A few white clouds dotted the pale blue sky. The sun hung high, radiating a scorching heat, and below, seabirds circled and danced over the glittering surface of the ocean.
In a certain stretch of sea.
Two different ships faced each other on the water.
"Hahaha, Garp! Ever since Rocks died, you haven't stopped chasing me. You're like a damned housefly!"
A hearty laugh rang out from the larger of the two vessels, a ship flying a pirate flag. A moment later, a man appeared on the forecastle. With a red cape, a captain's hat, and a grand mustache, the man, brimming with a domineering air, laughed as he looked at the Marine warship opposite them.
Despite facing the Marines, there wasn't a hint of worry on his face, nor on the faces of the crew behind him. Not only were they chatting idly, but some were even spoiling for a decisive battle with the Marines.
Vwmm—
At that moment, a terrifying Haki erupted from the warship. The air instantly grew heavy and oppressive.
This Haki seemed to coalesce into something tangible, driving the sea into a great wave that came crashing down upon the pirate ship, as if to devour it whole. "Same as always. You start a fight at the drop of a hat."
The man shook his head with a helpless smile, but his hands were not idle. The rapier at his waist was instantly unsheathed.
A cold light flashed, and a slash powerful enough to shake heaven and earth tore through the sea's surface, cleaving toward the massive wave.
Without warning, the great wave was instantly pulverized, disintegrating into nothing.
But it wasn't over. The slash continued onward, its momentum unchecked, hurtling toward the warship.
Just then, a tall figure finally appeared on the warship's deck. He laughed heartily as he threw a punch at the incoming slash.
BOOM—
Under the force of this fist, the incomparably sharp slash shattered instantly, breaking apart into countless smaller blades of energy that scattered in all directions. They carved scores of gashes into the surrounding sea, yet did not damage the warship in the slightest—a testament to the astonishing control of the one who had struck.
"Hmph. I'm a Marine, and you're a pirate."
"Isn't it perfectly natural for Marines to catch pirates?"
The newcomer wore a dog-head hat. He was tall and imposing in his Marine uniform, and behind him, his coat with the emblem of Justice fluttered in the sea breeze.
He was currently picking his nose, completely devoid of the typical image of a Marine, paying no mind to the man a short distance away.
The two men looked at each other, both smiling slightly. From their expressions, you would never guess they were enemies; they were more like old friends who had known each other for decades.
These were none other than the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the Hero of the Marines, Garp.
The quiet atmosphere didn't last long before the man on the pirate ship spoke first. "What a pain. Looks like I won't be getting away without a fight."
"Heh heh, suits me just fine."
With that, the two men charged toward each other at the same time.
BOOOOM—
Sparks seemed to flash where fist and sword collided, unleashing a sound that could shatter eardrums. The scale of the impact was immense.
The sea between them instantly exploded, throwing up a colossal wave that could swallow a normal person whole. The two ships were like lone skiffs in the vast ocean, struggling not to be cast adrift.
The pirates on the ship had clearly seen this kind of spectacle many times before and remained perfectly calm. Besides, with so many powerful fighters on board, they had nothing to fear.
The Marines on the warship didn't have such a steady disposition. Even if they had witnessed such a scene before, their relative lack of strength caused them to lose their footing and tumble to the deck, staring in horror at the world-destroying spectacle.
Their clash lasted but a moment, a single blow with no clear victor.
The two men disengaged simultaneously, leaping back to their respective ships. The Marines breathed a sigh of relief seeing their pillar of strength return.
As the two withdrew, the sea grew calm again, as if nothing had ever happened.
However, none of them noticed a single, abnormally bright point of light that had suddenly appeared in the sky. The point of light was as brilliant as a star, its radiance piercing even the bright light of day.
After appearing, the speck of light fell vertically like a shooting star and quickly vanished from sight. Its appearance and disappearance seemed to be nothing more than a minor interlude.
At the edge of a forest on an island not far from the two ships, a small, six-year-old boy lay on the ground, his face pale. His lips were a purplish-white, and it was clear he was no longer breathing.
Just then, the abnormally bright point of light shot into the center of the little boy's brow with incredible speed.
Something miraculous happened. The boy, who had not been breathing at all, suddenly twitched his nose and sniffed, as if trying with all his might to draw in the fresh air.
Thump, thump, thump.
A faint but healthy, powerful heartbeat could be heard, and its rhythm was also slowly returning to normal.
A short while later, the little boy slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with deep confusion.
"What's going on? Didn't I die?"
"Where is this? Heaven?"
"Doesn't look like it!"
The boy looked left and right, gazing at his surroundings in a daze.
Suddenly, he realized what the problem was. He quickly looked down at himself. Sure enough, his body had become smaller, and even the language was different. The crucial thing was, he could understand what he himself was saying.
All of this could only mean one thing...
Just as the boy was about to figure out the situation, an incomparable pain assaulted him from the depths of his soul.
He clutched his head and writhed on the ground. He had never experienced such a tearing sensation before. This was the pain of the soul, a hundred, a thousand times more intense than any physical agony.
The boy endured the pain as a flood of memories rushed into the depths of his mind, seeming to merge with his very soul.
After a long time, the boy was drenched in cold sweat, his tattered clothes soaked through. He had finally assimilated those memories that did not belong to him.
The boy sat on the ground, a strange and complex look in his eyes.
"I can't believe it. I actually transmigrated... and into the world of One Piece."
The boy murmured to himself. The previous owner of this body was named Arthur. He was a child from a nearby island. Years ago, his parents had left on business and entrusted him to the care of an elderly neighbor.
But just yesterday, the old man had died of illness. Arthur, only six years old, couldn't bear the blow and had taken a boat by himself to leave that place of sorrow.
But where could such a small child go? With no experience at sea, his only choice was to land on a nearby island and figure out his next step.
But life is unpredictable. As fate would have it, this was a deserted island, home only to deadly beasts. And so, the original Arthur had died horribly, killed by some unknown beast.
Recalling his predecessor's past, Aites couldn't help but feel pity for the unlucky child. Not only had he never known his parents, but he had also died such a pathetic death.
Aites—that was his real name. He had been a university student in China who'd gotten into a car accident while saving a little girl.
He had thought he was dead, but to his surprise, he had arrived in the world of One Piece. This must be what they mean by good deeds being rewarded; heaven had given him a chance to be reborn.
As Aites was lost in thought, a chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. He slowly turned his head and saw a beast several times larger than a gray wolf staring at him, its eyes bloodshot. Viscous saliva dripped from its jaws.
"Holy crap, you've got to be kidding me!"
Aites cried out in alarm. Ignoring his exhausted body, he turned and fled.
He recognized the beast from his predecessor's memories. It was the very culprit that had killed him.
Dammit, didn't it already leave?
What's it back for, to see if there are any leftovers?
Aites cursed inwardly as he sprinted for his life. Am I really going to die again right after being reborn?
Soon, Aites burst through the edge of the forest. Ahead of him was a golden beach and the endless sea, along with two small black dots in the distance.
As for what they were, Aites couldn't see clearly.
Aites collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The high-intensity sprint had only worsened the injuries on his already battered body.
At that moment, the wolf arrived before him. Its sharp teeth glinted with a cold, sinister light under the sun. It walked slowly toward Aites. Even from a distance, Aites could smell the foul stench hanging in the air.
"Am I really going to die like this, just after being reborn?" Aites murmured, his head hanging low.
"Garp, there's a kid over there. Aren't you going to do something about it?" Roger asked Garp with a smile, watching the crisis on the island unfold.
If Garp went to save the kid, he himself could slip away and temporarily shake off this persistent old rival.
Garp had, of course, also noticed Aites. He hadn't expected to find a child on such a deserted island. Normally carefree, his expression turned serious.
However, just as he was about to move, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life. The many powerful fighters on Roger's pirate ship were similarly struck with astonishment.
ROAR—
The wolf let out a low growl and leaped at Aites with incredible speed. It hadn't eaten him before because it had been toying with its prey. The fact that this human hadn't died and was now running around so energetically was an embarrassment to its beastly pride, and this made the wolf even more ferocious.
"Am I going to die?"
"To think my fate would be as twisted as my predecessor's. To die such a pathetic death."
"No! I haven't seen enough of this world! Now that I've come to this brand new world, I should live my life to the fullest! How can I die here?"
"I can't die!"
At that moment, Aites's defiant emotions erupted completely. A power hidden deep within his soul instantly surged forth, rushing toward the wolf.
The instant it made contact, the wolf's eyes rolled back, its limbs went rigid, and just before it reached Aites, it collapsed to the ground with a thud, clearly unconscious.
And Aites, after that outburst, felt as if his body had been completely drained. He fell backward, but just then, a pair of large, strong hands caught him. It was Garp.
Garp looked at the sleeping Aites in his arms, trying to calm his emotions, but a trace of shock could still be seen in his eyes.
As one of the strongest people in the world, he knew exactly what that power was. It was—
Conqueror's Haki.