Year 1482 of the Oceanic Calendar.
From the direction of the East Blue, a small pirate ship was sailing along the first half of the Grand Line.
On the deck, three figures stood around a row of treasure chests, their faces lit with excitement. One chest had already been opened, overflowing with gold and jewels so dazzling that their eyes nearly went blind.
"Open them all!" ordered the man at the center with a wide grin—Captain Togi Fushiguro.
"Yahaha!" The other two instantly responded, their hands moving fast as they opened each chest.
When all the treasures were revealed, Togi joined in counting, the three laughing uncontrollably, their smiles stretching ear to ear.
Suddenly, one of them—Ginn, his voice trembling with excitement—shouted, "Captain, look at this!"
Togi turned his head. In Ginn's hands rested a strange, swirled fruit—an unmistakable Devil Fruit.
Togi's pupils shrank. "Didn't think that small island would actually have one of these…"
"Yeah, Captain, what kind do you think it is? Maybe you should eat it—our Infinite Pirates would become even stronger!" Ginn said eagerly.
The third man, Aiden, glanced over curiously. "You sure about that? We don't even know what kind it is yet. What if it turns you into a girl or something?"
Ginn's expression froze awkwardly. "Heh… got a bit carried away."
Togi took the fruit, rubbing his chin as he inspected it. "Go grab the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
The fruit was silver-white, its surface covered with intricate, almost metallic patterns.
Ginn hurried off and returned a few minutes later with a thick book from the navigation room, handing it to Togi. The three gathered around, comparing each illustration one by one.
After a long while, Togi blinked. "No record of this one. Guess our encyclopedia isn't complete."
"Judging by its color and markings, though," said Aiden, "it's gotta be powerful."
None of the three had Devil Fruit powers yet. If one of them could get a good one, it'd be a huge boost.
Ginn swallowed hard. "Captain, aren't you gonna eat it?"
Togi waved a hand. "Doesn't work on me. I've eaten one before—tasted like a normal fruit."
Both Aiden and Ginn froze in shock. It was the first time they'd heard him say that.
"You two can decide. If you don't want to risk it, we'll wait until we find another."
With that, Togi walked to the dragon-headed prow of the ship and sat down, lost in thought as the wind ruffled his black hair.
He wasn't originally from this world. Togi had been reborn here from another life—not by taking over someone's body, but born anew in this world.
When his mind had matured enough to understand that this was the world of One Piece, he'd devoted every day to training and strengthening himself.
Ten years ago, the town he grew up in was slaughtered for failing to pay tribute to the Celestial Dragons. Togi had been out swimming, training his endurance, and when he returned… all that was left were flames, ruins, and corpses.
Old folks, children—none were spared. Even the puppy he loved was cut down.
There were too many bodies to bury. Worms infested the ground. So Togi burned everything—his home, his memories, his past.
He wasn't even born there; the townsfolk had found him as a baby. But they had raised him with kindness. It had been a warm, loving place… and it was all gone.
When he was strong enough, he left the island.
During his years at sea, he had once found a black Devil Fruit, coiled with dragon-shaped markings. Thinking it was a treasure, he'd eaten it—only to find it tasted sweet and did absolutely nothing. He could still swim.
Later, he found another one. Same story. Since then, he'd stopped caring about Devil Fruits.
He wasn't interested in some flashy ability—Haki was the true path to power.
"Twenty years since I came to this world," he murmured. "Time flies."
He glanced back at his crewmates. Ginn and Aiden—both of them, like him, had lost their homes to pirate raids. He'd picked them up during his early voyages in the East Blue.
Aiden was nineteen, Ginn eighteen—around his own age.
Togi stretched lazily and walked back toward them. Ginn still held the fruit nervously.
"Go on," Togi said with a faint smile. "Eat it. Let's see what happens."
With both of them watching, Ginn closed his eyes and gulped the fruit down in a few bites.
His face twisted. "Ugh—disgusting!"
Aiden smirked and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare throw it up! What if it stops working?"
They didn't know that the moment the fruit touched his tongue, its power had already surged through his body.
After a short while, Ginn opened his eyes, wide with joy. "Captain! I… I can control metal!"
He raised a hand, and an iron bucket nearby floated up and began spinning in the air.
Togi's jaw dropped. "No way… Magnet powers?!"
A Devil Fruit that could manipulate metal—this was a monster ability.
Aiden whistled. "Damn, you lucky bastard."
Togi had often used ideas from his past life on Earth to tell them about the potential of Devil Fruits. Both Aiden and Ginn understood just how terrifying such power could be.
"Don't worry," Togi said to Aiden. "There are thousands of fruits out there. You'll find one too."
Aiden shook his head. "All I need is my sword."
Togi nodded. He'd seen Aiden's swordsmanship—lean, efficient, deadly. "Fair enough."
"Ginn, pack up the treasure," Togi said. "Might as well use it to train your new ability."
"You got it, Captain!" Ginn said, saluting eagerly.
As Ginn practiced moving piles of gold and jewels with his magnetic power, Aiden swung his blade through the air, while Togi lay back on a deck chair, deep in thought.
Maybe it was because he was reborn, but his body grew stronger than normal, faster than normal. His senses were sharp, his instincts honed—he was born for battle.
No system, no cheat—just raw talent and relentless work.
"Guess when one door closes, another opens," he muttered with a grin.
If his memory served, the God Valley Incident should be happening soon.
Time to grow stronger—and make a name for himself in this world.