell and lost consciousness in the hallway.
When he woke up, he found himself alone on a deserted island, back to his childhood self.
As for how he realized he'd ended up in the world of One Piece...
While wandering the deserted island, he encountered the escaping Berra group.
Kael knows Ginny, Bear, and Ivan three important characters in the One Piece world-very well.
When Kael first saw them, he noticed Ivan's afro hair and his "creepy" vibe, and then looked at Berro, the two-meter-tall kid who was only nine years old.
The three didn't say a word when they saw Kael, a younger kid, alone and struggling, and immediately took him into their crew. From that day on, the group became four.
Based on Berro and the others' current ages and situations, Kael knows where they are now and what's going on.
The Valley of the Gods is the Celestial Dragons' slave hunting ground!
Kael, who confirms the news, suddenly feels the thunder of tens of thousands of horses galloping through the mud.
He knows very well what's about to happen in the Valley of the Gods. Soon, the best fighters in the pirate world will gather here and start a fierce battle.
Just thinking about the Rock Pirates, the Marines, and the God Knights— the elite force of the Celestial Dragons— is enough to scare anyone.
What the hell kind of start is this?!
Where's the promised novice village? You start the game and immediately encounter the final-level BOSS—and they all want to kill you!?
Kael knew the big bear would later eat the Meatball Fruit and use its powers to take everyone away,
But back then, he'd only read about these scenes in a comic. Now, on this hunting ground, he was the real hunt!
What if he'd been shot and killed by one of the Celestial Dragons?
What if they hadn't found the Meatball Fruit because of him?
In the original comic, Berro and Ivan had found the fruit by pure luck!
For the first few days, Kael had been a bit lucky. He figured since time travel was real, there must be trickery involved like a system, perhaps?
Kael had always imagined hearing a "ding!" in his mind, followed by some kind of electronic message:
"Condition XX met, XX activated."
But Kael had become almost desensitized to the daily gunshots and screams, and that celestial, ringing sound hadn't yet been heard.
Recalling his escape experiences during this period, Kael finally could bear it no longer. He punched the water and gritted his teeth:
"Celestial Dragons, if I survive this, none of you will live in peace!!!"