A young man abruptly woke from his slumber, his heart pounding as confusion clouded his mind. His eyes darted around, scanning the dimly lit room that felt alien and unwelcoming. Cold stone walls enclosed him, and when he tried to move, he immediately failed. A sharp clinking sound echoed as he discovered the thick shackles binding his wrists and ankles. Before panic could fully consume him, an overwhelming flood of foreign memories surged into his mind, merging violently with his own.
Just hours ago—or what felt like hours—he had been nothing more than an ordinary anime fan. He worked a stable job that paid enough for his hobbies and allowed him to support his parents, if only in small but meaningful ways. Life was simple, quiet, and satisfying. His greatest thrills came from watching anime battles. That night, he had been watching Baki, fully immersed in the brutal fight between Baki and Mohammad Alai Jr. When Baki's merciless triple jab dropped his opponent instantly, the young man's blood boiled with excitement. He binge-watched the rest of the season, all the while wondering how characters from different series would fare against each other.
"I wonder… what if Baki were born in the One Piece world? If he had the strength of his own body combined with the abilities of that universe, how terrifyingly powerful would he be?"
He loved such hypotheticals. They fueled his imagination. With that thought lingering in his head, he drifted into sleep. But instead of waking in his bed, he had awakened in a prison cell—inside someone else's body.
As the alien memories settled, the truth revealed itself: his new name was Panther D. Noir, a pirate who had stumbled upon an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit—the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Namazu. This Mythical Zoan granted him the devastating earthquake abilities of Whitebeard, combined with the unique powers of a colossal catfish yokai. In his full beast form, he could "swim" through solid earth itself, moving underground as effortlessly as if it were water. His destructive potential was so terrifying that the World Government branded him a global threat and immediately hunted him down.
When Noir tried to master his powers too early, the Zoan awakened. It's overwhelming will nearly devour his personality, leaving him half-beast, half-human, and completely unstable. The awakening not only amplified his earthquakes but also gave him dominion over stone and earth itself. Noir became a living natural disaster.
His rampage forced the World Government to dispatch two Marine Admirals—Kizaru and Aokiji. For three long days, they battled across an island, their clash so devastating that most of the landmass sank beneath the sea. Though Noir fought like a cornered god, he was finally defeated. Bound in seastone shackles reinforced with Vegapunk's inventions—designed to withstand even Whitebeard's quake punches—he was sealed deep within Impel Down's Level 6, the prison of legends.
"Damn… I'm strong," Noir muttered, a strange grin tugging at his lips despite the crushing restraints. The heavy chains dug into his skin, draining his strength, yet his body thrummed with dormant power. But then dread washed over him.
"Wait… what timeline is this? Am I stuck here for years—maybe decades—before someone frees me?" The thought of rotting in the abyss of Impel Down, unable to move, made him panic. This wasn't the adventure he imagined; this was a living nightmare.
Before despair could settle, a mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully integrating the body's memories. Newbie Package unlocked: Essence of the Hanma Bloodline.]
A glowing vial materialized within his consciousness, filled with a liquid that shimmered ominously.
"System, use the Essence," Noir commanded. The response was instant. The Hanma bloodline fused into him, and a violent transformation tore through his body. Even while weakened by seastone, his muscles hardened, his veins pulsed with monstrous vitality, and his spirit roared with primal hunger. He realized, with a thrill of disbelief, that the seastone's draining effects were diminishing. If given more time, he might even become immune to it altogether.
A feral grin spread across his face. "This… this changes everything."
Just as Noir marveled at his newfound resilience, a sudden stir in the corridor caught his attention. His sharp eyes fixed on a bizarre yet unmistakable figure—a giant-headed person dressed in flamboyant, feminine attire, striding confidently as if the prison halls were their stage. Beside them walked a poised figure with dual-colored hair, calmly maneuvering through the shadows. Noir's pulse quickened; he recognized them immediately.
It was Emporio Ivankov, the revolutionary commander, and Inazuma, their ever-loyal companion. But what truly startled him was the familiar straw hat bobbing in the group—Monkey D. Luffy himself, eyes blazing with determination. They seemed to be whispering strategies, though the truth was evident in their faces: for now, they had no path forward.
Then, a voice echoed from one of the nearby cells, firm and resolute:
"Free me! I wish to fight under Whitebeard's flag—as payment for what he once did for my homeland. And above all, I want to help save Ace!"
The words reverberated through the chamber. Inazuma's expression hardened with resolve. Without hesitation, their hands transformed into enormous scissors, blades gleaming as they sliced clean through the cell bars. Dust fell as the iron crashed aside. Inazuma entered, and when they emerged moments later, a towering figure followed behind. Noir's eyes widened.
It was Jinbei, the First Son of the Sea—former Warlord of the Sea, imprisoned for defying the World Government's demand to fight against Whitebeard. His loyalty to the man who protected Fishman Island had cost him dearly.
Before Noir could even process the sight, another prisoner raised his voice, demanding release as well. But Luffy's demeanor shifted sharply. His face twisted with anger as he barked back, his refusal absolute. The heated exchange made it clear—whoever was in that cell shared a bitter history with him.
Noir's focus, however, had shifted inward. His body thrummed with a strange mix of weakness and strength. He could feel the shackles pressing against him like anchors, but deep down, he knew he now had the means to break free.
"Enough waiting," he muttered.
He clenched his fists, muscles swelling as he forced his strength against the seastone. Veins bulged, bones creaked, and for a moment, it seemed the chains might give way. But they held. The strain was immense, draining him faster than he could resist. He exhaled sharply and stopped.
"No… brute force won't cut it. I need precision."
Closing his eyes, Noir recalled the knowledge that had merged into him from the body's memories—the concept of Haki. More specifically, the advanced form of Armament Haki known as Ryuo, where energy flows outward, striking not the surface but the essence within. He pictured the scenes from his past life, the ones he had watched as mere anime. In his mind's eye, he saw Hyogoro instructing Luffy in Wano, demonstrating the invisible armor that could shatter anything it touched.
Noir steadied his breathing. "Flow… not force. Break it from within."
Normally, this would have been an impossible feat. Ryuo required years of brutal training and discipline. But with the Essence of the Hanma Bloodline coursing through his veins, Noir's learning ability was nothing short of monstrous. He grasped concepts with frightening speed, intuition guiding him where training could not.
A faint aura shimmered around his arms. He pushed it outward, willing it to seep into the seastone itself. A deep crack echoed, then another. The shackles splintered. With one last surge, they shattered, fragments clattering across the stone floor.
Noir's flexed his freed arms, and the rest of the chains soon followed, each strike of Ryuo more fluid, more controlled. The noise was impossible to ignore; the grinding and shattering echoed across all of Level Six, drawing the attention of every notorious prisoner locked within.
Luffy, Ivankov, Inazuma, Jinbei—and even Crocodile—all turned their heads toward the source of the commotion. The air was thick with unease.
Then, with a thunderous boom, Noir's cell door exploded outward. His kick had reduced the reinforced seastone barrier to rubble, shaking the entire level of Impel Down. The ground trembled beneath the force, and silence followed for a heartbeat.
Through the dust and debris, a figure emerged. Panther D. Noir stepped out slowly, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. His body cracked audibly, joints snapping back into motion after more than a year of forced immobility. He inhaled deeply, savoring the taste of freedom.
Every prisoner watching felt it—the aura of something dangerous, something untamed.