sea era 1503, May 13th.
The first half of the Grand Line.
On the azure sea, there was a small island spanning over ten square kilometers.
The damp sea breeze blew in from the ocean, swirling into the dense forest, bringing with it the rustling sound of leaves.
Seagulls landed on the beach, flapping their wings and emitting crisp, pleasant cries.
A silver-haired boy, fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a blue suit, with a slightly youthful but very handsome face, lay on the beach with his eyes closed, letting the tide continuously wash over his body.
In the sky, the sun's rays grew increasingly hot, causing the sand to gradually warm up.
The boy groaned softly, placing one hand on his forehead and using the other to support his upper body, slowly standing up.
"Where is this...? The sea...!?"
"Shouldn't I still be in the inland earthquake disaster zone, rescuing patients...!?'"
The boy opened his sapphire-like eyes and looked around blankly. He couldn't help but freeze when he saw his slightly thin, pale hands.
These were definitely not the hands of a twenty-six-year-old man...
This wasn't his original body!
As he tried to recall what had happened to him, a strange memory quickly surfaced...
Amidst the lightning and thunder of a violent storm, a Pirates ship flying a black skull flag attacked the large tourist sailing ship the boy was on.
Hundreds of Pirates, armed with weapons and grinning ferociously, stormed onto the deck of the sailing ship. Leading them was a fat man six meters tall with golden braids.
They wantonly vented their twisted desires, killing, plundering... the screams and cries of women, the shrieks and wails of men.
On the chaotic and terrified sailing ship, the boy's father, in order to create an opportunity for his son to escape, killed a Pirate at the cost of several knife wounds, and snatched a lifebuoy for the silver-haired boy.
The moment he put the lifebuoy on the boy, the boy's father was stabbed through the chest from behind by a Pirate.
That father, using his last ounce of strength, threw the weeping boy into the turbulent sea...
"Karl D. Sephiroth..."
The boy softly murmured the name of this thin body.
Tears inexplicably flowed from his eyes...
Despite possessing the memory of another adult, he didn't feel much sadness inside, yet the tears wouldn't stop.
If anything, it was sympathy for the original body.
Perhaps this was the body's instinctive reaction...?
After a long while, the strange emotions coming from his body gradually disappeared without a trace.
"Fine! Since I've taken over your body, I'll live on as you!"
"I will definitely avenge you..."
"It's just, this world... Gol D. Roger... Pirate King...?"
After roughly sorting through all the memories of this body, a bitter smile couldn't help but appear on Sephiroth's lips.
It was now sea era 1503, the 5th year since Roger's execution officially marked the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
In the future, this world would become increasingly chaotic. Those without strong power probably wouldn't even be able to protect themselves, just like the boy and his father...
"That Pirate ship's flag that attacked the tourist sailing ship, why does it look a bit familiar..."
"On the black flag, there's an eight shape behind the bull-horned skull..."
A strong feeling of hunger from his abdomen and weak, powerless limbs stopped Sephiroth from thinking further.
His top priority now was to find something to eat to fill his stomach and regain his strength.
Sephiroth took out the silver pocket watch from his clothes pocket, checked the time, and learned it was a little past ten in the morning.
Then, he stood on the beach and looked around. He finally decided to try his luck in the island's forest to find something to eat.
Although there were seagulls on the beach, he was so weak now that he barely had the strength to walk. Picking up stones to hit seagulls for meat was something he was willing but unable to do, and he didn't want to waste effort on it.
After all, this guy, the original body, was just a frail young master from a rich family, who lacked exercise for a long time. He would get exhausted after running a hundred or two hundred meters, even panting a bit!
As for fishing in the sea...?
To his shame, in his previous life, he was a landlubber. He wasn't confident he could catch fish in the shallow water while dragging this weak and tired body...
Sephiroth's slightly thin body moved through the damp, dense forest.
Although he was wearing small leather shoes, he was very careful where he stepped when walking.
After all, if a sharp thorn or a pit suddenly appeared, he would definitely be in trouble.
He didn't know how long he had been walking in the forest when he finally saw a small fruit tree with a few green wild fruits on it.
Sephiroth excitedly ran over, wanting to pick those wild fruits to satisfy his hunger.
Suddenly!
As he ran under the fruit tree, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the grass next to it, where a round fruit with a purplish-red skin covered in spiral patterns had fallen.
The secret treasure of the sea - a Devil Fruit!
Seeing this, Sephiroth's breathing instantly quickened.
He took a few quick steps and held the purplish-red fruit in his hands.
If his memory was correct, the full name of this fruit should be...
Zoan-type, Mythical Zoan, Bat-Bat Fruit, Vampire form!
By eating this Devil Fruit, the user could gain eternal life and youth by sucking blood.
It's just... why was this fruit here?
Shouldn't it be hidden in the ancient ruins of Sleepy Ancient Town?
Stranded on a deserted island with no means of self-protection, Sephiroth no longer wanted to delve into the reasons. He directly brought the Vampire Fruit to his mouth and took large bites, swallowing it skin and all.
He didn't dare to chew slowly, nor did he dare to think about what the fruit tasted like...
Previously, he had heard a rather unreliable statement that although you could gain abilities by taking one bite of a Devil Fruit, eating the entire thing could enhance the initial level of fruit development.
Sephiroth didn't know if this statement was true, but in order to improve his strength as quickly as possible, he forced himself to swallow the entire fruit, except for the stem.
Ultimately...
He couldn't stand the explosive feeling on his taste buds anymore. He propped himself up with his hands on the ground and vomited wildly, his stomach convulsing violently.
"Ugh~!..."
The extremely unpleasant taste of the Devil Fruit made him never want to try it a second time in his life.
He even felt that the dark dishes from his previous life were nothing compared to the taste of the Devil Fruit.
After dry heaving for a while without throwing anything up, Sephiroth's already extremely weak body could no longer hold on.
Thud!
The boy's slightly thin body fell onto the grass with a thud, and he actually passed out again...
He didn't know how long had passed...
Three men appeared in the forest, carrying wooden barrels full of fresh water. When they saw the silver-haired boy collapsed on the grass, they all ran over.
"Huh!? There's a boy, but this is clearly an uninhabited island..."
"Why is he lying on the ground?"
"Looking at his physical symptoms, aside from being a bit weak, he doesn't seem to have any illness."
"His looks are really good. He's excellent cargo. If we sell him to those upper-class nobles, we'll get a good price."
"Alright, let's take him onto the ship first."
The three men talked amongst themselves and quickly decided Sephiroth's status as cargo, without asking for his opinion at all...