CHAPTER 1 — The Boy Who Woke Under the Endless Sky
Warm sunlight pressed against Ren's eyelids long before he opened them.
A salty breeze brushed across his cheek, carrying the scent of the ocean—clean, fresh, and strangely nostalgic.
He groaned.
"…Where… am I?"
His voice cracked from dryness. He pushed himself up slowly, sand falling from his hair like dust from an old book. The sky above him stretched in a perfect blue dome, clouds drifting lazily with no concern for the panic forming in his chest.
Ren blinked hard.
This wasn't his apartment.
This wasn't his lab.
This wasn't his world.
He looked around.
A wide beach.
A quiet shoreline.
Seagulls cawing overhead.
Forest behind him, wild and untamed.
No concrete.
No city noise.
No people.
Just him.
Ren swallowed. "Okay… okay, think."
He pressed a hand against his forehead.
The memories were fragmented—
A late-night experiment,
A flash of light,
A falling sensation—
And then… here.
His heart thumped faster.
"Did I die…?"
A stupid question, but for a moment it felt real enough to hurt. He dug his fingers into the sand just to feel something familiar, grounding, physical.
It was real.
He was alive.
And then—
A distant voice echoed from the forest.
"HEEEY! Anyone out there!?"
Ren flinched. A shadow moved between the trees. Footsteps approached, crunching dry leaves. A moment later, a woman burst out of the forest—green-haired, cheerful, and holding a wooden bucket.
She skidded to a stop.
"Oh! A child?" Her eyes widened. "Are you okay?!"
Ren stared at her. His brain froze for three whole seconds.
Makino.
THE Makino.
From Windmill Village.
Which meant—
This world—
He was—
This was—
Ren's breath caught in his throat.
Makino kneeled in front of him. "Can you speak? Are you hurt?"
He forced air into his lungs. "I… I'm fine."
"That's a relief." She smiled softly—gently, like sunlight bending over calm waves. "What's your name?"
"Ren."
"Well, Ren, let's get you out of the sun. You look like you're about to faint."
She reached out her hand.
Ren hesitated.
Her hand was warm.
A simple gesture, but in this moment, it meant safety.
It meant kindness.
"…Thank you," he whispered, barely audible.
Makino grinned. "Come on then!"
She pulled him up, and Ren stumbled, legs still shaky. The world swayed slightly—hunger, dehydration, maybe shock—but he managed to walk beside her as they made their way into the forest path.
Birds chirped above them.
Sunlight filtered through leaves.
The ocean's sound grew distant.
Windmill Village appeared like a painting—small houses, wooden fences, chickens wandering freely. Villagers chatted near the well, children ran laughing in the dirt, and smoke curled gently from the chimneys.
It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Ren's chest tightened.
This was the world of pirates. The world where monsters wore human faces.
The world where the strong crushed the weak.
Makino noticed his expression. "Is something wrong?"
"…No. Just… overwhelmed."
"That's normal." She ruffled his hair lightly—Ren froze at the unfamiliar affection. "You're safe here."
Safe.
For now.
She led him into her bar—simple wooden floors, clean tables, bottles lined neatly behind the counter. It smelled like citrus and old oak barrels. Ren sat awkwardly as Makino poured him a glass of water.
He drank too fast and coughed.
Makino laughed a little. "Easy! You'll drown yourself."
Ren flushed slightly. "Sorry."
"It's alright. Now—where are your parents? Did you get lost?"
Ren's fingers tightened around the glass.
Parents…
He remembered their faces—warm, kind, weak.
He remembered hospitals, arguments, his own exhaustion.
He remembered holding their hands.
And then losing them.
"…I don't have any," he said quietly.
Makino's smile softened into something sadder. "I see."
She didn't push for details.
She didn't pity him.
She just placed a plate of fresh bread in front of him.
"Eat. You must be starving."
Ren stared at the bread.
His throat tightened again.
Warm.
Soft.
Kind.
Everything he hadn't felt in months.
He took a bite.
And for a moment, he almost cried.
Makino pretended not to notice his trembling fingers.
After he finished eating, she leaned forward. "Ren… do you have somewhere to stay?"
He hesitated.
If he said no, she'd take him in.
If he said yes, she'd ask questions.
If he said the truth—that he was from another world—it would break everything.
"…Not yet."
Makino tapped her chin. "Alright. I'll speak with the mayor. Maybe someone has a spare room or barn you can use temporarily."
He blinked. "You… would do that?"
"Of course." Her smile returned—gentle, bright, unwavering. "A child shouldn't be alone."
Ren lowered his head.
Warm-hearted.
He wanted to be warm-hearted too.
But right now he had nothing—no strength, no tools, no plan.
He was weak.
Fragile.
Powerless.
In a world where power meant everything.
But perhaps…
Perhaps this was a second chance.
A second life.
A chance to build something new—slowly, carefully, from the ground up.
---
The bar door slammed open.
"MAKINOOO! I WANT MEAT!"
A small boy with messy black hair burst inside, waving his arms wildly.
Ren blinked.
Luffy.
Makino sighed. "Luffy, you can't just scream for food—there are customers—"
Her eyes drifted to Ren.
"Oh! Luffy, this is Ren. He'll be staying in the village for a while."
Luffy's eyes sparkled instantly.
"REALLY?! Want to play? Want to race? Want to punch a tree?!"
Ren stared at the hyperactive boy.
"…Is he always like this?"
Makino groaned. "Unfortunately, yes."
Luffy ran to Ren, eyes shining with chaotic innocence.
"You look weak! Are you weak? It's okay—I'll make you strong!"
Ren couldn't help it.
He laughed.
For the first time in months—he genuinely laughed.
Makino blinked in surprise.
Luffy grinned wider. "See! You're fun!"
Ren exhaled slowly.
Maybe… just maybe…
This world wasn't as terrifying as he feared.
Not yet.
---
And so, in a quiet corner of East Blue, under a warm sun and a stranger's kindness…
Ren's second life began.
Not with explosions.
Not with powers.
Not with inventions.
But with a smile.
A laugh.
And the promise of something simple:
A home.