Chapter 1: Is it Okay Not to Transmigrate?[New author here. The writing in the first fifty chapters is a bit unpolished, so please don't flame me too hard! My glass heart is already cracked and about to shatter!]My name is Rex, a mediocre but super-handsome guy from 21st-century China. If it weren't for the facts right in front of me, I wouldn't believe I'd actually transmigrate even if you killed me..."Kid.""Wake up, kid."A rough shout reached Rex's ears. A moment later, Rex's body jerked, and he frantically clutched his right leg as if he'd gone mad."What the hell are you doing, kid? Do you have any idea how much you just scared me?"Another familiar, rough voice reached Rex's ears, but this time he was annoyed. He shot a glare toward the source of the sound and snapped, "You idiot, didn't you see I was in a car accident?"Before he could finish, Rex, still clutching his leg, suddenly froze. He realized the surrounding environment was not the place where that idiot driver had sent him flying.Rex: "???""Hmph! It seems you've remembered what happened." A short old man walked out from the white mist ahead. He held a massive pencil nearly 1.2 meters long, and the old man himself was half a head shorter than the pencil.Umm... at most one meter tall. He couldn't be any taller.Seeing the newcomer, Rex's annoyance gradually faded. Moreover, he didn't feel any discomfort in his body, so he asked politely:"Old gentleman, who might you be? And where is this? Why am I here?"In truth, Rex was panicking inside. After all, he remembered clearly that he was just walking down the road legally when a car suddenly swerved out and hit his right foot directly.He remembered his right foot being completely flattened against the front of the car, which meant his leg had been broken into at least three sections; otherwise, it couldn't have bent into such an arc.He then automatically entered 'greeting' mode and switched to a free-fall perspective.He vaguely heard a piercing honk and the driver who hit him say, 'Ah, I didn't see him,' before immediately losing consciousness. He hadn't felt any pain throughout the process."I am the World Consciousness of the Pirate King.""You're lucky. You just happened to be the Pirate King fan I randomly summoned from Earth.""And next, I will arrange for you to enter the world of the Pirate King to start your new life," the short old man said calmly, stroking his long, white beard.But why was such a calm tone delivered in such a rough voice?Rex: "What the f**k???""Say that one more time! What do you mean I'm lucky??""I... &^...""I just won over ten million in the lottery yesterday! I would've had several million after taxes, and you just summoned me here like this?""I just finished university, and I've always stayed out of trouble. I haven't even started enjoying life yet, and you want me to switch worlds? And the World Consciousness of the Pirate King?? F*ck you!""Go back! Send me back right now!!!"Where could be safer than China? I'm just an ordinary guy who's never even killed a chicken, and you want me to be cannon fodder in the Pirate King? Rex roared inwardly.Although Rex usually fantasized about transmigrating—stepping on Akainu, slapping Blackbeard, and occasionally dreaming of having a girl on each arm at night...Now that the moment had actually arrived, he was scared to death! He didn't know how to make salt, nor did he understand history; he was simply not protagonist material!If he didn't have a Golden Finger, who knows how many days he could survive, especially in the world of the Pirate King!Even though he was a fan, he had only watched the anime once and not very closely. More importantly, the Pirate King hasn't even finished yet!Seeing the frantic Rex, the white-haired elder didn't get angry. He gave him a meaningful look and said:"It's not impossible to send you back, but are you sure? I remember someone being hit by two cars. The first one was alright, but the second time, he was run over directly by a cement truck.""Tsk, tsk, tsk. That scene was quite spectacular!""Besides, if I send you back, I'm not sure if you can even come back to life. After all, you were completely crushed and scattered all over the ground. Maybe you've already been swept up by now!"Rex: "...""Twice? Who are you kidding! Do you think I'm..." Before he could finish, Rex went silent.Twice? So that piercing honk, and the reason his consciousness went blank before he even hit the ground was because...So, I can't go back?Rex quickly adjusted his state of mind.Technically, this old man had saved him. Now there were only two paths before him: one was to follow the old man's wishes and enter the world of the Pirate King; the other... was best left unmentioned."Phew!"Sweeping away his previous dejection, Rex exhaled a heavy breath of turbid air and slowly stood up.Since there was only one path, what was the point of agonizing over it!For now, he could tentatively judge that this old man must have paid a price to bring him here. And that price was likely not small; otherwise, he wouldn't be wasting his breath talking to him.Secondly, whether this old man really was the so-called Pirate King World Consciousness was still up for debate, but it was certain that he had some power. He just didn't know if the old man would be his Golden Finger.Finally, regardless of who this old man was, he had been negotiating with him from the start. That meant he needed something from Rex!Seeing Rex suddenly look like a different person, the elder's expression remained calm, as if everything was within his control.Rex saw all of this, but he didn't show any outward sign of it.In his previous life, he didn't have any particularly outstanding strengths. His only extraordinary traits were his strong adaptability and his ability to regulate his own emotions.Although Rex's performance just now was a bit pathetic, any other person his age might not have done any better."What do I get for going to the world of the Pirate King?" Rex puffed out his chest, narrowed his eyes, and looked down at the old man, speaking sharply."Kid, save it! I've eaten more salt than you can possibly imagine!" The white-haired elder waved his hand, clearly not buying Rex's act.What Rex didn't know was that the old man already knew exactly what kind of person he was when he summoned him."I won't waste any more breath on you. Go to the world of the Pirate King and do whatever you want, as long as you have the ability.""I will give you a Mera Mera no Mi, exactly the same as the original one. In other words, there will be two Mera Mera no Mi in the world of the Pirate King. Don't ask about anything else, and I advise you not to waste your effort."Speaking of the Mera Mera no Mi, the old man seemed to get more and more excited, muttering to himself.Rex couldn't hear much, but one sentence came through loud and clear: "Damn it, what the hell does Oda know about the Mera Mera no Mi? He's just a manga artist!!!"Hearing this, Rex became thoughtful, and his uneasy heart finally settled down."Send me over."The old man gently waved the pencil in his hand. The tip emitted a white light that enveloped Rex, and in the next moment, Rex disappeared from the spot.
