So, I have officially joined as a lab assistant in the same Pathology laboratory where I did my training.
And the doctor (whom I trained under) just gave a sweet smile and dumped two hundred samples on me as a welcoming gift.
sigh... tormenting his juniors.
One day, I'll have my revenge...MUAHAHAHAHA!!...cough cough...
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Thought of the day:
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
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Attendance Please:
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FIRST PERSON POV—
I hear voices.
None of them sound familiar.
My body feels stiff.
My eyes remain closed.
The words drift toward me like echoes through water, muffled, distorted, yet somehow heavy.
"…only way, my…"
"…a broken sire I am…"
What?!
What's going on?
Where am I?
"…the princes are slain…"
A third voice cuts through the other two, sharp as a blade drawn across silk. A mournful silence follows.
"…the hour is upon us..."
And then, silence.
But not emptiness.
Something stirs around me.
Something alive.
I can feel my body now. Finally. But the sensation is strange, foreign, like I'm wearing skin that isn't quite my own.
I'm… drowning?
Something pushes me down, relentlessly. Invisible hands press against my shoulders, my chest, my throat.
I smell blood.
Thick. Metallic.
I force myself upward, fighting against the pressure, the weight, whatever is holding me down, and I break through.
I take a deep breath.
I open my eyes.
And I see...
Blood.
Everywhere.
I'm drenched in it, soaked as if every part of me has been submerged for ages. I'm floating in an ocean of blood that stretches endlessly in every direction.
I look at my hands.
They are completely covered in blood. Thick streams drip from my fingertips, trailing down my wrists like red ribbons. I cannot see my own skin beneath the blood.
I look up at the sky.
It is bleeding.
Crimson clouds pulse like open wounds, and from them, droplets fall, slow and weightless, each one catching light from no discernible source.
And then—
The world splits open.
Reality tears apart like old parchment, and from the wound emerges—
An eye.
Enormous, beyond measure.
It fills the entire red world. It stares down at me, and in that gaze, I feel something I have never felt before, something beyond fear, something primal, something that makes my soul want to curl inward and hide.
"I SEE YOU. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME. YOUR DESTINY LIES WITH ME."
The ocean of blood churns.
A whirlpool forms directly beneath me, spiraling, hungry, and relentless. It pulls at my legs, my waist, and my chest.
I try to fight it.
Try to swim away.
Try to run, as if there were anywhere to run to.
"THERE IS NOWHERE YOU CAN RUN. EVERY PATH YOU TAKE WILL LEAD YOU TOWARD ME."
Blood seeps within me.
My mouth.
My eyes.
My ears.
My nose.
My skin, it drinks me in.
I am starting to suffocate.
All I see is red.
"YOU ARE MINE."
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END OF POV—
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"…j…"
"…Y…j…"
"…Yu…ji…"
"…Yuji…"
"…YUJI…"
"YUJI!"
Yuji woke with a loud gasp, his chest heaving as if he had been pulled from the depths of the very ocean he had just dreamed of. Sweat drenched him completely, his clothes clinging to his skin like a second layer. His body trembled uncontrollably, every muscle tensing and relaxing in sharp bursts.
"Yuji!?"
He heard someone call his name, but the voice sounded distant and muffled, like a shout from the far end of a tunnel.
A hand pressed firmly onto his shoulder, halting the tremors that shook his frame.
He looked up and saw that it was Zoro.
The swordsman's eyes were fixed on him with an intensity that bordered on alarm, though his face remained carefully controlled.
Yuji blinked to clear the haze. The world gradually came into focus.
Everyone was gathered around him.
Luffy sat to his right side, unusually still.
Usopp and Nami stood directly in front of him, both leaning forward as if ready to catch him should he collapse.
Sanji waved his hand in front of Yuji's face, trying to get his unfocused eyes to follow the movement.
They all looked… worried.
"Wh—What happened!?" His voice was dry and cracked, as if he hadn't spoken in days.
Zoro gently squeezed his shoulder. "You don't remember anything?"
"I—I…" Yuji shut his eyes and focused, gathering his scattered thoughts. "…We were about to reach the last island, Loguetown, before entering the Grand Line. I had felt tired all day, more tired than I should have been. So I decided to nap by the railing… and I fell asleep."
His brow furrowed.
"You were grunting in your sleep, buddy," Usopp said. "I thought you were just uncomfortable against the railing, so I tried to wake you, but you didn't respond. Not even a twitch." He swallowed hard. "I tried a few more times, shook your shoulder, called your name. Nothing. Then suddenly, you started panting really hard, like you'd run a mile in your sleep. Your body began shaking uncontrollably. I…" He hesitated. "…I panicked and called the others."
Yuji let out a slow breath as he listened, but it came out shakier than he intended.
"Yuji, is something wrong? Do you need anything?" Luffy asked, genuine concern in his voice.
Yuji coughed lightly into his hand. His cough sounded rough. "My throat's dry…"
"I'll get you some water." Sanji was already moving before the words were finished, disappearing into the kitchen.
"Did you have a bad dream, big bro? You can tell us about it," Nami said, taking his left hand between both of hers and rubbing it gently.
"I—don't know..." He rubbed his temple, trying to ease the dull throb behind his eyes. "…I don't remember it. It's just... my head hurts."
The words felt like a lie. He should remember. Something told him that what he had seen was important, vital. But it remained locked away, just out of reach, leaving only a hollow ache and the ghostly sensation of drowning.
Sanji walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and knelt before Yuji. Without hesitation, he gently pressed the glass to Yuji's lips.
"I can drink it—"
"Don't," Sanji said, swatting Yuji's hand away. "Your head's not in the right place right now, and if you drink too fast, you'll choke."
Yuji sighed and allowed Sanji to help him drink, taking one careful sip at a time.
Afterward, Yuji took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He used the Life Return technique to temporarily shut down the pain receptors in his head. Then, he channeled his Blood Manipulation, accelerating the flow of oxygen-rich blood throughout his body.
Right away, he felt better. His bodily functions steadied, heart rate evened, breathing regular, muscles loosening.
He carefully scanned the tissue and vessels in his brain to check for any internal damage.
He slowly stood up, cracked his neck with a satisfying pop, and let out a deep breath that released the last of the tension from his shoulders.
"I'm fine now," he said, looking at his friends, his crew, who had dropped everything to be by his side.
"Are you sure? What about your headache?" Nami asked, sounding like a little sister worried about her older brother, her grip on his hand tightening slightly.
Yuji smiled and ruffled her hair. The orange strands slipped through his fingers like silk. "Don't worry, Nami-chan. It's just a headache; it will pass. But if it makes you feel better, I'll grab some painkillers in Loguetown."
She nodded and smiled, leaning into the warmth of his hand on her head for a moment longer than necessary.
"Yosh!!! You really scared us there!" Luffy cut in, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead with exaggerated relief. His grin was back in full force, but his eyes stayed on Yuji a beat longer than usual.
"Yeah, I thought some kind of monster had taken over your body!" Usopp said. "Not that I was scared or anything! Great Warrior Usopp laughs in the face of death." He let out one of his dramatic laughs.
Sanji shook his head at Usopp's antics, a dry smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, sure, buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night." He then looked at Yuji, the humor fading into something more sincere. "If you need anything, just call me. I'll be in the pantry."
With that, he walked back into the kitchen.
"We'll reach Loguetown in about an hour," Nami said. "So, get some rest."
She walked off as well, dragging Usopp by his collar to help her with the map. "Ack—gentle, Nami, gentle! This is premium sniper material you're manhandling!"
"Shishishishishi… can you believe it? We're going to see the place where Roger was born and executed!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with that familiar hunger for adventure. "I can't wait to see the execution platform." He bounded back to his usual spot on Merry's figurehead, legs dangling over the sides like a kid on a swing.
Only Zoro stayed beside Yuji.
A heavy silence settled between them as they both gazed out at the distant horizon. The waves lapped gently against Merry's hull.
Then Zoro spoke, calm and measured. "Wanna share something, buddy?"
Yuji remained silent, his gaze fixed on his hands. He turned them over, studying the lines on his palms.
"Things aren't going the way I thought," he said quietly. "Everything's messed up. The knowledge I have means nothing against all these unknowns. Sometimes, I feel like I don't belong here." He paused, and something raw crept into his voice. "Like my whole life is just a story someone else is writing. I—"
Zoro patted Yuji's back, firm and steady. "We're here for you. Whenever you're not feeling like yourself, just come talk to us. We're all ears."
Yuji clenched his fist, feeling the pressure of his own grip, grounding and real. "Yeah. You all are here." He looked at Zoro with genuine gratitude, an unspoken understanding passing between them. "Thank you."
Zoro waved his hand, already uncomfortable with the sincerity. "Don't mention it."
They both looked back at the vast ocean. Somewhere beyond that endless blue, Lougetown awaited.
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LOGUETOWN (THE TOWN OF BEGINNING AND THE END)—
"Wow! This place is huge!" Usopp said, spinning slowly as he took in the bustling town center. Shops lined the cobblestone streets in every direction, their signs creaking gently in the sea breeze.
"So this is where the age of pirates began," Luffy grinned, his eyes wide with something close to awe.
Sanji lit his cigarette with a flick of his lighter, the flame briefly catching before he snapped it shut. He took a long drag and exhaled, smoke curling lazily upward. "I can probably find some good cooking ingredients here. I spotted a market district on the way in, it looked promising."
"Hmm hmm…" Usopp hummed, already making a mental shopping list. "I need to buy spare parts for my pistols and sniper rifle as well."
"Right." Nami clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. She pulled out her purse and began handing out money to them. "Here, Usopp, for your weapon parts." She pressed the bills into his palm. Then she turned to Sanji. "Here's for the food supply. Don't go overboard on the fancy spices." She looked at Luffy, who was practically vibrating with excitement. "Do whatever you want with these, but don't come crying to me when it's gone in ten minutes."
Luffy stared at the money with an awed expression, as if she had handed him the keys to paradise.
Nami then handed some money to Yuji, her expression softening slightly. "Here, big bro. Buy your medicine, the good stuff, okay?"
Yuji took the money and pocketed it. "I will. I promise."
Then Zoro cleared his throat, a pointed, deliberate sound. "I also need some money."
"Oh, you do? For what?" Nami asked, raising one eyebrow.
Zoro met her gaze with a deadpan expression. "Seriously? You're asking me that?" He patted Wado Ichimonji at his hip, the white scabbard gleaming in the sunlight.
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot you use three swords! Sorry about that," Nami said with a smile sweet enough to give someone cavities.
"It's only been a few days, and you already forgot?" Zoro muttered flatly.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Nami waved her hand but was already counting out his share. "Here. Try not to get lost finding the sword shop."
Zoro took the money, counted it carefully, and nodded in approval.
"Good. Now," Nami said, fixing everyone with a look that left no room for argument. "In three hours, we all meet back here. No detours, no adventures, no getting arrested. Okay?"
They all nodded and went their separate ways.
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Yuji walked the streets of Loguetown, weaving between merchants, pirates, and everyday citizens going about their business. His pace remained casual, his posture relaxed, but his eyes never stopped moving.
Even though he had complete confidence in his strength, he still couldn't confront Smoker's Logia ability without Haki. That was simply a fact. No amount of training or technique could overcome the fundamental problem of being unable to physically touch his opponent.
But knowing Luffy, he was still going to get himself caught by Buggy on that execution platform. The rest would likely unfold as in the original, the storm, Dragon stepping in, and the escape.
It wasn't as if he was trying to change anything in these early arcs anyway.
Things were already more chaotic than he remembered. His very presence had caused ripples that extended in ways he couldn't fully anticipate.
And he didn't want to be like those other transmigrators.
The ones who strutted around like young masters of a jade empire, convinced the whole world revolved around them simply because they had lucked into Jinwoo's knockoff system with a cheap imitation of Rimuru's Great Sage. They treated real people like NPCs, like pieces on a game board, as if their suffering didn't matter because it was all just a story.
And then, oh, don't even get him started on those who transmigrated with the so-called eye cosmetics known as the Sharingan. He had read far too many fanfics featuring those overhyped eye implants, to the point where he slowly began to think that maybe, just maybe, Tobirama wasn't entirely wrong.
Did that make him racist toward the Uchihas?
Hell no.
But did it make him racist toward certain people with Sharingans?
Of course, it did.
Those bastards had those magical girl eyes as if God himself were handing them out like candy to transmigrators, while here he was, training his ass off from day one just to unlock the original Itadori Yuji's true potential so he wouldn't get slimed by some no-name character in some no-name encounter.
It wasn't that he hated being born as Itadori Yuji.
He was actually quite content with what he had.
I mean, just look at his handsome face and his fit, attractive build, a body shaped by years of intense physical training and good genetics.
Who would have thought that adult Yuji would grow up to look like an absolute Chad?
He had also gained a few more inches on his little Yuji, which, by any reasonable measure, no man could honestly complain about. Small blessings from whatever cosmic force had cast him into this world.
Yet.
Yet there was always that paranoia, a quiet, nagging whisper eating away at the edges of his thoughts.
Why Yuji?
Why was he born as him?
This unanswered question sat in his gut like a stone, always present and impossible to ignore.
And why wouldn't it?
The amount of suffering the original had endured… If he hadn't been a Shonen Jump protagonist, Gege definitely would have given his boy the full Guts treatment.
If something like that ever happened to him, he would immediately take his own life without hesitation.
Forget strong will. Forget Conqueror's Haki.
He wasn't shy about calling himself a coward. Self-awareness was its own kind of strength, or so he told himself. He was just human, not some masochistic anime protagonist who would get beaten bloody, stand up, and ask for more.
In his original world, he had been raised with love and care. In this world, for twenty-four years, his grandfather had raised him with the same love and care: warm meals, hard lessons, and a hand on his shoulder when things got rough.
He was familiar with the daily hardships of his old world and understood the brutality of military-style training in this one. However, he had never personally faced the worst that the world had to offer.
Not until Syrup Village.
Yuji stopped mid-step.
Right there, in the middle of the busy street, surrounded by strangers who paid him no mind, he froze.
Syrup Village
Kaya's face appeared unbidden in his mind.
This sensation. This feeling.
As much as he tried to bury it, to lock it away in some hidden corner of his mind, it just stayed—like a black mark on his soul, an ink stain that spread whenever he wasn't looking.
Being in this world had forced him to confront things he never wanted to face.
It…
It hurts.
It hurts deeply to see an innocent person suffer like that, watching someone's world fall apart and feeling powerless to help, or worse, being able to help but arriving too late.
He knew he wasn't a pure, saint-hearted person.
He cursed. He made dark jokes. He laughed at things he probably shouldn't have found funny. All that kind of behavior.
But he was not evil.
His mother, his real mother from his original world, had once told him that he was a soft-hearted person.
Even his grandpa in this world had told him the same thing: "You're too kind for this world, boy. It'll eat you alive if you let it."
But he was not kind.
That much was proven by what he had done at Marine Base 16.
No kind person could kill dozens of men like that and feel no guilt. No kind person could walk through the aftermath and feel anything but cold satisfaction.
And yet.
And yet.
His very soul bled whenever he saw an innocent person suffer.
His own tears fell when he saw them crying, strangers, people he had never met, characters who were supposed to be just words on a page.
These feelings, this unseen connection.
He didn't understand any of it.
It hadn't been like this before, before this world, before these people became real to him.
After Syrup Village, the feelings began to intensify, a low hum beneath his skin, a resonance he couldn't quite identify.
And then, after freeing Nami's village, after seeing the relief in their eyes and the hope that had been crushed for eight years finally blooming again, and after liberating those poor souls from Marine Base 16, that hope had only grown.
'Is this cursed energy?'
The thought surfaced on its own, and he tucked it away to consider later.
He started walking again, his feet carrying him on autopilot through Loguetown as his mind wandered.
He was so lost in thought that he bumped directly into someone, a solid impact that sent the other person stumbling backward before toppling to the ground.
"Owee!"
The soft, feminine voice pierced through his haze like a bell.
"Huh!?"
He looked down.
A petite girl with bright orange hair sat on the ground, rubbing her backside with a pained expression.
"Oh, I'm really sorry! I didn't see you there!" Yuji said, his voice immediately shifting into apology mode. He reached down to help the girl stand, steadying her with a hand on her elbow, then dusted off her clothes.
The girl shook her head vigorously, her orange locks bouncing. "No, no, no, it's not your fault! I was in a hurry and bumped into you. I'm really, really sorry."
She began bowing repeatedly, each bow deeper than the last, her apologies pouring out in a rush.
Yuji sweat-dropped.
"O-okay, okay, I get it… but please stop doing that, or you'll make yourself dizzy."
The girl stopped mid-bow and looked up at him.
'God, she really is petite.'
And then his eyes, traitors that they were, flicked downward for the briefest moment, just a split second, barely noticeable.
'And it seems all her height growth went somewhere else.'
He stared at her chest.
'Damn! Those are some big boobs!'
Then he shook his head in disbelief.
'No… no… bad Yuji! Get your mind out of the gutter!'
"Um… are you okay, mister? Is something wrong?" the girl asked innocently, tilting her head. Her eyes were wide and clueless, completely unaware of the internal battle he was fighting.
Yuji immediately looked away, his face flushing. "Y-Yeah, fine… everything's fine." He laughed nervously, a sound that fooled no one.
"Oh, okay then," the girl said, seeming satisfied. "I need to go, but I'm really sorry again." She bowed one last time and then hurried off, disappearing into the crowd with surprising speed for someone so small.
Yuji wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Thank God she didn't notice, or I'd be labeled a pervert," he muttered under his breath.
He watched her leave, the orange hair bobbing through the sea of people, and felt a nagging sensation at the back of his mind.
"She looked familiar, though."
The thought lingered for a moment, then slipped away.
With a shrug, he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
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The orange-haired girl hurried through the winding backstreets of Loguetown, her small frame slipping through gaps in the crowd with practiced ease. She reached a hidden alcove tucked behind an old fishery.
Two cloaked figures were already waiting there.
"I'm so sorry for being late." She bent forward slightly, catching her breath.
One of the cloaked men chuckled, a warm, familiar sound. "It's okay, Koala. You're not late. We're not leaving yet, anyway. Looks like Dragon-san has some important things to take care of."
The girl, Koala, looked toward the other man, much taller than both of them, his face completely concealed by the deep green hood of his cloak. Even while standing still, he exuded a presence that was difficult to describe.
"Huh, really, Dragon-san?" she asked.
The taller man, Dragon, hummed, a low, resonant sound. "Yes." He turned slightly. "You two, head back to the ship and double-check our supplies. I'll join you later."
There was something in his voice that Koala couldn't quite place.
Before she could ask, he walked off, his long strides carrying him deeper into town, his cloak billowing behind him despite the absence of wind.
Koala stared at the spot where her leader had stood, her brow furrowed. Then she turned to the other man.
"Say, Sabo-kun… is it just me, or does Dragon-san seem… excited? Or something?"
The other cloaked man, Sabo, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The gesture was visible even beneath his hood. "Really? I didn't notice."
Koala huffed. "Of course you wouldn't," she muttered under her breath.
Sabo chuckled at her pouting face and pulled a spare cloak from within his own. "Put this on. We need to get back to the ship."
Koala took the cloak and draped it over her shoulders, the dark fabric enveloping her small frame and concealing her bright orange hair. She pulled the hood low and fell into step behind Sabo as they made their way toward the hidden dock where their ship awaited.
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Like the chapter, then please share your powerstones with me.
See you in next chapter.
Peace out....