Reith was dumbfounded. His head was spinning, but at least it didn't hurt. An orphan met by a truck-kun—a classic example of a time traveler with a trump card to a new world!
And what a world! One Piece! And before him – a white-haired river god, the self-proclaimed will of the world.
"Young Reith!" he began. "Do you wish to travel to the world of the golden Pirate King, or the world of the silver Pirate King, or the very ordinary, unremarkable world of the Pirate King, eh?"
Reith's face twisted.
— God? You don't belong in a river, do you? Are you on the wrong channel? You don't seem to belong in this anime universe at all.
God still smiled, narrowing his eyes.
"Not at all. gods need to eat too. Besides, the river of time is a perfectly suitable place for crossings."
Reith resigned himself to this strange situation. Well, yes, usually he's greeted by white-haired, big-breasted loli reincarnation administrators.
"So, what about the starter pack? Just don't try to fool me. If you don't give me an 'imbalance hero'-style story, I'll die right there. And also, is there a difference between your 'gold', 'silver', and 'normal'?"
"Young Reith, it makes no difference! All-inclusive, full board, victory in the bag. I'll test your basic talents now." The god's voice grew quieter and quieter as he muttered, "Ai-ai-ai, young Reith! I can offer you a Devil Fruit, a talent for three types of Haki, and monstrous endurance (basic version)..."
Reith grinned like a shark.
- Hey, you just muttered something really nasty, didn't you?
"It can't be helped. They won't let you through if you're too strong. If you're so powerful, what will the Higher Will write history about?"
Reith clarified:
- Any Fruit?
"Ehe-he," came the answer.
Reith pulled off his boot and threw it at the god.
— What the hell do you mean, "eh-eh"?!
The God adjusted his halo.
- Dear sir, I can only offer three Fruits to choose from.
— Do you want the golden Mist-Mist Fruit, the silver Dog-Dog Fruit, or the regular Toady-Toady Fruit?
Reith grabbed the god by the throat and began shaking him.
"Are you kidding me? Did you even leave me a choice? Is there anything worthwhile here besides gold?!"
God:
— Accepted! You've chosen gold. I'll process it immediately. Have a nice trip!
Reith opened his eyes and found himself on a deserted island.
— God, you could have at least thrown me onto an inhabited island!
— Finding yourself on a desert island is a standard travel experience! Have a nice trip, and goodbye!
What else could Reith do? Resign himself, of course. He felt his strength. It was indeed basic. Observation Haki allowed him to perceive his surroundings a little more clearly, that's all. Was this basic? His head was spinning, but at least it didn't hurt.
The Armament Haki was barely enough to cover his hands.
But some phrase kept popping into Reith's head: "Ultra-thin, no..." (Ugh, they'll ban me! The author has already gotten into trouble several times; he needs to be more restrained.)
What Reith was most looking forward to was Haoshoku Haki. Remember Red-Haired Shanks? A flash of black and red Haki—and who wouldn't respect him?
Reith shoved his hands in his pockets and struck a striking pose. A second, two, three...
"God, don't go, let's talk!" His current Haoshoku Haki was on par with Luffy's when he first awakened—completely uncontrollable. A basic, infantile version.
Somewhere in the void, the River God chuckled and finally dissolved.
Looking at his short arms, Reith, standing on the shore, estimated that he was about three years old.
Three years?!
"River God, you bastard! How did you even have the conscience to do this at three years old?! No wonder he gave him 'monstrous endurance'. Without it, he simply wouldn't have survived."
Admiring his own daringly attractive appearance – a handsome young man with a shock of unruly black hair – Reith was quite pleased.
So, Reith pulled out his final starting bonus: white, spiral-striped... ki-wee-ee.
With an extremely skeptical expression, Rate prepared to try this "fruit." He'd heard that the Devil Fruits in One Piece were famous for their disgusting taste. " I'll give it a proper taste!" He carefully took a bite. Chewed. Seemed tasteless. He took another bite. Chewed. A bit sweet. Just in time, there was no food nearby.
Reith tossed the rest into his mouth in one gulp. And then his face went from healthy and ruddy, first sallow, then blue, then blue to crimson, then crimson to deathly pale. The taste was indescribably complex—like sweaty socks and stinking tofu marinated in a cesspool for two months.
But Reith isn't just anyone! He's a man who strives to become the Pirate King! Even if there's no one around, he has to keep up appearances. He wiped his pale lips with a shaking hand.
And he said:
— On the disgustingness scale, I'd rate this... quantum-micro-smelly.
Wraith felt a surge of power in his body. He tensed slightly, and a white mist began to thicken around him. The mist's appearance drained his stamina. Wraith's first thought was Smoker and his Smoke-Smoke Fruit. But honestly, Smoker wasn't particularly impressive in the original animation.
You could say old Smoker was only good in the minor leagues. Aside from his ability to turn his body into mist, he hasn't found any other uses yet—Right will have to develop them himself.
A wild beast's roar echoed from the forest. Now, Reith felt terrifyingly powerful. Just imagine: a three-year-old child in the world of One Piece, possessing monstrous stamina, three types of Haki, and Logia abilities!
"Genius!"
Reith put his hands on his hips and burst out laughing. "This is the world of genius! This is what it's like to be a cheater?!"
Currently, the fastest way to increase his strength was through developing the Fruit's abilities. While physical training was the foundation, the Fruit could provide a huge boost in power in a short period of time.
The main thing is that, aside from endurance training, Reith didn't know any hand-to-hand combat techniques. Even though he was a fan of One Piece...
Developing three types of Haki is even more impossible. Even geniuses like Luffy and Zoro were trained.
Reith thought that he was only three years old and still had plenty of time to become stronger.
Reith's most obvious advantage was his broad perspective and knowledge of the future course of events. You don't seriously think you can learn Rokushiki by watching a couple of episodes of One Piece, do you?
Answer me.
Look me in the eyes!
Reith decided to focus on the Fruit's abilities because he wasn't fighting alone.
You know, you meet all sorts of gods on forums! They even manage to develop the Kal-Kal Fruit to incredible heights! You can doubt Reith's identity, but don't dare doubt the flights of fancy of these forum geniuses!
The power of my "what if?" is truly terrifying!
Days passed by.
A boy with a ponytail on his head ran through the forest, dressed in a skirt made of leaves - the shorts left by the God had long since worn out.
Reith stood on the beach, the waves washing over his bare feet. His three-year-old body proved far less comfortable than he'd expected: he couldn't reach the coconuts on the palm tree, and despite his ample stamina, he lacked the strength to move a large piece of driftwood.