Even death was boring for Arthav.
One moment, he was crossing the street on his way to the convenience store, headphones in, thinking about the next chapter of One Piece. The next moment, the light turned red, the car didn't stop, and everything faded to black before he could even register the sound of screeching tires.
No drama. No last words. Just... darkness.
The guy at least thought he would die at the hands of some legendary character like Truck-kun. Even worse, his last words were "Ahh Fuck!"
When Arthav opened his eyes, he found himself lying on soft white clouds. The sky stretched endlessly in every direction, colored in warm hues of gold and pink like an eternal sunset. A faint breeze whispered past him, and somewhere in the distance, chimes rang like distant bells.
"Where...?"
He sat up slowly. The air was warm, peaceful — too peaceful. It felt unreal.
Then he saw him.
A tall figure stood nearby, robed in white with hair that shimmered like starlight. His face was ageless, expression calm but unreadable. A long staff hovered beside him, not touching the ground.
"You've awakened," the man said. His voice echoed, not around Arthav, but within him — as if his very soul was being spoken to.
Arthav blinked. "You're... God?"
The figure nodded once, "Well, you're perceptive ".
"I'm dead, aren't I?"
"Yes," God replied, without ceremony. "And now you stand at a crossroads — between what was, and what may yet be."
Arthav swallowed hard. "So this is... the end?"
God looked at him for a long moment.
"No. I am giving you a choice. You wish to live in the world of One Piece," God said. "To chase dreams. To live boldly. To make something grand of yourself."
Arthav's heart thundered in his chest. "Are you... Offering to send me there?"
God nodded once. "Yes. You may enter any era you wish. Roger's age. Joyboy's era. Or the present timeline."
Arthav stared at God, then looked back up.
"I want to go to the main timeline," he said firmly, "Right before Luffy and Koby reach Shells Town."
"Wait," Arthav said. "If I go there as I am, I'll just die. I need more than that. I want to grow strong. I want the knowledge to train my body properly. Learn how to use Haki. And the Rokushiki-Six Styles. And..." Arthav hesitated. "I want the potential to use Conqueror's Haki. Just the certainty that I have it."
The clouds stilled.
"That," God said, voice heavier now, "won't be free."
He raised a hand, and a glowing scale appeared, tipping with golden light. "To grant you the potential of using Conqueror's Haki... and to imbue you with deep training knowledge of Haki and the Marine Six Styles... will cost you a limb."
Arthav's eyes widened. "A... limb?"
He looked down at his hands. The thought terrified him. He was just a guy. Not a hero. Not a warrior.
But deep down, something pulled. A fire that had been lit long ago while reading about Luffy. Zoro. Ace. He no longer wanted to be a spectator.
But before Arthav could give his answer, God said, "Before you answer, remember, your Conqueror's haki won't be as strong as others even if you awaken it now because you don't have the mindset of a Ruler, but it'll get stronger if you build the mindset of a Ruler, now that I've told you this piece of information, I will ask you again are you ready to give up your limb?"
Arthav thinks for a second and says, "Well, it is a high cost for the knowledge of great power, I will take the deal."
"So be it," God said.
A sharp flash of light — pain like fire, he felt excruciating pain— and then numbness.
Arthav dropped to his knees, breathing hard. His left arm was gone — gone without blood, gone like it had never been.
"I will make it so that your body is adapted to the environment of One Piece world, but you will still be weak at the moment. Get strong and live with purpose, Kid."
The sky cracked — and the last thing he heard before vanishing was God's quiet voice.
A bright flash swallowed him whole, and pain—searing, sharp, and absolute—ripped through him for just a moment. Then darkness.
And suddenly, he was falling and looking down, he saw cold water and a big ocean as far as his eyes could see. And his first words in this new world were "Ohh, Shit!!!!, HELPP!!!!"