George Winner was a modest American man, twenty-seven years old. He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. George came from a large family: a strict but fair father, a loving mother, two older brothers and two older sisters, as well as his maternal grandparents, whom he visited often together with his family—they lived nearby, thankfully. Although the family was financially well-off, his father never spoiled his children and taught them to achieve everything solely through their own efforts.
That kind of upbringing had a positive effect. George's older brothers and sisters succeeded both in school and in their careers. George, however, was the only one who still hadn't found his place. After growing up and graduating high school with honors, he felt incapable of staying in one place for long. At first, he decided to join the army. In six months, he was trained in discipline, organization, marksmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. Within his unit, George made many friends - one could even say he became the heart of the group.
He grew especially close to Sam - a tall, calm African American, two years older than him - and Emilio, a quick and sharp Latino of the same age. After six months of training, George decided he wanted to see the world and signed up for contract service. For two years, he served in the Middle East. During that time, George went through a lot…
Every day in a foreign land was filled with danger. George had to stay alert at all times—literally even in his sleep. Living side by side with paranoia taught him how to sleep with his eyes open. Luck, combined with his constant vigilance, saved him from death more than once. His comrades even nicknamed him "Guarded George." The name was well earned—at times, it felt as if some unknown force was protecting him. That was exactly why people tried to stay as close to him as possible and never hesitated to patrol alongside him. Whether that actually helped was hard to say, but in an environment where death was always nearby, people needed something to believe in.
George himself wasn't particularly happy with that reputation. Still, he made use of it when necessary. It never made him arrogant - George remained cautious at all times. Our brave soldier loved animals, especially cats. Using his standing within the unit, George managed to keep a cat he found during a patrol of the surrounding area. He quickly found a way to bond with her and named her Happy. Who could have imagined she would one day save his life?
One night, while everyone was asleep, George's half-open eyes noticed Happy behaving strangely. A few seconds later, he fully woke up and looked toward his cat as she began to meow. Annoyed soldiers "asked" him to shut her up—she was keeping them from sleeping. But George's expression changed instantly as realization hit him. He remembered that animals are capable of sensing impending danger. Picking Happy up, George loudly warned his comrades. A few minutes later, the base was struck by a rocket barrage.
George—and many of the soldiers who believed him - survived. Watching their base burn, they silently mourned those who had died that night. A couple of days later, George was taken in for questioning by CIA agents. They were interested in how he knew the base was about to be hit by missiles. The interrogation didn't last long - only a few hours -since the incident had already been thoroughly investigated. George was released and continued his service.
After completing his term, he returned home. Much had changed during the two and a half years of his absence. All of his siblings had started families of their own, leaving them too busy even to meet him. His city had changed as well—new streets, new buildings, and even new genders… Only his parents welcomed him warmly, genuinely happy to see their youngest son return. The most painful realization was learning of his grandparents' deaths.
Adjusting to civilian life was extremely difficult for George. With the money he earned during his service, he bought a small house in a quiet and beautiful neighborhood. And yet, that calm frightened him. George understood perfectly well that he needed psychological help. For several months, he attended group therapy sessions for war veterans, where he was taught how to readjust to life in society.
The first thing he did was adopt a cat from a shelter. George's previous cat had disappeared while he was still in service. One day, she simply vanished - as if she had dissolved into thin air. He asked both his comrades and the local residents about her, but no one knew anything…
The next thing George decided to do was watch a very popular anime - One Piece. After graduating high school and before joining the army, he had finished the entire first season. He was shocked to learn that in the two and a half years of his absence, the anime wasn't even close to ending.
Over the next two and a half years, he rewatched this masterpiece, watching two episodes a day. He didn't even consider getting a job - he had no need for one. George had successfully invested his earnings and received ten thousand dollars a month in dividends. Having grown accustomed to a peaceful life, he began traveling from state to state, enjoying life together with his beloved pet. His relationships with women were always short-lived - perhaps he simply hadn't found the right one yet.
Unfortunately, that peaceful life didn't last long. One day, George received a call from a friend from his past - Sam. He told George that their slick, crafty friend Emilio had landed himself in deep shit. George couldn't abandon a friend in trouble. Emilio was being held hostage by a Mexican gang working for a cartel. Sam and George gathered the required sum and headed to Texas for the exchange. Unfortunately, everything went wrong. The greedy bastards demanded more money. Sam lost his temper and said that wasn't the deal. A verbal argument escalated into a shootout, during which George was shot.
Sam and Emilio rushed to their wounded friend, pressing down on the wound and calling an ambulance.
But George couldn't be saved. As he lay dying, he saw the silhouette of his cat Happy, glowing with an intense light. Closing his eyes against the blinding glow, George felt himself sinking into pitch-black darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, a bright icon appeared within the darkness. It read:
"Do you wish to live another life?"
George spent a long time trying to understand what the hell was happening. But the answer was obvious.
Yes!
Thanks to the Light Aspect you have acquired, your wish will be fulfilled. However, reincarnation within your original world is impossible. Your soul will be transferred to another universe.
"What?" George muttered.
"W-Where am I…?"His shock only deepened when, in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in the middle of a forest.
You are located within a forest in the Goa Kingdom, East Blue. Based on your recent memories, it has been decided to transfer your soul into the body of the main character of the anime One Piece. Timeline: the day after Ace set sail.
"What?!" George was genuinely stunned. He began examining himself and even pinched his own skin - only to watch it stretch unnaturally.
Do you wish to confirm? In that case, you will be granted access to your status screen:
Name: Monkey D. Luffy (George Winner)Age: 14Level: 3 (7/150)Status: Devil Fruit User (Gomu Gomu no Mi (Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika))
Attributes:Strength: 20Agility: 15 (+30) = 40Endurance: 17Willpower: 30Perception: 5Intelligence: 13 (-10) = 3Luck: 7 (+69) = 70
Unassigned Attribute Points: 0
Skills: Rubber Body; Protagonist's Luck; Fools have the devil's luck; Legendary Glutton; Player Inventory.
George had no idea what to do next.Twenty-seven years of life had not prepared him for this.