I understood that I had been reborn.
I understood what world I was in.
I understood who I was.
After all, I was in the world of a manga I had read before.
After all, when I looked at a map, the words "Grand Line" jumped out at me.
After all, when I looked in a mirror after growing up, I saw someone with a familiar face but younger looking back at me.
"There he is! It's the wanted criminal!"
So I decided I would never become a pirate or a mountain bandit—or any kind of criminal—and tried to go to an unknown land. But somehow this happened anyway.
"Wanted for not only going against the World Nobles but also saying rude things to them!"
Sorry. But when some woman I didn't know, who looked like Don Krieg with his muscles and fat switched around and turned into a girl, told me to become a slave because she would treat me nicely, I think shouting "No way!" was normal.
"Destroyed more than thirty mountain bandit groups and stole their money and goods!"
Sorry. I thought if I was going to rob people, robbing mountain bandits would feel better.
"Beat up slave hunters, took all their stuff, and then sold them to slave traders!"
Sorry, but among all the people who attacked me, they were the most profitable treasure chests.
"And when selling them, his sales pitch was 'Don't you think the faces of people who used to sell others would be worth a lot when they get sold themselves?' Are you a demon? You monster!"
Sorry, that was pretty much my honest feeling.
"And finally, this evil criminal sank a Navy ship and stole everything inside!"
Sorry, that's not right. I was just searching because I thought Navy ships might have lots of Sea Stone in the bottom. That was just a wrecked ship and I properly saved the crew members.
But it still turned out this way, damn it. I'll never forgive those Navy guys.
"At 13 years old, bounty of 23 million berries! 'Silent Step Kuro'! Give us your head!"
Help me, please help me.
"D-damn it... can't... catch up..."
Thump
"...Is it over?"
Good, they were weak guys so I was saved. This really is the East Blue, which is clearly called the weakest sea in the story. In the One Piece world—and since I became Kuro—I managed to handle them just by training my legs...
Kuro's body abilities are really crazy. I don't have "Cat Claws" yet, but I'll make them soon... wait, can I actually use them?
"What should I do now?"
The people who attacked me this time were bounty hunters.
Actually, almost everyone who attacks me are bounty hunters. Thanks to some World Noble kid's selfishness, maybe the Navy went easy on me, because my first bounty was only 1000 berries—about the same as pocket money. And it was "Only Alive" too.
Because of that, the only people trying to catch me were beginners at bounty hunting, so I could handle them.
But I was still a wanted person and had to run away. I had no choice but to rely on my legs that I had been training, and after doing various things... the amount went up like crazy. Before I knew it, "Only Alive" became "Dead or Alive." Damn it.
Why? I beat up mountain bandits and pirates who were attacking villages, and took all their stuff to sell, but I never killed anyone.
Though I did hang them upside down naked. Maybe that was the problem? Or was it bad when I put oil on their... hair and lit it on fire?
"For now, I'll take all their stuff and sell it on some island. The problem is what to do after that."
I hope my small boat isn't broken. Since this is the setting of a pirate manga, you basically can't go anywhere without a ship.
Before I got a bounty, I studied sailing and got maps of other seas, but everywhere is full of islands.
Either way, I can only live in the shadows now. In the basically peaceful East Blue, it's hard to find ways to make money.
So I need to go to a different sea. But I can't use sea routes for that. There are different dangers, but I need to use the land route through the Red Line.
The future looks so dark that I can't help but sigh.
I take out a broken hand mirror. I've had it since I started running away, trying to at least keep my appearance neat. At first, I kept my hair short because long hair seemed unlucky, but it grew during my life on the run. I can fix the front but I'm scared to touch the back, so I just tie up the long parts.
My eyes, which weren't supposed to be that sharp, are now like that. Completely like that.
"So even if what's inside changes, I'm still Captain Kuro..."
"My brain is far from being called 'Hundred Plans'... but what should I do?"
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This book will mostly be from the MC's perspective, so some sentences might feel awkward. But how do you all like it so far? Any suggestions?