I finally set sail. Please take care of me, world.
…Cough, cough. Why does that sound so awkward? Whatever, doesn't matter.
Kael shook his head, scattering the stray thoughts. He ducked into the cabin and began rummaging through the pirates' belongings.
Their taste was appalling. Most of the clothes reeked of sweat and blood. After a long search he finally unearthed a black shirt and trousers from a chest that was at least somewhat clean. The fabric was coarse and far too big, but it beat the barbarian outfit of leaves and stitched hide he had been wearing.
Dressed in his new gear, Kael propped up a polished copper plate to use as a mirror.
A young man looked back. Black hair, golden eyes, sun-darkened bronze skin from years under open sky. His features were sharp, his face still carrying a hint of boyishness, but his gaze was bright, almost dazzling.
Especially those golden eyes, gleaming faintly in the dim cabin light as if lit from within.
"Tch. Didn't think I'd get a second life where I could rely on my looks." Kael brushed his fringe with smug satisfaction.
"If this were my old world, I'd at least be the campus heartthrob. Maybe even a small-time internet celebrity."
After indulging in a bout of narcissism, he strode back to the deck. Mimicking what he remembered of pirates, he adjusted the sails with awkward familiarity and gripped the helm.
"Alright, let's go!" Kael shouted with all the spirit of a man about to conquer the sea of stars.
And then… nothing.
An hour passed. The ship spun lazily in place.
Two hours later, sweat poured down his face, and if anything the island looked closer.
"How the hell do you even sail this thing?!" Kael scratched his head, ears burning with embarrassment.
Back in his previous life he had been an ordinary guy. He had boarded ships a handful of times, but steering one? Swimming was barely passable for him, let alone captaining.
He remembered plenty of theory from TV shows and movies catching the wind, tacking against it, steadying the helm. But once he tried in reality, he realized sailing was nothing like driving a car.
"Didn't Luffy and his crew have a much easier time when they first set out? Before they had Nami, how did they even keep their ship afloat?" Kael's self-doubt grew heavier.
He tried using the Wave-Wave Fruit to push the ship forward.
Boom.
The sea convulsed under the blast. A wave reared up and dumped half its spray over him. The ship wobbled, then lurched backward from the recoil.
"…" Kael wiped seawater from his face and glared up at the sky.
Fine. He gave up. Better to drift than to sink. He let the current carry the ship, a helpless leaf in the endless sea.
Days crawled by. His emotions sank from frustration to despair to numb resignation. Supplies dwindled visibly.
When he wasn't staring blankly at the horizon, he trained his Devil Fruit, sending shockwaves across the water, praying some divine mercy would guide him to land.
"At this rate I'll be the first transmigrator in the One Piece world to starve to death at sea because he couldn't sail. What a disgrace." He sprawled on deck, eyes wet, actually longing for the stringy, strange-tasting grilled fish of his deserted island days.
As he slipped toward delirium, a blur appeared at the horizon.
"Land! Land!" Kael shot upright, nearly losing control of his powers in excitement. Rationality barely restrained him from wasting strength.
The current was kind. After half a day, an island came into focus bustling, with a harbor and clustered buildings.
Tears burned in his eyes. He wrestled the helm, desperate to reach the docks.
His "navigation" threw the port into chaos. Dockworkers shrieked and scattered. Small boats were smashed to splinters under the careening pirate ship.
Sweat drenched him. He no longer cared about dignity, only about stopping this damned ship.
Finally, with a deafening thud, the bow rammed a thick wooden post. The entire vessel shuddered violently, then jammed against the piling and stuck fast. Perfect.
"Finally." Kael staggered onto the pier. The solid ground underfoot was so glorious he nearly knelt down to kiss it.
He stopped a passerby, forcing a friendly smile onto his exhausted face.
"Excuse me, sir, where am I? And… what time is it?"
Startled by Kael's ragged, hungry look, the man still answered. "This is the port outside Dogg Town. Afternoon."
"Dogg Town?" Kael blinked. He had never heard the name.
He blurted, "Then what about the Pirate King? The Marine Hero? The Straw Hats?"
The man gave him a baffled stare. "What? Never heard of any of that, kid. Are you starving yourself crazy?" With a disgusted wave he strode away.
"Wait, no! I meant the year. What year in the Sea Calendar is it?"
Kael's head spun. For someone not to know names as famous as Pirate King and Marine Hero… impossible. Even if Straw Hat Luffy hadn't made his name yet, there should be whispers.
Had he landed too early? Too late? Or was this Dogg Town so cut off it had no idea of the wider world?
Unease clouded him as he walked the lively streets. Vendors shouted, crowds bustled, the town alive with color.
Kael counted the handful of berries he had scavenged from the pirate ship. Enough for a meal? His stomach answered with a loud growl.
He was about to step into a tavern when an explosion split the air.
Boom.
Screams rose with the smoke.
"Pirates! It's the Black Shark Pirates! They've come to raid again!"
"Run!"
Kael's head snapped toward the port. Smoke coiled upward, flames climbing high.
A pirate ship with a shark skull flag loomed, cannons pounding the shore and reducing buildings to rubble.
"Great. I haven't even eaten, and trouble's already here." His mouth twitched, but behind the sarcasm, his golden eyes gleamed with something sharper.
Perfect. He finally had someone to unleash on. And maybe, just maybe, collect enough "meal money."