The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't breathe.
Well, no. That's not quite right. I could breathe, but it felt wrong. Like my lungs were working in reverse or something. Water was going in and out, and my brain was screaming that I should be drowning, but I wasn't.
I tried to move my arms and they felt too short. Too weak. Everything was blurry, and there were these massive shapes moving around me. Voices, but they sounded muffled, like I was hearing them through a wall.
Then it hit me. The memories.
I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be... where? Home? My apartment? It was getting fuzzy already, like trying to remember a dream after you've been awake for too long. But I knew I'd been somewhere else. Someone else.
Now I was here. In water. In a body that wasn't mine.
A massive face loomed over me, and despite the panic, I felt this weird sense of calm wash over me. The face was feminine, with long flowing hair and these gentle eyes. But she wasn't human. Orange skin, webbed hands, and features that were definitely fish-like.
Queen Otohime.
The name just appeared in my mind like it'd always been there. And with it came more information. King Neptune. Ryugu Kingdom. Fishman Island.
Oh shit. Oh shit.
I was in One Piece.
"He's awake," Otohime said, and her voice was so warm it made my chest hurt. "Look at him, Neptune. Our little prince."
Another face appeared. This one was absolutely huge, with a crown and a massive orange beard. King Neptune looked down at me with proud eyes.
"Strong one, isn't he? Didn't cry once during the birth."
Probably because I was too busy having an existential crisis, I thought. But all that came out was a little gurgling sound.
I was a baby. A fishman baby. The eldest son of the royal family.
This was insane.
Before I could process any more of this, something flickered in front of my eyes. Like a screen from a video game, transparent and glowing.
[System Initialization Complete]
[Welcome, User]
[Scanning host body...]
[Scan complete. Beginning integration.]
I would've jumped if I could move properly. A system? Like those novels I used to read? The ones where people got transported to other worlds with cheat abilities?
More text appeared.
[Host designated as: Eldest Prince of Ryugu Kingdom]
[Special circumstances detected: Reincarnation into fictional world]
[Compensatory measures activated]
[Ability Unlocked: Data Digitization]
[Ability Unlocked: Superior Comprehension]
[Evolution Protocol: Initializing...]
My body suddenly felt hot. Not painful, just warm, like I was sitting in sunlight. Energy was flowing through me, changing something fundamental.
[Evolution Complete]
[Species Updated: Poseidon-Class Fishman]
[Authority Granted: Dominion Over Water]
[Authority Granted: Command of Aquatic Life]
The warmth faded, and I felt... different. Stronger, even in this tiny baby body. And there was this awareness now, like I could sense the water around me. Every current, every movement. It was overwhelming but also natural, like discovering you'd had a sixth sense your whole life.
Otohime gasped. "Neptune, look at his eyes!"
I couldn't see myself, but I felt something had changed. My parents were staring at me with wonder.
"I've never seen that color before," Neptune murmured. "Like the deep ocean itself."
Great. So I was going to stand out. That's just what I needed.
But as I lay there in my mother's arms, feeling the gentle current of water around us, reality started setting in. I was in the One Piece world. In 1485, if the timeline was following what I remembered. That meant I had years before the canon storyline started. Years before Luffy was even born.
And I was the eldest prince of Fishman Island. The place that faced so much discrimination and tragedy in the original story.
The system interface was still visible in the corner of my vision, waiting. I focused on it, and more information appeared.
[Current Status]
[Name: ??? (Unnamed)]
[Age: 0 years]
[Species: Poseidon-Class Fishman]
[Health Points: 100/100]
[Evolution Tier: Sovereign]
So I had HP like a game character. That data digitization thing, probably. Attacks would reduce health points instead of causing normal injuries. I wouldn't die unless it hit zero.
That was... actually pretty incredible.
The comprehension ability was harder to test as a baby, but I had a feeling it meant I'd be able to understand and learn things way faster than normal.
And the evolution system... if I was understanding this right, I could help other fishmen evolve too. Give them powers beyond their normal abilities.
A slow smile probably would've crossed my face if I had the muscle control for it.
I couldn't fight the World Government head-on. That would be stupid and would probably get everyone killed. But I could build. I could develop. I could make Fishman Island into something strong enough that nobody would dare look down on it.
I could change everything.
"What should we name him?" Otohime asked softly.
Neptune thought for a moment, his huge hand gently touching my head. "He'll be a great king someday. He needs a name with strength."
They talked for a while, suggesting different options. I barely paid attention, too busy thinking about the future. About all the things I knew would happen and all the things I could prevent.
Finally, they decided.
But that's a story for the next chapter.