The cabin door opened with a soft creak. The stale smell of rum and tobacco immediately assaulted my now-mortal senses.
The room was dark, only dimly lit by the light filtering through the ship's window. I stepped inside, ignoring the instincts of Dao Ancestor who would normally not deign to set foot in such a filthy place. Now, information was everything.
My eyes were immediately drawn to a large table in the middle of the room, cluttered with rolled-up maps, empty bottles, and leftover food.
My heart pounded. It had to be here. I sorted through the map scrolls one by one. Most of them were crude maps of the Grand Line's sea routes, some marked with red scribbles. Then, under a pile of papers, I saw it. A shabby newspaper scroll with finer details.
With a trembling hand, I unrolled it. In the bottom right corner, a number was printed: "Year 1517, World Calendar."
My whole world—this new world—seemed to spin. 1517 World Calendar! That was five years before Monkey D. Luffy set sail and began his adventure in the world of One Piece that I knew!
This wasn't a "new God Valley" in the sense I, Eron Arasta, understood, where reality could be changed. This was the past of the One Piece universe that I had read! I was thrown, not into a strange dimension, but into the past of a familiar universe, but at a crucial time.
The map itself was not a map of God Valley, but a very detailed sailing route to an island whose name I did not know, located far in the Grand Line. The island was marked with a strange symbol, like an open eye, and there were several red lines encircling the area around it, indicating great danger.
Goran, this map, "the new God Valley"... it all started to feel like a tangled thread that I could unravel. If this was five years before Luffy set sail, that meant... Roger had just been executed or maybe not long ago! When exactly did the original God Valley happen?
My memory of the detailed One Piece timeline was fuzzy because of this reincarnation shock, but I knew it happened more than 20 years ago. So, this "new God Valley"... what was its connection? Was this the location of the artifact found in the original God Valley?
The sound of battle on the deck grew deafening. The ship shook violently again. I had to act. My consciousness as Eron Arasta, who had transcended the boundaries of space and time, quickly analyzed the situation. My body was weak, my Dao was taken, but my mind remained sharp. I was in the Grand Line in the past. Being here meant I was already in the most dangerous territory in this world.
"Find something, kid?"
Daro's voice! The skinny man snuck in, his breath ragged, a scratch wound on his arm. He was holding a knife again, maybe another one. I quickly hid the more detailed map behind my back.
"Nothing. Just an old map." Daro sneered.
"Don't lie. I know you're smart, kid. And I know you have that new God Valley map."
He stepped closer, his eyes full of suspicion. "This Marine attack... Captain Goran must be furious."
"The Marines are attacking because of the map, aren't they?" I asked, trying to buy time and gather information.
"Of course! That map is not just any map! That map leads to something that will make Goran the Pirate King!" Daro snorted. "And you know what's more interesting? I heard the Marines are also looking for the same thing! There are even rumors that... the World Government is involved too."
The World Government! That was it. This wasn't just a matter of low-level pirates. This was something much bigger. If the World Government was involved, it meant there was something very important on that island. Something that could even threaten the balance of the world.
"So, you want to run?" I asked. Daro nodded. "I need a partner. We can split the proceeds. That map... I just need someone to help me get out of here, before Goran tears me apart."
I looked at him. He was a low-level pirate, a coward, and a traitor. However, he was my only bridge to more information, and perhaps my only way to survive in this mortal body. He knew more about this "new God Valley" than I did.
"Alright," I said, making a decision. "I'll help you. But on one condition."
Daro frowned. "A condition? You think you're in a position to—"
"I want to know everything about this map, about the new God Valley, and about Goran," I interrupted. "And we won't be splitting the proceeds. You'll work for me, and I'll make sure you stay alive."
Daro stared at me, stunned. Then, a smirk appeared on his face. "Alright, kid. You've got guts. Deal. Now, how do we get out?"
I looked around the hold. The ship was still shaking, the sound of battle on the deck was still going on. This was chaos, and chaos was an opportunity.
"The Marines won't expect us to escape from below deck," I said.
"This ship... I can feel there are several structural gaps or hidden paths to the hull." Even though I was new here, my understanding of the basic principles of construction and energy flow allowed me to 'see' weaknesses and hidden paths in this structure.
My mind was already planning several scenarios. Escaping the ship was only the first step. After that, I had to find a way to learn more about this world, about the powers that existed, and most importantly, how I could get my Dao back. Or, at the very least, find a way to influence this timeline.
"Alright, show me the way, kid," Daro hissed, greed in his eyes. He probably thought he was using me, but he had no idea who he was talking to. As Dao Ancestor Eron Arasta, I had transcended the concept of manipulation. This was a strategy.
"Follow me," I whispered, pulling him into the darkest corner of the room. The sound of battle on the deck was a symphony of chaos, perfect for disguising our movements.
My first strategy, which I knew as "Slipping Between Realities," was an ancient technique I once used to pass through even the tightest dimensions.
Here, in a mortal body and without my Dao, it meant taking advantage of the confusion and escaping through a gap the enemy wouldn't think of.
"Here," I pointed to a slightly loose wooden panel on the back wall of the hold, hidden behind a pile of sacks. "This is an old ventilation shaft to the lower cargo hold, right below the waterline."
Daro frowned. "What? It's too tight! And why should we go there? We have to go up to the deck!"
"The Marines will fill the deck. They'll think we're going to escape up," I explained, ignoring his argument.
"No one will look for us below. We'll go into the hull, wait until the ship starts sinking or the Marines are busy on the main deck, and then we'll get out of an emergency hatch." Daro was still hesitant, but a loud explosion from above made the ship creak.
"Damn it! Alright, you're the smart one. How do we get in?"
I examined the panel. There was a rusty hinge. "Push from the top right corner. Together."
We both pushed. The panel squeaked and finally opened, revealing a narrow, dark, and musty-smelling gap.
Daro grunted in disgust, but I was already crawling inside. I remembered once infiltrating a forbidden universe through a gap much narrower than this. This was just a matter of adaptation.
The space inside the panel was indeed narrow, forcing me to crawl on my elbows and knees.
Daro, who was larger, cursed behind me, his voice muffled. We moved slowly, relying only on touch. The smell of fish and dampness grew thicker, mixed with the aroma of oil and rust.
"Where are we going, kid?" Daro whispered, his voice a little panicked. "
Just keep going," I replied.
"We'll get to the lower cargo hold. Remember, don't make a sound." I could feel the vibration of the ship beneath me, and occasionally, the rumble of the battle above.
This adapted "Slipping Between Realities" tactic relied on the ability to disappear from the enemy's sight, to become part of the background, and to reappear at the most unexpected moment. Here, it meant using hidden passages and ignoring the common instinct to flee to open ground.
After a few minutes that felt like forever, we finally felt a more stable floor. I pushed another panel, and we entered a pitch-black compartment. There was only a little light coming from the cracks above.
"Where are we?" Daro whispered, his voice a little calmer. "
The hull," I whispered back.
"Now, we wait." We huddled among old sacks and empty barrels. The sounds of battle on the deck grew more and more chaotic, interspersed with shouts of "Marines have secured the stern!" and "All pirates surrender!"