Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1490
There was a strange island in the first half of the Grand Line, a place known for its stomach turning ecosystem and even stranger name.
Boin Archipelago.Stomach Baron.
At the edge of the island, a boy with long golden hair lay sprawled out on a massive leaf, one leg casually crossed over the other. He was completely naked except for a simple grass skirt tied around his waist.
Beneath him, a carnivorous plant stretched out its broad leaves and overlapped them, forming something like two giant hands to cradle him. Under the sunlight, sweat poured off the plant's "face" in thick drops. It lifted its head, glanced toward the direction of the sun, then trudged inward toward the island while continuing to carry the boy.
Once they entered the forest, the man eating plant extended a long tongue and gently patted the boy's cheek.
To wake him up.
…
The boy slowly came to, immediately noticing that one side of his face was wet. Without even opening his eyes properly, he swung his fist and slammed it right into the plant's huge head.
Then he tore off a chunk of giant bone-in meat from a nearby food plant, ate while chewing furiously, and snapped:
"Damn it, Peashooter! How many times do I have to tell you? Don't wake me up with your tongue!"
"You get drool all over my face!"
After he finished the meat in his hands, the plant used its hand-like leaves to rub the swelling lump on its head. It looked angrier by the second, stepping closer and repeatedly overlapping its leaves again and again, mimicking a "carrying" motion like it was protesting.
The boy frowned, staring at the "Peashooter" in front of him as if he were sensing something. His expression turned awkward. Then he clicked his tongue and muttered, a little guilty:
"Next time… next time you can put me down first."
With that, he turned away and went back to eating the food beside him like nothing happened.
This man eating plant was something the boy had subdued by force three years ago. Because it looked like the Peashooter from Plants vs. Zombies, the boy had named it Peashooter.
Hearing the boy's words, Peashooter became even more furious. It pointed at the spot on its head where it had been punched last time, then shoved its big face close to the boy's eyes.
The boy pushed the massive flower face away, listening to the "voice" that came from the plant through his perception.
"Last time I did put you down first, and you still hit me!!!"
It was ridiculous. Unbelievable, even.
Who would imagine you could see such humanlike emotions from a plant?
But this was the world of pirates.
So… it made sense.
Yes. This was Roy's third year in the One Piece world.
Ever since he was eight, when he had gone out to sea with his parents for a simple trip, only to run into pirates, everything had changed.
In that moment of terror, his father had shoved him into a wooden barrel and thrown him into the ocean.
When Roy opened his eyes again, he was already on this bizarre island.
At first, the newly awakened Roy couldn't understand why he wasn't waking up in his familiar cramped apartment, but instead staring out at an endless sea.
Then a sharp pain tore through his skull.
Memories collided and fused.
And only then did Roy realize the truth.
He had transmigrated.
Surprisingly, Roy wasn't afraid.
He was thrilled.
He had been nothing more than an ordinary wage slave. An orphan. Someone who had lived day to day without anything to cling to.
If he could survive, then living anywhere was fine.
He brushed the sand off his body and immediately began exploring the island behind him.
Plants that grew all kinds of food.
Ants the size of trucks.
Carnivorous plants that sprinted around on "legs," each one a different species.
And more than once, he had nearly been eaten when the island itself decided it was time to feed.
That was when Roy finally confirmed it.
He was in the One Piece world.
And not just anywhere.
He was on the same island where Usopp, the Straw Hat Pirates' sniper, would later train for two years.
A News Coo circled overhead.
Roy quickly grabbed a few fruits from a nearby plant and traded them for a newspaper.
Back when he first arrived here, three years ago, he had watched a News Coo pull a newspaper out of its bag with one "hand," while its other "hand" somehow kept perfect balance in midair.
After that, Roy slowly got used to this world's absurdity.
So whenever a News Coo passed by, Roy always made a trade for the paper.
He needed to know what era he was in.
For a transmigrator, foreknowledge was the greatest cheat of all.
He picked up a cup of juice and unfolded the paper.
Whitebeard and Shiki had each formed their own pirate crews and were fighting over territory.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido had broken apart, going their separate ways.
Linlin really was stunning when she was young. Roy couldn't help but think the author had some kind of obsession. In this world, beauties were truly breathtaking when they were young, but once they got old they all turned into wrinkled grandmas.
Still… none of that mattered to him right now.
He was only eleven.
Then his eyes caught a headline.
"The Roger Pirates have annihilated the Sorros Kingdom—"
The young Pirate King…!
Roy stared at the photo.
A captain's hat. A ridiculous upturned moustache. A wide grin that looked downright stupid.
And behind him, companions who radiated a presence that didn't need words.
"No wonder they're the top crew on the seas."
Roy let out a breath of awe.
Then he blinked.
In the corner of the photo, he spotted two kids.
One with red hair.
One with a red nose.
Shanks and Buggy, the apprentices.
They looked only six or seven.
Which meant…
Bullet probably hadn't boarded yet.
If he ever got the chance, Roy could go to that war-torn country and see if he could intercept him early.
With Bullet's talent, if he hadn't been caught by the Marines later on…
He would have become a monster on the level of an Emperor.
Thinking that far ahead, Roy folded the paper and began his daily training.
He strapped a boulder to his back and ran laps around the island.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
And after all the physical training, he took a wooden stick and practiced chopping motions again and again.
Because in this world, Devil Fruits were powerful, sure…
But martial arts and swordsmanship were the true mainstream.
At first, Roy had even tried calling out for a system, just in case.
Nothing answered.
He didn't have one.
But Roy wasn't disappointed.
Because of transmigration, his spirit was abnormally strong.
After three years of training, he could easily read the thoughts of other living beings.
And with the Boin Archipelago's abundant food, packed with enormous energy…
Roy's physique grew stronger and stronger.
His mental power rose steadily too.
At eleven, he was already around 1.8 meters tall.
Once he fully matured, he might even reach Admiral height.
Heh.
Good physical talent.
Strong mental power.
And he had awakened Observation Haki early, like Red Count Baroque Works… no, like Red Count Patrick Redfield himself.
With an absurdly wide range.
Roy stroked his chin, feeling satisfied.
But then he sighed.
"Still… basic training like this won't boost my strength much anymore."
"I've decided."
"I'm going to sea and find better ways to grow stronger."
Roy sat cross-legged on the ground, slammed his right fist into his left palm, and shouted with excitement.
The next day, Roy slept as usual by the shore.
He felt the violent shaking beneath him from the giant leaf he used as a bed. He was just about to punch Peashooter again when he saw the plant stretch out a long leaf, pointing toward the sea.
Roy turned his head.
A few hundred meters away, a merchant ship was sailing by.
Roy's eyes lit up.
He slapped Peashooter's side and laughed loudly.
"Good job, Peashooter. Stay here and wait for me! I'll come back for you later!"
Without waiting for a response, Roy leapt into the ocean and swam toward the ship.
With Roy's current physique, and years of swimming as training, catching up to a merchant ship sailing at a steady speed wasn't difficult at all.
As he rapidly closed the distance…
On the merchant ship, a sailor leaned against the railing, chatting lazily with a coworker to kill time. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something.
He turned his head.
And saw Roy's figure cutting through the sea at an unbelievable speed.
"Hey, hey, hey… no way."
The sailor stared, then hurriedly slapped his companion's shoulder.
"Doron! There's a person swimming toward us out on the ocean!!"
Doron shoved his hand away, speaking calmly.
"Don't joke around, Sim. Who would be bored enough to swim in the middle of the sea?"
"I'm serious, Doron! Look! He's fast, and he's getting closer!"
And before Doron could even respond, Sim had already rushed off to report the discovery to the captain…
…