'This might come as a surprise, but my name is Monkey D. Luffy…'
In truth, the man was something of an anomaly, a protagonist in an adventure manga inspired by a world-famous pirate, or so the story went.
The uncertainty stemmed from the fact that the original work had been popular in what he considered his previous life. Not that he'd been an avid fan—he'd only read it occasionally, alongside other ongoing series he preferred.
Eventually, between entrance exams and the manga's conclusion, the man stopped buying the weekly magazines and never finished it.
But he'd absorbed enough. Enough to notice something was off.
This wasn't the world he remembered from the manga…
"Hey, Luffy! The usual!"
The speaker was Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, currently using Foosha Village as their base of operations. In his hand wasn't alcohol, but water.
"Come on... just drink it normally."
"Don't be like that. Here."
The mug was practically shoved into his hands. With a sigh, Luffy activated his ability.
"Paste."
From among his retained tags, he selected the relevant information and affixed it to the mug. Handing it back, Shanks grinned, "Thanks!" and downed the contents eagerly. Plain water, yet Shanks swallowed it with the gusto of fine liquor.
"Ahhh~! Man, that's convenient! Tastes just like the real thing—I could drink this all night!"
What Shanks drank was nothing but water. But the tag Luffy had attached altered its properties, granting it the flavor of alcohol.
This was his ability, the ability he regained upon reincarnation.
The Tag-Tag Fruit.
According to Shanks, who'd traveled the world, several Devil Fruit encyclopedias existed, some completely fabricated, others compiled by scholars aiming for completeness. None of them contained any record of the Tag-Tag Fruit.
But Luffy alone knew just how strange this truly was.
First, the original MC Monkey D. Luffy should have eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit, left carelessly by Shanks. Becoming a rubber man, stretching his limbs—that was supposed to be the story's trajectory.
Instead, he possessed the Tag-Tag Fruit's power.
This ability allowed him to treat information attached to objects like physical tags, manipulating them at will. What he'd just done was attach the tag of the bar's sake to the water in Shanks' mug. The water thus gained the taste and alcohol content of sake, though its essence remained water, preventing hangovers. Convenient, really.
The fact that he didn't have rubber powers already marked this world as different from the original.
But there was another divergence.
"Luffy, let's have a contest!"
The girl who called out had oddly colored hair—half white, half red. Her name was Uta. Shanks' adoptive daughter, who claimed to be the musician of the Red Hair Pirates.
He didn't recall any such loli from the story he'd read. Either she was a fellow reincarnator, or she existed solely because his presence as Luffy had altered events.
"Hey, Luffy. What kind of contests do you and Uta always have?"
Shanks, curious about his foster daughter's activities, asked.
Before Luffy could answer, Uta piped up: "Contests! Like endurance battles or treasure hunts!"
"Today it's hide-and-seek!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Shanks seemed amused by the childish games, but he didn't notice the glazed look in Uta's eyes.
Truth be told, this ability worked on living beings as well.
For example, if someone was injured, removing the tag can heal them as if the injury never happened, and if they were ill, it can restore them to a healthy state.
But he'd revealed none of this to anyone, including Shanks. The ability's full scope remained unknown, and there existed a terrifying tag: age. The implications were obvious: elderly VIPs could kidnap commoners and swap their age tags for extended lifespans.
Since he couldn't predict who might leak the secret, keeping quiet around Shanks was the wisest course…
"Oh my, Luffy. Running an errand?"
The owner of Foosha Village's general store addressed him.
"Hide-and-seek with Uta. Taking a walk while I'm at it."
"How responsible."
She reached down and patted the head of "Uta"—naked, leashed like a dog.
To any outside observer, a nude minor girl wearing a collar and being walked on a dog leash would have warranted immediate reporting to the authorities.
Yet no one batted an eye.
"…"
Uta's face flushed crimson, her breath ragged as if she might burst into flames.
"Come on. Let's go."
"Woof-Woof!!"
He tugged the leash and started walking; Uta scrambled to follow.
Why did the villagers see nothing wrong? Because Uta's original Uta tag had been removed, replaced with a Monkey Family's Pet Dog tag. Consequently, the villagers perceived only a young boy walking his family's dog.
For a pet dog, Uta's nudity aroused no suspicion.
The ability didn't affect the target or Luffy himself; Uta remained fully aware that she was parading naked through the village.
There were reasons he'd used his power on Uta without telling anyone…