In the year 1501 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a seven year old Robin rescued a boy on the shore. She never imagined that this simple act would quietly alter the course of the world.
When the boy slowly opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling filled his vision. Once again, he had awakened in a place completely unknown to him. As someone who carried the soul of an outsider from another world, he had long since prepared himself for the worst.
He had originally been an ordinary boy living on a small island in the East Blue. A serious illness claimed his life, and afterward the soul of an anime fan from another world reincarnated into his body. He kept the original owner's name, Ethan, and officially stepped into this brand new world.
The moment Ethan first woke up in this body, he heard the original parents talking about the execution of the Pirate King Roger in Loguetown, the incident that marked the beginning of the Great Age of Pirates.
A tremor ran through Ethan's heart. He realized he had arrived in the world of One Piece.
This was a world filled with supernatural powers, boundless seas and countless powerful figures, a world burning with passion and hot blood.
Yet fate was cruel. Before Ethan could build any real bond with the original parents, their village was attacked by an unknown pirate crew that had just set sail. Every villager, adult and child alike, was slaughtered without mercy.
Because Ethan had little emotional attachment to the original parents, all he felt in that moment was fear, not hatred. That strange look in his eyes caught the attention of the pirate captain, who chose to spare him. Instead, the man dragged Ethan onto the ship, turning him into a reserve crew member and general errand boy.
On the ship, Ethan felt none of the freedom pirates so proudly proclaimed, only endless blood, fear, humiliation and exhaustion.
Every day he suffered beatings and curses. He scrubbed the deck, hauled ropes, carried gunpowder and from time to time was forced to handle corpses.
At last, during a temporary stop at a port, Ethan managed to hide a small dagger, stab the guard watching him and successfully escape.
The pirate captain was furious, but he could not afford to launch a massive search over a single child. They were only a small pirate crew and knew their own limits. Any port that allowed pirate ships to dock was not a place to make a scene, so they could only leave in frustration.
However, only a few days into his flight, Ethan was captured by a slave hunting ship that roamed the Four Seas. He was branded as a slave and locked in the lowest hold.
He survived each day on a little water and half a piece of hard black bread. Rumor had it that these slaves would first be sold off across the Four Seas, then eventually transported together to the Sabaody Archipelago to be auctioned.
The hold was crammed with slaves. The stench, the low sobbing, the sounds of retching all tangled together, forming a living hell.
Ethan's eyes were dull. Nearly two years of torment had pushed him to the brink of collapse, and even the stubborn unwillingness of a modern soul was about to crumble. Until one day, in the West Blue, the slave ship was violently attacked by a Sea King. The hull was torn apart, and in the chaos Ethan was flung into the sea. He drifted with the waves through the vast ocean until he was discovered and rescued by Robin.
When Ethan awoke from his deep sleep, the innocent face of a young Robin filled his vision. Sunlight poured into the room, and birdsong rang clearly by the window. In that moment, he seemed to truly grasp the meaning of a classic line from The Shawshank Redemption: "You know, some birds are not meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright."
"Robin chan, the boy you brought back is fine. He is simply malnourished, and all his external injuries have been treated," Mrs. Sachiman said gently.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sachiman." The eight year old Robin supported the dazed Ethan as they slowly walked out of the infirmary.
After a brief conversation, Robin learned that this boy was a pitiful orphan with nowhere to go. She knew full well that her aunt would never allow her to bring a stranger home, so she decided to take him to the Tree of Knowledge instead.
When the towering form of the Tree of Knowledge came into view, even the dispirited Ethan could not help but feel a surge of awe.
The phrase "towering giant tree" found its most perfect interpretation here.
After listening to Ethan's story, the kindhearted Dr. Clover decided to take the boy in for the time being. After all, such tragedies were far from rare upon the seas.
The doctor arranged for Ethan to organize the scattered books inside the Tree of Knowledge and encouraged him to read as much as he could.
From that day on, the Tree of Knowledge gained a quiet young library assistant.
Ethan discovered that immersing himself in the sea of books brought a peace to his heart that he had never known before. He moved into a small room inside the library and began living a calm and simple life.
The scholars of Ohara were very satisfied with him, praising his thirst for knowledge as befitting a true academic.
One quiet night, only Dr. Clover and Ethan remained in the library.
"Doctor, did you know? Ohara will be destroyed by a Buster Call because of its research into the Poneglyphs," Ethan said softly.
Dr. Clover froze. The book in his hand slipped and fell to the floor.
"How… how do you know that?!" he asked in shock.
Ethan knew clearly that next year the Navy would unleash a Buster Call upon Ohara, bringing an unavoidable disaster. This small island that seemed like a miracle would likely be reduced to ashes in the flames of war.
So Ethan made up his mind to tell Dr. Clover everything. The doctor was deeply shaken, full of doubt as to how Ethan could possibly know such things. Yet for the scholars of Ohara, the pursuit of true history was an unshakable belief they would never abandon lightly.
As for evacuating the islanders, it was obviously already too late. Dr. Clover would try later, but by then the World Government had already locked down the surrounding island chain. The residents of the island had no way to escape.
Right now, this place was quietly living through its final days of peace.
(End of Chapter)
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